“Mm-hmm.”
I’m not sure if she’s mad at me. Should I have asked before kissing her? I barely touched the corner of her mouth. I assumed we were in marriage mode. “You said I’d have to kiss you one day. I just thought?—”
“Roman.” She stops, her hand on my chest, stopping me too. “It’s fine. That was hardly a kiss.”
“Harsh,” I tease. But I had no intention of making her anxious. “Hardly a kiss? Next time?—”
“Forget it.”
My attempts to lighten the mood aren’t working.
“Where were we?” she asks.
“Talking and smiling,” I say. Stella’s nerves make me want to fulfill her goals even more. This was her idea, so let’s do it. “We are Roman and Stella, a happily married couple unafraid of socializing.”
“Roman and Stella,” she chants. “Let’s go.”
Fran Fairchild waves from across the room. “Stella! Hey, come here!”
I lean down, whispering in her ear, “Talk and smile.”
Stella starts across the room, leaving me behind. I watch as she approaches Fran, Rosalie, and a woman I think might be Devon’s wife, Sarah. She smiles at the women, and I oddly feel proud of her.
I’m asking myself why in the world I know their names when six feet away from me, Lucca flicks his chin toward an empty corner of the room.
I peer behind me, but no one is there, and when I turn back, Lucca is looking right at me, rolling his eyes. He gives one more head flick before sauntering over to the corner. I follow him, but I’m not sure I can smile.
“You jerked?” I say.
Lucca peers out at the crowd, not meeting my eyes. “I got something for you, bruh.”
“For me?”
“Yep.” With his hand behind his back, he turns until his enclosed fists face me. “Take it,” he whispers. Lucca opens his fingers, revealing a small piece of paper.
I glance back at the full great room—no one is paying us any attention, and I’m not sure why we’ve turned into undercover spies, but I take the slip from Lucca’s grasp. Opening the small paper, I see a name—Marsha Tregear—along with a phone number.
“What’s—”
“Shh,” Lucca says, hushing me, still avoiding all eye contact. “My cousin’s online counselor. She specializes in newly married couples. I’ve already contacted her. She’s waiting for your call.”
“You couldn’t text me?” I say, shoving the slip into my slacks pocket.
“And leave a trace? No way, man.” Lucca finally looks at me. “I expect you to burn this after you make that call.”
“Thanks. I guess.” There’s a redhead standing next to Alice. She wiggles her fingers our way in a sultry wave, but I’m pretty sure it’s not for me. I glance over to Stella—just in case. But she isn’t watching us. She doesn’t care that some redhead is wiggling her fingers in my direction. “Who’s that?”
“Candy.” Lucca’s brows pinch. “Possibly Mandy. I met her last night. Hey, do me a solid and ask her for her name, will you? You owe me.”
And with that, I follow Lucca Cruz into one of several clustered groups of Red Tails and guests. I force the cornersof my mouth up and keep my ears open, ready to talk. Channeling the Roman of old. I have to.
I promised Stella.
Twenty
Roman & Stella
Roman
