His eyes widened. “Why would I? I haven’t even thought about the name-change stuff. Leanne Vanderpol-Montgomery is quite a mouthful, though. Have you imagined the signs?”

She grinned, loving that he was already picturing her political ambitions. “It sounds fancy, doesn’t it?”

“Sure does. Do whatever you want. I wasn’t expecting you to take my name at all.”

Impulsively, she hugged him, wrapping her arms tightly around his shoulders. “It’s a good-faith gesture. I’ll take the first shower.”

“No problem. I’ll watch some TV in this badass bathrobe.”

She washed up properly but didn’t linger, aware that he was waiting for a turn in damp trunks in an air-conditioned room. He’s probably freezing. Trev seemed like the kind of person who would always go second, never putting himself first. Maybe I need to nudge him in that direction. Wait, no. I’m thinking like this is a normal relationship instead of a mutually convenient arrangement. Even Leanne occasionally lost track of why they were together, so maybe it was confusing for him too.

She stepped out of the shower and wrapped up in a towel. “All yours,” she called.

He ambled into the bathroom and pulled her close, brushing a kiss against the wet hair at her temple. “Thanks, Butterfly.”

“What?”

“Just an endearment I’m trying out. I noticed the face you made when I called you babe. How’s it working for you?”

After a moment of proper consideration, she said, “I think I like it.”

“When will you know for sure?” he asked.

“When you share the reasoning behind it.”

“Butterflies are beautiful, obviously. And so are you. But they’re also super helpful—they pollinate flowers and nosh on weeds. Yet go ask anybody, ‘What’s a butterfly’s deal?’ They’ll be like, ‘Well, it’s pretty. It flutters around being colorful, right?’” Trev shook his head. “Nah, if you pay attention, they’re about way more than looking good. Just like you.”

She closed her eyes, more touched than she wanted to be by his artless explanation. With effort, she kept from tearing up. If any droplets slipped out, hopefully she could blame the recent shower. “Yeah, I love that. Carry on.”

In appreciation, she gave him a long, deep kiss, and he responded by pressing close, leaving no doubt about how ready he was for their wedding night. Finally, Trev pulled away, breathing hard. “Out, temptress, or my pants won’t fit.”

She smirked, but she sauntered out anyway, quickly touching up the glamour spell on her face, and she extended it to her hair while he was busy. The magic lent luster to the bright-red strands and added dexterity and skill to her hands, so she coiled it into a style she’d seen in a beauty tutorial.