Page 40 of Wife By Accident

“We should.” Leo held up a hand, and a waiter came over. He placed their order. “Do you want anything to eat, too?” he asked Olivia.

“Maybe in a little while.”

Their champagne arrived, and Leo lifted his glass in a toast. “To a wonderful day with my beautiful wife.”

“You say that a lot,” Olivia said as they clinked their glasses and each took a cautious sip. The memory of what champagne had done last time was still fresh in Leo’s mind.

“What do I say a lot?”

“Wife,” Olivia said.

“Oh. I’m sorry. Does it bother you when I call you my wife?”

“I suppose not.” She frowned slightly. “I am your wife, after all. At least, I am right now. And you’re my husband. It’s just strange to think about.”

“It’s strange for me, too. I guess that’s why I say it so much — to remind myself.”

“That makes sense.” Olivia paused thoughtfully. “Did you expect to get married? Not to me, I mean, but in general.”

“No,” Leo admitted. “I never did. I always thought work would be the most important thing to me. What about you?”

“I’ve always wanted to get married someday, but I never thought I was close to a wedding,” Olivia said. “I don’t date much.” She blushed.

“It’s hard to date when you’re busy,” Leo replied.

“True. But…” Olivia shook her head. “Never mind.”

“No, tell me.”

“It’s silly.”

“Please.” Leo made exaggerated puppy eyes, and Olivia laughed.

“Well, I don’t think the reason I don’t date is because I’m busy. I mean, maybe part of it is, because I definitely am busy, but I also feel like…”

“Like what?” Leo prompted.

“I probably read too many romance novels. But I guess I always thought that, when I met the right person, it would just feel right, you know? And I never felt that way before.” Their eyes met, and warmth bloomed in Leo’s chest. He remembered their kiss again, and in that moment, he wanted nothing more than to lean across the small glass table and capture Olivia’s soft pink lips in another kiss. If they hadn’t been seated in a crowded rooftop restaurant, he might have done it.

“I know,” he said, his eyes not leaving hers. Olivia blushed again and looked away, and Leo knew it was time to change the subject. Otherwise, that adorable blush was going to drive him mad with desire. “Tell me about your sister’s kids. You said she has two, right?”

“Right.” If Olivia was surprised by the change in topic, she didn’t show it. “There’s a little girl, Lily, who just turned nine. That’s my niece. And then there’s my nephew, Tommy, who’s two years old.”

“That’s nice.”

Olivia laughed. “Let me guess — you were asking to be polite, but you don’t know much about kids, so you don’t really know what follow-up questions to ask?”

Leo chuckled, too. “You got me — sorry. I want to say, ‘That’s such a good age,’ but I don’t really know if it is. I haven’t spent much time with kids.”

“Those are both good ages,” Olivia said. “Nine is fun, because Lily is old enough to have a conversation with but young enough to still believe in magic and dress up like a princess and that kind of thing. Two is fun, too, because Tommy is really starting to talk and run and dance and do so many adorable things. It’s also hard because there are lots of tantrums. Still, I always miss both of them when I have to go back to Seattle. They grow up fast. I suppose you don’t have nieces or nephews?”

“I don’t.” Leo didn’t want to talk about Kyle, not right now, so he searched for another question. “Do your sister and her kids live in Coeur d’Alene?”

“They do. And I was actually at my niece’s birthday party there when I was called to Vegas for the conference.”

“Right. I have to ask — what exactly happened at that conference? Because you told me you were looking for jobs.”

“I am. I quit.” Olivia took a breath. “My boss was terrible.”