“Sienna said that you two celebrated a fortieth anniversary,” I said. “That’s quite an accomplishment.”
“Well, thank you for thinking of us. You’re well on your way to that. Tell me about your upcoming wedding.”
I told them about the venue and how excited I was to get married there.
“Sienna told us about the place. It sounds lovely.”
I scratched the back of my neck. “It is, but to be honest, I don’t know if it's going to work out.”
“How come?”
There was something about Harriet that made me want to open up to her. “Rachel wants to move the wedding up sooner.”
“Oh, dear,” Harriet said. “Have you called the venue?”
“I called this morning, but I’m waiting to hear back.”
“Well, I’m sure it will all work out. Weddings are lovely, but they really are for only one day. It’s the rest of your life togethe
r that matters.”
I flipped the conversation to them, not wanting to talk about my own wedding anymore, uncomfortable with the feeling of resentment I had toward Rachel at the moment.
“Tell me your secret to a lasting marriage,” I said. At this point, I needed all the advice I could get.
“Well, there’s no secret to it, really. When you’re married for a while, things start to shift in your relationship. Sometimes the passion fizzles out for a little while when you have children, but as long as you are a team and work together to be the glue holding the relationship together, then you will wake up each morning with the person you’re meant to be with.”
“That’s really nice,” I said.
“Are you planning on having children?” she asked.
“I’d like to,” I said.
“Children are a blessing, but be sure to enjoy yourselves for a little while first.”
“And pick your battles,” Kenneth chimed in. “The silly things can break you. Respect your wife, too.”
I took a breath. If only Rachel respected me, maybe I wouldn’t be feeling this way. Though she was distracted with her friends. Maybe when she came home, she’d feel differently about all of this. One thing about her was that she tended to camouflage herself with whatever company she was with. I needed to get her away from her single friends so that she could invest more in this relationship.
“You know,” Harriet said. “Ken and I knew each other from childhood. He was the boy next door. But it took us a while to figure out that we were the best thing for each other. We could appreciate each other’s quirks, and we genuinely felt better when we were around each other.”
I couldn’t help but think of the parallel between them and Sienna and me. Those feelings I’d had at the paintball field still lingered. Harriet and Kenneth had taken that leap of faith with each other, and now they were best friends and had been married for forty years. It seemed the best of both worlds. I knew I wanted Sienna in my life forever, but was I willing to take that leap of faith with her or Rachel? Harriet and Kenneth’s love for each other was written all over their faces. I wanted that so desperately.
I glanced over at the kitchen and saw Sienna with her head down working. She glanced up and pulled a silly face with her tongue sticking out. I smiled.
I had a lot to think about.
Chapter Fourteen
Sienna
I was in the middle of a very good dream with a mystery dream man taking me into his lavish home when I jolted awake. Why had I woken up so quickly? I squeezed my eyelids together and willed myself to get back into that dreamland.
A loud knock on my door made me growl in frustration. That must have been what woke me.
I shoved the covers aside and threw on a pair of shorts before heading out to the door. I had a feeling it was Parker; this was his M.O. lately, waking me up every chance he could. I didn’t mind it as much as I pretended to. Especially not lately. I wanted to be with him as much as I could before his wedding, when everything would change. As much as he tried to tell me it wouldn’t, I knew it would. It was the natural progression of life and marriage. And a husband with a girl for a best friend would be the first to go.
I opened the door. “Come on in.”