Page 1 of Marriage and the Midlife Crisis

Prologue

Melanie – Twelve years ago

“I can’t believe I’m getting married again in one week!”

Jen laughed at my girlish squeal, which I blamed half on my excitement at finally marrying Ryan, and half on the almost-empty pitcher of margaritas on the table in front of us. It was the second pitcher of the night, the first having disappeared almost as soon as the server set it down in front of us.

My mom picked up her glass and swallowed the last of her drink, then looked around the table.

“Should we order another pitcher?”

I shook my head, as did Jen. I was feeling the effects of the drinks I’d already had, and I didn’t want to be hung over in the morning.

“Not for me,” I declined. “I have a metric crap ton of things to do before next weekend, plus the boys will be home after breakfast. I don’t have time to deal with the effects of too much tequila and bad decisions.”

My dad was watching the boys – my son Tanner, and my soon-to-be-stepson, Garrett, while we ladies went out for dinner at my favorite Mexican restaurant. The boys were sleeping over at my parents’ house, and Dad planned to take them out for pancakes before bringing them home in the morning.

Initially, I hadn’t planned to do anything special before the wedding, having had an over-the-top bachelorette party before marrying my ex, Chad. In hindsight, that party had been more fun than the actual relationship had been at that point. That should have been my first clue that marriage to him would be a mistake.

Ryan’s best friend, Grady, had arranged for several of their friends, mostly from college, to get together tonight for a “kickass sendoff into glorious matrimony”, as Grady called it, so Ryan had insisted that I go out for the night, too.

“If nothing else, you could use a break to relax a little. Between the wedding preparations and you and Tanner moving in here, you’ve had a stressful few months.”

After just six months of dating, Ryan had proposed and I’d happily accepted. Because we’d both been married and divorced before, and because we both had young sons to consider, we’d maintained separate residences during our almost year-long engagement. Neither of us wanted to rush into anything, so although Tanner and I had spent most weekends staying with Ryan and Garrett, we’d only officially moved in a few weeks ago.

I hadn’t even had time to unpack everything yet, which was a problem since I still couldn’t find several pairs of my favorite shoes.

As I finished the last of my own drink and set my glass down, I glanced around the table, happy that I’d taken Ryan’s advice and called Jen, my best friend and co-worker, who had married my brother, Mark, after I’d introduced them several years ago.

Jen and my mom, along with my cousin, Sarah, and Grady’s girlfriend of almost a year, Miranda, had been thrilled to help me celebrate.

While the guys had gone to a place known for its prime rib and top-shelf whiskey, followed by renting out the back room of their favorite bar, I’d just wanted a low-key evening of good food, a few drinks, great company, and a few hours free from worrying about the caterer, and the flowers, and which box my damned shoes were in.

Miranda’s phone buzzed on the table in front of her, and she picked it up with a smile. A moment later, she flipped the screen around so I could see it.

She pressed play on the video and leaned in close so we could both watch. Grady had taken a video at the restaurant of Mitch, their best friend from high school, making a toast to Ryan. Mitch had moved to Denver after college, and I’d only met him twice when he’d been back to Indianapolis to visit. I had to admit; I wasn’t a fan. Mitch was kind of an ass, but he, Ryan, and Grady had been close for years, so I kept my opinion to myself.

“Let’s raise a glass in mourning for the poor bastard who only has one week left as a single man,” Mitch snarked, shooting Ryan a cocky grin.

Ryan shook his head at him as a few of the others laughed, then immediately shot back, “Nope, no mourning needed. I’m the luckiest bastard in the world, and I haven’t been a single man since the day I met Melanie. The wedding just makes it official for the rest of the world.”

Grady reached over and clapped him on the shoulder in approval, and the other men raised their glasses.

“To Ryan,” they said, then took a sip of their drinks.

“To Melanie,” Ryan added, and they all drank again.

Grady then turned the phone around and said grinned into the camera, “And there you have it, folks. Ryan Davenport, committed family man and total fucking sap.”

The camera jostled a bit when Ryan apparently realized Grady was filming and tried to grab for it as Grady laughed and moved it out of his reach.

“Nice try, man, but I’m recording this for posterity. I’m gonna show it to your grandkids at your fiftieth anniversary party so they have proof that Grandma has had Grandpa wrapped around her pinkie finger all those years.”

The others joined in, laughing good-naturedly. Someone – Mitch, I think – called out that Ryan was “fuckin’ pussy-whipped”, causing Ryan to roll his eyes and turn back to face the camera.

“In that case, to my kids and future grandkids, I hope you all find a partner as incredible as I did. Love you, sweetness. I can’t wait to have one hell of a party with you in fifty years.”

With that, he winked and blew a kiss to the camera before the video ended.