Marriage For One

I sighed and looked up so I could meet his gaze. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think I’m actually starting to consider keeping you around as my husband, permanently, Jack. I’m really liking these compliments so far, but I’m warning you, you can’t blame me when all these pretty words start to go to my head.”

I thought I imagined his lips pressing together in an effort to hold back a smile, though maybe it was a lip twitch. I would never know, but I squinted to make sure I was seeing right. Then again, my eyesight was still kind of blurry, so I was almost certain it had been just a trick of my eye.

When he commented in his businesslike tone, I knew for sure there were no smiles involved. “Would you like me to lie to you instead? I’m not sure I can be that guy for you.”

“Oh, no. I know you’re not that guy. Like I said, I’m content with my choice of husband right now. We’re settling into married life. When I ask you if I look fat in my jeans one day, I will always count on you to give me your honest answer. I’m sure it’ll come in handy.”

“If you have everything you need, we can leave. Raymond is waiting out front.” After pocketing his phone, he met my eyes. “You’re not fat.”

And right when I thought he wasn’t even listening to a word I was saying.

I grabbed my handbag from the counter where I had left it while I was struggling to get into my jacket then I followed Jack outside.

“I could lose a few pounds, actually—ten, maybe fifteen. Chocolates are great for your soul and happiness, but they don’t tend to be good for the hips. You know how the saying goes, right? A moment on the lips, forever on the hips.”

He stepped out onto the sidewalk as I turned off the lights and set the alarm.

“If you can’t give up chocolate maybe you can work out more.”

After locking everything up, I turned to him and caught him looking at my ass. My face heated, but thankfully, the chilly air prevented it from being obvious. Trying to ignore where he had been looking when he’d said his last words, I tried to play it cool by placing my hand on my heart and saying, “See, now you’re just trying to spoil me. If you keep this up, I’ll never want to leave you when the time comes.”

His eyes focused on my hand and I knew, I knew what he was going to say before he even parted his lips.

“You’re not wearing your ring.”

“It’s in my bag. It’s a very expensive ring, Jack. I don’t want anything to happen to it while I’m working.”

He gave me an unimpressed look then turned around and left me standing on the sidewalk. His ring was on.

We were settling into married life just fine.

At least I thought so.

The number of times Jack Hawthorne smiled: nil.

Chapter Six

Rose

“Rose! Your phone is ringing!” Sally shouted from the main area where she was unloading some old books I had bought from the cutest bookstore earlier that day.

“Coming!” I yelled back from the kitchen where I was unloading a huge amount of baking and sandwich-making staples. Putting down the half-empty sugar bag I was getting ready to pour into a huge glass jar, I came out of the kitchen.

“It just stopped ringing,” Sally commented, her eyes still on the book in her hand. Then she resumed her humming to the soft music coming through the speakers.

Even though she wasn’t looking at me from her spot on the floor in front of the bookcase, I nodded and scrounged in my bag to find my phone. Just as my hand connected with it, it started to go off again. Pulling it out, I saw his name flashing on the screen.

Jack Hawthorne.

I thought maybe I should change it to Ball and Chain sometime.

I checked the clock on the wall and hesitated. I was sure he was calling about the dinner with the partners.

My finger hovering over the green button, I made an unintelligible sound in my throat. I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to answer a call from Jack at that moment. I clicked on the side button to silence it and put it on the counter, just staring at it as if he would magically appear on the screen and give me a scowling look.

It stopped ringing and I sighed. I was being stupid.

After we’d headed home the night before, he had given me the keys for the apartment, and I had gone straight up to my room again. Since I was up at five AM again, I’d pulled the same disappearing act I had all the days before. It wasn’t that he wouldn’t guess where I’d gone if he came looking for me again, but I was starting to think maybe I was being impolite by not hanging around.