Page 17 of Wife By Accident

“Thank you,” Olivia said. They entered the office, and the handyman gestured for them to sit in a pair of folding chairs before heading to a wall of tools.

“Do you get this kind of thing a lot?” Olivia asked.

“More than you’d think,” the handyman said. He returned with a large pair of bolt cutters, which he slipped between Leo’s wrist and the metal of the cuffs. Leo’s eyes widened, but with one quick click, the handcuffs fell away, and Leo rubbed his wrist.

Olivia was next. The handyman cut off the cuffs just as easily.

“You’re good to go,” he said. “But do you mind if I keep the cuffs? I have something of a collection going.”

Olivia and Leo exchanged glances. Olivia’s cheeks were pink, but there was laughter in her eyes.

“Sure,” Leo said.

“No problem,” Olivia agreed.

“Want to see the collection?” the handyman asked. They both shook their heads in unison.

“Sorry, we have some urgent business to attend to,” Olivia said.

“Oh, yeah.” The handyman grinned and nodded slowly. “I bet you do.”

“Oh, no, not like that,” Olivia protested, but he was already winking at Leo and escorting them to the door.

“Have a nice morning!” he called after them. “Enjoy your urgent business!”

“We need to get to the wedding venue,” Olivia said. “Let’s go grab that certificate — and then we can see if this whole wedding business means anything.”

Leo nodded. “Let’s go.”

Strangely, despite his lifelong aversion to marriage or commitment, Leo wasn’t as panicked at the idea of being married to this beautiful stranger as he would have expected. Still, he was just as curious as she was to find out exactly what had happened between them last night.

And what would happen next.

CHAPTER 9

LEO

Leo and Olivia burst into the wedding chapel, and the occupants immediately turned to them. The minister wore a very official-looking black robe, and he appeared to be in the middle of marrying a very tipsy couple both dressed in souvenir T-shirts with vaguely offensive sayings across the front.

“Are you here to wish us luck?” the bride slurred.

“We’re getting married!” the groom added helpfully, pointing to the minister. Olivia and Leo took a step back in unison.

“We’ll give you a minute,” Leo said tactfully. They sank onto a pew, and Leo took in the scene before him.

Apart from the tipsy-at-nine-a.m. couple, the wedding chapel looked a little like he’d expected. There was a fake stained-glass window at the top, an archway of flowers, a few pews (like the one they sat in) for guests, and walls painted an off-pink color, like faded cotton candy. The aisle was strewn with plastic rose petals, and the tipsy bride held a bouquet of silk flowers. Something about those flowers seemed familiar, though Leo couldn’t put his finger on what it was.

“Do you…”

“Jeremiah Wilkins,” the man filled in.

“Do you, Jeremiah Wilkins, take…”

“Savannah Hoff,” the woman said.

“Do you, Jeremiah Wilkins, take Savannah Hoff as your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, as long as you both shall live?” the minister asked. Olivia nudged Leo’s shoulder.

“Lawfully wedded sounds concerning,” she whispered.