Page 38 of My Husband Problem

Oscar nudges Wilson’s hand and starts purring, and I let myself out the back door, leaving Wilson to explain the morning ahead to Declan.

CHAPTER 9

ASTRID

Miles:Declan is staying in the house with you?

Miles:And he’s planning to stay in Rebel???

Miles has been texting me since last night despite my text that saidI’ll call you tomorrow. This situation is definitely a phone call discussion, not a text discussion.

I pull my phone out and dial his number as I’m walking from my house to Main Street after leaving Declan with Wilson.

I need to find Nora, but I definitely need to check in with my best friend. Who possibly has some intel from Iris by now.

Like what the hell is Declan really thinking?

“I cannot believe it took you this long to get back to me,” is how Miles answers the phone.

“I kissed him,” is how I answer that.

That succeeds in shutting my friend up for a moment, and I smirk.

After a long, stunned moment of silence, Miles gives a soft chuckle. “Okay, I knew it was going to happen, but I really thought it would takea littlelonger.”

“I did it to shut him up. But still…”

Miles definitely knows what a big deal it is that my mouth touched Declan’s.

“You had to shut Declan up?” Miles asks. He gives a bark of laughter. “I call bullshit. Sounds like a really good excuse to finally get a kiss.”

I frown. I really wish Miles wasn’t right about the fact that I’ve been wanting that kiss. “It wasn’t. It was…impulsive.”

“Okay,” Miles says, sounding like he doesn’t believe me at all. “But was it good?”

I knew he was going to ask me that. I also knew that when he asked me, I wasn’t going to be able to lie. Miles knows me better than anyone. He literally knows everything about me. All the stuff that no one else knows. Like that I have feelings for my husband. And that I can’t do anything about them. And why.

“Of courseit was good. Declan O’Grady does everything well.” I sigh. “He’s perfect, remember?”

“He’s not perfect, Astrid. You have to stop thinking that.”

The thing is, heisperfect. Everything he does turns out great. He doesn’t make mistakes. Everything from the clothes he wears to the business deals he makes are perfect.

Except of course, choosing a woman to marry.

But he doesn’t know that.

Yet.

“He also finds my house and my ducksinteresting.” I frown. “Or he’s lying. I’m not sure which is more annoying.”

“So heisstaying in the house?”

“That’s what he tells me. Until we go to Cara.” I pause. “He doesn’t want the annulment. He plans to tell Diarmuid no. And he wants me to say no too. He said he’s going to use this week to convince me to stay married.”

Miles doesn’t respond. I wonder if he already knew that. He and Iris talk all the time. I assume Iris knows Declan’s plan. I wonder if he’s shared all of his feelings about family andwhyhe doesn’t want the annulment, though. Does he havefriends?People he can really talk to and open up to? Be vulnerable with? I don’t know what I’d do without mine, and I hope he has that.

Then I remind myself that I want tonothave any feelings for or about my soon-to-be-ex-husband.