Page 36 of Lock 'em Down

“I like this one,” I admit quietly, wishing we were still caught up in the euphoria of that night. Of those moments.

Before Leif declared he wanted to give our marriage a chance and Mom endorsed the ludicrous idea.

Stella smiles. Leif snorts.

And I toss back the shot of tequila.

Ten

Leif

“This entire lunch has been an emotional roller coaster,” Cami admits, brushing her bangs out of her eyes as we stand in front of the cute bistro Mom found for lunch. Lunch that has turned into a hell of a lot more.

“It’s been something,” I agree, trying to get a read on this woman I should know deeply but can’t read at all. “You gonna answer my calls now?”

She ducks her head sheepishly. “We need to talk.”

“We need to date,” I counter.

She bites her bottom lip. “Leif, I don’t know how to be married.”

“You don’t have to.” I touch her wrist. “I don’t either. We just have to be honest. We just have to try.”

I’m relieved she’s willing to give this a chance. And as messed up as it is, I’m also relieved her mother backed me on it. While Cami may not want this marriage for the same reasons I do, with time, she’ll see it was worth sticking around for. She can say it’s convenient or temporary but for me, it’s a chance to prove that what we have is real. There’s something about her that draws me in and I’m not willing to give up without exploring it further. Besides, I’ve never truly failed at anything in my life because I’ve always kept at it until I improved. This will be no different.

Cami and I will settle into our relationship—our marriage—and we’ll be better for it.

“I’ll call you tomorrow, after Mom leaves,” she promises.

“Okay, Knox,” I agree, tugging on the end of her hair.

“Knox?”

“Short for Knoxville.”

She snorts. “Better than babydoll, or cutie pie, or shmoopie.”

“Shmoopie?” I laugh.

She rolls her eyes. “Oh, the stories I can tell you, Leif.”

“I’m game when you are, babydoll.”

Cami bites the corner of her lip. “It’s just a story Izzy shared when she went on this date from hell.”

“Do your friends know we got married?” I ask, recalling the girls she was in Vegas with.

She averts her gaze and shakes her head. “I didn’t want to make this a thing.” She gestures between us, meeting my eyes. “I didn’t think it would last.”

“But we’re trying now,” I remind her.

“Yeah.” She glances at her mom through the front window of the cafe. Our mothers are chatting with a local baker they started a conversation with—probably trying to convince her to make us a wedding cake. “I guess we are.”

I sigh. “Okay, well enjoy the rest of your time with Cheryl and we’ll talk tomorrow.”

She snorts. “Have you met my mom? The rest of tonight will not be enjoyable.”

I give Cami a look. “More stories there?”

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