Page 94 of Resistance Training
“You don’t remember?”
“Nuh-uh.”
“Your first day at the gym. I asked you for your motivation for getting in shape.” He leans in and whispers into my ear. “You said you wanted Jeremy to jizz in his pants and his fiancée to run away screaming because you’re so hot.”
My jaw drops. “I would never.”
“Oh, but you did, when pressed.”
“Isn’t it funny that I don’t even care? I guess being happy and in love is the best revenge.”
“Happy and in love and strong and hot.” He kisses the top of my head. “Fantastic maid-of-honor toast.”
“I know! I slayed.”
“You did… Oh, hang on.” He pulls his phone out from inside his suit jacket. It’s vibrating. “It’s Larry FaceTiming me. We should take this.”
“Oh no.” We hustle over to a corner of the tent, away from the speakers. Larry and Cindy are checking on Bella and Hairy Styles while we’re out of town. Both cats are staying at my placebecause we thought it would be better than leaving Bella alone for three days. Brad accepts the video call, and as soon as I see Larry and Cindy’s faces, I say, “Are they okay?!”
“Oh, calm down, y’all, nobody died,” Cindy says, laughing at me.
“Phew! Are you at my house?”
“Yes, darlin’, we’re here, and would y’all look at this?! Turn the phone around, Larry!”
“I am. Gimme a minute, woman!” Larry turns the phone around, and eventually the lens finds two cats curled up together. My skinny black-and-white old man is wrapped around that little black kitty, and it’s so cute I want to cry.
“Did you get pictures?” Brad says, before I get a chance to.
“Yeah, we only took about a hundred—don’t worry,” Larry says.
“That little Bella is giving such Capricorn energy!” Cindy tells us off-camera. “I mean, not right this second, but she’s very bossy and independent.”
“That she is,” Brad concurs, a little rueful, but with pride.
“I tell you what, though, when a Cappy decides they can trust you, they are loyal for life.”
“I feel that,” I say, smiling at Brad.
“Well, you kids look absolutely gorgeous. You havin’ a good time up there?”
“He cleans up pretty good, doesn’t he?” I straighten Brad’s tie. “Yeah, we’re having a great time.”
“She just gave a real corker of a speech.”
“That’s my girl. Well, we’ll let you get back to the party. Bye, babies. We’ll take good care of your babies!” I see a flash of red hair, and then Larry ends the call before we say goodbye.
I look at Brad. “Well, that was promising.”
“That was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“That’s because you never saw yourself sleeping with Bella asleep on top of your head.”
“I will never forgive you for not having your phone with you.”
“It’ll happen again—I’m sure of it. Aww, and remember how scared you were of her that first day?”
He frowns at me as he leads me over to the edge of the dance floor so we can watch Eric and his mom. “I wasn’t scared.” He maneuvers me in front of him and then wraps his arms around me, like we’re posing for a prom photo.
