"Excuse me?" I cross my arms over my chest.
"I know you ran out of body wash while we were in Florida, but you are not allowed to use mine anymore. You smell like me…and I hate it." He gives me a serious look but returns the ass grope.
"I like the way you smell." I make a show of sniffing his shirt, but he ignores me.
"And lastly, here are the forms from the bank I need you to fill out in order to add you to my checking account."
"Wait. Already? Shouldn’t we wait until we actually get married?"
"Nope. Because I’m not paying you anymore. And I’m assuming you’ll need money for groceries and shit." He releases me and digs back through the bag.
"I have money, Leo. But the hell you aren’t paying me anymore."
"Joint account, Sarah. It’s our money now. It seems like a waste of time to write you a check just to deposit it right back into our account."
"I don’t know, Leo."
"Just fill them out," he orders before revealing a stack of bridal magazines from the bag. "Here. I dog-eared the pages I liked."
"Um…why are you reading bridal magazines?" I ask confused.
He cocks his head. "Um…because we’re getting married."
I have to bite my lip to force back the laugh that is dangerously close to escaping. "Well, okay, then." I continue to chew on my lip.
"I made a few notes too. According to the quiz, you’re a rustic bride, so I took that into consideration with my preferences."
When he winks, I completely lose it.
I burst into a fit of laughter, keeping myself from toppling over by grabbing his arm. Leo watches me curiously while I try to collect myself. He doesn’t say anything, but it’s obvious that he’s trying to suppress his own smile. I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss his nose.
"You are an amazing man, Leo James. I had no idea wedding planning was part of your repertoire."
"If it gets you down that aisle with the bare minimum amount of panic attacks, wedding planning can be my main priority," he answers, rubbing his scruff against my cheek.
"I love you," I whisper.
"I love you too, ángel." He sucks in a deep, content breath. "Now, get in the shower." He reaches out, snagging one of the new bottles of my body wash and all but shoves me into the shower fully dressed.
"WHERE’S LEO?" I ask while wringing out my freshly washed hair with a towel.
"One of the new guys had an issue with a client, so he went to talk to him," Johnson responds from behind the desk in the security room.
"Hey, thanks for helping the movers out earlier. I was just about to make a late lunch. You hungry?" I drape the towel over my shoulder.
"I could go for some food." He smiles. "Hey, I need to make a few phone calls. You think you can listen out for the buzzer? Leo has a potential client coming up in a little while. I told him I’d meet with her if he wasn’t back yet."
"Yeah, no problem. Chicken salad work for you?"
He gives me a thumbs-up as he lifts the phone to his ear.
A few minutes later, I’m sobbing my way through chopping an onion when the buzzer for the door goes off. I take a quick peek at the security monitor to find a woman in a business suit carrying a small leather briefcase. I press the button allowing her entrance to the building. Then I wash my hands and drag my still-damp hair up into a ponytail. Just as I swipe my fingers under my eyes, I hear her knock at the door.
"Hi. I’m looking for Leo James," she says professionally as soon as I open the door.
"Come on in. Leo’s not here right now, but Aiden Johnson is expecting you." I start to lead her back to the office.
"I’m sorry. You must have me confused with someone else. My name is Judy Price and I’m with the Department of Child Services. I didn’t have an appointment with Mr. James today." She pulls a card from the side of her briefcase.
"Can I ask what this is about?" I request curiously.
"I’m sorry…?" she prompts for my name.
"Sarah."
"I’m sorry, Sarah. This is a personal matter. Can you please see that Mr. James calls me as soon as possible? I have a very urgent matter to discuss with him."
"Personal? So this isn’t related to Guardian Protection?"
"I’m sorry. I can’t discuss this with you."
I stare down at her card, trying to piece together what the Department of Child Services could possibly want with Leo.
"I’ll see myself out," she says when I don’t immediately respond.
"No, wait. Can you please just tell me what this is in reference to? I’m Leo’s…wife," I lie, knowing that I’ll need to be family in order to get any type of answers.
"I’m sorry, but I’ll still need to speak with Leo." She offers me an apologetic smile then lets out a huff. "But you can tell him my visit is in regard to his daughter, Liv."
"I’m sorry, what? His daughter?" I ask, incredulous.