“I didn’t expect you.”

“Why is that?”

“I assumed that you were at work.”

“Why?”

“Because that is your routine,” she said.

How absurd, to sit here with him and speak to him about work. How absurd the last few days had been. They had been naked. She had tasted this man. He had been inside of her. And yet... He had come after her about the job. And then he had claimed her because she was having his baby.

And still, they weren’t acknowledging the passion.

Truly, her internal honesty was getting to be a little bit much. “I was not at work,” he said. “I was seeing to the business of getting our marriage license.”

“What?”

“Yes. We’re getting married. Now.”

“Now?”

“Yes. Should you like us to wait?”

“I... I assumed that we would be having a wedding.”

“It will be a wedding. Though not one that is traditional or shrouded in ceremony. Simply something legal to ensure that everything is as it ought to be.”

“Oh.”

She had never really given any thought to getting married. She had never thought she would get married.

She scanned herself, trying to see if she felt any sadness over not getting a fancy wedding with a wedding dress and people looking on.

No. She didn’t want that anyway. Would his father come? Her parents? All of that seemed silly. And anyway, a lot like inviting pain and trauma that neither of them especially needed especially in the middle of all of this.

“It will... It will be in the news,” she pointed out.

“I’m known for being practical. I don’t think anyone will think anything of it. Anyway, this is not pretense. You’re having my baby, we are getting married.”

“People already know we... There were some items about us sneaking away during the summit. After your triumphant speech.”

“Were there?”

“Do you really not read any press about yourself?”

“You know that I don’t. I find myself steadfastly uninterested in anyone else’s opinion of me. It does not benefit me to read, therefore I don’t.”

“Very admirable, Luca, but a great many people wouldn’t be able to keep that up.”

“I’m not other people.”

She let out a hard breath. “No. You aren’t. To that end, I have to tell you that I’m sorry about some of the things that I said yesterday.”

“That’s nice,” he said.

That rankled. Was he not sorry?

“We both said things we didn’t mean.”