His brow shot up. “We didn’t even have our blind date yet.”
“Not you. Kate was supposed to find me my perfect match. I have a detailed list of requirements, and I’m ready to settle down.” She prepped herself for his teasing, but he seemed to be thinking over her statement.
“Why now?”
“It’s time,” she said simply. “I spent the first half of my life focused on my goals and career and I don’t regret it. I gave up things, some opportunities that may have led to marriage and a family. I refuse to have regrets but my priorities shifted. I want a husband. Children.”
Dylan nodded. “I can understand that. You launched a successful business, but it takes everything you have. If you had settled too soon, things may not have worked out because you weren’t ready to commit completely.”
“Yes, exactly. But now I’m focused and know what I want.”
He added two pickles to the plates. “Give me the list.”
“So you can make fun of me? No way.”
“I won’t, promise. What’s the requirements?”
A nice hazy glow enveloped the stainless-steel kitchen. Why not? She didn’t care what he thought. “He has to have a secure job. I want to have a strong friendship first before we go into sex. He needs to want children, be trustworthy, dependable, intelligent, even tempered.”
“Even tempered?”
She glared. “Yes.”
Dylan cleared his throat. “You’ll eat him for breakfast and spit him out for dinner. Darlin’, you’re a hellcat. You need someone to stand up to you or you’ll get bored.”
She stabbed a finger at him. “I am not a hellcat! I never lose my temper with anyone but you. I need a companion, father, friend, and general helper to make a successful marriage.”
“What about sex?”
“That’s not important.”
He stared at her in astonishment. “It’s the basis of a relationship. Sex bonds two people together.”
“Sex doesn’t have to fit in the box.”
He frowned. “What box?”
She sipped more wine. “You know, the box. When you’re ready to settle down with someone and make a life together, it’s best to create a sort of mental box where that person can fit comfortably. The box needs to conform with your lifestyle so you’re both compatible. For instance, sex is nice but it doesn’t have to fit in the box. It’s pleasurable, but not necessary.”
Dylan reached for the wine and refilled his glass. “Now I need alcohol. You’ve managed to stump me with this one. Why didn’t I know about this box?”
“Because it’s my own creation,” she said stiffly. “Marriage isn’t easy. I don’t want to give up my business. I intend to hire more staff, work from home, and be more flexible. But my husband is going to also have to sacrifice, and it’s not always passion and games and romance. It’s brutal, hard work. And I want that. I want to be exhausted and happy with someone and wake up in the morning and do it all over again, knowing we wouldn’t choose differently. Now do you get it?”
“Sex has to be in the box.”
She glared. “It’s my damn box and I say sex isn’t in it. Sex can be in your box.”
“What if we have the same box?”
She almost choked on her wine. “We can never have the same box. We’re complete opposites.”
“Funny, I think we have a lot more in common than you think.”
“Yeah? Name one.”
“We both signed up with Kinnections for the same reason.” He cut the sandwiches in half, looked up, and grinned. “Let’s eat in the dining room.”
Still reeling from his remark, she grabbed her wine and slid off the stool. “You want to seriously get married?” She trotted after him. “I don’t believe you. You’re a billionaire, used to parties on yachts and impromptu vacations. You live in the land of the beautiful and fantastical. Domestic boredom and routine would freak you out and you’d run for the hills.”
“A complete illusion. You’re basing these assumptions on the boy I was ten years ago. Do you think you’re the same person from Cornell?”
“Well, no.”