Marriage For One

“Uh…” It was so hard not to fidget under his touch. “Girls, I’d like you to meet my husband, Jack. Jack, these are my new friends, Maddy and Sierra.”

They both waved up at him, and I peered back to see him nodding at them with a serious expression on his face.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you girls,” he said, so smoothly my heart went crazy in my chest. Those pesky little butterflies were back in my stomach, too.

The girls were grinning again, so all was well.

“Did Rose really call you a jerk tonight?” Sierra enquired boldly, staring up at him.

I put my hand over Jack’s, which was still on my waist, and looked back at him, too. He sighed and managed to change his expression to a really guilty one. I couldn’t hold back my smile.

“I’m afraid she did.”

“You didn’t get angry?” Maddy quipped with big eyes.

“She was telling the truth. I was being a jerk, so I couldn’t get angry at her.”

“Rose said boys are stupid and jerks,” Sierra put in.

I feigned a shocked expression. “You’re telling on me to my husband, Sierra? I told you that in secret.”

The giggles started again and I couldn’t keep a straight face. My smile got bigger when Jack played his role perfectly by leaning down and pressing a soft kiss on my cheek.

“I’m afraid I’m going to have to agree with my wife. Boys are stupid. And sometimes jerks, I’m afraid.”

God, who was this man exactly?

Both of them had heart eyes as they stared up at Jack. I was afraid I had them as well.

“Would it be okay if I stole my wife for a little while?” Jack asked the girls. I didn’t want to leave, but they needed to eat their dinner, and I didn’t want to attract any attention to myself and embarrass Jack in any way.

“Will you come back?” Maddy asked, and I nodded.

“I will. Promise.”

“Okay. Bye!”

We got some more waves then, with his arm still around my waist and my hand on his, Jack guided me back to our table. I realized the emcee wasn’t on the stage anymore and there were no other speakers. I felt and, more than that, noticed curious eyes on us, some of them likely disapproving, but I kept a small smile on my face and made sure not to glance at the table where Joshua and the rest of them sat.

When we reached our table, instead of sitting down like I’d assumed we would, Jack pulled me over, a little to the left, out of the way of the waiters changing out plates and delivering more drink orders. We were still out in the open, and we could still be seen clearly by everyone.

“What did he say to you?” he asked as soon as he was standing in front of me. None of our body parts were touching anymore. I didn’t know about him, but I certainly felt the loss.

“He didn’t say anything important, Jack,” I assured him, putting my hand on his arm then pulling it back. “There is nothing to get angry about.”

“Then you can say what he said.”

“But it doesn’t matter.”

“I can be the judge of that.”

I tilted my head and sighed. “Jack.” He just waited with that same cool expression on his face, and I released a long sigh. Knowing him, he could keep that expression for a long time. “If you promise you won’t go over or say something to him, I’ll tell you.”

I got a sharp nod and nothing else.

I sighed, more heavily this time. “He just said I was embarrassing them. The girls were laughing, and I think some of the tables that were close by got annoyed. I don’t think I did anything to embarrass you, but if I did I’m—”

His eyes bored into mine as his jaw tightened. “Don’t even finish that sentence, Rose. You didn’t embarrass anyone. You made two little girls’ night.” He looked away for a moment and I watched his features soften. Then he lifted his hand in a wave and, curious, I followed his gaze to see the girls waving at us enthusiastically with big smiles on their faces. I smiled back and turned to Jack, the smile still strong. “They think you’re big, and cute—and Sierra thinks I’m pretty.”

“You are pretty.” His eyes were still on the girls, and he didn’t even realize he was making my heart do a little somersault. “But cute?” he asked as his eyes came back to me with my favorite frown on his face. “I’m offended.”

“Aww, don’t be. You are cute, in a grumpy sort of way.”

I laughed, and his eyes dropped to my mouth, causing me to bite on my lower lip as I quickly lost the big smile. His eyes flicked up to mine, the blue somehow looking even deeper in the low lighting of the room, then his stare went right back to my lips. Completely mesmerized, I watched a smile tug at the corners of his mouth.