One Hot Fake

“Do you want to drive?” Marian asks.

“No, I like it when you’re in control,” I say with a straight face.

She returns my stare. “That’s funny because I like it when I’m in control too.”

I’m hot as I enter the car. How many times can you have sex with a woman before the intensity dwindles? This thing with Marian seems to be increasing with each time we have sex.

“About Zoe,” Maria says as she drives us out of her street. “When would you like to meet her?”

“How about today?” I say. “Does she know that she’ll have to go to Santa Monica to take pictures?”

“Yeah, she does. Santa Monica is not exactly the other end of the state, like Arlen,” Marian teases.

We reach Second Street all too soon. Marian brings the car to a stop, and I lean to her to kiss her lips. They are soft and sweet, and I don’t want it to end. I caress her thighs as I kiss her, and she lets out a soft moan.

I reluctantly pull away. “I’ve never made love in a car, and I don’t intend to start now.”

Marian giggles. I get out, and as she pulls away, I wave.

“Looks to me like someone is falling for their wife,” a voice behind me says.

I don’t have to turn around to know that it’s Ace. “Hard not to. She’s awesome.”

Ace places a hand on my shoulder and forcibly turns me to face him. “Are you admitting to falling in love? Where’s my brother, and what did you do to him?”

I laugh. “I’ve always believed in love; I just never expected that it would happen to me.”

“Does she know how you feel about her?” Ace asks.

“Yes,” I said. “What are you doing here so early?”

“I have twenty minutes before I begin my shift, so I thought I’d come to the First Bar and grab a cup of coffee.”

I drape my arm around him. “I can spare twenty minutes, and you can tell me everything that Luna’s been up to.”

Jim and Marcus don’t have the best coffee, but the croissants that Jim’s wife makes more than makeup for the less than stellar coffee.

We catch up on home stuff. Ace had been to see our parents over the weekend.

“Mother says you don’t visit anymore. She says it’s all Marian’s fault and that she’s changed you,” Ace says, a tone of amusement in his voice.

“I’m not surprised by that,” I say.

“I’m not sure I like these reversed roles,” Ace says. “I liked being the black sheep of the family. Being a favorite is too much work.” Ace leans forward in his seat. “I can’t stand being called three times in one day.”

I burst out laughing. “See how it was for me?” Being Mother’s favorite comes with a range of responsibilities, most of which involve speaking on the phone. A lot. “You’ll get used to it.”

“I won’t,” Ace says. “I can’t stay her favorite son for a long time. I’m too rebellious for that.”

“Have you seen Vanessa lately?” I ask him.

He stares at me oddly. “If I didn’t know for a fact that you’re in love with your wife, that question would seriously worry me. To answer, no, I haven’t seen her in a while. Why, do you know something?”

“No, just asking because she looked tired and worried about something last night,” I say.

“Yeah, Lexi commented on it too. Vanessa hasn’t said anything to her that I know of. I’ll ask Lexi to call her and maybe invite her over.”

We talk about the pizza shop and how the renovations are coming along.

“I miss when we were partners,” I tell Ace. “You had the best ideas.”

“Yeah, it was nice. Unfortunately, firefighting is a full-time job, and when I’m off, I want to be home with Lexi and Luna.”

“I understand.” I can’t wait for when I’ll have my child. I’ve made a point not to pester Marian about the conception. Because we’re not a regular couple, it feels like a gross invasion of privacy to ask her if she has conceived yet. I’m sure she’ll tell me when it happens.

Collins strolls into First Bar, and when he sees us, he comes over. The burly deputy chief grins. “Isn’t it a little too early for a beer?”

“You need to get your eyes checked, Collins,” I say.

We tease back and forth while he waits for his coffee. “I do need to get going.”

“Congratulations,” Collins says. “We’re all waiting for the opening day. We’re all coming for free pizza.”

I laugh. “You’re most welcome. Tell Debra I said so.”

Chapter 21

Marian

Common sense tells me that it’s too soon, but I can’t help the cloud of disappointment that comes over me. I stare at the single pink stripe and will for another one to appear. The one that will announce that I’m pregnant.

That we’re pregnant. I try to imagine Declan’s reaction if I were to break the news to him. It’s not too hard to imagine. He would wrap his massive arms around me and lift me high up in the air. Woe unto me if we’re in a public place. Declan does not possess an ounce of embarrassment. I smile as I think about how happy he would be. It hits me how far I’ve moved from my initial goal.