Page 32 of Her Inconvenient Wedding Date

“Says the man who freaked out about his contact lensesgetting stuck to his eyeballs.” Lily shoots me a knowing look, followed by a sweet smile. “I appreciate how hard you’re trying, I do. But we pretty much did things backwards; we got married without even going on a date together. It’s not fair of me to expect you to stay. You deserve a way out; it’s the right thing to do.”

The steely glint in her deep brown eyes should scare me, but it only makes my heart beat faster. “You know something? You’re cute when you’re determined.”

“Hunter, be serious!”

“I am. Seriously in love with you.”

Her eyes widen in frustration. “Please think about it.”

My operating system goes on the fritz the longer Lily looks at me. “About what again?”

“Your way out of this marriage of convenience.”

“What if I don’t want one?”

“Then you can choose to stay.”

“I’m staying then.”

“Afteryou take some time to think about it. Like,reallythink about it. Please. Will you do that for me?”

“I’d do anything for you, Lil, but?—”

“Then do this for me. Do it for yourself, too. This is the rest of your life that we’re talking about.” She gathers her belongings, then rests her hand on the door handle. “Your meeting is about to start. Go in first, then I’ll come in a few minutes after you. And remember to act normal.”

“Normal how?”

“Not like someone who married his coworker yesterday. Just be yourself.”

Be myself? I can totally do that. Because who I am is a man in love with his wife. I lean over the center console and plant my mouth firmly on Lily’s. She makes a sound of surprise before she responds and cups my face with her softhands. We move at a slow, unhurried pace, savoring the heat building between us. There’s a sense of longing in this parting kiss as our lips linger for a few extra beats. I don’t mind it at all. The more Lily enjoys kissing me, the more she’ll miss me when we’re apart.

When the moment is over, I’m surprised to see that several minutes have passed. But what’s more alarming is the small crowd gathered outside our car—although it’s debatable whetherthey’remore shocked or we are. Several of our fellow engineers have their jaws dropped like they can’t believe I got Lily to kiss me.

If I wasn’t a first-hand eyewitness, I might not believe it either.

“Noooo!” Lily groans when she spots the scene through her window. Her cheeks flush as she slides lower in her seat. “Please tell me I’m dreaming!”

“You’re totally dreaming.”

She glowers at me, apparently unamused.

“Okay, you’re not really dreaming, but the situation’s not as bad as you may think. Look, a couple of the guys are giving us a thumbs-up. That’s a good thing, right? But the best part is now that our relationship is public, we can walk into the office together.” I get out and greet our coworkers, then round the front of the car to Lily’s side. After opening the door, I extend my hand to her. “Come on.”

She hesitates before accepting my invitation. Once she steps out, she takes a deep breath and looks around. The guys have gone ahead of us, so we no longer have an audience. “Where’d everyone go?”

“Most likely to the meeting that’s starting in two minutes.”

“That’s your meeting, too. You should hurry.” She gestures for me to walk ahead. “I’m going to stop by the cafeteria and get some tea.”

I nod and reluctantly let go of her hand. “I have meetings all morning, so I’ll see you for lunch?”

She avoids my gaze as she replies, “I have a lot of work to catch up on, so I’ll probably eat at my desk.”

“I can bring lunch to your cube then.”

An unreadable emotion passes over her face as she meets my eyes. “Can I let you know later?”

“Yeah, sure. I better get to the meeting. I’ll see you in a bit.”

---