Page 53 of Four-ever Single

“You’re not going to lose it,” I assured him. “I’ve also seen you and Kensy together, and I can tell you guys are meant to be together forever. She’s going to marry you, she already said yes. I think it takes most people a while to plan a wedding. Maybe just give her some time for all of this to pass, then she can focus on planning her own.”

“I don’t know. I hope so. At least I’ll have this Marry Me Chicken as a backup if needed.”

I chuckled and patted his back as I thought about how nice it was to not be the one freaking out for once.

We took our time following the directions, and soon, the delicious aroma floating around us was proof that we were creating something incredible. Capshaw gave his undivided attention to the chicken while I took over making mashed potatoes. For the most part, that was uneventful if you ignored the fact that I started the hand mixer too high and shot butter and milk all over the cabinets above me. The woman leading the class gave me a wink and told me it happens all the time, but I wasn’t sure that was much of a compliment, given that she worked with those who still struggled to tie their shoes.

I felt like I really shined when it came to steaming the asparagus. It probably wasn’t rocket science to most people, but I was proud that they were soft yet firm, the perfect balance of lemon and salt bringing out their flavor.

While she mainly focused on kids' cooking classes, I was curious to see if she would also consider adding on a beginner-adult class. There were a million things I wanted to give Bella after taking her as my wife and being able to cook for her was one of them.

After the class was over and we all ate what we made, we headed to a local pub for some beer and hot wings for those who didn’t have as much luck with their chicken. Thankfully, Capshaw and I had made ours to perfection, which was nice given there was more on the line for him than for me. I was just happy that we didn’t have to use any of the fire extinguishers.

I sat and listened to the guys' bullshit as we drank a few beers, none of us interested in getting wasted tonight. I wasn’t sure what Kensy and Lia had planned for Bella tonight, but I hoped it was as relaxing as my night.

Thirty-One

Bella

“I cannot believe you did this,” I whispered loudly to Lia and Kensy as we sat at the back of the living room, watching the woman demonstrate how to give proper head to a cucumber. While the day had been nice with the spa treatment and full body massage, I had thought that was the end of the surprises. “Did Jones know about this too?” I asked, imagining what he must have been thinking when he found out.

“What?” Lia said, shrugging her shoulders. “You and Kensy are both getting married, and it’s your wifely duty to know how to give good head. And no, no one knew but me. I planned this all by myself and kept it a secret. He only knew about the spa stuff.”

“I give great head,” Kensy said, holding her washed cucumber in her hand, gripping it as she frowned. “I don’t even know where to begin with this thing. It’s all crooked and lopsided.”

“Well, they only had a small selection of decent cucumbers,” Lia replied. “I bought what they had and then had to lie to the clerk about why I needed twenty of them. I’m pretty sure she knew what I was doing when she spotted the whipped cream and bottle of chocolate syrup in the cart too.”

“You’re not—” I started, already panicking.

“Oh, God, no. That’s for ice cream sundaes after everyone leaves. Only the cucumbers are being violated tonight.” Lia pretended to shudder as I noticed a dark blush creep across Kensy’s cheeks as she quickly looked away.

I didn’t want to be disruptive to the woman trying to show us the proper technique for taking a thin vegetable deep into our throat so I decided I would ask Kensy about that later. There was definitely a story to tell there.

“If you start gagging, you’ve gone too far,” the woman said, though there was a mischievous smile tugging at her lips.

I turned my head and pretended to cough before getting up to grab my wine glass. I was pretty sure Jones wouldn’t agree with that since we both knew that I gagged right before I got to the good part.

I couldn’t figure out what Lia’s true motivation was for organizing this oral sex workshop, but she’d gone all out by inviting a handful of friends and was now sitting up front so she could hear better. I sat down with Kensy, still sipping my wine as the other women took turns seeing how far they could take a cucumber.

“Do you think she did this for me or for herself?” I teased, nodding to Lia, who had her head back and was trying hard not to gag. The cucumber was barely in, but we giggled when we saw her throat moving, trying to force everything out. The teacher was patient and gentle with Lia, offering words of encouragement for her to keep trying.

“I think it’s for her,” Kensy replied, lifting her wine glass. “She needs to relax her jaw, or it’s never going to go in right.”

“She’s already gagging, and it’s barely in.”

“Look, she’s getting more in. Maybe she’s got—”

We both stopped and watched as Lia pushed it in further with her finger, her face looking more relaxed than it had been before, then suddenly she pulled it out and started coughing.

“Never mind,” we both said at the same time.

“Are you taking notes?” she asked, turning to face me as our cucumbers sat behind us. My stomach growled, and I considered eating it, but knew the teacher would be appalled if I did. She seemed fairly laid back and had a down-to-earth vibe, but I couldn’t imagine she would approve of me eating them.

“About this?” I pointed to the crowd of girls still working on it. “Nah, I think I’m good.”

“Same. And honestly, if Lia was trying to get something more realistic in size, she should have gone with eggplant.”

I spun fully around to face her, my jaw dropping.

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