Page 152 of My Husband Problem

I blow out a breath. I’m going to let her take this.

She looks at Maggie and Scott, then out over the entire restaurant.

“It is true.”

There are murmurings through the café now, and Astrid waits for them to die down. That only takes a moment when they realize she’s got more.

“It’s pretty much exactly what Diarmuid said. Yes, we got married on a whim to make him happy.”

The murmurings are louder this time, and both Scott and Maggie are now scribbling furiously in their notebooks.

I keep my arm securely around my wife—I don’t care what anyone says, she is still my wife—and I feel Miles and Iris and Nora and Alex all move closer to us.

Sutton and Andi are now coming across the room as well. They join those standing behind us. The show of solidarity makes my lungs constrict, then suddenly relax as I take a deep breath.

We’re going to be okay.

The world knows the truth.

That’s all right.

BecauseAstridknows that I love her.

“But what he doesn’t know,” Astrid continues, having to raise her voice now.

“Hey!” A sharp whistle cuts through the room, and everyone turns to look at the front counter.

Bruce is standing there with his hands on his hips.

“Astrid’s talking. Why don’t y’all shut up for a minute?”

The whole room quiets and looks at Astrid again.

She gives Bruce a grateful smile and continues. “What Diarmuid doesn’t know,” Astrid begins again. “Is that we have actually fallen in love.” She looks up at me with a soft smile. “I think it surprised us both, but now it is real. We’re in love and married and living happily ever after.”

“It didn’t surprise me in the least,” I tell her.

“But you’renotactually married anymore,” Scott says. “Diarmuid married you, right? And he’s now annulled it.”

Astrid sighs. “Yeah, we didn’t tell him that his plan with my grandfather was successful after all.” She looks up at me. “Oops.”

Oops? That’s the final conclusion? I don’t think so. “Astrid?—”

The door behind us swings open again, and from behind all of the people gathered around us, I hear, “That crazy freaking old man!”

The small crowd parts, and I see my sister stomping into the restaurant. She locates me and comes straight at me.

“This is the final straw, I swear! He has been messing with all of our lives long enough, Declan. I am so sorry he did this to you.”

Then she’s hugging me tightly in front of everyone.

I wrap my arms around her as Astrid steps back to give us space.

My eyes meet Astrid’s over the top of Fiona’s head, andmy wifegives me a beautiful smile.

When Fiona pulls back, she shakes her head, “I love him, but I think he is actually nuts. First, going down the list trying to marry us off one by one. Now the two of youaremarried, and he just breaks you up? And then he’scoming outto the entire world? Before he even tells us? And he does it online? He’s eighty-seven years old. Who’s even giving him this kind of Internet access? We need to talk to Torin. Someone needs to be monitoring our grandfather’s Internet time.” She takes a deep breath. “But we’ll deal with all of this, Declan. I promise you that he can’t handle all of us at once, and enough is enough.”

I chuckle, not sure where to start with all of that. “Are you shocked about him and Alfred?”