Page 18 of Her Inconvenient Wedding Date (Unexpected Dates #2)

Hunter

“I love you like I love Wi-Fi—if you disappear for too long, I start to feel lost.” ~Unknown

I feel like a prisoner—or at least a guy who got banished to a distant land.

It’s not that I hate my job. Most days, I enjoy staring at a computer monitor for hours on end or talking tech with my colleagues, but today’s not one of those days.

After almost four hours of sitting, my mind—and behind—are beat.

I’m ready to go to management and ask if we can have our meetings lying down from now on.

I can’t wait to get up, stretch my legs, and take a long break.

The only thing I’m looking forward to more is spending time with my wife. Assuming Lily will want to see me.

Now that I’ve had the whole morning to process what she said, I’m starting to understand her concerns.

We did do things a bit backwards. Usually, a man and a woman have a few awkward conversations, then some semi-awkward dates before they decide to commit to a relationship.

In our case, we tripled the awkwardness by getting married first. Since then, my foot has been on the gas, revving the engine so we can speed forward while Lily’s still stepping on the brake. No wonder we’re stalled.

Thank the Lord that He’s opened up my eyes to the situation we’re in.

Back-to-back meetings can do that to a person.

When you have all the time in the world with nowhere to go, you start ruminating.

It’s like marinating, just less tasty, but the result is the same.

You come away with a more tender and mature understanding.

This marriage isn’t only about me and my wants; it’s about Lily’s.

And if she needs me to slow down, that’s what I’ll do.

Sloth-mode has officially been activated.

I take my wedding band off my left ring finger and move it to my right hand. Next, I open up my phone and go to my social media accounts. I’d jumped the gun and updated my status to “married” yesterday. I now switch it to “in a relationship” and hope no one notices and questions the change.

Oops, too late.

A message hits my inbox just seconds after I make the update, and it’s ironically enough from Lily.

Hey @GeekyGirlsRule, I don’t mean to be stalking you, but I just happened to see your new relationship status. I hope everything’s ok?

Maybe now would be a good time to let Lily know that I’m the one who’s been stalking her with my incognito username?

Things are good, thanks for asking. Just a little complicated, I answer back.

Lily: It’s ok if you don’t want to go into details. I get it. Matters of the heart are not easy to make sense of. I’ll be praying for you to figure things out.

Her reply makes me smile. I could use the prayers. Thank you. I appreciate it.

Lily: Anytime! Oh, and I just remembered that I forgot to share the pumpkin brownie recipe I told you about in my last live video. I’ll ask my hubby for it and get it up soon.

My jaw drops. Did Lily just let the cat out of the bag? Not just one but the whole clowder? What happened to keeping our marriage a secret? I quickly type back: You got married??

Lily: I did!! You’re the first online friend I’ve told. I just logged on to update my status. I’ll do a video sometime and tell you guys more about him. Maybe even ask him to join me if he doesn’t mind.

Of course I don’t mind, is what I want to reply, but I reply with this instead: Congratulations. He’s a lucky guy.

Lily: Aww, thanks. But I’m the lucky one. I’m so blessed to be his wife. He’s the best gift God’s given to me. God knew exactly what I needed. I know God sees your needs, too, and will provide for you. I gotta go, but I’ll be praying for you!

A lump grows in my throat as I reread her message. I’m not sure what changed for Lily, but she seems to be happier and more at peace with our situation. Which makes me happier and more at peace.

With a grateful heart, I reply: Thanks for the reminder, Lil.

“Anything you want to add, Hunter?”

My head whips up at the mention of my name. “Sorry, what was that?”

“I asked if there’s anything you want to share with us before we end the meeting.” My manager, Al, looks across the rectangular table at me. He adjusts his horn-rimmed glasses as he gives me a cheeky smile. “Speak now or forever hold your peace.”

A couple of our coworkers chuckle. I’m starting to realize why everyone around the room is giving me knowing glances. “I suppose it’s time to address the elephant in the room, namely me.” I raise my left hand and say, “I’m officially off the market.”

Al narrows his eyes and frowns. “Either my eyesight is failing me, or invisible rings are a new tech I don’t know about?”

“Oh, my bad!” I switch my wedding band over to the correct hand, then hold it up again. “Let’s try that again. I, Hunter Payne, am a married man now.”

Al gives me a thumbs-up. “It’s about time. I’m glad your persistence paid off and you were able to win Lily over.”

I blink in surprise. “Was it that obvious that I liked her?”

“Only to the trained eye.” He winks as he stands up. “Meeting’s over. Go get some lunch, guys.”

Everyone scrambles out of their seats, then heads for the door.

I try to get up as well, but my whole right leg and foot are numb.

Oh, the joys of being tall. The sensation of pins and needles attacks me, spreading throughout my limb.

I brace myself against the table and wiggle my toes inside my sneaker to get the blood flowing.

Once I regain some feeling in my little piggies, I start rotating my ankle.

Next, it comes time to stomp my foot, then swing my leg back and forth.

This happens so often, I’ve gotten a routine down, or half a routine since it only involves one leg.

Someday, I’ll add in some jazz hands and spins and choreograph a whole dance.

For now, though, my goal is to get moving so I can find Lily.

“Hunter? What are you doing?”

Glancing up, I see my gorgeous wife standing in the doorway with a bewildered look on her face. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s third-guessing her decision to marry me right about now. “Uh, my leg fell asleep. I’ll be fine in a few minutes.”

She rushes over, then kneels beside me. “Have a seat. I’ll try not to hurt you.”

“H-hurt me?” I do as I’m told, albeit slowly. I give her a helpless smile as I take a seat. “What do you have in mind? ”

“Don’t worry. Just relax. You’ll be fine.”

I swallow hard. “That sounds exactly like something dentists say before they bring out the drill.”

Her dark brown eyes light up as she smirks. “Do you trust me?”

“I think so.”

“Good.”

With both of her hands, she starts massaging my leg.

Her fingers and thumbs work in circular motions, applying just the right amount of pressure to knead my muscles.

Soon, tingles travel up and down my calf as the feeling comes back.

The relief is so tangible, I release a happy sigh.

“You’re amazing, Lil! How are you so good at this? ”

“I do this for my Ye Ye,” she says, referring to her paternal grandfather, “whenever he comes to visit. His legs fall asleep every time he sits too long. It’s common for people like you.”

“People like me? You mean old?”

She laughs. “No, I mean tall. He’s almost your height.”

“Oh, okay, that makes sense.” I pull out the chair beside me and gesture for her to sit down. “Thank you for coming to my rescue yet again. First, the contact lenses and now my leg. I’m like a system badly in need of a hardware update.”

“I don’t mind,” she replies with a kind smile. “I happen to like your hardware.”

I blink in surprise at how forward Lily’s being. “You like my hardware?”

“I was going along with the metaphor you started.” Her cheeks turn rosy pink as she bites her lower lip. “Yes, you have great hardware, but I personally think your software’s more important. You know, like what’s in your heart. You keep surprising me, Hunter—or should I call you @GeekyGirlsRule?”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“I know it’s you behind that username.”

“You do? How?”

“Just now when we were messaging each other, you called me Lil. No one besides you calls me that. I was also thinking back to all the times we’d chatted online, and everything made sense.

You followed my account about a year ago, which was around the time you started working here.

You never ask for makeup or fashion advice.

You usually give me compliments and encourage me or you say you’re praying for me.

You’re not like any of my other viewers. That’s how I know it’s you.”

I hold up my hands in surrender. “Well done, Sherlock. If you decide to quit engineering one day, you could become a detective.”

“Only if you’ll be my Watson.”

“Deal.”

A wistful smile curves her lips. “There’s something I want to elaborate on about what I said earlier in my messages to you. About me being your wife.”

“Go on.”

“I should have told you this before. The real reason why I was trying to give you a way out of our marriage of convenience was because I didn’t think I deserve you.”

“Why would you think that? That’s so far from the truth.”

“Probably because my mom keeps saying you’re better than me.

Not that I usually let what she says dictate how I feel, but sometimes her comments have a way of sneaking under my skin.

It’s hard to compete with you, Hunter. You’re smarter than me and more talented, too.

You’re almost even more Chinese than me, which is not something I thought was possible.

” She rolls her eyes playfully. “I love all these things about you though, and I feel so blessed that you think enough of me to want to be with me. I do want to stay married to you. I’m not going to push you away anymore, I promise. ”

“That’s a relief to hear because I never want to be away from you, Lil.” I take both of her hands in mine. “And you’ve got it all wrong. From the first day we met, you’ve been a blessing to me, more than you know. Remember that day?”

She nods. “For some reason you kept asking me to repeat my name.”

“That’s because during the whole process of moving here and starting this job, I’d been holding onto those verses in Matthew 6 that talk about worry.

I remember looking up photos of lilies and seeing how beautiful they are.

Then I met you, and not only did your name remind me not to worry, you were the most beautiful woman I’d ever met.

So beautiful that I couldn’t even speak, and the only thing that saved me from utter humiliation was that intern stuffing a bagel into my mouth.

That’s why I got used to carrying one around with me in the office in case I found myself in another speechless moment. ”

“It’s not because you like bagels?”

I wince. “I’m actually more of a donut guy, but bagels take longer to chew so they were a better option.”

Lily breaks into a big grin as she squeezes my hands. “You are so adorable. I didn’t think I could love you more, but I was wrong.”

“What did you say?”

“I said I didn’t think—” She eyes me suspiciously. “Are you trying to get me to say I love you again?”

I bite back a smile. “Is that what you said? I didn’t know if I heard you correctly.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“But even if I didn’t, the truth is that I love you, too.”

“Come again?” She laughs at my unamused expression. “Okay, you don’t have to say it, but I’d be open to you showing me your answer.”

She doesn’t have to ask twice. I pull Lily onto my lap and close the gap between us.

Her lips, so soft and insistent, warm me to the core as she presses them to mine.

I cradle the small of her back and marvel at how her curves fit so perfectly against my body.

As we kiss, we move together to our own rhythm, creating a harmony that only we can hear?—

“Ahem!”

Or maybe not.

We break apart to find Al standing in the doorway with a couple of people crowded behind him. Apparently, the music Lily and I make is so powerful, it attracted an audience.

Al raises a bushy brow. “Seriously, you two, get a room. Just preferably not this one. We have another meeting starting now, which you’re both welcome to stay for if you can’t get enough of my yappin’.”

“No, we’re good!” Lily and I reply in unison, which gets us both smiling. We hop to our feet and scurry out of there like Bonnie and Clyde—except for the notorious criminal activity part, of course.

Walking hand in hand back to our cubicles, Lily surprises me by pulling me toward mine first. My eyes widen when I spot a plate of bagels next to my laptop. There are also a dozen pictures of cartoon bagels taped all around my desk. Printed on each one is a funny pun.

“What’s all this?” I ask Lily.

“It’s my way of letting everyone know that you’re my bae-gel.” She gestures to one drawing that has the words Bae-gel: Before Anyone Else. “Some of these are a bit cheesy, so if you want to take them down, I understand.”

“No way!” I shake my head adamantly. “I love cheese. The more the better. I’m leaving these up forever. Especially this one.” I point to my favorite pun: Are you a bagel? Because you’re everything I never knew I kneaded . “I love all of them, Lil. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I’m glad you like puns because you’re going to be in for a treat when we go to dinner tomorrow. I’m already preparing my arsenal, and it’s going to be cheesier than ever.”

I loop my arms around her waist and offer her a confident grin. “Don’t worry. Everything’s gouda be fine.”

She groans. “That’s so bad, it’s good.”

“I have more where that came from.” I tap the tip of her nose. “I also have an idea. Why don’t we bring more dried seafood for your mom? We can buy some after work.”

“Good thinking. That’d be a lot easier than giving her a grandchild.”

My brows shoot up. “What did you say?”

“Oh yeah. That was minute seven of her voicemail. She thinks having a grandbaby in her life will make her stress go away. Don’t worry, it’s all talk… I think. Anyhow, we should get back to work.”

Lily pats my shoulder, then leaves me standing in my cubicle with thoughts of little Hunter and Lily bagels running through my mind. Oh boy (and girl). I have a feeling it’s going to be an interesting family dinner.