Page 81 of First Comes Marriage

Sabrina swallowed a laugh, dashing away the tears from the corner of her eyes. “Gah, sorry, look at me, beingthatgirl, crying in a bar.”

“Hey,that girlis our friend,” Tessa said. “And she’s allowed to have the full range of human emotions, even when it’s messy. And complicated.”

“I think I hurt him. I didn’t mean to. I’m just so afraid of losing myself again.” Sabrina closed her eyes, exhausted by her own hang-ups. For the first time, she really felt the weight of her fears, how they’d held her back.

“Marriage is hard, and trust is scary,” Tessa said. “The thing about really loving someone is you do lose yourself, but that’s okay, because you find yourself too.”

Chapter Thirty

“Where do you want the cupcakes?” Gavin balanced three pastry boxes against the doorjamb of Ethan’s kitchen.

“Over there, thanks.” Ethan gestured to the counter, already filled with more food than they were ever going to eat in one afternoon. “Did they make the bananas foster one?”

Jamie scoffed and lifted the lid to show Ethan the baked goods. “My wife’s staff know how to follow directions.”

Baz climbed down from the stepladder he’d been using to hang the obnoxious stork banner above the kitchen doorway. “What’s next?”

Ethan glanced around the kitchen. “I think that’s everything for in here.”

“Living room’s all set too,” Jamie said, swiping a mini quiche from the tray on the counter.

Baz glanced at the clock on the wall. “What are we supposed to do for the next hour before everyone else arrives?”

Gavin glanced at a table in the corner of the living room decorated with a yellow baby farm animal tablecloth. “I’ll get the cards.”

“I’ll get the beer.” Ethan ducked back into the kitchen.

“Make mine a Scotch,” Baz called.

Jamie filled a bowl with tortilla chips and set it on the tableas the others returned, each taking their usual seats around the table.

“Give me those. You suck at shuffling.” Baz took the cards from Gavin.

“Just because I got multiple draw-fours last time doesn’t mean—” Gavin protested.

“That you suck? Yeah, it does,” Jamie said.

“And here I was going to suggest you go first, daddy,” Gavin teased.

“Hey now. Only Tessa’s allowed to call me daddy.”

“Jesus Christ—Jamie, how many times do I have to tell you not to talk about my daughter like that when I’m around?” Ethan grumbled.

“Draw two, grandpa.” Jamie slapped down his card.

“Holy shit. One of us is about to be a grandfather,” Gavin said.

“You’re realizing this now?” Baz asked.

“No, but it’s weird, right? When did we get old enough for that?” Gavin asked.

“We’re not. You two had kids when you were ridiculously young,” Baz said, gesturing to Gavin and Ethan.

“And what about you? You and Sabrina going to have any kids?” Gavin asked.

Baz pressed his lips together and focused on his cards. The last day and a half, he and Sabrina had hardly been speaking, never mind planning their future. “We’ve only been married six weeks.”

Gavin played a reverse card, making it Baz’s turn again. “I didn’t mean right now. You’ve talked about it though, right?”

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