Page 9 of From Best Friend to Bride
“As if.”
“For my part, I will hand you over to your wife and wave goodbye happily.” I crossed one leg over the other. “You’ll be her problem after you say your vows.”
He tilted his head to the side. “Maybe I should find you a husband. That would solve a lot of my problems.”
How ironic.
“It would solve mine, too,” I said forlornly. “Do you think you can whip up a pretend one?”
“What, like a husband is a cake?” He raised his eyebrows. “What on Earth could you possibly need a pretend husband for?”
“Well, I might not need a pretend one as much as I need a real one.” I scratched under my chin, averting my gaze.
“Delilah Elizabeth Peters. What mess have you gotten yourself into now?”
“Heh.” I turned back to him with a flat smile, and our eyes met.
His deep blue gaze was full of scepticism, but there was an edge of worry in his eyes that was veryFred. Even when he was scolding me, he was always worried about me.
It wasn’t my fault I tended to get myself into some sticky situations.
That said, my grandmother thinking I had a secret lover might have been the stickiest one yet.
“I… uh…” I lightly bit down on my thumbnail and smiled behind my hand. “I might have accidentally led Nana to believe that I have a secret boyfriend.”
3
DELILAH
Fred stared at me without saying a word.
I’d done it.
I’d finally shocked him into silence.
This day would undoubtedly go down in history as the one where I finally pushed him over the edge of confusion.
Given how dire my situation was, I had no business being this pleased.
“I told you I’d render you speechless one day,” I quipped. “Close your mouth, Frederick. You’re going to catch flies in a minute.”
He held his hand out, motioning for me to shut up, and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Say that again, Delilah.”
“Close your mouth, Frederick. You’re going—”
“No, not that. What you said before that.”
“Oh. I accidentally led my grandmother to believe that I have a secret boyfriend.”
Wow. I was way too chirpy while repeating that.
“Thanks. I thought I might have heard you wrong the first time.” He dragged his hand down his face and looked over at me. “How the fuck did you manage that?”
“In my defense, she very much jumped to a conclusion,” I said slowly. “So, it’s less how didImanage that and more how didshedecide that was what I saying, if you get what I mean.”
“You said something stupid, didn’t you?”
Damn it. “Really stupid, yeah.”
