"Nope," I tell her, placing my hands on her cheeks. "I have a preference for you."
Her eyes search my face. Emotion roams through her gaze. "I don't think I loathe you anymore."
I chuckle. I can't help it. "I know."
"How do you know?"
"In the last few days I realized you lacked conviction." Before she can argue, I kiss her. Lightly. "I loathe youstopped sounding like you meant it."
She wraps a hand around my wrist. "What does it sound like?"
"I'm not sure. I only know you don't mean it."
She nods slowly. "We should go. The food is probably at our table by now. There's no way we can hide this from my family, we were gone far too long."
"That's the beauty of being recently wed," I tell her as we lock up the motor home and walk away. The sky is darker now, burnt orange in the west and navy blue in the east. "They'll blame it on newlywed bliss."
She grins as we round the corner back onto the dusty main street. "You're telling me we can do"—she points back at the parking lot—"thatover and over and have it be excused?"
"I suppose," I answer, more thrilled about the idea than I should be. "It would be a true test of our self-control." My hand finds her lower back, staying there as we navigate the wood plank sidewalk.
"It's only two and a half more weeks," Cecily reasons. "We could do it, don't you think?" She looks up at me with the most innocent expression, a juxtaposition to the subject matter.
"You're telling me you want to fool around, but not consummate the marriage?"
"No," she answers matter-of-factly. "What I want to do is fuck like bunnies and still be able to get an annulment. But that's frowned upon."
I'm shaking my head at her audacious mouth as we push into Big Nose Kate's Saloon. In our absence, a fiddler has replaced the harmonica player. She wears a corset and skirt, and a small hat with netting that swoops over her eyes.
"There you are," Kerrigan yells as we approach the table, hands around her mouth. "How long does it take to buy souvenirs?"
Cecily glances at me before nonchalantly saying, "They have a large selection, and Dom is very particular."
"Mm-hmm." Kerrigan crosses her arms. "So, what did you choose?"
I take my time pulling Cecily's seat out for her, then my own. Even after the forced delay, I can't think of anything better to say than, "I didn't hear you. Can you please repeat yourself?"
Kerrigan's chin lifts. She knows we were up to something. "What souvenirs did you choose for your parents?"
I grab my beer. It's warm now, not at all appetizing, but it gives me something to do after I say, "I couldn't find any."
Kerrigan grins knowingly. "Even with a selection so large?"
Cecily shakes her head. "Nope," she lies even as she beats back a smile. They're on to us, and we both know it.
Duke grumbles and takes twenty dollars from his pocket. Kerrigan extends her flat palm, and he slaps it into her hand. She folds it in thirds and tucks it into her bra. "Nice doing business with you, Big Bro."
Our dinner arrives at the perfect moment, two younger guys placing a pulled pork sandwich in front of each person.
"Everybody got the same thing?" Cecily asks.
Grandma shrugs. "Queenie said it was what they're known for." She picks up a fry, pointing it from me to Cecily. "It's good to see you two finally acting like newlyweds."
Cecily's gaze slides guiltily over to me. I'm half-frozen, pinching my lower lip. I'll be honest, I have no idea how to proceed. Finally, I say, "This is pretty awkward."
"It's not pleasant for the rest of us, either," Duke announces, and Glenn laughs.
Cecily gapes at her dad. From the short time I've been around him, I've noticed Glenn does not laugh, or smile. But today, he has done both. Maybe Ophelia knew all along that this is what her family needed. I was certain that at worst they would fail her, and at best they would fake it. But this banter, this playfulness, these smiles, they seem genuine.
