Page 26

T he next couple of weeks flew by in a haze of meetings, deadlines, and tests.

Liam had to fly to China the day before last, and I missed him like crazy. We texted every night. But it wasn’t the same.

The fact Miss Chen was with him was something I wasn’t very happy about, but how could I bring that up when our time was so short? Besides, I didn’t want to act like some possessive shrew.

I was his wife, and we both seemed to have a healthy appetite for sex with one another. But other than our wedding vows, which had been arranged— something I wasn’t ever likely to forget —Liam never made me any promises.

Today had been a difficult one, and I was exhausted. There was so much going into this project at ODI, and a lot of it was now riding on Liam’s ability to get the partners overseas to come through with the materials needed to manufacture his battery.

It wasn’t my area of expertise, but from what I understood, his Chinese investors wanted more than what they’d been promised, and they were holding the materials he needed hostage while they hashed out a new contract.

The buzzer sounded, and I grabbed my phone to answer using the app. I was currently stirring a batch of homemade spinach gnocchi in cream sauce I made from the Nonna Rosa’s Recipes book I kept on a wooden stand in the kitchen.

My mother had saved all of Nonna’s secret recipes and wrote them up in a cookbook she’d had printed for family only and dedicated to my great grandmother.

It was full of wonderful meals I barely remembered eating when the sweet old woman had been alive. She passed away before I started grade school, but I remembered her kindness and her love of feeding everyone.

Half of my heritage was Italian, and it seemed a common enough thing, this love of food. I didn’t always have the time to cook, but I enjoyed it. Almost as much as I enjoyed eating.

Slightly annoyed because I knew Liam wouldn’t ring the bell, I frowned as I looked through the camera to the desk in the lobby of the building.

“Mrs. O’Doyle? You have visitors,” the security guard said, flashing the camera to show a group of my cousins.

“Let us in, Micky. We brought cookies,” Aella said, shaking a tin that I just knew was filled with perfect little anisette flavored confections.

“Let them up, Tate. It’s okay.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Five minutes later, I was being squeezed to death by some of my favorite cousins, Lucy, Clementine, Aella, and Andrea, Uncle Andres’ daughter, came bustling inside.

Snowflakes were melting on their hair, faces, and jackets and I gasped at how cold they felt on my warm skin.

“When did it start snowing?” I asked, surprised and happy to see them all here.

“I don’t know, a little while ago,” Lucy answered, grabbing all the coats and making use of the rack by the door.

“Wow, this place is nice!” Clementine commented, going right to the big windows that overlooked the street.

“Are you making Nonna’s gnocchi?” Aella asked, biting her bottom lip and wagging her eyebrows.

“I am, but I didn’t know you heifers were coming.”

“Shut up. You have more in the fridge and I know it,” she said, pushing past me to dish up the pasta.

“Brat,” I muttered, grabbing the Tupperware where I’d stored the rest of the gnocchi and the cream and grated cheese.

“So good,” she moaned, chomping away at my dinner.

“Anyone else?” I asked, exasperated.

Everyone raised their hands.

Of course they did.

“Oh my God, Micky! I think you made that better than Aunt Sofia!” Lucy sighed after we’d all eaten our fill, patting her belly as she leaned back in the dining room chair.

I grinned, appreciating the lie, but everyone knew my mom was the better cook.

Still, I wasn’t an idiot. I’d take the compliment. I grabbed another anisette cookie and moaned as I munched on the buttery, crumbly goodness.

“Okay, as much as I love you bitches, why are you here?” I asked, wiping my mouth on a napkin.

“Can’t we come visit our cousin?” Aella asked, all innocence, as she started clearing away plates and loading the dishwasher.

“No. You can’t. Now out with it.”

“Ugh, fine. Micky, I want to know if you’re coming to the Christmas party. Thanksgiving was boring as hell without you,” Lucy said, rolling her eyes.

“Uncle Ad and Dad didn’t even get into an argument over who got to carve the turkey. It was pretty awful,” Andrea confirmed.

“Oh my God. So, you want to know if I’m coming to Christmas so our dads can fight?”

“No, you turd! We want you to come to Christmas so we can meet your husband,” Clem replied, starting the dishwasher.

“We don’t know anything about him. What if he’s just using you?” Lucy asked.

Shit.

I knew this was coming.

And really, what could I say? Liam was using me. But only because I let him.

My cousins all started talking over each other, spouting one preposterous story after the next regarding the reasons behind Liam marrying me.

“Maybe he tricked you because he’s got some sort of heiress fetish or he just wanted to prove he could nail a Volkov,” Aella offered.

“Interesting! I remember he worked with our dads at Volkov Industries. He probably wants to do business with them and needed the leverage,” Clem said.

“I see, I’m leverage now?” I asked, balking at the suggestion.

“Yeah! Like, he could just be trying to get his hands on your money. Unless you’re pregnant. Oh my God! Are you pregnant?” Lucy asked.

“Wow. Okay, no! Not pregnant! Sheesh. And Liam has his own money, guys,” I replied, finding myself in the awkward position of defending Liam’s honor while knowing damn well he hadn’t married me for love.

“Fine, then it’s Uncle Ad’s connections. He must need something?—”

I slammed my hands on the table and stood up, interrupting Aella and the rest of them.

“You know what? You guys suck!” I snarled, disgusted with how they immediately went to money and connections as being the only reason Liam would want me.

Maybe it hurts because it’s true.

But I pushed away my inner voice and held on to my ire instead.

“Maybe he just likes me! You ever think of that? Why does it have to be about money or power?”

“Shit, cuz. We’re sorry. We’re just worried about you! I remember how you had a crush on him back when you were interning, and the timing just seems weird. We just don’t want you hurt,” Clementine said, her big eyes round with concern.

“Weird why? Because he’s so hot and I’m just me? He should be with someone else, right? Someone skinnier, better looking?” I asked, revealing some of my own shallow doubts in the process.

“What? No! Cousin, you know you’re beautiful, right?” Lucy asked, tears welling in her big blue eyes, making her even prettier than normal.

“Yeah, but Liam is hot, right? Hotter than I deserve? You’re right, it makes no sense he would pick me,” I said, hating the truth.

“No. That’s not what we’re saying. Everyone is just trying to understand, Micky,” Andrea tried, but I was so done with this conversation.

“Yeah? Why do you all assume I’m being tricked just cause he’s better looking than me? How come none of you came to the conclusion that maybe I’m just good in bed and he’s in it for the sex? Could be I give excellent head, and he’s addicted to my blow jobs,” I shouted, which was probably why I missed the part where the man in question walked into our condo.

Then I felt his arms wrap around my waist and his lips nuzzle my neck, and judging from the wide-eyed stares of my family members, I knew he’d witnessed at least half of my outrageous response to their concerns.

“I can confirm the last two parts,” Liam said, nodding his head in greeting, while I took in his too handsome profile.

He looked rumpled and jet-lagged, but still gorgeous as fuck.

“You’re back,” I whispered, my pulse racing.

“I am. I missed you,” he replied and dropped a hard kiss on my mouth.

“So, what’s, uh, going on here, ladies?” he asked.

The evidence of my husband’s attraction to me pressed against my ass and he hugged me tighter to him.

“Um, we had dinner and dropped off some cookies,” Lucy murmured, her cheeks burning bright red.

“Cookies? What kind?”

“Anisette,” Aella answered, and she was blushing too.

“We were accusing you of marrying our cousin for money, but she said you’re in it for the sex,” Andrea said blankly.

Liam’s eyebrows went sky high, and he barked out a laugh that was almost too loud for my proximity.

“Sorry, Sweetheart,” he said, kissing my neck. “She did, huh? Well, your cousin is dynamite in bed, but I don’t feel comfortable discussing that with you four.”

“So, why did you do it?” Andre asked, ignoring the shushing of the others.

“Do what?” he asked.

“Marry her. Why are you married to our cousin?” she repeated slowly.

I waited with bated breath, wondering how he would answer. In true Liam fashion, he knew exactly what to say.

“Because I can’t imagine a world where I’m not married to this woman.”