Todd threw his head back and laughed. “Look at you, with the dirty jokes. Marriage has changed you, Ro.”
He wasn’t wrong. Everything had changed, not just since the wedding, but since that first night in the holding cell where I’d met the woman who would rewrite everything I thought I knew about my life’s path.
Sandra settled beside me on the sofa, her voice dropping into what Nia called her “therapist tone,” even though she was actually an elementary school principal. “Now, I know you’re just starting the honeymoon phase, but let me give you some marriage advice that’ll serve you well.”
“Here we go.” Todd sighed, but his eyes were amused as he watched his wife start in on her favorite topic.
“Let me fill you in on a secret. Separate bathrooms! Twenty-three years with this man, and I credit indoor plumbing for at least fifteen of them.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Do double sinks count?” I inquired.
“Two sinks are workable,” Sandra confirmed.
The evening passed in a blur of good food and better conversation, about my first days on the force that had Todd almost choking on his drink, Talia’s dramatic reenactment of Nia’s face when I’d proposed, and Mama Vivian’s gentle ribbing about how we’d scandalized the neighborhood by moving in together before the wedding.
Eventually, the gathering wound down. Talia made a show of checking her watch and announcing, “If y’all are leaving for the cabin, we better clear out and let you get going.”
We all stood. Sandra hugged me tight, whispering instructions about making sure Nia actually relaxed instead of spending the whole honeymoon working on research.
Todd clapped me on the shoulder. “Enjoy the time off. You deserve it, bro.”
“I receive that,” I replied.
They followed us onto the porch, the night air still warm but softer now, fireflies blinking in Mama Vivian’s garden. Talia thrust the basket of snacks into my arms with a stern warning about proper nutrition, while Todd made one last joke about the cabin that had Sandra elbowing him sharply in the ribs.
Mama Vivian held Nia last and longest, their embrace saying more than words could. When they separated, she cupped Nia’s face between her palms and whispered something that made my wife’s eyes shine with sudden tears and a smile that lit her entire face.
We drove away after promising to call when we arrived. I asked what her mother had said.
“She said she’s proud of us. Not just me, but us. She said we’re building something real,” Nia replied softly.
After an hour’s drive, I parked the car.
“We’re here,” I said softly, reaching over to brush my fingers against her cheek.
Nia stirred, blinking slowly before her eyes focused on the cabin through the windshield. A smile spread across her face.
“You know, most people pick tropical islands or European cities for their honeymoon.”
“We aren’t most people. Besides, seemed right to return to the scene of the crime,” I replied, unbuckling my seat belt.
She laughed, the sound echoing in the car’s interior. “Is that what we’re calling it now? A crime?”
I nodded solemnly. “Breaking and entering.”
“No, sir, you definitely broke in and entered parts of me I’d kept locked up tight.”
I chuckled. “That’s terrible. You’re lucky I love you, because that line would not work on anybody else.”
I reached for her hand, pressing my lips against her knuckles, still marveling at how this woman, this brilliant, fierce, beautiful woman, had chosen me, chosen us, when she could have had a much simpler life with someone whose very profession didn’t contradict half of what she stood for.
“Stay here,” I said, getting out of the car and going around to her side. I opened her door with exaggerated formality, bowing slightly.
Nia couldn’t hide her smile. “What are you doing, Ronan?”
“Traditions,” I answered, then bent down and scooped her up in one smooth motion, one arm behind her knees, the other supporting her back. She let out a surprised yelp that dissolved into laughter as I kicked the car door shut.
“You are ridiculous. The threshold moment has passed,” Nia said, arms looped around my neck.
