Page 114 of Marrying Off My Husband

The doors slid open to the second floor, and I stepped off with a wave. “Toodles! Enjoy!”

I strode down the hall, leaving them alone and proud of my efforts.

With a flick of my hair over my shoulder, I gave myself a figurative pat on the back as I pushed into my room. Yes, I had booked a single occupancy, but since I had two other rooms, I’d swapped into the largest one. I chuckled as I sprawled on the large king bed.

“Oh, Eve and Spencer, you two have just got to learn to connect. And I am going to see that you do.”

After a moment of reflection, I pulled myself from the comfortable mattress and changed into a swimsuit, wrappingthe fluffy hotel robe around me before I pulled my hair into a messy bun.

I left my room behind, shuffling to the spa where I could immerse myself in the hot tub’s restorative waters.

I found myself alone in the large, square of bubbling hot water as I doffed my robe and waded into it. The warmth soothed me as I considered how else I could push Spencer and Eve into making a move.

As I floated there, part of me wondered why I felt this need to orchestrate everyone else’s life. Maybe it’s because I’d been through so much grief in my life that I wanted to nudge everyone toward happiness. Or perhaps it was my way of compensating for what little I’d had in my own. Either way, I needed to push them together.

Before I came up with any other solutions, arms wrapped around my waist and lips pressed against my neck. “Surprise,” a voice whispered.

My heart skipped a beat, and I twisted to find Theo behind me. “Theo! What are you doing here?”

“Surprising you,” he answered with a grin.

“Well, you succeeded. I thought you weren’t coming until tomorrow.”

He lifted his chin, an amused smile on his lips and dancing in his eyes. “I know. It took quite a bit to pull this off.”

“What? Showing up twenty-four hours early?”

He shook his head, the grin never leaving his face. “This.”

He snapped his fingers, and a parade of people entered the room.

I stared at them, my jaw unhinging. Two violinists began to play a soft tune as a woman sprinkled rose petals into the water around us. “What is this?”

“This, my dear Louise, is the moment I ask you to be with me forever.”

A rose-shaped floatie floated closer to us, and Theo slid it closer to me. The giant diamond sitting in the center of the flower made me gasp. Tears filled my eyes as my hands flew up to cover my open mouth. “Theo…” was all I could manage.

“Louise, will you marry me?”

“Yes!” I shouted as I threw my arms around him.

He grinned, carefully removing the honey of a ring from the rose and sliding it onto my trembling finger. I grinned down at it before I kissed him. I’d finally found my happy. But one thing held me back from truly embracing it. How would this affect Spencer and Eve? Would this announcement push them together or pull them apart?

CHAPTER 28

SPENCER

My stomach twisted into a knot as Louise left us behind in the elevator. I shifted my weight from side to side, adjusting the strap on the duffel bag slung around me.

How had this room fiasco happened? I didn’t know, but I wanted Eve to know I wasn’t trying anything funny.

“Hey, umm, I just…really want you to know that I didn’t do this. I didn’t…this isn’t some kind of weird come on.” My voice trembled a little as the elevator continued to tug us up.

Eve glanced at me, a soft, but awkward smile on her face. “I didn’t think you did. I’m sure it’s just…they probably did this so they could sell another room tonight since they’re booked.”

“Right, yeah,” I said with a nod, avoiding her gaze in favor of staring down at my shoes. “Probably. I just…you know, I feel terrible about this. Maybe I should call around and see if there are any other rooms in the area.”

“I’m sure we’ll figure it out,” Eve said with a dismissive wave. “Maybe there will be two beds.”

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