Page 40 of Accidental Fiancé

I couldn’t believe she caved so easily to Maggie’s demands. Piper never did that. She must really like her.

“How about you start getting ready for bed, so when you get sleepy, you’re all set?”

“Only if you get in your pajamas, too.”

“Deal.”

“Yay!” Piper ran down the hall to her bedroom.

I shook my head in disbelief. “How are you getting her to comply so easily? Non-compliance is sixty percent of her personality.”

“It’s probably just because I’m new. Once she gets comfortable around me, I’m sure the honeymoon phase will be over. All set?” she asked, her hand out for my bowl.

I gave it a teasing smack. “No possible way. You made this amazing dinner from scratch. The least I can do is clean up. You sit and have another glass of wine. Tell me about your day.” I picked up my bowl and Piper’s and carried them to the sink. Maggie had already snuck hers in and rinsed it off. I pointed at a new device in the kitchen. “What’s this thing?”

“That’s my stand mixer. I used it to make the pasta. It’s handwash only.”

“Got it.” I tackled the kitchen, starting with the mixer first. “So, things with Piper today went well, I take it?”

“She’s a fun kid. Loves her swimming pool.”

I laughed. “Yes, she does. Her swim lessons went okay?”

“Yes, her lessons with an Olympic gold medalist went just fine.” The way she said it made me worry.

“What’s that about?”

Maggie laughed to herself, rolling her eyes. “You hired a gold freaking medalist to teach your kid’s swim lessons, Jules. That’s not exactly normal.”

I shrugged and went back to what I was doing. “I want the best for my little girl. Go on.”

“Um, Etta does not like me.”

“The only people Etta likes are children. She’s amazing with them. Adults, not so much.”

Maggie went quiet for a moment. “Piper mentioned to her that you kissed me this morning and that I’m living here. She must think I’m the girlfriend of the week by the look she gave me.”

“Did she say something snide to you?”

“No. Just a look. Like I was trash.”

“I’ll have a talk with her.”

“Don’t you dare! Not until after I’m gone. I don’t want you to say something to her that makes things weird when I’m dropping Piper off in the mornings.”

That word again. “We certainly wouldn’t want anything to be weird.”

“What do you mean?”

“Mag-gie! You’re not in your pajamas!” Piper shouted from down the hall, my saving grace.

“Right.” She scooted off her chair. “Excuse me. Duty calls.” She took her wine with her.

Once the kitchen was cleaned and I changed into my loungewear for the night, the three of us gathered in the first floor living room for a movie. Maggie made popcorn—somethingI never kept in the house—and Piper ate it up as if she had never had popcorn in her life. Which come to think of it, she might not have.

We let her pick the movie, something about fairies battling an evil wizard. But all I could think of was how much I wanted Maggie to sit closer to me. How I wanted to drape my arm around her shoulders and smell her hair while we watched the movie.

Instead, I plunked Piper between us as a buffer. Between her and the giant popcorn bowl, I had a safe distance from temptation. Casually, I snuck a hand into the bowl and snatched some for myself.

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