A few moments later, J.J. followed me inside, two suitcases and a box in tow.
"That can't be all of your stuff," I said, putting the gifts on the kitchen table next to the other bags.
"It's not. I figured I'd go get the rest over the next couple of days. I haven't been back in town long enough to really settle into my new place, so I don't have a lot of furniture."
"You didn't have furniture at your old place in Dallas?" I asked.
He grinned. "When I put my house on the market, the guy buying it threw in extra money for the furniture. He liked what I had and didn't want to go shopping."
I smiled back. "Did you tell him your mom picked it out?" I asked.
He clapped a hand to his chest and stumbled back. "You wound me. You don't think I'm capable of picking out my own furniture?"
"I'm sure you are," I replied, laughing. "But I know for a fact Colette picked it out because she showed my mother some of the pieces on her phone while she was trying to decide."
"I guess there'll be no secrets between us. No mystery," J.J. sighed in mock defeat.
"Our families have known each other too long," I said with a shrug.
"I guess the upside is I don't have to be on my best behavior."
"Uh, no, you still have to do that."
He laughed. "Well, then as a husband on his best behavior, I'm telling you to go soak in the tub while I put everything away. And Dad wanted me to tell you to put some Epsom salt in a foot bath for your feet, but I imagine it'll work just as well in the tub." He paused. "Do you have Epsom salts?"
I nodded. "I do." And now that J.J. had mentioned it, my feet were beginning to throb again.
"Oh, he also said for you to stay hydrated and avoid salt if possible. That should also help with the swelling." J.J. walked over to the fridge, got out a bottle of water, and brought it to me. "So if I'm constantly bugging you to drink water, that's why, and you can gripe at him instead of me when you get tired of it."
I took the bottle. "Thank you. And fair warning, I've been having some mood swings, so the griping thing is a real possibility."
J.J. put an arm around my shoulders for a side hug. "That's okay. I grew up with Cam during her teen years. I'm well-prepared."
I laughed to myself. "I'm telling your sister you said that."
He dropped his arm and gave me a gentle nudge toward the hall. "That's fine. I've said it to her face numerous times. Now, stop stalling and go take a bath. I'm exhausted and I'm betting you are, too."
He was right. I was tired.
But at the moment, things didn't seem awkward. I knew they would be when I emerged from my bath. I wasn't sure how I was going to navigate this marriage.
"It's okay," J.J. said, as if he was reading my mind. "You don't have to do everything. I can handle putting away leftovers and shoving the presents in a corner until tomorrow."
Okay, so he thought I was hesitating because I felt the need to do everything. But he was right, it would be all right. J.J. was obviously making an effort to start off our marriage smoothly.
All I needed to do was make an effort, too.
I left J.J. in the kitchen and took my bath.
13
The next morning, the sound of the front door slamming woke me. I squinted one eye, cursing the fact that I'd forgotten to close my curtains, and then sat straight up in bed when a man walked by my bedroom window.
I was just about to grab my cell phone and call the police when the man returned to the window and stuck his face against it so that his nose turned up like a pig's.
"Robert, get your nasty face off my window!" I yelled. "You better get the Windex and clean that grease smear before you leave!"
He laughed. "I can see marriage hasn't done anything to improve your disposition. Don't you know it's past eight? Time to get out of bed!"
I glanced at the clock on my nightstand and my eyebrows rose in surprise. It was nearly eight-thirty. I rarely slept this late.
I guess I'd been more tired than I realized.
I also realized that my nausea was especially mild this morning. My stomach was a little