“I can tell you with great certainty that I did not and will not be doing that for a few years. But I get the feeling I’ll be telling you and my husband that several times in the future.”
Eri laughed because her friend would likely have to tell Marco weekly, and while she knew Avian wanted to plan when she got pregnant, with how serious Marco had been with her request at the airport, she wouldn’t be surprised if it happened before then.
“How was your week?” Avian asked.
“It wasn’t eventful. I worked on a few projects for the upcoming semester to get a jumpstart and worked on a cross-stitching project.”
“How is that coming?”
“It’s…coming. When I took it up, I knew it might be a little hard at first, but it hasn’t gotten easier.”
“You’ve only been doing it for a few weeks. Once you finish this first one, I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it and be a certified pro.”
Eri laughed. “The confidence you have in me is awe-inspiring, but thanks.”
“Are you sure your week was uneventful? Or, more specifically, your weekend?” Avian asked with a smirk, and Eri knew precisely what she was getting at.
“I’m going to kill him,” she joked.
Avian laughed. “No need. He wasn’t the one who told me. He hasn’t said anything about your little sleepover.”
Mickey. “First, she abandons me for pussy, and then she can’t keep her mouth closed,” Eri stated in faux irritation.
“Was it supposed to be a secret? I’m sorry; I didn’t know. I might have mentioned it to Marco.”
Eri shook her head. “Of course not. I was going to tell you when he wasn’t in the next room, and I’m sure he probably would have told Marco himself.”
Avian lowered her voice. “So?”
“He let me stay with him because I couldn’t reach Mickey, and he made breakfast for us the next morning…after I woke up on his chest.”
“You slept in bed with him?”
“No. I mean, yes. I fell asleep in his guest room, but I woke up in his room.”
“You were sleepwalking,” Avian stated, and Eri nodded. “And what did he say?”
“Nothing, really. He flirted like he always does, but other than that, it didn’t seem like he cared.”
“I’m sure he didn’t care that you were in bed with him because it’s obvious to anyone with eyes that he’s attracted to you, but he clearly cared because he let you stay there and sleep instead of disturbing you.”
She was correct; it wasn’t like Eri hadn’t already known that. Instead of speaking on it, she changed the subject. “Come on. Let’s take these to a drop box,” she started, gathering the sealed envelopes. “We don’t want to overstuff your mailbox.”
Her friend allowed the subject change before going into the kitchen to tell Marco they would return shortly.
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
Elias followed Marco into the kitchen and sat at the bar while his cousin grabbed two beers from the fridge. It was one of the few things in there since they’d thrown out anything they hadn’t thought would keep while they were away.
“I hear you had an interesting week,” Marco stated as Elias popped the cap off the bottle.
“Who told you that?”
His cousin shrugged. “Mamma said there was a dinner, and you, Vince, and Celia had words.”
“I wouldn’t say we had words. He made a joke; I stated a fact; she tried to be funny, and I decided to be hilarious.”
Marco chuckled. “She also said Zia Lucy asked when you were settling down.”
