Page 83 of Marrying Off My Husband

I arched an eyebrow, poking a manicured nail toward the floor. “Details, now.”

“Huh?” he asked, his voice breaking a little.

“What plans do you have? Tell me so I can okay them.”

He wrinkled his nose and shook his head. “Okay them? Lou–”

“Spencer,” I said, crossing my arms, “by your own admission, you are not good at this sort of thing. Now, I’m offering to help you sweep this perfect woman off her feet. Take advantage. It’s not every wife that would do this.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s not any wife, Lou.”

“Well, consider yourself lucky, then, darlin’. Now…plans, spill ‘em.”

He shifted around again, his shoulders rising toward his ears as his hands dug further into his pockets. “Well, I planned a nice dinner at the lighthouse at sunset. And, uh, you know, some wine, and stuff.”

“And?” This time, both of my eyebrows shot up.

“And…we can…talk and…look at the lighthouse.”

“Look at the lighthouse?” I repeated. “Spencer, no one wants to see a dusty old lighthouse.”

“Well, I think Eve does,” he answered with a tilt of his head. “She liked the arcade, and we…”

He didn’t finish his answer, running a hand through his hair, a sure-fire sign of his nervousness.

“We what?” I questioned, sensing something.

“Huh?”

“You said she liked the arcade, and we…” I swiveled my wrist, trying to get him to continue. “We what?”

“Oh, uh, we had a nice time.” He shrugged. “And she seems to like…unique things. So, I thought the lighthouse would be nice. We could explore it together and–”

“Kiss?” I finished, my voice filled with hope.

His lips formed an O as he blew out a breath. “Sure.”

The way his voice shot up an octave made me think he had no intention on following through with the kiss.

My hands fell onto my hips. “Spencer Whitaker, you stop being a coward and kiss that woman. She deserves it.”

He shot me an awkward smile filled with uncertainty and a nervous chuckle. “Well, actually, she probably deserves a lot better than what I can give her, so it may be kinder tonotkiss her.”

I offered him an unimpressed stare. “Spencer, it’s a nice way to show her how interested you are. If you don’t kiss her, she’s going to think you don’t like her. And if she thinks you don’t like her…”

“She’ll be better off?” he finished when my lower lip bobbed up and down, searching for words.

His eyes fell to the floor as he pressed his lips together.

“Spencer, that’s not true. Now, you are a gem of a man. A little rough around the edges, and certainly lacking in confidence, but…a catch. Perfect for Eve.”

His eyebrows pinched together at my words as he chewed his lower lip.

“Oh, Spencer, just kiss her and get it over with. She’ll understand. She’s probably nervous, too.”

“Really?” he answered, his eyes rising to mine, hope floating in them.

“Yes, really.” I recalled the first time Theo and I had shared a kiss. Butterflies flitted in my stomach, my heart pounded againstmy chest, and my breath had caught in my throat. But it had all been so worth it. “Darlin’, her heart is going to be pounding, too, and she’s going to hope you like the feel of her lips on yours and that it makes your heart go pitter-patter.”

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