Chapter 7: Husband Material

"Oh, my god! Three o'clock. Stalker alert!" Kenzie warned as she pretended to look down at the menu, ready to order for her meal.

Earlier, before entering the restaurant, they still found Madelyn waiting for them. They flashed their wedding rings and had to deal with a few nasty exchanges before they went inside to have their dinner. 

To Kenzie's shock, the brunette took a table not too far from them, clearly observing how they acted together. 

Andrew just shook his head, saying, "I'm sorry. I'm too gorgeous for my own good. Just ignore her."

"Whatever." Kenzie rolled her eyes, but at the same time, she could not agree more. Someone like Andrew probably has more than one stalker in his life. 

She also had a few, but her father and her brother took care of them.

"You are just lucky that with the way she judges me with her stares, I want to stay married to you just so she would bleed with envy," she added as she continued to scan the menu. 

 Andrew chuckled and said, "Excuses. Excuses. You know you are falling for me already."

"Dream on," she countered, but smirked at the end. 

"Didn't your parents ever tell you it's not good to lie? How about the saying follow your heart? You should try it some time," he teased and winked. 

When the waiter arrived to take their order, Andrew offered, "Let me guess. You'd like a Ceasar salad?"

"Ah, how do you know?" Kenzie asked with a frown before looking at the food attendant and confirming the request. 

"Most girls eat only that," Andrew thought. 

"And I'll also have one five hundred grams of this lemon butter snapper, please," Kenzie added with a smile. 

"Oh, no, sweetheart. I like my shrimps. You don't need to order for me," Andrew cut her off, assuming the fish was for him. 

"No, Andrew. The fish is for me. And yes, I eat green salad, but I also need my protein," she explained. "I don't starve myself to death eating just grass. What's the fun in that?"

For a second, Andrew paused. It took him that long to recover before clarifying, "You can eat an entire five hundred grams of fish? How do you get to look like that?"

"I work out and I eat fewer carbs," she said as she handed the menu to the server. "I know how to take care of myself. It's one of those life lessons from my parents."

While waiting for their food, Andrew took the chance to get to know more about her now that she was sober. "So... about your ex - "

"I don't want to talk about him. He and my friends broke my heart - more like used me to get what they want, and that's the reason I left my hometown. I don't want to see them ever again," she briefly explained. "I want to start anew. Meet new friends - "

"And now you have a husband... a fine one at that," he inserted himself, smirking at the end. 

When she just snorted, Andrew continued with his probing, "So... tell me about your family."

'Oh, no.' These were the type of questions Kenzie was avoiding. Telling the truth would go against her goal of starting fresh... at least... she feared that it would. 

She took her time, but when she saw how Andrew was lowering his gaze at her, waiting, she spoke, "Ummm... Well, my mom is a cook. And my dad, he... Um."

Kenzie was trying to find the right way to explain to Andrew who her father was, but it was because she needed more time that she tried to change the topic. She blurted out, "I like your shirt, by the way. Really nice material."

"This plain white shirt?" He glowed as soon as she nodded. "You know what it's made of?"

"No." She shook her head and asked, "What?"

"Husband material," he was swift to reply. 

Kenzie wound up shaking her head, beaming at his words. She heard the man say, "avoiding the question, I see."

"Fine!" She cleared her throat and started to say, "Well, um... My dad, he... he does a lot of things."

For a second, she pouted her lips, and she explained, "Sometimes, he would venture into... real estate... Ummm.... hospitality. Really, just whatever he thinks is good for the moment. He is kinda good at that."

"I get it... And I have high respect for those who have to work multiple jobs for the family. Your dad must be really hardworking," Andrew supplied, nodding his head in genuine admiration. 

"You... you can say that again," Kenzie softly returned. 

"Any brothers and sisters?" Andrew resumed his probing. 

"Two brothers and one sister." Kenzie smiled, somewhat being sentimental at the mention of her family and revealed, "Actually, part of the reason why I approached you was because you gave me the feel similar to that of my twin brother, Kyle."

"You were in a formal suit, you are tall and you have dark hair - but yours are darker - "

"I'm sorry to burst your bubble, sweetheart, but I'm not for brotherly love." He placed a hand on his chest and resumed, "For you, I'm the real thing. Husband material, remember?"

Kenzie tried to hold down a giggle. She warned, using the pointed ring on her finger, "Stop that or I'll kill you with my murder weapon."

"Hell, no! That guy was crazy, but if you are in it to commit a crime, how about we agree on a perfect crime," Andrew said, leaning forward, his eyes glistening in Kenzie's direction. 

"What crime?" Kenzie asked, utterly curious. 

For some strange reason, Kenzie felt something off. It was with the way he grinned that she was sure it was yet again another one of his provocative ideas. 

"How about... I steal your heart and you steal mine?" He revealed.  

Kenzie burst out laughing in her seat, snorting while she was at it. Her face turned crimson red as she said, "It wasn't what I expected, but... I kinda think that was cute."

"So you think I'm cute?" He asked, giving a sly grin. 

Kenzie: "I said what you said was cute, not you! You are obviously not cute - "

Andrew: "You think I'm hot - "

Kenzie: "Yeah, sure - wait! You are putting words into my mouth!"

Andrew: "You think I'm sexy?"

Kenzie: "Stop it."

Andrew: "I've been called many things but definitely not cute."

Kenzie: "Fine! You are sexy and hot!"

Andrew: "Husband material."

Kenzie sighed and surrendered. "Husband material. Happy now?"

Andrew's lips curved into a sexy smirk, letting Kenzie know that he won again. 

***

Later that evening, Madelyn still followed the couple to Andrew's suite. The two frequently peaked through the door, checking if she was still around the corner. 

After seeing that Madelyn was going nowhere at eleven in the evening, Andrew suggested, "Sweetheart, looks like you are sleeping in my bed again."

"Make me!" It was Kenzie's way of disagreeing. 

"I probably will."