"I know, but it isn't like we're going to run off and get married tomorrow," Olivia explained. "We're not in a rush to hit the church just yet."
"Then why the rush to get engaged?"
Olivia wasn't quite sure how to make her understand that Luke was anxious to 'get his ring on her' and that was really the only reason. It didn't change anything, they still wanted to spend time getting to know each other better. His reasoning had seemed sound last night, in the heat of the moment. When she thought of telling her friend the reason, it sounded almost possessive, like he couldn't wait to brand her.
"Can you just be happy for me Terri?" she asked.
"Yes, of course, I am!" Terri suddenly seemed to realize she was not giving her friend the reaction she wanted. "Now let me see the ring!"
The awkward start to the conversation soon passed, and before long, April joined them.
"Sheesh, this place just keeps getting busier and busier, doesn't it?" April said as she pulled up a chair. "Good thing for them that they have the best Thai in the city, or I would suggest we find a new place to hang out!"
Terri looked at April with a smirk on her face that said, "I know something you don't!" and she squirmed in her chair in anticipation. She seemed intent on making it up to Olivia for her less than enthusiastic first reaction to her news.
"What's going on?" April asked, looking from one of her friends to the other.
"Oh, nothing much," Olivia said as she waved her left hand around the table.
"What are you doing Olivia?" April asked, confused as she watched her friend make odd hand gestures.
"Oh my God!" she squealed when her eye caught sight of Olivia's ring. "Will you look at that rock!"
They laughed and giggled as they sipped their wine and nibbled on spring rolls. Her friends peppered her with questions, for many of which she didn't have an answer. She didn't know when they were going to actually get married, she didn't know where they would live, it was all very new, and they were not in a rush.
"Of course, you aren't in a rush," April exclaimed. "Only four months of dating and you land a rock the size of Gibraltar."
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Olivia smiled as she moved her hand side to side, causing the light to grab the facets of the diamond and sparkle.
"Yes, it definitely is," Terri agreed, as she grabbed Olivia's hand to take a closer look. "What does his family think of this?"
"I'm not sure yet, he was going to call them tonight and let them know,"
"He isn't very close to his family, is he?" April asked. "What about close friends? Does he have any around here?"
"He has friends," Olivia answered, feeling defensive for reasons she couldn't quite put her finger on. "But friends aren't as important to men as they are to women."
She didn't want to try and explain to them how most of his friends had been at work, but lately, he seemed to have had a falling out with them.
"Well, here's to Olivia and Luke," Terri cheered as she raised her wine glass. "May you be happy for many, many years to come!"
"Here, here," they chimed as they clinked glasses and took a sip.
They spent another hour or so talking about wedding possibilities; a destination wedding was out because Olivia wanted her family there and she knew they couldn't afford to take off to parts unknown. A traditional wedding in a church with all the pomp and circumstance seemed a bit overblown considering she had been married before.
"I'm not thinking I can pull off a white frilly ballgown concoction," Olivia laughed.
"What does Luke think?" April asked. "This will be his first wedding, maybe he wants the big to-do."
"Hmm," The truth was she had no idea what he was thinking of for a wedding. He seemed so intent on them becoming engaged that they had never discussed what would happen afterward.
"Well, there's lots of time for all the planning and details," Terri said, coming to Olivia's rescue whether she realized it or not.
"To happily ever after!" April offered up a toast.
"Here, here!" they all responded, clinking wine glasses once more.
Chapter Thirty-Two
She
S he was walking through her days in a cloud. Even at work, her colleagues had to repeat things to her because she had somehow zoned out and missed relevant information. Since she had confronted her husband about the vasectomy, she just wasn't sure what to think. He seemed confused as to why it was an issue for her, and she was beginning to think she might be a bit unhinged. But no, his behavior lately had been odd, even if he was now talking to her and spending time with her. She'd thought the issue was just his moodiness and the time spent away from her, but now she wasn't so certain.
The incidents were piling up, and she didn't like what they were telling her: He spent a lot of time away from home. He was a man with a strong sexual appetite, but when they were having trouble, he hadn't come near her for weeks. He'd had a vasectomy even though she was sterile. A vasectomy! A woman at work was talking to him about female genital piercings and their effect on the quality of sex.
Could he have been having an affair? It was something she had tried not to look at too closely before. She wasn't stupid, she knew the signs, but she hadn't wanted to consider it might be a possibility. Was that why he wanted to move away? To make a clean and fresh start? And if that was the case, was it worth bringing into the open now? He seemed committed to working on their marriage. What good would it do to bring up the past?
These were the thoughts that she chased around in her mind hour after hour. But she came to no easy solution or way to go forward. It was, quite simply, crazy-making thoughts she mused. But then again, his had been crazy-making behavior.
For now, she decided to just leave things. While she definitely didn't want to move, and she certainly didn't want to subject herself to a piercing, she would continue to put the past behind them and not let it ruin their future.
Pulling up on the driveway, she took her briefcase from the backseat and walked into the house. It was uncharacteristically quiet. It looked as though her husband was late from work. She picked up her phone and fired him off a text, asking him if he was up for going for a run before supper. It had been a while since they had gone together, but there was a time when they both looked forward to going for a run and touching base with each other at the same time.
She opened the freezer door and pulled out a frozen lasagna. She didn't feel like preparing dinner tonight, so this would have to do. Then she went upstairs to change into her running clothes before lying down on the bed and closing her eyes for a few minutes. It had been a long time since she'd woken up early for work this morning. A few seconds of rest would do her good.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Olivia
T wo nights after his proposal, they were out for a run on the trails by his house. They were jogging in companionable silence, listening to the birds chirping and the sound of someone mowing a lawn in the distance.
"Where will we live?" she asked.