Page 34 of My Husband Problem

So it won’t be hard to introduce him to my real life here in Rebel. And when he decides it is absolutely not for him, that won’t entirely break my heart.

Because I do want to stay. I want this over-the-top, patterned and colored house. I want the ducks. I want my bonkers hockey team. And everything else that has come into my life.

I’ve worked hard to get past the failures and the ways I’ve let people down.

I’ve become a speaker, an author, an advocate. I’m proud of that work. I spend my time helping other people work through their failures and disappointments because of what I’ve been through. That’s rewarding.

I’ve developed a hockey league that celebrates the sport itself and its fans, rather than getting caught up in the greed and corruption I’ve seen throughout the sporting world. That is amazing.

I’ve definitely come a long way toward embracing the idea that just because a plan changes, doesn’t mean it’s gone wrong.

And if I can just get this wacko marriage annulled—without the family freaking out because ending it is the king’s idea—then I can avoid failing at this wife-thing, and I can start over being the happily single, contentedly childless duck-and-cat lady.

And if I never have amazing sex, and I have to give up this intriguing, intelligent, intimidating, yet tempting man, well, I’ll be okay. Eventually. Probably.

“I’ll admit that the house is not anything I would’ve expected. But I think it’s the most interesting space I’ve ever been in,” Declan says.

I narrow my eyes as I study his face. Is he making that up? Is he messing with me? I never would have guessed Declan O’Grady would be the type to tease. If that’s what he’s doing, I’m astonished. If he’s not, and he means that, I’m…also perplexed. “Seriously? You have a thing for the color orange?”

He lifts one of those broad shoulders, and my eyes are drawn to the way the soft cotton shirt clings to all of those planes.

“I mean, if you’d asked me forty-eight hours ago, I would’ve told you no. But considering I don’t think I have anything in my life that is orange, I probably can’t honestly say that.” He looks at Oscar, almost as if he’s gauging if he can take a step closer. He decides not to, and I feel a twinge of disappointment. That I quickly quash.

I did not teach Oscar to get into the baby sling to keep my husband at arm’s length, but it’s working out. This clingy Velcro cat would climb inside my skin if he had a chance. This baby sling is simply a way to comfort him and still get things done around the house. But if it keeps me from throwing myself at my husband, I’ll consider that a perk. Maybe the Universe sent the gray tabby to my porch as a way to protect me from the man who was going to show up on that same porch months later.

“Do you know why green and brown and gold were so popular in the seventies?” Declan asks.

I do actually. Because I looked it up after I moved into the house. I was sitting in the living room one evening, realizing that I found the colors somewhat comforting, and I had to know how the trend became popular.

It’s strange because on the surface, it all just smacks you in the face as ugly and outdated. But as I sit in the midst of it, I feel myself calming. I look at the colors, and they make me smile and breathe deeper.

“Why?” I ask him, wondering what he knows.

He holds up his phone. “I was curious, so I looked it up.”

Surprise makes my stomach flip again. He was actually interested enough to look it up?

“It was a reaction to the psychedelic bright colors and synthetic look of the sixties. It was almost like everybody got a little too much of all of that, and they wanted to reset. So they turned to the earthy colors, especially the browns and greens. Then they added the pops of color that are still found in nature, like the golds and oranges. People wanted more of a return to nature and the basics, and it’s reflected even in the more natural textures and fabrics of the time.”

That’s exactly what I’d found when I’d looked it up. The wood paneling, the macramé, and the shag carpet was a cozier feel that people sought out at the time.

“I’ve often felt like when I step from the house out here on the porch and then into the yard, it’s a pretty smooth transition,” I say.

I’ve always loved the backyard of this house. There’s so much greenery, with all the plants and bushes and trees.

“Did the ducks and the pond come with the house?” Declan asks.

“Oh no. They’ve only been here for about three months.”

He looks surprised. “Did you get them for eggs or something?”

I laugh. “I’m not getting any eggs from these guys. This is a bachelor flock. They’re all boys.” I cast an affectionate glance at the eight birds in my yard.

“Why did you get all boys?”

“Well, I didn’t really get them that way on purpose. But it’s hard sometimes to find homes for male ducks. Many people who keep duck flocks want mostly females. They definitely want fewer males than females. Males can be very aggressive, and it can be hard on the females if there are too many. So you’ll find lots of flocks with multiple females and only one drake. But then there’s the question of what to do with the extra boys. One day, we found a bunch of ducks had been dumped by the stream at the town park. We still haven’t figured out who did it because if we did, they’d be in a lot of trouble. But we had to rescue them. Domestic ducks can’t just be dumped out into the wild. They can’t fly; they don’t have adequate foraging skills to actually live in the wild, and they, of course, are very at risk for predators.” I frown, remembering that day. Everyone in town was really worked up and upset about the dumping.

“In fact, we were worried that they were going to draw predators to the park and threaten the other animals there. Like the otters.” I laugh lightly. “The otters were very upset about them being there too. So we needed someone to take them in. I was fascinated by them, but I knew nothing about how to care for them. But that’s all I had to say.”