Page 26 of Accidentally Hitched (Unintentionally Yours #1)

Amanda

“ S orry I’m late,” Paul walks into Tony’s and pulls out a chair next to Kate, giving her a brisk kiss as he takes a seat.

“I was in a meeting when Kate reminded me we had dinner plans. And I couldn’t for the life of me remember but I suppose that’s what the ladies are for, isn’t it? Keeping our asses in line.”

He laughs, a Paul laugh. It’s staged and practiced, and he uses it everywhere from dinners to meetings to the golf course. I wonder if he laughs differently when he is alone with Kate. I wonder if they have anything in common at all when she is girls’ night Kate.

I wonder if she even can be girls’ night Kate with anyone but me.

“They really are our saving grace,” Callum offers a smile as well but while his is more reserved (Callum isn’t the walk around with a goofy grin type of guy), his feels more genuine. Like he has a hundred other places he could be and yet, he’s here.

The guys extend hands and give each other a firm shake followed by short intros.

“Callum.”

“Paul.”

“Good to finally meet you,” Callum says. “I hear a lot about Amanda’s soon to be wed sister and have been curious about the man on the other end.”

“Good things, I hope,” Paul laughs that laugh again and my eyes browse the drink menu.

“Wine for the table, yes?” Kate asks in my direction.

Fuck it. I was going for a G&T, but wine works too.

Anything to make this feel less awkward.

Considering I still can’t figure out why Callum asked me to dinner on my day off in the first place, only for it to end up being a double date with my sister and her schtick of a fiancé, and now the men are partaking in rudimentary small talk I’m kind of starting to wish I had stayed home.

Or scheduled a root canal. You know, something less painful.

“Wine sounds great.”

Kate orders some while the guys continue to talk.

“I’ve heard positive things about you as well,” Paul says, and we all look up. His smile falters slightly. “Alright so that’s obviously not true. Kate has told me nothing about you.”

Everyone looks wildly uncomfortable, and I shift in my chair, finally crossing my legs to force myself to hold still.

What I really want to do is crawl under the table.

Suddenly, I feel Callum’s hand on my leg.

My eyes slide over to him, but he stares forward, the same smile from before on his face.

He is engaging my sister and her fiancé. He is present and professional and more than that? He’s comfortable. Unphased.

“How did you two meet?” Paul asks.

“That’s a story for the books,” Kate winks at me with her signature nose crinkle. I want to shoot her a glare. Maybe even a middle finger. But I don’t. I’m too busy trying to come up with a story on the fly. Luckily, I don’t have to.

“We met in Las Vegas,” Callum offers casually as the chips, salsa, and a round of tequila shots is set on the table by our waitress.

“Vegas?” Paul asks, reaching for a chip. “On the Bachelorette trip?”

“That would be the one,” Kate shimmies her shoulders.

“Are you sure these shots are for the right table?” I ask the waitress? “I don’t think we ordered–”

“I did,” Kate cuts me off. “Figured it would be a fun way to start a night. Tequila always leads to fun.”

“And mistakes,” I mumble. But when I look over at Callum, he still has the same smile as before. He’s not fazed. If anything, he seems relaxed. Like he wants to be here.

Like he wants to be with me…

I grab a shot and mentally scold myself not to get ahead of myself.

“Do you like tequila?” I ask, hating the words as they come out of my mouth. Callum Hardin is a whiskey neat man. He’s a sipping kind of man. He’s not a shots man and even if he were, I’d put money on it that it wouldn’t be shooters of Jose Cuervo.

“I do,” he nods once, very much to my surprise. “But I’m not much of a training wheels man.”

We watch as Callum wipes the salt of the shot glass and tosses the lime back on the tray. Paul grins and does the same, “My kind of guy.”

Well. I guess I’m doing tequila shots with my sister and my boss then.

I shrug and reach for mine. After Kate makes a toast, we down them. The sweet, bitter liquid burns an offensive trail of regret down my throat.

“Jesus. There’s a reason people stop doing this after they turn thirty,” Paul chokes.

“It tastes like ass?” Callum asks, and I spit out of a laugh.

I’m sorry but is Callum actually blending in with my sister and her fiancé? And is he actually being funny? Not that he wasn’t funny the night in Vegas when we went out on our obligatory date. But Cal and Callum are two different people. Two very different people.

At least I think.

As it turns out, I don’t know either of those men as well as I thought I did. And this evening is about to prove that.

One round of shots leads to two and that leads to margaritas for the table, which we enjoy slowly and thoroughly over three baskets of chips and salsa.

And somehow…even with my princess of a baby sister and her high society fiancé and my Vegas hookup slash boss slash possible lover…

we are all having a really, really great time.

We laugh and talk and order more drinks.

The guys get enchiladas, and Kate almost orders a salad, but I talk her into splitting the three meat Hawaiian fajitas with me.

We eat and share food and, for the first time since Kate and I went out with the Casey twins during a homecoming bonfire in school (I was a dateless senior and she was a budding freshman), we actually have a good time.

Maybe it’s because of the company. Maybe it’s because we both need to have fun for once so we both just do it. Or maybe it’s because the guys are actually getting along to the point of joking and jabbing at each other.

“So, I have to apologize but I’m three drinks deep–” Paul starts in, pointing a flat hand at Callum.

“Five,” I correct him and both Kate and I laugh.

“Okay five. But I just can’t see you, heir of Hardin Records, on a stage at a speakeasy in Vegas strutting your stuff. I just can’t.”

“Well, he did,” I say.

“Yes…he did,” Kate grins.

Paul shakes his head. “But you’re…”

“Old?” Callum finishes the sentence.

“Oops,” Kate covers her mouth. I just smile down at my drink.

“I didn’t say that,” Paul backtracks.

“But you thought it. And it’s cool.”

“You don’t look it. Damn, you’re probably in better shape than I am.”

“Do you two need a moment?” I point between the guys. “Because Kate and I can give you a minute.”

Kate laughs and Paul shakes his head, flipping me the bird with a laugh. A real laugh. I knew he had one in there somewhere. I laugh too and then glance over at Callum who has apparently been staring at me with a warm smile and buzzy eyes.

“You’re cute,” he says and plants a kiss on my lips.

I’m not expecting it. And yet, it feels natural.

The conversation freely flows in another direction, and the chemistry continues.

But I keep thinking about that kiss.

His arm is around me.

We are laughing and talking and eating and sipping water instead of tequila and the night is alive with something staticky and sweet.

And so are my lips.

Because we only have to pretend to be together for his family.

Kate and Paul don’t care if I am dating my boss.

They don’t care if I kept in touch with Cal.

They don’t know I married him, and we are still married.

But he kissed me anyway.

Kate’s eyes are locked on me hard, and I decide to change the subject. Make her the center of attention. She likes that anyway.

“So, I can’t believe you two are finally getting married,” I smile.

“Has it been a long time coming?” Callum asks, not knowing any of the background.

“Let’s just say this one has been dragging his feet for a hot minute,” Kate says, nudging Paul in the ribs.

“You could also say this one here wants a wedding so elaborate I had to pull some money out of investments just to see to it that the Queen was happy.”

“Oh, my God, you make me sound like a Bridezilla!” Kate says and I refuse to look at her. I simply bite back a smile and look everywhere but her face and Kate’s mouth drops open dramatically. “I’m not! You guys are the worst.”

“Well soon we’ll be married and then you can focus on the next thing you want from me,” Paul says, pulling her against him sideways.

“Yes, like giving me a niece or nephew,” I clap.

“Now I can get behind that,” Paul says, holding his glass up in a mock cheers.

“You looking forward to being a dad?” Callum asks.

“I meant the baby making part of the process,” Paul jokes and Kate rolls her eyes.

“What about you, Callum?” Kate asks. “Do you want to be a dad?”

My chest tightens involuntarily, and I can’t help the small smile that tugs on my lips as I watch him, waiting for the answer.

“I’m pretty sure that ship has sailed,” he says. I’m secretly hoping for more explanation. He didn’t exactly answer the question. But the subject changes and no one mentions it again.

We stay at the restaurant until it closes. As we walk out into the night air, the guys are chatting about Top Golf and how it’s better than regular golf because “less walking, more drinking” and Kate and I follow behind. She links an arm in mine and looks up at me.

“I really like him, Amanda,” she smiles.

I do too. A lot .