“Wow, I don’t mean to sound like an amateur, but I’m shocked. I would be very interested, thank you for this opportunity. What would it entail?”
As I watch her pace the sand in front of our chairs, my ears perk up. It’s a business call, clearly. Something to do with the blog. And the way her jaw is simultaneously dropping and then breaking out into a smile, I can only assume it’s good.
“Yes, please send me the contract and I can look it over once I’m back from my honeymoon.” A pause. “Oh thank you, I got married a week ago. Yes, we’re having a great time, thank you. Okay … okay. Thank you again, I look forward to working with you.”
Erin hangs up, and then pumps her fists in the air, jumping around. “Holy freaking shit!”
Getting up, my bones lazy from the sun, I join her on the sand. “What was that about?”
She runs her hands through her wet, cornflower hair. “Oh my God, LOFT wants to partner with me. LOFT, babe! My favorite clothing brand, a huge company. That means Ann Taylor, their parent company, is behind it. Oh my God, I feel like a total fangirl but this is so awesome.”
Wrapping her in a hug, my own pride swells for her. She is living her dream, a thing that not many people get to do. “I am so proud of you, this is amazing, peas.”
She rambles on, still caught up in the phone call. “They want to contract me for two years. Ten percent of every item I sell through the links I provide my followers on my posts. That is a lot of money, babe. Clothes that they send me for every season. I am shaking …”
“Let’s get some champagne to celebrate. Maybe a bubble bath. Candles …” My mind starts to wander to our bedroom again.
“Stop thinking about your cock at a time like this.” Erin laughs and jumps into me, and I pick her up, carrying her to the water.
“I’m always thinking about it when it comes to you.” I dunk us both.
We spend the next three hours floating in the ocean, talking about her blog, and drinking champagne tinged with salt water.
Forty-Six
Erin
“Isn’t seeing your husband’s wedding ring a turn on?” Morgan muses to me, looking at my wedding band and engagement ring together.
“Yeah, I guess. But looking at my diamond is more of a turn on.” I admire the round cut halo setting, watching the rainbows bounce off of it.
“You’re such a materialist.” She rolls her eyes.
I look up from my computer, raising an eyebrow. “I never claimed I wasn’t. I like things. I like pretty things. So does everyone else, they just don’t admit it. I’m vain enough to put my materialistic life out there, that’s not a bad thing. Almost every single one of your mommy friends does the same … they love posting about makeup and shoes and purses. I just make money from it.”
Morg stares at me. “You’re evil, I swear. Maybe I shouldn’t let my kid learn things from her godmother.”
I stalk over to where Carina sits in her swing and pick her up, nuzzling her soft cheek with my nose. “Don’t listen to your mommy. She’s just jealous because I got better eyebrows than she did.”
“Bitch …” Morgan mumbled, and I laughed.
I cradled my niece, staring at her as she peeked up at me through those infant eyes that seemed sleepy and alert at the same time.
“What is it about getting married and finding your soul mate that makes you want to pop out babies that look like him and you?” I pondered, because ever since we’d gotten married, all I could think about was children that would like Reese and me.
Morgan picked a booger out of Carina’s nose and wiped it on a tissue. “Oh, just wait until you actually have a kid. Then you’ll want ten more just like it. And that’s after my horrendous labor and Carina in the NICU. I can’t imagine what a normal delivery is like, when you get to sweetly bond with your baby. And yet, I want to do it all over again. Still can’t feel my stomach from the numbness of my C-section scar, but I’d do it again tomorrow to get a little boy who was just as cute as this girl.”
She picked up my niece from my arms, admonishing me for waking her up, and planted a kiss on her nose before putting her in her swing, where Carina smiled and began to drool before nodding off to sleep.
“Women, and our bodies, are weird. Completely fucking cool and warrior-like, but so weird,” I marveled.
“I still think about how she literally grew inside my body. It’s so fucking weird, but so cool.” Morgan shrugged and walked across the room, sitting down on the couch.
I followed to join her, taking out my phone and texting Reese before sitting down.
Erin: Hey, what time will you be home tonight?
“So, do you think you and Reese will move into a different apartment?” Morgan picked up a set of knitting needles.
I was so distracted by the homely activity, that I couldn’t even concentrate. “Um … probably eventually. His apartment is closer to the hospital so that’s where we stay now, and I’ll give up my apartment at the end of my lease. Then we’ll probably look for a two bedroom close to the hospital. Or maybe something a little further from Center City. I’m sorry … are you knitting?”
Morgan holds up what looks like a raggedy blanket. “Trying to, albeit badly. I’m so bored on maternity leave! And I thought this would be a fun mommy kind of thing to do, so I tried to pick up knitting. Except I suck at it, and this looks more like a holey sock than a baby blanket.”
“Okay, stop that immediately. We may be married women now, and you have a kid hanging off your boob twenty hours a day, but that does not mean we’re kept housewives. You need something to do, balance my books.”
I had been thinking about it for a while, and now that I’d gotten the exclusive deal with LOFT, I needed more help on the business end of things. They’d sent me the paperwork and contracts, and I’d gone over them with a lawyer friend once Reese and I had gotten home from our honeymoon. I was starting next month representing the brand, and I was so fucking excited.
This deal meant the world to me. It would help take my blog and business to the next level. It would provide a real financial backing, and allow me to help contribute to my marriage. Not that Reese had been on my back, but I’d always promised myself to be independently financially secure if I was ever going to take that leap. He made more money than I did right now but, I was getting to his level with these deals.
“Seriously? You never wanted me involved in the blog or your business.” Morgan looks kind of shocked.
“I know I didn’t. I wanted to do everything on my own. But now that I have to file an LLC, and protect myself and file quarterly taxes and all of these other things I’m not sure how to do … I need you.”
Morgan considered me for a second, and then threw her poorly knitted blanket over the side of the couch. “I’m so in! Okay, so first we have to register you, and then set up a business bank account, get you on QuickBooks …”
She rambled, speaking a language I didn’t know half of. I was the beauty, she was the brains. Now my operation would be legitimate, and my sister could stop knitting and play with numbers and math, the two things she loved almost as much as Jeff and Carina.
My phone dings as she goes on.
Reese: Be home in ten. Long day. I need my wife and a pint of ice cream and an Avengers movie marathon.
I smiled, having already stocked the freezer with his favorite flavor knowing he was coming off of two night shifts in a row. For years, I’d worried about him as a best friend. And now, I still took care of him, but just on a deeper level. It was cosmic, and I wouldn’t admit fate had a hand, but I would tell him from time to time that we were definitely made to find each other.
Erin: Sounds perfect. I love you, carrots.
Reese: I love you, peas.
Forty-Seven
Erin
We walked through an older section of Philadelphia, one that had once housed blue-collar families and was now being gentrified. I’d noticed at least two string band clubs that had buildings down here, and
the old Philly vibe had me in a good mood.
“What’s the restaurant we’re going to?” We usually never came down to South Philly.
Reese looks over at me, his hand laced through mine. “This German place I heard was good. They’re building this area back up, and this is a newer restaurant.”
“Sounds good. As long as we don’t have to eat Wiener schnitzel, because then I have a feeling you’ll be making wiener jokes all night.”
“It sounds like you’ll be making wiener jokes.” Reese raises an eyebrow at me.
He continues to lead me down a street, that looks residential instead of one with businesses and up and coming nightlife. “How much farther is this restaurant? These boots are pinching my toes.”
The weather has turned cold in the two months since our wedding. December in Philly is beautiful, bringing a whole new season of fashion, but it’s freaking cold. I decided on black jeans, a black turtleneck, and maroon suede knee-high boots. The outfit was classy and sexy, and the boots were gorgeous. But they freaking hurt, and the heel was a little too high for the walk Reese was taking me on.
“You’ll soon see, my bride.” He bends down and kisses my cheek while we continue to walk.
I cringe. “Ugh, stop it. I told you I hate that. I love you, but I hate that nickname. Peas, baby, even sugar bear, I’d take. But my bride sounds creepy, like you’re going to kidnap me or something.”
Reese stops us in the middle of the street, this residential part of the city somewhat empty, and faces me toward him. “Maybe I am kidnapping you. But it’s for a good reason. Turn around.”
I turn around, looking at the brick front of a row home, one that looks the same as the others surrounding it, aside from the bright red front door.
“Um … okay?” I don’t get it.
“This could be ours.” He looks at me, nervous and expectant.
“Um, husband, are you hiding a boatload of money I don’t know about? Because you know that what’s mine is yours now.” I put a hand on my hip.
“No boatload of money, sorry. But … I do own this place.”
I turn to stare at him. “Okay, now I’m confused.”
Reese walks us closer, and I see the C carved into one of the cement bricks the make up the stoop. “Well, I should say, my family owns this place. It was actually my great-grandparents home, back when everyone still grew up in the city. A couple of months ago, my parents were thinking about selling it. I asked them to save it for me, or if I could buy it.”
“I didn’t know your family owned a home down here.” I peek over at him, surprised.
“So there are some things I’ve managed to keep hidden from you.” He smirks.
I hit his bicep. “Hey, we’re married now, you have to tell me all of your secrets.”
Reese rolls his eyes. “I’ve told you every one of my secrets since I was seven. Except that I was in love with you. But I eventually told you.”
I feel my neck heat when he says he’s in love with me, and I still can’t believe that I married my best friend. How weird is life?
“So you bought it a few months ago, eh? Pretty cocky of you to assume that you’d need it.” I lean into him.
“I was so confident that you’d come around to make good on our pact. That’s all. Want to go inside?” He’s oddly quiet for him, and I nod yes.
Reese retrieves a key from his pocket, and steps in front of me to unlock the bright red door. We step inside and he flicks the hall light on.
“Now, it needs a lot of work. But … I know how you love to design and create. So I thought you might enjoy that. We can pool our money and get a home renovation loan, since we won’t have to pay a mortgage or rent.” He walks us farther in. “There are three bedrooms and a basement, and this floor has your usual kitchen, living room, small laundry room and dining room, although we can knock all the walls out and make it an open concept, if you want.”
I listen to him and the walls come to life, moving, shifting, ideas of colors and furniture forming. “I love it. Yes.”
This is absolutely where we should be. History, so deep and rich, is running through this house. I’m a Collins now, and this meant a lot to Reese to have his parents keep it for us.
“The best part … there is a finished attic. I thought maybe we could turn that into your office.”
I walk to him, pulling his chin into my hands. “Have I told you lately how much I love you?”
He puts a finger to his chin. “Hmm, yes. But I’ll always gladly hear it again.
“I love you. And this place. When can we start?” The DIY queen inside of me was itching to come out.
“Whenever you want. It’s ours.”
Forty-Eight
Reese
Two things I love about my wife.
One, that she doesn’t mind sleeping on a mattress on the floor.
Two, that she also doesn’t mind eating cheesesteaks on a mattress on the floor. Half-naked … that’s another important point.
“This whole place smells like paint. I love it.” Her eyes go wide as she bites into her sandwich, sighing as she swallows.
I tickle her leg. “You’re insane. Who lives like this? And who enjoys it?”
“Me.” She swells with pride.
It’s been six months since we started work on the row home, and two weeks since we moved in. My lease on my apartment was up, which was the place we’d been living since we got married. Erin had given her apartment up long ago, so our only option was to move into our chaos and construction. We’d known about the deadline, but then Erin had insisted we needed to upgrade our master bathroom, and redo the floors on the second level, and so here we were, in the middle of sawdust and sink fixtures, eating our dinner and sleeping on the floor.
It was fun though, doing the renovation together. It was our first big project as a married couple, and we’d had our fair share of arguments over it already. But, we’d also had triumphs. The kitchen and living room were the first rooms we’d tackled, and they came out beautifully. As always, Erin’s eye for design had been spot-on, and she’d really increased the value of our house, while making our humble abode a home.
“How was work? Did Preston say anything about Jill again?” My wife wipes a spot of cheese that dripped onto her chin.
“Work was okay. One of my babies, the little Asian boy, remember him? He’d been with us for six weeks and he finally got discharged, so that was nice to see. But right as I was getting off shift, they brought in a brand new baby who was born today, with a heart defect. It doesn’t look good, from what I heard.”
CHOP had been more rewarding than even I’d imagined. I was on life-saving cases, and I’d actually been able to stand in the room with the scrub nurses on some of the neonatal surgeries.
“And Preston said he’s asking her tonight. He’s a nervous wreck.” I chuckled.
He wasn’t asking Erin’s friend to get married, just to move in. But for my friend, it was a huge step. He’d overcome a lot since we’d all gone on that double date, and I was happy for them.
We both eat the rest of our sandwiches, Erin scrolling through her phone some of the time and answering messages. Even though I’m not on social media, I don’t mind that it’s her life. I kind of like it that way, that I’m a little secret she pulls out sometimes for her followers.
“Oh, I’m so tired.” She snuggles down into the pillows and comforter on our makeshift bed.
I’ve been thinking a lot since we started our renovation, about all this house will hold. And now that we’ve almost been married a year, I think I can say this without freaking her out.
Oh, who am I kidding? This is definitely going to freak her out. But that has never stopped me from doing anything when it comes to Erin.
“Let’s have a baby.” I scoot across the mattress on my side, snuggling up to her back and nuzzling in her hair.
“Is this going to be the same kind of negotiation we had when we had sex for the first time? Because this one i
s a little more involved. You have to pay an arm and a leg for this end result.” She laces her fingers through mine and brings our joined hands up to rest just below her breasts.
“I’m serious. Think about a baby, cuter than Carina,” I tease.
“No one is cuter than Carina,” she scolds me, defending our godchild.
“Okay, you’re right … just as cute as Carina. Except with dark hair and dimples. And your monkey toes, and my crooked earlobes. We’ll teach him or her all of the songs on the Star Wars soundtrack, and how to get the best deals when shopping online. Come on, you basically live with a raiser of tiny humans.”
I grinned into her neck, hoping and praying that she says yes. I may be joking about our future child’s qualities, but I wasn’t joking about having a child. I wasn’t a male NICU nurse for shits and giggles, I really loved babies. And kids. They said you loved your kid even if you didn’t like other people’s kids, and I did like other people’s kids. So I would really love my own.
Erin flipped over, her hair flying through the air as she turned to face me. Her hands traced the stubble on my jaw, and her wedding and engagement rings caught the moonlight coming through the window behind our bed. Our bed … it was still so surreal. Who knew that tricking your childhood best friend, and lifetime crush, into marrying you would actually work.
Her mocha-colored eyes glint with an idea. “I’ll make you a deal. If, by the time I’m thirty-three, we still don’t have a baby, then I’ll let you knock me up.”
I smiled, holding out my right pinky for her to loop hers around. “It’s a pact.”
Erin hugged her pinky against mine, and we kissed. Pinky promises are a binding oath between us.
Too bad I’m going to do everything in my power to get her pregnant before then.
Save the Date Page 18