“Might I remind all of you, he left her without a word for years?” Cricket hissed. “And might Ispecificallyremind you, sister-in-law, that you hold a grudgeespeciallyif it matches your handbag. So, please excuse me if I allow myself to let the dust settle a little on the return of Toucan Sam!”
“I thought Toucan Sam was Remington’s name for Finch,” Grace said. “We can’t have two of them.”
“Fine, he’s Threecan Sam, then.”
“Enough!” I squeaked with a wave of my hands. “All of you take chill pills and let me have a few seconds to process.”
Before I could take even one second, my phone rang and I snagged it off the counter, answering it without looking at the screen. “Hello?”
“Hey, baby.”
I nearly burst into tears at the sound of his voice. “Hi,” I rasped.
“You okay?”
“Hold on.” I left the girls standing in the kitchen and escaped to my bedroom, closing myself in. “Did you know about any of this?”
“No.” He sighed. “I can shut it all down right now, honey. Just say the word.”
I blinked back tears. “I just want to know you’re going to be there.”
“You wearin’ your ring?”
I nodded, glancing at my hand. “Um, yes, of course.”
“That’s my promise to both you and the world that I’m in this forever, Kate. I wouldn’t miss this for the world. I love you.”
“You promise you won’t disappear on me again?”
He let out a quiet chuckle. “I’d rather have my dick cut off without anesthesia.”
“Well, that’s graphic.”
“I will seriously shut this shit down and head over there right now, KitKat, you just say the word.”
“No, it’s okay.” I bit my lip. “I’ll see you down at the courthouse.”
“You sure?”
“Yes.” I pressed my lips together in a thin line. “Why? Aren’t you?”
“Honestly? I was hoping you’d tell me to blow this popsicle stand and come over.”
I smiled. “I love you.”
“Love you too, honey. I’ll see you soon.”
“Okay.”
We hung up and I headed back out to the kitchen.
Cricket turned from her place at the island with a frown. “Everything okay?”
I smiled. “It is now.”
She clapped her hands. “Great. Time for food.”
“I can’t eat, Cricket.”
