From This Day Foward: Switched at Marriage Part 4 by Gina Robinson Read Free Book Online Page A

through his fingers. He lunged and caught them. We broke out laughing, though it wasn't that funny.
    "I hope no cops saw that!" I smiled into his eyes. "Think you could pass a sobriety test?"
    "We should have thought ahead and taken the service. I didn't think there would be so much booze at this thing." He whipped out his phone. "I'll call the car service."
    "No!" The night was too good to be ruined waiting for a car. "My apartment is just a few blocks away. Let's spend the night there. We can walk to our little love nest." Had I just said "love nest"? I was being way too flirty.
    "Too bad Carl, my building manager, doesn't work on Sundays. It would help our cause if he saw us together." I looked up at Jus with bedroom eyes. I wasn't sure what I was promising.
    But he swallowed hard and took the white bag from me. "I'll text Magda and ask her to look in on Data first thing in the morning."
    I nodded and waited for him to send his text. "Isn't the night beautiful!" I couldn't contain my happiness and relief as we walked hand in hand, staggering slightly, and tripping on cracks and dips in the rough concrete sidewalks.
    I let us into my apartment and collapsed onto the sofa, kicking my shoes off and sighing with pleasure. "We did it! The evening was a roaring success. I was so nervous about it. My friends know me better than anyone, even my mom.
    "I hadn't realized how worried I was that they would think badly of me, like everyone else, and accuse me of marrying you just for your money. Which is true. In a way. But they loved you!"
    Jus set the white bag on my miniscule kitchen counter. It was just plain laminate. My apartment had very little gingerbread, as Dad called it. But it was nice. Jus stripped off his jacket, tossed it over a barstool at the kitchen counter, plopped onto the sofa next to me, and kicked off his shoes, too.
    I tucked my legs beneath me. "They loved us! Better, everyone believed in us. We even won Britt over. You charmed them." I sighed, trying not to sound as surprised as I felt. "Even Dex behaved himself—"
    I frowned at Justin. "You're being very quiet. What's wrong?" I stroked his arm. "I'm talking too much. I'm sending you confusing signals. When you captivated my family, I was upset. Now I'm ecstatic. Which will it be, girl?" I laughed. "I know! I'm terrible. Women can be so confusing!
    "This time, though, you weren't trying to impress them. You were just being you. I can't fault you for that."
    A quick look of something—happiness or eagerness or maybe hopefulness—crossed his face. He was quiet a moment.
    When I didn't keep rambling on, his expression clouded. "Dex suspects." Jus sprawled and leaned his head back against the sofa cushion.
    "What?" I couldn't have heard right. "Suspects what?"
    "That our marriage isn't real."
    "Dex? Dex of all people? He gave that beautiful toast—"
    "That was just bullshit. Dex giving me a bad time and yanking my chain." He sighed. "It's my fault." Jus stared at the ceiling. "My virginity gave us away."
    "A virgin!" I couldn't help laughing, delighted with the admission and the ludicrousness of it. "But you were a married man before I took this job as your wife. That stupid ID thief showing up with a baby she claims is yours is one of my darkest fears."
    He slid me a sideways look. "Mine, too."
    He hesitated. "I don't think I had sex with her." He shook his head. "The evidence is against it. If we did, I don't remember it. So I'm the same as." His Adam's apple bobbed. "As far as I know, I am a virgin. That's what Dex saw." He sighed again, heavily, embarrassed. "With my vast seduction skills, was there ever any doubt I was?"
    I realized a second too late I should have kept my mouth shut. How would I know he was a virgin unless someone had told me? He was probably wondering who. And that computer-sharp mind of his had probably already figured out the culprit. "That's crazy."
    "That I'm a virgin?" He looked confused and almost, but not quite, pleased that I