Chapter Six
“She’s in my space,” groused Gabe. He was at the gym a couple days later with Parker, the dreaded weekend fast approaching. It was a ritual between the pair to go into the gym for an hour or so before work. Marshall sometimes came, depending on what his schedule permitted as sometimes he was in surgery. “She’s got a ton of stuff and she’s taking up all my space.”
“She’s moving in,” grunted Parker as he lifted barbells. “It’s what they do. Women come with a lot of stuff. Some of it you won’t even be allowed to use. Apparently there are towels which are only for guests. Did you know that?”
“I never invite anyone into my space,” Gabe put down the weights and began to pace, towelling his face. “Not anyone. No one comes to my condo. It’s my personal place for just me. Now she’s invading it.”
“No one?” Parker raised an eyebrow. “I know you’ve had a few girlfriends.”
“No one,” growled Gabe. “Only the cleaning lady and she’s just scheduled for once a week.”
“You’ve never brought any ladies to your place?” frowned Parker.
“No,” Gabe let out a gusty sigh. “It was easier. No entanglements.”
“That’s probably smart,” Parker thought about it. “That’s definitely smart.”
“I’m going to have to move out of the condo,” Gabe announced suddenly. “I have lived there ever since my last year of college and now I have to move.”
“Why?” questioned Parker. “You get the condo if you meet the conditions of the ultimatum.”
“I guess I’ll sell it. Or rent it out. Brit wants to buy a house. A house,” snorted Gabe. “All for a five year marriage and a kid. A house.”
“You could keep the condo,” Parker pointed out. “It’s a good exit strategy to have an alternate place.”
“Do I need an exit strategy?” Gabe stopped and stared at his brother. “Do you have an exit strategy?”
“I definitely do,” confirmed Parker. “I bought a nice little condo years ago which I rent out. If things get particularly bad, I have at least got the condo since it is paid out in full. I have listed it as excluded in the prenup.”
“You have a prenup?” Gabe wondered what else he had forgotten.
“Yup,” verified Parker. “You need one too.”
“It’s Brit,” Gabe shrugged, not convinced either way. For some reason, the thought of ending the marriage was as bad of an idea as beginning it. The whole marriage thing was a nightmare in his opinion. “I’m sure she would be okay to split things as we came into the marriage.”
“Not if you buy anything together,” Parker advised as he kept working out. “What you purchase as a couple will get split differently. You need to set out the rules. Get a prenuptial agreement. It’s just good sense unless you’re planning to stick together for the long haul. Even then, you really can’t be too careful. People’s marriages fall apart all the time. Plus, you know how competitive Brit can be, imagine her with a lawyer on her side.”
Parker had a point, Gabe acknowledged. “I’ll have to talk to my attorney.”
“Good idea,” Parker puffed. “You do that.”
“What else am I forgetting?” Gabe asked, worried now he was thinking about things falling apart at the end of the marriage. Which was to be expected, Gabe firmly told himself. They were married for only five years. That was all he needed to put up with Brit for. It was certainly long enough.
“Probably a lot of things,” Parker set down the weights and began ticking suggestions on his fingers. “Like a bachelor party, a new suit or tux depending on how formal Mom is making this affair, the honeymoon, fertility testing…”
“Fertility testing?” Gabe looked at his brother in surprise.
“We all like to think our swimmers are the best but we’ve only got a year to prove ourselves,” advised Parker. “I want to know right out of the gate if there are any issues which might prevent a pregnancy. My missus and I are going to the clinic to get tested. If we need treatments to make a baby happen, then we are getting it done right away.”
“And she’s okay with it?” wondered Gabe.
Parker shrugged. “It’s part of the deal. We need to have a kid within a timeframe.”
“Brit said she already had her fertility checked,” frowned Gabe. “Is that a thing? Do women just randomly have their fertility checked when they are thinking of getting married?”
“Maybe once they are past a certain age,” offered an uncertain Parker. “Who knows what really goes through the minds of women.”
“I suppose I should get checked,” murmured Gabe, even though he was reluctant to. Gabe might run hospitals, but it didn’t mean he was fond of going to see a doctor. “Do we really need to do the honeymoon? This is just a business deal.”
