“Stop thinking out our situation. Yes, it’s crazy, but I believe in fate. There was a reason we met, and I wanted to pursue it. Stop thinking about the marriage for a bit. Just think of it as dating until we get to know each other better. You don’t learn everything about someone overnight. We’ll get there if you give it a chance.”
Why did he have to be the rational one?
It sounded like a good plan. But you couldn’t forget a huge detail such as marriage. I was far too hung up on that detail to just let it slip my mind.
“But we are married. We won’t be able to stop that filing of the certificate. I can’t just forget about it.”
“I’m not asking you to. I’m asking you to not focus on it. Just focus on us getting to know each other. We can date.”
Date my husband?
That sounded preposterous.
We pulled up in front of my apartment complex, and he stepped out of the car. I thought he’d just hand me my bags, but he insisted that he walk me to my door. I walked in front of him to the elevator and tapped my foot while we waited for the cart to arrive. The confines of my apartment would make me feel safer. I just needed to get there and shut the door behind me.
The door opened after the chime sounded, and we climbed inside. Immediately, my thoughts went to the night before and how he kissed me in the elevator.
“I know you’re thinking about it too.”
How could he possibly know that?
“Your red cheeks gave you away.”
Damn him for noticing everything.
“This is me,” I said after we got off on the fifth floor and took the short walk to my door.
I rustled through my purse before I found my keys and put the metal into the slot to open the door.
“You should always have your keys out before you get to the door,” he said just as I pushed the door open. “It’s not safe,” he continued as we walked into the living room of my apartment.
He stopped just as he crossed the threshold as he took in my space.
There was a couch and loveseat that framed the room, and a television hung on the wall. He walked closer to inspect the pictures that were scattered around the space.
“You three are close,” he commented on one of the many photos of Madeline, Lizzie, and me.
“As close as sisters,” I admitted as I took the handle of my bag from him and the carry-on bag from his other arm.
“I’ll be right back. I’m going to put these in my room,” I told him. Before he could respond, I rushed down the hallway.
I sat the bags on my bed so I could unpack them later. I couldn’t believe that he was here. In my apartment. That we were about to say goodbye and I didn’t know where we went from there. Tomorrow we’d be officially married once the office checked the mail and filed the license.
There was a soft knock on the door frame that broke me out of my thoughts.
He couldn’t be here. In my room. There’d never been a man in this space. I wasn’t sure how I felt about one being in here now. Especially one as charismatic as him.
“I thought you might’ve gotten lost,” he joked as he leaned his muscular frame against the wood.
“Not quite. Just lost in my thoughts.” I needed to watch my confessions around him. But for some reason they just kept spewing out whether I wanted them to or not.
“Come here,” he said as he crooked his finger in a come-hither motion.
I looked to the floor as I walked over to where he stood.
“You overthink everything. Stop. We’ll figure it all out. One day at a time,” he said as he moved the strands of hair that had fallen in front of my face and tucked them behind my ear. When his finger lightly touched my ear, I shivered at the touch.
“I love that you have that reaction to my touch,” he whispered as he moved his hand to the small of my back and pulled my body until it was flush with his. His touch was the only one that had ever gotten that type of reaction from my body. I loved and hated it at the same time.
“Do you work tomorrow?” he asked as he kissed the top of my head. I laid my head on his chest and listened to his heart beat through his shirt. It was strong and made me feel at ease as I continued to hear the beat. I nodded in response to his question. Six in the morning would come way too early, especially since I probably wouldn’t sleep a wink.
“I’d love to stay here with you for a bit, but I need to get home to Cheyanne. Can I get your number and we can talk tomorrow?”
I wanted him to leave so I could stew in my thoughts, but his touch comforted me. Calmed my fears. Eased my racing mind.
I agreed and reluctantly let go of him to go get my phone. We walked into the living room and handed each other our phones so we could key our numbers into the other’s device. Once he handed mine back, I saved his number under Charming Devil. It suited him. And gave me something to inwardly snicker about when I finally saw his name pop up on the screen as my phone vibrated in my hand.
“Just wanted to make sure you didn’t give me the wrong number,” he laughed before he ended the call and shoved his phone into his pocket.
“Go enjoy the time with your daughter. I’m just going to relax and read a book,” I told him. I did plan on doing that, but it wasn’t likely what I’d end up doing. Madeline and Lizzie would more than likely end up here so we could gossip and they could talk me off the ledge.
“I’ll call you tomorrow. Have a good day, beautiful,” he said before he placed a chaste kiss on my lips. I watched him walk out the door and shut it behind him.
We’d see if he would follow through. I flopped down on the couch and let my legs hang over the side as I contemplated reading or calling my friends.
Chapter 8
I ended up doing the latter. Madeline and Lizzie came straight over once their plane landed. They wanted to know all about Gage, and I couldn’t wait to tell them over a glass of wine.
The three of us ended up drinking two bottles as they laughed right along with me on how much the two of us had in common. They told me to just go with the flow and not think too much, but marriage had always been a huge deal in my family. A commitment that you only made from love. And while I loved what he did with my body, sex didn’t equal love. I couldn’t get past my upbringing and what was instilled in me over the course of my life. My mother wanted me to be married with a child by now. Since I was twenty-five and all. What my loving mother didn’t know was that I couldn’t allow myself to get that close to a man after the introduction I’d had to relationships. While we controlled what words to use and our psyche, I firmly believed that hearing the harshness from those two men shaped me into the way I was today. Four years without a relationship was a long time. And now I was thrust into a marriage to a man I didn’t know. I almost laughed as I got myself ready for the day. My mother would just love to hear this story. She’d freak and spew all the hateful words in her vocabulary to me. And my sister would love nothing more than to berate me for marrying a man I knew nothing about. I couldn’t allow that to happen. While I didn’t care what they thought, I went out of my way to make sure I wasn’t the target of their harshness.
I walked into work ready for the day. A slight hangover from the wine consumption the night before, but nothing that would hinder my progress for the day. I wore a fitted high-waisted navy blue skirt and a white button-down top that I tucked in. Shockingly, I curled my hair and wore it down for the day. I even wore heels to the office. I was sure I’d regret that decision later, which was why I packed a pair of flats in my bag just in case, but I felt on top of the world this morning for some reason. More confidence than I ever had. Maybe marriage would look good on me after all.
All eyes turned to me as I passed cubicle after cubicle and my heels clicked on the floor.
“Wow, Avery. You look great today,” one of my coworkers said as I passed her.
I told her thanks as I continued walking to my office.
My boss wasn’t in yet so I sat my bag down and grabbe
d my coffee mug so I could get my morning cup of joe before he arrived. We had a lot on our schedule for the day, and I wanted to hit the ground running.
I had just finished adding the French vanilla flavored creamer to my cup when someone walked in behind me.
“You look good enough to eat this morning,” his husky voice said as he framed my body from behind. His hands landed on the counter on either side of me as he used his chin to move the hair from my neck so he could place a tender kiss underneath my ear.
He should’ve scared me, but I’d know that husky voice from anywhere.
“What are you doing here?” I asked as I tried to control my breathing. This was totally inappropriate in the workplace, but I couldn’t bring myself to care when he was so close.
“I have a meeting with your boss,” he confessed as one of his hands left the counter and he turned me to face him.
“You’re the owner of Rivers Security Consulting,” I said as I put two and two together. I hadn’t thought to place the name with the meeting that I’d keyed into the computer myself. What a small world.
“The one and only. You can imagine my surprise when I saw you walking into this room. I didn’t know you worked at this firm.”
He wouldn’t have known that since I didn’t give him the name. Arnold’s Media Management was a high sought out advertising firm in this city. It took months to get a consultation.
“Can I get a kiss before you go?” he asked with a lopsided grin.
I leaned forward and placed a peck on his lips and pulled away. I couldn’t get caught kissing him. I’d get in trouble, and I didn’t want to be the gossip of the office.
“I’ll want more later. That was just a tease,” he growled as he followed me out of the room. His hand again met the small of my back as he led us over to the seating area right outside my boss’ office.
I was just about to turn around and tell him goodbye when my boss walked across the room from the elevator.
“Good morning, Mr. Rivers. I’m sorry for being a little late. Traffic didn’t agree with me this morning,” my boss, Mr. Arnold, said as he held his briefcase in one hand and reached his other out to shake Gage’s.
“It’s no problem at all. I was a little early,” Gage replied as he shook Mr. Arnold’s hand before he returned it to my back.
“I see you’ve met my lovely assistant, Ms. Hamilton,” he said as he stopped in front of his door to unlock it.
I didn’t know how he was going to respond. Would he confess our relationship? I was about to find out.
“She’s actually my lovely wife,” Gage replied proudly and made me want to shrink away to my office.
Damn him. I wasn’t ready.
My boss’ head turned around so fast that I thought he’d get whiplash as he looked at us questioningly. I gave a shy smile in return as I leaned into Gage for comfort.
I wanted to be mad at him. I should be furious. But he said it with such pride that I couldn’t be. He proudly called me his wife to a stranger.
“Wife? I didn’t know you were getting married,” he questioned.
“It was a spur of the moment decision while we were in Vegas this weekend,” Gage confessed, causing my cheeks to flame.
“Well, then. Congratulations,” Mr. Arnold said as he held the door open for Gage.
“I’ll see you before I leave, sweetheart,” Gage replied before he walked into the office followed by Mr. Arnold.
I stood there in a state of shock for a moment. Did that just happen? What the hell was he thinking? We should’ve discussed this before he left yesterday. I wasn’t ready for people to know.
Casually, I looked around the office to see if anyone overheard Gage’s confession.
Everyone was keying away on their keyboards, oblivious as to what just occurred.
Thank God for that.
Hopefully I could keep it contained to just Mr. Arnold knowing.
I walked into my office and shut the door. I usually kept it open, but I needed to be locked away today while I wrapped my head around seeing Gage here in my element.
With my headset in one ear and my headphone in the other, I turned on my music to get the day started.
After sorting through several emails and responding to the ones that needed immediate attention, I set off to call the clients that wanted to set up meetings. I had the task of keeping the calendars of over fifteen consultants. Some would feel overwhelmed, but thankfully I had the mindset and the organizational skills to keep everything in order. I had a knack for this job. It suited me just fine, and I loved that I felt like I fit in here.
I was on the phone with an angry customer when Gage knocked on the door. I could see him through the glass pane. I waved for him to come in as I tried to explain to the customer that if he wanted a certain consultant, that he’d have to wait for over three months to get the appointment. This was the not so entertaining part of my job. Most people understood that we were scheduled out far in advance. This man, not so much. After ten minutes of reassuring him that we would be happy to consult with him, I convinced him to meet with another consultant who could meet with him in three weeks due to a cancelation. He left the conversation happy and ready to get his consult completed.
I took a sigh of relief after I made sure the call was ended before I looked up at Gage. He’d sat down in the chair across from the desk as he waited for me to end the call.
“You handled that with such grace and ease,” Gage complimented me.
“It’s not always easy, but I enjoy it.”
“You were perfect.”
“How did your meeting go?” I asked as I keyed in the appointment on the schedule and made notes about what the client sought.
“Rather well. I’m pleased and I think your boss will be as well.”
“You sound confident.”
“I showed him a weak spot in his current company’s protection. He was grateful for my expertise.”
“I’m glad it went well for you.”
I wanted to ask him if my boss had mentioned anything about his confession, but I didn’t know how.
“Mr. Arnold speaks very highly of you. He wanted me to come in here and wait for him so we could go over the specifics of transferring to my company and set up another meeting. I’d usually have my assistant take care of it, but I wanted to see you.”
“Your wife, right?” This was the only way I could think to bring it up.
“Well, you are my wife. I didn’t know we were hiding it.”
“We don’t have to hide anything. I just wasn’t ready to out our marriage. I was caught off guard.”
“I’m sorry for doing that, but I loved introducing you as my wife. It just felt right so I did it.”
I loved hearing it.
“You need to stop worrying about what other people think.”
I’d done that my whole life. It wasn’t going to be an easy habit to break.
“I’ll try, but it’s hard.”
Before he could respond, Mr. Arnold walked into the room and we went over the specifics of what he’d need to set up with Gage. We went over everything for the next hour, and I’d taken notes on what I’d need to have done to ensure that the contract could be cancelled with the other company and when we could begin moving everything over to Rivers Security Consulting.
“Sorry to keep you so long, Mr. Rivers, but I’m glad we could get everything settled today. Thank you for your time, and congratulations again on the nuptials,” Mr. Arnold spoke before he left the room to attend his next meeting.
Gage thanked him while he waited for him to leave. I took this moment to look him over. This Gage was completely different than the one in the club. He was in a suit and tie that fit him perfectly. He’d left the jacket out and had his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He looked professionally unkempt if that was even the right description. His tie matched the blue in his eyes.
He turned and caught me looking at the tie.
“I didn’t wear it to match
my eyes if that’s what you’re thinking. I had hopes that we’d see each other tonight, and since it’s your favorite color, I thought I’d wear it today so I could have a piece of you with me,” Gage admitted, bringing tears to my eyes.
That was the most romantic thing anyone had ever said to me.
A lone tear escaped, and I turned to try and hide wiping it away.
“I didn’t mean to make you cry,” Gage said as he walked around the desk and kneeled in front of me.
“I’m just being an emotional sap. That was sweet of you. What did you have in mind?”
“You want to come over for dinner? We’re having spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread,” he replied as he wiped the spot where there was still wetness from the tear.
“Will your daughter be there?” It wasn’t that I didn’t want to meet her, I just thought it was too soon.
“She’ll be at my parents’ house for the night. They’d already planned on getting her, and she loves seeing them. I thought it would be a perfect time for us to relax and talk.”
What man wanted to have a serious conversation like the one I was sure we’d be having? Not many in my opinion.
“Spaghetti sounds amazing. What time did you want me to be there?” I didn’t even know where there was.
“Is six okay?”
“Sounds good to me. I’ll leave here and head over after I go home to change. And where exactly will I be going?” I said with a laugh.
“I’ll text you the address,” he said as he grabbed my hands within his own. I felt the warmth from his touch deep in my bones and had to hold back a gasp. I hoped his touch continued to make me feel that way.
He leaned in and placed a soft kiss on my lips. I didn’t want him to pull away, but he did all too soon.
“Would it be too presumptuous for me to ask you to pack a bag?” he asked with a sly grin.
It should’ve been.
“I’ll think about it,” I told him as we said our goodbyes. Five o’clock needed to hurry up and get here. For once, I was excited to see where the night led, instead of knowing I’d head home to an empty apartment.
The Right Mistake Page 5
