“I hate her because of how she’s treated you.”
“What?”
“You don’t trust me as far as you could spit, Brandon. Don’t bother denying it. You’ve got everything lawyered up for your own protection. You’ll barely look me in the eye unless we’re naked. Someone, and I’m betting that someone is the Wicked Queen, has made you damn gun shy of women.”
“Wow. Flippant is fine, welcome even. Trying to psychoanalyze me after a two days’ acquaintance is not. My relationship with my father was always complicated and Lena didn’t help matters. That’s all I intend to say about it.”
“Way to shut me down, cowboy. It’s a shame I didn’t sign any notarized documents about keeping my mouth shut,” she said, “because I’m taking the wife thing seriously. If I think you need my help, I’m helping you. If that means showing off for the evil stepmother, I will. If it means calling you out on your bs, I’ll do that, too.”
“If calling out bs is on the menu, I warn you it works both ways.”
“As it should. Trouble is, I pretty much recognize and take credit for my bullshit. I use sarcasm as a defense and I cry at the end of Titanic, and I really don’t want my heart stomped on again. There, that’s about the extent of it,” she said.
“What about your family?”
“What about them?”
“They don’t come to events, I believe you said. Are they in a cult?”
“Ugh, I wish. No, my mom’s a drunk and my brother’s in prison. That about cover it?”
“Good to know. I’ll have my publicist address those concerns before the media decide to investigate you and turn up a checkered past.”
“There’s plenty they could find out if they want to. It’s up to you how you handle it. I didn’t want to be an embarrassment but it’s pretty unavoidable at this point.”
“If the gossip articles show you in that dress, no one will read the words. It is a knockout, or rather you are.”
“Again with the charm,” she rolled her eyes, secretly pleased.
“Our flight leaves in an hour. We need to get going.”
“Right, I’ll change. Again.”
“Anything you don’t want from Nieman’s, the hotel can have sent back,” he said carelessly as if it were a given that she’d just keep whatever she liked.
“Thanks. I pretty much love them.”
“Then you should pretty much keep them. I’ll have Rafael load them in the car.”
“There’s no room in my weekender, Brandon,” she said solemnly, “it’s stuffed full.”
“That is not a problem. It’s our plane. You can bring a mountain of shopping bags. Or rather Rafael can,” he said.
“Gosh, you’re snooty. I could get used to this!” she said.
“I wish you would,” Brandon said, kissing the top of her head.
Marj darted back to the bedroom and changed into her flight ensemble. Once they were on the plane, she started to get nervous.
“The reporters will just want a picture of us, a picture of you really. I tweeted this morning that I was bringing my bride back home to Manhattan. That should create a frenzy, and you’ll be at the center of it. I’m sorry about that, darling. It’s part of the job.”
Brandon patted her leg encouragingly.
“What are you, my scout leader? If you want to encourage me, use tongue,” she said.
Brandon obliged, bending her back over his arm and kissing her breathless.
“Better?” he challenged.
“Lots. Put it on the pros list in your phone,” Marj said a little shakily.
“Are you worried about the reporters or Lena?”
“That depends. I mean, I might look bloated on TMZ, and that’s bad enough, but I have this weird feeling that the WQ may send a woodsman to cut out my heart,” she laughed nervously.
“I told you not to stress. There’s nothing Lena can do to you. You’re not alone any longer. You’re my wife and any disrespectful conduct on her part will be addressed by me. If she doesn’t mind her manners, we’ll leave. Or rather she will, because for the moment she occupies my father’s mansion. However, after the will is probated, that property will belong to us. So if she gets on your nerves, just keep in mind that six months from now, you can tell her to shove her stuff in a U-haul and get out.”
“Your dad didn’t make any provision for her to stay in their home until her death or anything? That’s shitty,” Marj remarked, “no offense.”
“Be glad that I don’t follow his example. You’ll be cared for in the event of my death.”