Page 49 of Her Wicked Husband (The Huxleys #2)
Fiona
–Bryce: You look adorable.
–Me: I think it’s the flowers. (wink-emoji)
–Bryce: What flowers? By the way, the second line of your haiku is missing a syllable. I feel deprived. You should make it up to me by kissing me a lot when I get home.
I laugh softly. Lareina leans over the small, round table at a new café that supposedly serves the best cold brew in the city. She said we had to try it together because we’re sisters. Not sure how that logic works, but of course I agreed.
“What are you laughing about?” she asks.
“Bryce.” I smile. “He sent me tulips this morning, so I texted a shot of them in a vase in the living room, and this is how he responded.” I flip the phone so she can see the photo.
“Where are you?” She frowns as she studies the screen. “I only see the vase on the kitchen counter.”
“My reflection’s in the stainless-steel fridge.” I sip my coffee. It’s so creamy and smooth with full-fat milk. I could get addicted to this real fast.
She squints. “Oh…” She chortles. “He’s cute.”
“He’s perfect.” Joy laces my sigh. Who would’ve thought this could ever happen between me and Bryce?
But the kiss three weeks ago changed everything.
The awkward distance and silence crumbled.
Although I still haven’t explained what happened with Jude, he hasn’t pressed.
It’s almost like we’ve agreed to hit the reset button and take each day as it comes without dwelling on the past.
He comes home early enough that we can have dinner together, although I don’t cook much, since the only thing I can manage with confidence is cup ramen.
Instead, we’ve hit every restaurant that looks interesting, regardless of the cuisine, and discovered a great little Vietnamese pho place that has the richest broth.
A little gift arrives each day between nine and ten, and I send him a haiku about each one because a simple “thank you” seems too easy.
The one about the tulips wasn’t simple though.
The second line, “waltzing red in the field,” is indeed missing a syllable, but I wrote it before finishing my second coffee.
I should fix it, though, since I plan to collect all the photos of his gifts and my haikus and print a glossy photo book for our anniversary.
–Me: Change “red” to “crimson” and you’ve got your missing syllable.
I hit send with a grin, not bothering to add that of course I’d love to kiss him this evening. Haven’t I given him kisses every time he comes home from work for the past few weeks?
There’s more than just a kiss tonight, though.
I want to tell him what happened with Jude.
It may not make any difference in how Bryce feels about me, but I keep thinking about it.
After all, we broke up, and he harbored a lot of bitterness for a long time.
But I feel like he should know. The decision dampens my hands with clammy sweat.
I just hope he doesn’t react too badly after realizing that I’m not a perfect Fiona rose after all.
“How’s job hunting going?” Lareina asks.
I start, then flush, realizing I haven’t given our conversation my full attention. “Um, slow. I submitted my résumé to a few places, but with this economy…” I shrug.
“I’m sure you’ll find something.”
“Hopefully. I want something with flexible hours, but most companies want me nine-to-five.” Flexible hours are mostly for my own safety.
Bryce acted like Zoe won’t be bothering either of us again, but I’d rather be safe—or at least saf er —than sorry.
If I have regular hours, it’ll be easier for her to stalk me. I want to throw her off.
My phone vibrates. I glance at the screen with a grin, which fades rapidly.
–Unknown: You stupid whore! You think you’re so clever! I’m going to make you pay for the disrespect!
I block it. I don’t know who keeps getting new numbers to send me abusive messages.
They started since the evening Bryce told me about his feelings for me.
Could be anybody—Jude, Zoe…even Aaron, since there’s no way my adoptive brother can stay quiet and civilized for this long.
He’s lain low since Zoe hit him—probably licking his wounds after being beaten by a gender he considers inferior.
He’ll need to find a way to reassert his dominance by being nasty to somebody.
“Not Bryce?” Lareina asks, sucking down the last of the coffee.
“Nah. Spam,” I say, not wanting to worry her.
“Oh, definite insta-block. I get them too, mostly about investing in a diamond mine in Tanzania. Apparently, I can get a thousand percent return.” She rolls her eyes.
I laugh. “I’m building an oceanside resort in Nebraska. You in?”
“Well. If it’s your resort, sure. Sisters gotta stick together.”
I laugh harder. For an heiress worth over sixty billion dollars, she’s pretty down to earth and unassuming. Most of the rich kids I met over the years were spoiled rotten and didn’t even know it.
“I’m going to pick up some cupcakes from Bobbi’s Sweet Things,” she says. “Wanna come with me? Ares loves them, and so do Bryce and Josh. We can drop by the office and treat our men.”
I nod. “That sounds like a great idea.”
“We should pick up an extra for Josh so he doesn’t feel left out.” Lareina shakes her head. “I told him he should start thinking about settling down, but…” She rolls her eyes again. “Him and his ‘soul mate’ stuff.”
I nearly choke on my coffee. “Soul mate? For real?”
Lareina nods. “Yeah.”
“That’s unbelievable. He’s literally the least romantic guy I’ve ever met.” Josh was a player even back in Harvard, broken female hearts littered everywhere he went.
“That’s what he claims.” She shrugs. “Apparently he can tell by having sex.”
“Uh-huh. Well, I hope whoever sleeps with him doesn’t think she actually has a chance.”
“At least he’s open about it. Much better than the assholes who lie to you about being ‘the only one,’ and then turn around and screw other women.”
“True enough.”
We finish our drinks and head for the bakery Lareina can’t stop gushing about. I smile, imagining Bryce’s reaction when he sees me in his office with a sweet treat he wasn’t expecting.