He slams his fist into the side of the house. “No, we are not!”
At that point, Gage, who has been pushing against my arm the whole time, chooses to reveal himself by yanking the door wider. It’s almost worth it to see the shock widening Mark’s face. His eyes flicker to Gage’s unfastened jeans.
Oh great.
“You!” he screams. “What the hell is this, Olivia?”
“I’m her husband, and this is my property. Get the fuck off my porch and stay away from my wife.”
Mark clutches his throat, appearing to gasp. “I don’t believe this! You married him? This backwoods, trailer trash mechanic—”
Gage bursts from the house, sending Mark flying with a huge shove. My ex-fiancé smashes into the railing, uttering a pathetic yelp when Gage grabs his indignant face, squeezing his features together.
“Shut the fuck up and listen,” he growls through Mark’s piteous moans. “The name is sir. Not trailer-trash.”
Mark’s lips purse like a fish as he tries to utter out an apology. Gage shakes him silent.
“Here’s the deal, asshole. You just interrupted one of the best blowjobs I’ve ever had, and I’m pissed off. If you want to live the remainder of your life with your limbs still attached, you’re going to leave town. And you’re going to leave Olivia, my wife, the hell alone. Got it?”
Mark’s face trembles with the force of Gage’s hold. Then he tosses him aside like a rag doll. Mark stumbles, the marks from Gage like a red handprint on his cheeks.
My heart slams into my chest as I watch Mark slink off. He tugs his jacket over his shoulders, the look in his eyes full of poison.
Then Gage turns, and my hand finds the doorknob. One twist, and I’m inside. My pulse races, chest heaving against the door as I stare through the peephole. He takes a step toward the door, pauses, and then walks away.
The place is starting to grow on me. The people are so inclusive. Friendly. I got invited to three dinners on my walk. Even the old man stopped calling me a whore. That’s got to count for something, right?
But it’s still just a temporary stopgap. A pause before I return to the hustle and bustle of San Francisco, back to my insane advertising job. They actually granted my three-week vacation as long as I could work remotely, but I’m thinking of going back early. Getting my shit out of his house and…moving in with my mom. Depressing thought. But it’s better than staying here in limbo, not knowing where the hell I stand with my job. Right?
I thought I’d hate this place. It’s beautiful, though. The lack of noise, the moisture clinging to my skin, trees instead of buildings. No soot. No deranged homeless screaming at you. Yeah, it’s nice here. I walk past a library where kids are gathered playing Pokémon Go on their iPhones.
I’ll mourn this place when I leave and get this damn marriage dissolved.
I walk toward Gage’s house. Experience taught me that taking nighttime strolls isn’t very wise due to the lack of streetlights. I’m likely to trip and crack my neck.
There’s a note pinned to my door, scrawled in Gage’s untidy script: San Francisco! Meet me in the back. -Gage
My stomach flips as I head toward the gate to the backyard. We haven’t talked since early this morning when he hurled Mark like a sack of potatoes.
I step into the backyard, and see Gage standing at the barbecue with an apron around his neck and a pair of tongs in his hand. There’s an ambrosial smell wafting from the grill.
“Took you long enough,” he grunts. “Have a seat.”
I look in the direction of his tongs. He dragged the picnic table onto the porch. There are white candles, brand new, burning softly in the pitch-black. Silverware, ceramic plates, and wine glasses are set for two.
“What’s this?”
“A date. An apology. Both?”
Gage removes the apron from his neck. Thank God he didn’t dress up. I don’t think I would’ve been able to handle that. He still looks just as amazing as ever, and he cooked all this. For me.
“You did this for me?”
“I did,” he says, smiling. “I also wanted to ease you into doing anal, and I thought, chicks like romantic dinners, so—”
I slap his chest, rolling my eyes so hard I think they’ll stay back there permanently. “You really have a way with words. Great job cheapening this whole thing by bringing up anal.”
He grabs my hand, forcing my attention back toward him.