Page 6 of Wed to You

“It’s an old family recipe.”

“I like barbeque. But Mrs. Stanton always makes me wear a bib. I’m not a baby.” Kaden pouted.

Chelsea laughed. “Barbeque sauce is messy.” So was pizza. She held her piece with both hands, trying to keep everything from sliding off.

Jagger frowned. “It’s easier if you fold it, like this.” He halved his pizza slice lengthwise, which gave it enough firmness to hold it in one hand.

Chelsea shrugged and folded hers.

They ate in silence for a few moments, but Chelsea’s curiosity started to get the best of her. “Now that you’ve been here a year, are you settled in? Does it feel like home?”

Jagger’s head see-sawed side-to-side. “More or less.”

“Do you miss New York?”

He set his pizza down and wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Sometimes.”

She frowned at his short, curt answers. Was she asking something she shouldn’t be?

He sat back and studied her as if he was trying to assess her purpose for being curious. Then he leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. “Southerners are nice, with all that hospitality, but only to a point.” He paused and then sat back. “But Kaden seems to have fit in, and that’s what matters most.”

Chelsea felt a pang of guilt. She understood completely. In Charlotte Tavern, everyone showed good manners and was helpful, but outsiders were always outsiders. Someone like Jagger would always be apart, even though his family had owned a summer home in the area for decades. It was difficult to become a part of the community without someone on the inside bringing them in as Lexie had done for her husband, Drake, and Mitch had done for his wife, Sydney.

Still, with his money and looks, there had to be women in town who wouldn’t mind bringing Jagger into the community. “You haven’t made any...friends?”

His laugh seemed to suggest he knew she was referring to lady friends. After all, he had a reputation. “I probably could—”

“Of course you could. A single, rich man must be in want of a wife and all.”

His brows pulled together. “What?”

She smiled and waved her hand. “It’s from Pride and Prejudice. Rich single men are usually popular in small towns in which mothers want to marry off their daughters.”

“I don’t want that.” He picked up his slice and ate, but she noted the annoyance in his tone.

“You don’t want to get married?”

He waited until he swallowed his pizza to answer. “Maybe. Someday. But I’d like a woman to love me, not my money.”

She couldn’t blame him for that. She’d begun to see there were aspects of being filthy rich that weren’t great. Not that she’d rather stay on the cusp of losing everything, as she was now, but she supposed every situation had its pros and cons.

“How about you?” He followed his question with a gulp of milk.

“I have the opposite problem. I have no time and no money.” She reached for a piece of pizza at the same time as Jagger. Their knuckles bumped and she was hit with a zap of awareness. And then she realized she was reaching for a third slice. It had been so long since she’d been out with a man, she’d forgotten to curb her appetite. Men didn’t think gluttons were attractive. Not that this was a date, but still. She pulled her hand back.

“No, please.” Jagger turned the tray so the slice was closer to her then grabbed another piece.

She shook her head. “I’m fine.”

Jagger rolled his eyes. “If you’re hungry, eat it. For once, I’ll come close to feeling like I got my money’s worth when feeding a woman.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Heat rose in her cheeks.

“It means that for some reason, women won’t eat in front of men. I should just buy them a carrot to save me the cost of dinner. If you’re hungry, eat.”

“Well then, I better have two,” Chelsea said, feeling surly.

Jagger flashed a grinned. “Absolutely.”

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