Callahan studied my face carefully, his hand lingering at the back of my neck for a second longer before slowly falling away. His expression carried that familiar mix of curiosity and quiet amusement, as if he were trying to figure out what had just possessed me.
“What,” he asked slowly, “was that for?”
I blinked at him like he had asked a ridiculous question.
“I need a reason to kiss my husband now?” I muttered.
One corner of his mouth lifted.
“Not at all,” he said calmly. “I was just wondering how I can request more kisses like that in the future.”
I looked away toward the windshield, pretending that my heart didn’t skip a beat at his words.
“No need to put in a request,” I said casually. “You’ve already unlocked unlimited kisses.”
His chuckle filled the car. The sound was warm, low, and entirely too distracting. Before he could say anything else, I waved vaguely toward the steering wheel.
“Let’s go home. I need to catch up on the period Chinese drama I’ve been watching.”
There was a brief pause. Then he laughed. Not just a small laugh either. A full one.
I turned toward him with a small glare. “What?”
“You just dragged me into a kiss like that,” he said, still clearly amused, “and now you’re thinking about a drama series.”
“It’s a very good drama series. Zhang Linghe is giving his best performance yet.”
“I’m sure he is.”
He leaned across the center console then, reaching toward the seatbelt beside my shoulder. The movement brought him closer again, his arm brushing lightly against mine as he pulled the belt across my chest.
Click.
He fastened it securely, then gave it a small tug to make sure it was in place. The small gesture made something warm settle in my chest.
“Comfortable?” he asked as he buckled his own seatbelt.
“Yes.”
Ready to go home and ignore me while you watch television?”
I smiled sweetly. “Of course.”
He shook his head, unable to hide his amusement, before finally starting the car.
The engine hummed to life, and moments later, we were pulling away from my parents’ house. For a little while, we drove in comfortable silence.
Streetlights slid past the windows as the car moved steadily through the evening traffic. My thoughts drifted back to dinner, replaying the chaos and laughter that seemed to follow my family wherever we went.
Eventually, Callahan glanced over at me.
“You know,” he said thoughtfully, “I probably should have known your family would be as unpredictable as you are.”
I turned toward him. “What do you mean?”
“I mean,” he said dryly, “You married me. That should have been my first clue.”
I laughed. “That’s fair.”
