Page 32 of My Husband Problem

“I can help you then.”

My eyes widen but then narrow. “Did Miles tell you I have ducks?” I ask. Declan’s not acting nearly as taken aback as I expected.

“He didn’t tell me anything about your house or yard beyond what security system you had installed.”

“He didn’t even mention the orange and brown wallpaper?”

Declan smiles, and I bring my hands up to cup Oscar’s butt in the baby sling to ground myself.

“He did not.”

They don’t talk about me? Well…ouch.

No, that’s stupid. It’s so much better if Declan doesn’t care about me or my life away from him.

“I looked up where the house is and checked out the area,” Declan goes on. “But it never occurred to me to ask about your interior decor. I just pictured you in a space like your apartment in Portland.” His eyes narrow. “But when I called him in, I was most concerned about his reasons for sucking up to the entire town.”

“Wait, you looked up the house?” I ask as that sinks in. “On your own?”

He looks puzzled for a moment. “Of course.” He says it as if that should be obvious.

I don’t know what to think about that.

“And you did ask Miles about his trips to Rebel?”

Declan scowls. “I did.”

“Because you were concerned about the Team Miles and Team Declan thing?”

He takes a step toward me and Oscar hisses.

Declan gives the cat a single arched eyebrow. “Yes.”

“You didn’t really think that anyone in Portland was reading the Louisiana website, did you?” I ask. “I doubt any of your business contacts or social circle even knows the name of the town I’m living in. And if they do, they don’t care enough to check them out online.”

I assume he wouldn’t want business and social associates to know that an entire town across the country has decided another man is a better match for me than Declan.

But he looks confused. “I’m certain every one of my acquaintances knows where you’re living, Astrid. Whether or not they’ve looked it up, I have no idea. And if they’re following the website…” He sighs, as if that hadn’t occurred to him. “I doubt very much that any of them would mention it to me.”

That’s probably true. Even the people Declan occasionally socializes with seem very deferential in the short interactions I’ve been a part of, and I have a suspicion everyone is intimidated by him and wants to impress him.

“I guess having a Team Miles makes you look bad?”

He frowns. “I’m not concerned with how itlooks. I’m concerned with the truth of it.”

“What do you mean?”

“The town doesn’t know me. Yet. They don’t know that I’m the best man for you.”

I shiver at the assuredness in his tone and the way he meets my gaze directly as he says the words. He seems to have no question about the truth of that statement.

“And the opinion on the matter from people in Portland isn’t really relevant.”

“Oh,” I say softly.

“But I wanted to know if there was any truth to the idea of you and Miles being together,” he goes on. “I wanted to be sure that Miles wasn’t suddenly having second thoughts about his feelings with you so far away.”

Both of my eyebrows shoot up toward my hairline. “Excuse me?”