Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 85399 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85399 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
I grin. But I love that for me.
“Hey, gorgeous,” Jack says, making a beeline for me. He plants a loud, wet kiss to my lips. “My God, you’re stunning.”
“Get a room,” Billie says, pretending to gag. “How are you, Jack? Miss me?”
“Like I miss having kidney stones.”
She glares at him, making him laugh. “Okay, all joking aside, what do you guys need me to help with? I know you’ve been busting your ass on the scrapbooks for your new hotshot actress friend.”
I blush. “She’s not my friend. She’s a client.”
“Whatever. The star of Melomie knows your home address and sent you flowers last week. You’re friends.”
“But not best friends,” Jack says, inserting himself into the conversation. “That’s me. Then you. You’re second place, Bills.”
“I accept begrudgingly,” Billie says. “Shit. I left my makeup bag in the car. My lipstick will melt. I’ll be right back.” She jogs to the door. “Shit, shit, shit.”
Jack shakes his head. “She’s a mess.”
“But she’s consistent.”
He grins. “So are you, my boss wife. Do you need anything else from your executive assistant?”
“I do. But nothing you can deliver right now.”
“Oh, Lo. I can deliver anywhere.”
The glimmer in his eye sends a bolt of energy to the apex of my thighs.
Jack can deliver anywhere. He’s proven that over and over again the last few months.
That’s not the only thing that he’s proven, though. He’s proven that he’s an even better version of the man I married twenty years ago. He listens and pauses when I speak—and rather than turning away or lashing out when we disagree, he absorbs my words.
Jack is present. He’s not only home for dinner, but he’s a part of the process. Except for hamburgers. Never again. He’s generous with everything and free with his time, acknowledgments, and love. He’s been delivering on all those things.
I’ve been trying my best to deliver too.
That’s the thing, really. I was so focused for so long on all the things that were wrong with Jack and our marriage that I forgot to see the good. The reasons why I fell in love with him in the first place. The ways I might have been failing him too.
I’m more patient than before, and more kind when frustrated. I stop by the shop a few times a week to say hello, and I bring dinner there on the rare occasion that Jack can’t make it home.
Most importantly, I make a concerted effort to always see the silver lining—even when things aren’t great. Especially when things aren’t great.
Our marriage isn’t perfect, but it’s better than ever.
There’s an adage that says not to sweat the small stuff. In some ways, that’s true. To stay happily married, I must accept that the bathroom toilet seat will never be down, and there will never be a day I can walk in my house and not trip over Jack’s shoes.
But, in other ways, that advice is wrong.
It’s the small stuff that makes or breaks our marriage. It’s the coffee in bed, the getting gas for the other person because they hate doing it. It’s making sure to buy her favorite brand of cotton swabs, and we always have his favorite brand of barbecue sauce in the pantry.
The small stuff—keeping your socks together in the laundry basket and shutting cabinet doors when you’re finished—is important. The magic is taking the time to have a conversation about something that seems insignificant and sending texts throughout the day, just to connect.
It’s about ensuring that you give nothing but it all to your marriage, that you say “I do” every single day.