Page 47 of Mail Order Bride

“Oh my God,” she squeals as she whips her head around. “Look at all those lemon trees.”

I lean forward and grab the picnic basket at her feet. “Let’s take a walk.”

When we reach the lemon grove, I spread the blanket, and Gina unpacks the basket. The sun is high overhead, and it casts a warm glow. “It’s the perfect day,” Gina tells me, watching the clouds.

“I can only think of one thing that would make it more perfect.”

She cocks a brow at me. “Oh, yeah?”

“Come here,” I say, and she does. She crawls seductively over to me in a way that’s supposed to make me laugh, but doesn’t. I’ve never wanted anyone in a more serious way. She flops over onto her back and plays dead. This also isn't funny, but it’s very Gina.

Leaning over her, I slowly unbutton her shirt. I’d rather not be so slow about it, but not only can my wife not cook, she can't sew either.

I kiss her neck, and her breathing becomes heavy. She reaches behind, unclasps her bra, and flings it out of the way. She looks more than a little chilly. I pull up the blanket to cover her. “Cold?”

“Not a bit.” She smirks and unzips her pants, kicking them off with a flourish. Her eyes never leave mine as I slide them down her thighs, one foot and then the other.

She inhales sharply as I slide several fingers under the elastic of her panties. I inch them down a little, and she lifts her butt up in the air for me. “I want you so bad,” she says, her voice dripping with sex. As I work my tongue into her, she fists my hair.

Eventually, I let her push me away.

“This is the best honeymoon ever,” she says, pushing me onto my back. “I’m going to make sure of it.”

“I have no doubt.” I grab the back of her neck, easing her down, but she doesn't seem to want or need my help. This she's actually really good at.

We fuck like a couple of animals there in that meadow on that sunny day with a mild nip in the air. She is wild, more unrestrained and uninhibited than anyone I’ve ever known, save the dead. I lay on my back and watch the clouds, but all I see is her.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Gina

Everything is going great until it isn’t. First, my father shows up hauling a trailer full of boxes.

“Surprise!” he says.

He’s moving in. He didn’t exactly put it in those terms, but that’s the gist of it. He’s finally letting the tax man take the farm, and he needs a place to live. Of course, he’d never utter those words in a million years. My father doesn’t like to lose.

“The men in the overcoats came back,” he told me. “I didn’t like the look of them.”

I see his mouth moving, but it’s pride I hear talking. “What’d they say?”

“Nothing of importance,” he said, waving me off. “You know, probably just nosing around, trying to stir up trouble. But it made for a good reason to get out of town.”

Mona arrives with him, which is probably the bigger surprise. “There’s nothing there for me in Franklin anymore,” she said. “My husband is dead. I have no children. So here I am, ready to be of service.”

I’m guessing she just really needs a job. Not that I can blame her. I need one too. I’m dying of boredom out here in the sticks. Joel only has his truck, which he needs to get to work, so I’m stuck out here in the middle of nowhere, just me and a couple of cows.

The best part of Daddy and Mona showing up is they brought Annie and Blue. I’m so happy to see her that when she nuzzles her wet snout into my neck, tears prick my eyes. I hadn’t realized how much I could miss a dog, and maybe, as inconvenient as it is, I’m also a little happy to have Daddy and Mona here. It feels like a little piece of home has found me in Pine Lake. Maybe I also hadn’t realized how lonely I really was.

Blissfully happy as a newlywed, sure. But still anxious and sad about all the changes. There is a duality to life. That’s what I learn in the first month of married life. It’s possible to feel everything all at once.

One night Joel and I are sitting on the porch late, watching the cows graze up on the hill. Blue is in Joel’s lap, though she hardly fits anymore. Sometimes I think he loves that dog more than me, which is fine because Annie is at my feet. The stars are on full display, the sky unusually clear. It’s not very cold out, and it feels like we’re inside a warm blanket, cocooned from the midwinter chill. I’ve been thinking about my life back in Franklin, and my life here. About how different they are, how they completely contrast each other. I’ve been trying to figure out how to make them into the same thing. “I’m thinking of taking a trip out to California,” I say. “What do you think?”

“California?” he says with a furrowed brow. “What for?”

“I want to audition for a few roles,” I reply with a shrug. “See what pans out.”

“You mean in Hollywood?”

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