Mistakenly Married

by Victorine E. Lieske

  She silenced him with a kiss.

  Epilogue

  Penny snuggled her back into Harrison’s chest as she stretched out on the couch. This was the time of day she loved the most. The right-before-bed lazy time where she and Harrison could sit and watch television together and be close. He wrapped his arms around her.

  “How was your day?” His deep voice made her heart flutter.

  “Busy, with the dental appointment and the promotional shoot for my show.” She still had trouble believing it. Her very own Las Vegas show, with her name on it. It was amazing. “How about you?”

  He ran his fingers up her arm and tingles shot over her skin. “A little stressful. We got word that Phillip Irving was going to be in the restaurant today.”

  She turned to look at him. “The food critic?”

  “Yes. The staff got all worked up.”

  “The staff did, huh?” She grinned.

  He chuckled. “Okay, maybe I was a bit nervous, too.”

  “Did he come in?”

  “He must have. No one knows what he looks like, of course, but this appeared on his blog this evening.” Harrison handed her his phone and she scrolled through the article.

  “Aw, he loved it! That’s so great, honey.” She twisted to give him a peck on the lips, which lingered and turned into a deeper kiss. Her pulse quickened as the kiss grew more passionate.

  He pulled back and placed his forehead on hers. “I missed you today.”

  She held in a smile. He told her that every day. “I missed you, too.”

  “You know, if you quit your job, you could come work for me. You’d be an amazing bookkeeper. You wouldn’t need a calculator.”

  “As if.” She playfully whacked him. “Like I’d give up a singing gig to do math all day.” She made a face.

  He reached behind his back and pulled a piece of paper out. “This came today.”

  She took it from him and stared at it. “A check? Holy cow, that’s a lot of money.”

  “Trent says it’s back pay for all the time I worked at the firm without taking a draw.”

  She whistled. “They must be doing well, then.”

  “Trent pulled the company around. They’re seeing phenomenal numbers.” He began running his fingers up her arm again, and she giggled.

  “You’re distracting me.”

  “Good.” His breath tickled her ear.

  “I bet Patrice is thrilled.”

  “She is. But I actually think she’s more relieved that Antonio is finally cancer free.”

  “I’m still shocked they got married.”

  He chuckled. “Even a secret wedding is a step in the right direction, huh?”

  She waved the check. “So what’re we going to do with the money?”

  He took her hand and entwined his fingers with hers. “I don’t know. I thought maybe we could look for a bigger house.”

  They’d been living in a small two bedroom home for a couple of years now. It was modest and affordable, and she’d thought they had plenty of room. “Why? We don’t need anything fancy.”

  “I know. I just thought maybe it was time to think about expanding our family.” He placed his warm hand on her belly.

  They’d talked about having kids a few times, but Harrison had always wanted to wait until his restaurant was more established. An excited flutter went through her. “Now?”

  He grinned that sexy smile of his. “Yes. I think it’s time.”

  She squealed and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him again. She’d wanted to start a family right away. She felt strongly that having children was important. And now that his restaurant was doing well and her singing career was stable, they could juggle her show schedule to make it work. “That’s great news.”

  “In fact.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “We should probably get started on that right away.”

  She laughed. “Oh, you think so?”

  “I do.” He kissed her again, and she ran her fingers up through his hair. He silenced the television and then reached over and clicked off the Elvis lamp, bathing the room in darkness.

  Funny how the biggest mistake of her life turned out to be the best thing that ever could have happened to her.

  THANK YOU FOR READING my book! If you enjoyed this story, check out Blissfully Married. Sidney needed her clients to trust in her matchmaking abilities, so she put on a fake engagement ring. When her schoolgirl crush walks back into her life, she’s glad she can use that ring to ward him off. He shattered her heart years ago and she doesn’t want a repeat. Except Blake finds out she’s faking her relationship and makes it his goal to get her to spill the beans.

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  HERE’S A SNEAK PEEK of Blissfully Married:

  Sidney’s fingers flew across the computer keys as she held her breath and tried not to get her hopes up. A woman in her thirties sat in the chair opposite her desk, fidgeting with her acrylic nails. The late afternoon sun poured in the windows that faced the street.

  Sidney smiled to put her potential client at ease. “Don’t be nervous, Monica. I just have a few questions to ask.”

  Monica pasted on a weak smile. “That’s fine. I’m just not used to doing anything like this. But Mia said you were the best, and I—well, I haven’t had great luck picking out men to date.” She twirled a strand of her dark hair.

  “Most women who come in here are in the same boat. They want a committed relationship with a man who isn’t...” She tried to think of a word that wasn’t a put down.

  “Weird?” Monica finished for her.

  Sidney laughed. “I can understand why you’d say that.” She straightened her suit jacket.

  “I don’t know what it is. I can’t seem to meet a normal guy.” Monica sighed. “I guess I attract the strange ones.”

  Sidney shook her head. “It’s not you. Many women feel the exact same way. Here at Blissfully Matched, we take your dating seriously.”

  Monica looked up. “We?”

  Sidney swallowed. Why had she said that? Now she had to admit the truth. “Well, it’s just me right now. But I’m very dedicated to finding a match for each one of my clients.”

  “How many clients have you successfully matched?”

  “Six.”

  Monica blinked, and disappointment flitted into her eyes. “Only six?”

  “Yes, well, that represents an eighty-five percent success rate.” She wished she didn’t have to count her sister, who had hired her to find Mr. Right but in reality just wanted more guys to string along.

  The excitement seemed to drain out of Monica, like someone had pulled a plug. “I see.” Her gaze flickered to Sidney’s ring finger. “And what about you?”

  And there it was. Her cheeks heated and she placed her hands on her lap under the desk. Maybe it was best to play dumb. “Me?”

  Monica frowned. “Have you found your perfect match?”

  Oh boy. This was where things always went downhill. Was it impolite to say, ‘None of your business?’ Sidney bit her bottom lip to keep the words from tumbling out. Instead, she shook her head.

  Sidney’s potential client was quickly becoming her lost client as Monica’s frown deepened. “I see,” she repeated. “And how much do you charge?”

  This was not going well at all. She was supposed to talk up the service, get the client excited about it, build up confidence in her abilities, and then reveal her price structure. But she couldn’t ignore a direct question. “You get up to ten matches for a thousand dollars.”

  Monica’s eyes bulged and she stood. “Well, I’ll need time to think about it.” Before the words were out, she was half-way to the door.

  “Of course,” Sidney called as she watched the woman bolt through the door and head down the street.

  Great. Now how was she going to pay the rent? The business location she’d picked was perfect, right on the downtown strip with street parking outside her window. Lots of foot traffic. But the rent was tough to swallow. With a sigh,
she closed the new client account she had started.

  She was in trouble. And based on the report she’d run this morning, if she didn’t land a client soon, she’d be kicked to the curb.

  The door swished open again and her best friend strode in. Mia always looked like she was about to step out on a runway. Today she sported thigh high boots and a mini skirt. The getup would look ridiculous on Sidney, but somehow Mia pulled it off.

  “Hey, girlfriend. How’s business?” Mia took off her huge sunglasses and slid them into her clutch before plopping into the recently vacated client chair.

  Sidney leaned back and let out a sigh. “Not good.”

  “What? I sent you three customers this week. Didn’t any of them come in?”

  “Yes.” Sidney pressed her lips together and blinked away the moisture gathering behind her eyelids.

  Mia softened. “What’s wrong? They didn’t hire you?”

  “No.” She looked down at the carpet. “I lost them when they found out I was single.”

  A deep frown crossed Mia’s features. “What have I been telling you? You’re the best matchmaker I know. Why don’t you use those skills of yours to find yourself a man?”

  Sidney fought the urge to snort. She was twenty-six. It wasn’t like she was an old maid. “I don’t need a man in order to succeed.”

  Mia rolled her eyes. “I’m not saying that, and you know it. You’re smart. And funny. Men like you, but you push them all away. Maybe you should take your own advice once in a while.”

  A hollow feeling squeezed into Sidney’s chest. The last thing she needed was another disastrous relationship. She’d sworn off men after the last one, Asher. Too good-looking for his own good. She’d thought they were on the road to engagement...a house in the suburbs...maybe two point five kids. Turns out he was on the road to Patty Mason. Her life had been a string of bad experiences with men, and she was through with it. “I’m fine on my own.”

  Mia gave her a pitying look. “Don’t you think your customers would have more confidence in you if you had your own perfect match?”

  She sighed. “Probably. But it’s not fair.” Having her own relationship had nothing to do with her ability to help others. But if no one would give her a chance, she might as well go back to waitressing. The hours stunk and it made her feet hurt, but what else could she do? She stared out the window. “I don’t think I can do it. My heart can’t take another horrible relationship.”

  A weird look came over Mia’s face. “My Aunt Sylvia!”

  Sidney stared at her friend and wondered about her mental state. “What?”

  Mia hopped out of her chair. “Ha, I don’t know why we haven’t thought of it before. After her divorce, Aunt Sylvia couldn’t go out without being hit on, so she decided to wear her wedding ring around. It worked. She could go out for the night and have no problems.”

  “Um...Okay.”

  “Don’t you get it? You need a fake fiancé. A photo of a guy to put on your desk. A fake engagement ring on your finger. Then people won’t hesitate to hire you.” Mia fluttered around the room like a little kid on a sugar high.

  Sidney stood and rounded her desk, grasping Mia’s arms. “Settle down. I can’t lie to people. You’re insane.”

  Mia grew serious. “Are you good at what you do?”

  The question threw her off, and Sidney blinked. She was good at matchmaking. She loved searching for that perfect date for a client. She knew how to run background checks and what questions to ask to get to the heart of someone. And the thrill of seeing their eyes light up when they met was like nothing else. “Yeah, I am.”

  “And do you want to see your business die?”

  A heaviness settled in her stomach. “No.”

  “Then isn’t it better to give the appearance of success to your potential customers? It’s like dressing for the right occasion. You’re just adding a man as an accessory.”

  Sidney drew in a breath and let it out slowly. Maybe Mia was right. Maybe it wasn’t like lying as much as it was having the right appearance. Like buying a nice pair of shoes. Only it was a man on her arm.

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  Ava Gilmore has a huge problem. She’s in love with Oliver, her sister’s fiancé. What’s worse? She’s their wedding planner. Now her sister has run off to Paris and left her and Oliver to plan the wedding together.

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  OTHER NOVELS BY VICTORINE:

  The Billionaire Series

  The Fake Marriage Series

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