Found A Homeless Billionaire Husband for Christmas – Episode 07
Victoria had meant to bring body wash. The sight inside the bathroom erased that simple purpose from her mind, and she turned away in a flustered rush. Her apology came before she had recovered enough to sound convincing.
“I didn’t see anything. I’m so sorry.” She had seen quite enough to find looking at him difficult. Her face felt warm, and retreat seemed much easier than conversation.
Simon sounded remarkably untroubled. “You know, I’m technically your husband.” The reminder was accurate without being helpful. A marriage certificate had not prepared her for walking in on him like this.
“I don’t mind if you see me naked.” His ease made her embarrassment worse. She had been thinking about how to get him clean and comfortable, not about how he might look without his clothes.
She found herself talking about iced tea melting. It was a useless remark, but at least it offered an excuse to move. She escaped the bathroom with what remained of her composure.
Outside, she tried to calm herself. This was Simon, whom she already knew to be considerate. Nothing about the incident ought to have left her so unsettled, yet her pulse refused to obey that argument.
It was not as though she had never seen a naked man before. She offered herself the reassurance and immediately saw its weakness. She had never seen one quite like him.
The admission was inconvenient. Their marriage was supposed to solve a problem, and she already had enough changes to manage. Attraction had not been part of the practical arrangement they had discussed.
Her phone rang, giving her something else to concentrate on. When she saw her mother’s call, she answered with relief. Family news was familiar territory, or at least it should have been.
“Mom. Hey.” She tried to make her greeting sound ordinary. Her mother did not need to know that a simple delivery to the bathroom had left her struggling to gather her thoughts.
Her mother had told everyone about the engagement. Now the whole town knew. News that Victoria had offered as reassurance had spread into a celebration other people were already sharing.
Grandma was especially excited. That detail steadied Victoria for a moment, bringing her back to why she had accepted Simon’s proposal. There was someone at home who needed this wedding to happen.
Her mother asked about her flight. It was a straightforward question. Victoria should have been able to keep her attention on dates and travel plans without any trouble.
Then Simon came out of the shower in a towel. Clean and without the appearance she associated with the street, he caught her attention completely. The answer she had been preparing disappeared.
He was handsome. The observation was so obvious it felt embarrassing to be discovering it now. She had noticed his kindness long before she had allowed herself to look at him this way.
“Victoria, can you hear me?” Her mother tried to reclaim the conversation. Victoria could hear perfectly well; she simply needed a moment to remember what they had been discussing.
She looked at Simon too long. This was the same man she had brought food to, the same man who had offered to help her family. A shower had not changed him, only what she could see.
The phone stayed at her ear while he stood within sight in his towel. Victoria had married him to get through Christmas. Now, in her own apartment, she could scarcely manage a conversation with her mother.