Page 81 of The Accidental Honeymoon

Moments like this make me wonder if I’m in over my head. They make me think I might have actually fallen in love with her. The thought terrifies me, but holding it in is starting to feel unbearable.

Before I can decide, she speaks. "Can we have a No Photo Day today?"

I blink, pulled from my internal tug-of-war. "A what now?"

"A day without pictures. Without posting. Just us."

She’s looking at me with something like hope. My traitorous heart does a stupid little flip at her expression.

Ineedto give her what she is expecting from me.

"Sure. Today we’re just hanging out in Greater, anyway. Some down time sounds nice."

Her smile could power a small city. "Thank you. I just need a break from… everything."

I get it. The last few weeks—with the wedding, keeping my sponsors happy, and our not-so-simple arrangement— have been intense. A day to breathe sounds perfect.

She slides out of bed and starts gathering her clothes. I admire the way her body moves. When we first started this, she was so guarded, so unsure. Now… well, now she’s Calla.

"I need to take care of some business," she says, getting dressed in last night’s clothes. "I've been neglecting it."

"Neglecting?" I tease. "You mean prioritizing your husband?"

She rolls her eyes but laughs. "Something like that. I'll be back by lunch."

She comes over and kisses me on the forehead. It's such a tender, wifely gesture that I almost tell her right then.

Hey, you know how I blurted out that I love you? Well, I still love you.

With Calla gone, I try to tackle my inbox. Sponsorship proposals, collaboration offers and fan mail pile up like a digital avalanche. I start a pot of coffee and settle in at the kitchen table, opening my laptop with a sense of dread.

The first email is from a protein shake company. They want me to be the face of their new campaign. I flag it for later. The next is from an outdoor gear brand offering a proposed trip to Patagonia to sweeten the deal. I should be excited, but the thought of traveling without Calla makes my stomach sink.

I flag it and move on.

Halfway through my first cup of coffee, I give up. I’m too distracted. I close the laptop and lean back in my chair, staring at the ceiling. I miss her. She has only been gone a couple of hours, but I miss her.

That realization hits me harder than I expect. Have I ever missed someone like this before? With Blake, it was different. When she was away, I valued the space, the time to do my own thing. But with Calla away… the silence isboring.

Calla is so different than Blake. She’s actually different from anyone I’ve ever been with. Where Blake was sleek and sophisticated, Calla is warm and real. Blake fit neatly into my life and into my brand. Calla doesn’t. Or maybe she didn’t fit into what I thought my brand would be.

Then somethingchanged.

Calla is my opposite in so many ways, yet she makes my life more enjoyable. More genuine.

But this isn’t genuine, is it? We have a little over a month left of our three-month agreement. That’s all.

What happens when our time is up?

I run a hand through my hair. The weight of it all makes my shoulders tense with the uncertainty, the fear of losing something I didn’t even know I wanted.

Someone I’m not sure I canhave.

The front door opens. Calla walks in, her cheeks flushed from the morning chill.

"How’d it go?" I ask, standing.

She shrugs. "Caught up. Mostly."

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