Trouble Me Read Online Free Page B

twist tie from the hot dog bun package. It’s twisted in the shape of a ring. “Kelly Reynolds, will you marry me?”
    I laugh and hold out my hand. “Where’s the Eye of the Tiger?”
    “I’ve arrived at a brilliant idea. I’m going to propose multiple times—so many times you can’t stand it. And you won’t be able to tell which is the official, last ‘real’ proposal. It’s a perfect fake-out.”
    “And you’re doing it this way because?”
    “Because I kind of ruined the element of surprise the other day, and I feel bad about it.” He holds out the twist tie. “Will you marry me?”
    “Am I supposed to say no until I like the proposal or say yes all the time?” I fold my arms across my chest, give him a little grief.
    “I hadn’t thought that part through, to be honest.”
    “Well, this time, I’m saying yes. But don’t count on it each time. You must woo and wow me with your novel approaches. You should remain on your toes.”
    “I can do that. But you have to say yes more emphatically than that.”
    “Okay. Yes, Andrew Pettigrew, I will be your wife.” I hold my left hand out with a flourish.
    He slides the twist tie on it. “Excellent. Oh, and you have to wear whatever ring it is until I give you the next version. That’s a rule, too.”
    I shake my head. “You’re crazy, but I’ll do it.”
    “You love it.”
    “I love you.”
    He stands and helps me get up. “And I love you. Now go inside so we can blow stuff up.” He kisses me, wraps the blanket around me for better walking, and gives me a playful pat on the butt to start me up the beach to the house.

4: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria
    “I T HINK I T M IGHT B E B EST to tell my mom in person.” Andrew says this as he crunches on an apple in the Red Carpet Lounge of the Portland airport. It’s the second week of July, we’re headed to New York for rehearsals on Andrew’s new movie, and he drops this bombshell on me.
    “What?” I think I just choked on my ginger ale.
    “My mom. Telling my mom. I think we better tell her in person.”
    “Are we doing that already? I didn’t tell my folks about the boys until we were out of the first trimester.”
    “If she hears from a tabloid, I’m dead. She’ll send my dad out to LA to kill me. Or hire a mafia hit squad.”
    “She’s not like that.”
    “You’ve never met her in person. Talking to her on the phone does not count. My mom is…” He sighs, takes another bite of his apple. “Complicated.”
    “You hardly say anything about her. Your sisters are nice. You’re mostly well-adjusted. Your dad’s still married to her. She has to be at least somewhat normal.”
    “Look, let’s you and I hash out a way to go see her.”
    “What, you mean now? Go see her now?”
    “The boys are flying to see your folks. We’ve got a couple days before I absolutely have to be in New York. We could change our flights right now…”
    Which is how I ended up driving a rented Prius through the Pennsylvania green farmland on this Thursday night. It’s hot, sticky, and the bugs are yelling from the jungle-thick brush that lines the road. The sky is inky black, and the air smells like rain.
    I’m driving so Andrew can get a hold of his folks. He tries to text his mom again.
    “She has a smartphone. This is ridiculous.”
    “She wants you to call her. She won’t text you. You’re supposed to call and tell her we’re here. Or she’s very pissed about the late notice and is punishing you.”
    Andrew sighs and tosses the phone on the console in front of him. “It’s probably all of that. Dad was fine with it.”
    “Your dad is a guy. Guys don’t realize what kind of cleaning is involved in house guests. You have created a huge trauma for her.”
    “You mean we .” He points a finger at me, then at him. “We’re in this together.”
    “Yes, and I want to thank you again for that. She’s going to flip out when she finds out we’re having a baby. But first, she’s just