The reporter looked into the camera. “Little Genius, we’ve missed you. You must be a big genius now.”
Dave groaned at the laptop. “It’s everywhere. I thought it would just be you and me in the Shrek outfits.”
He shut the laptop and turned off the TV. He sank to the sofa and dropped his head in his hands. “I’ll kill her.”
She sat next to him and put her arm around him. “Kill who?”
“Chris. I told her not to do anything.”
“What did she do? Was that really you?”
He let out a heavy sigh and explained he was the kid who starred in a series of Little Genius commercials when he was four. Little Genius was a laptop for kids. She’d loved those commercials of the little boy who confidently answered all the tricky math questions thanks to his Little Genius laptop. He was so earnest in his answers, and he had a slight lisp. He also dropped some of his Rs in the kid version of a Brooklyn accent. It was all so freaking adorable.
“Chris said it would be good publicity for me,” Dave said. “To shift the spotlight away from you and Griff, but I told her not to do it. Figures she wouldn’t listen.”
Steph still couldn’t believe he was the Little Genius. “How did you get into show business?” she asked. “And so young.”
He merely shrugged. “Mom took Chris and me on auditions in the city when we were little. She wanted us to earn money for college.”
“Did you?”
“Yeah. Chris did too. She did a lot of modeling for kids clothes catalogs.”
“I can’t believe my boyfriend is famous. Here I thought you were just a regular guy.”
He turned to her. “It’s stupid, isn’t it? That’s why I never tell anyone.” He mimicked his little kid voice. “Little Genius, more than just a calculataw.” He shook his head. “They loved the way I mispronounced calculator.”
She hugged him. “I loved Little Genius!”
One corner of his mouth lifted. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. And it’s so hot that I get to be with Big Genius. What a stud.”
He pulled her into his lap. “You just can’t help but get tangled up with studs, huh?”
“Only one stud.”
He kissed her long and deep, and started pulling her toward the bedroom.
“Wait,” she said, breathless. “I’ve got something to show you.”
He waggled his brows. “I’ve got something to show you too. Me first.”
He snagged her around the waist, pulling her close for a kiss that was hard and demanding. Slow and gentle Dave seemed to have left permanently once Griffin arrived on the scene. He had one arm banded around her waist, holding her tight against him as his mouth claimed hers. She gave up on showing him her surprise, looping her arms around his neck and letting him have his way with her.
A noise out front reminded them they had company. Dave jerked back. He pressed his thumb to her lower lip with a heated gaze. “Give me one minute.”
He turned and opened the front door. “Hey, all. I’m about to get lucky with the love of my life, so if you could come back tomorrow morning at eight a.m., I’d be happy to tell you all about Big Genius and his new way of calculating numbers using higher mathematics.”
Camera flashes went off. Some of the reporters chuckled.
“Dave!” Steph exclaimed with a laugh.
Dave shut the door and locked it. He closed the blinds too. While he was watching out the small front door window for the reporters to leave, she went to her purse for the FedEx envelope she’d wanted to show him.
A few minutes later, he turned to her with a grin. “They’re gone. For now, anyway.”
She laughed and handed him the envelope. “Signed divorce papers.”
He pulled out the papers and read them. He stared at the signature. Just kept staring.
“Aren’t you happy?” she asked. “I thought you’d be jumping up and down.”
He stared at her. “I think I’m in shock.”
“Well, be happy!” She threw her arms around him.
He blinked. His eyes were shiny with unshed tears. “I’ve never been happier.” He set the papers on the coffee table and turned to her. “Steph, will you marry me?”