Page 63 of Marrying Off My Husband

I closed the distance between us. “What? It’s not that ridiculous. You’re nervous about kissing Eve because you’re out of practice. We’ll solve that. It’s just a friendly kiss, darlin’. We both know that.”

“I know, but…I just feel…ridiculous.”

“Don’t,” I encouraged. “There’s no need. Just…pretend I’m Eve. We’re standing outside of her apartment, you’ve just had a lovely dinner. The moon is out, the stars are shining, and she glances up at you with those pretty brown eyes.”

Spencer shifted his weight again, pressing his lips together and looking like he was ready to toss his cookies.

“Okay, first, stop fidgeting, you look shifty.” I set my hands on his arms to steady him. “Now, just…relax…and pretend I’m Eve.”

“Right,” he murmured.

He lifted his hand, tentative at first before he gently cupped my face. His lips brushed mine before the kiss deepened a little.

I was pleased with the sweet show of affection and was certain Eve would be, too. His tentativeness made it all the more adorable.

I was about to pull back and tell him how well he’d done when the sound of a soft gasp drew my attention.

Twisting around, my heart skipped a beat as I spotted Eve, her eyes wide, hovering in the doorway.

“Eve,” I began.

“Please don’t let me interrupt. I just forgot my phone,” she said, her voice shaking as she rushed across the room, avoiding our gazes.

She snatched the device from the side table before she spun to scurry away.

“Eve, wait,” I called after her.

“Lou,” Spencer whispered, his face equally as shaky as Eve’s.

“I’ll handle it,” I said with a squeeze of his hand, knowing Spencer would likely stumble through his explanation as his nerves played up. “Eve, now just wait.”

I raced after her as she stalked through the house toward the back. “Eve!”

She didn’t stop, pushing through the French doors leading to the back patio.

“Eve, now stop this,” I said as I stepped into the warm Savannah evening.

“Lou, it’s fine,” she said with a shake of her head, but I could tell from the look on her face that it was anything but. “I’m not…you’re…Spencer is your husband. You don’t have to explain.”

I clenched my jaw, my fingers curling into fists. “Now, Eve, that’s not true. Spencer and I–”

“Are married. I get it.”

“You know that’s not true,” I answered. “Now, you stop with this right now. You have every right to ask questions, Eve. Spencer is your boyfriend.”

“Shh,” she said with a shake of her head, her gaze darting around wildly.

“No, I won’t. Not until you say what’s on your mind.”

Her lips formed a pout as she crossed her arms. “I just…Lou, I understand, I do. Spencer is…great. And I get it. But I wish you would have been honest with me.”

“But, darlin’, I was. What you saw…well, it’s just all a big misunderstanding.”

A tear rolled onto her cheek, and she hurried to flick it away. “It looked pretty clear to me. All this time, you’ve been telling me how cute and how sweet he is. And I’ve been wondering if you have feelings for him. This just…confirms it.”

“That’s not it at all,” I protested, but she wasn’t hearing me.

“Or maybe I’m the fool here,” Eve continued, her voice rising in pain and upset, “maybe I’m just the…pawn being shifted around the board by both of you in this elaborate game.”

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