Leo’s eyes were itching so bad he wanted to—well, he wanted this day to be over. They were also swelling up. And tearing. And his nose was running. And he’d sneezed at least seven times since he’d gotten into his car. At this point, even he was having trouble staying positive.

If he didn’t get on some antihistamines right now, he was going to wake up tomorrow with his eyes swollen shut and covered with hives.

And did he ever refill that EpiPen?

He couldn’t tell Tessa any of that after the day they’d just had, and after all he’d asked her to give up in order to make this arrangement work. It was clear she loved the animal, and he couldn’t stand to upset her after everything he’d asked her to give up. She’d looked a little hurt by his inattention to her cat, but staying would have sent him into anaphylaxis right smack in the middle of that old living room.

Even worse, Tessa was throwing him curveballs in ways he’d never expected.

She’d had the courage to go on with the ceremony when he’d faltered. She was superstitious. All her wildly colorful boho/hippie furniture clashed with his.

What should he expect from someone who named her cat after a character from Les Mis?

She was the worst possible wife he could have, because just looking at her pretty curves and her long wavy hair, beautifully disheveled like that, made him…well, made him think of her in very unbusinesslike ways. And that was a very, very bad thing.

Note to self: Never carry your wife over the threshold again.

As he drove to the 24-hour drug store off the highway, he made himself think of just how aggravating she was. Except today, she’d cried when her sisters had shown up. And that moment in the bathroom—she’d looked scared and alone. Yet she’d somehow managed to convince everyone their marriage was for real.

All of these things surprised him in a way he did not want to dwell on.

He walked into the brightly lit pharmacy and bought two different kinds of antihistamines, nasal spray, and some Benadryl just in case. And some water to wash it all down.

A drug store…on his wedding night.

He thought of the shock and surprise on the faces of the people he loved. His friends, his dad, his little sister. This game they were playing…it was real. It had consequences.

He was determined to place all his focus on turning both businesses around. All he had to do was play by the script he’d already written and see this through. And take a lot of anti-cat drugs.

That would leave him no time for distractions. Especially those coming from his pretty new wife.

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven