Chapter 2

After the fourth guy left, I slumped onto the couch, my eyes glazed over.

Why was it so damn hard to find a wife?

The matchmaker sat across from me, trying to talk me down. "Ms. Sterling, you want a guy to stay home and do all the housework, but you don't want kids? Seriously, what guy would agree to that? Maybe you should lower your standards a bit. Pick one or the other?"

I rolled my eyes. Seriously? I was shelling out money for this, so why shouldn't I get exactly what I want?

I told the matchmaker to keep looking. Who knew? Maybe there was a perfect catch out there.

I declared with a sweep of my hand, "Upgrade me to Platinum."

A bigger pond meant more fish, and more fish meant more options.

The matchmaker's face lit up with a big smile, and she was about to leave.

Suddenly, a woman's voice, dripping with sarcasm, came from the booth behind the half-wall. "You're a delivery guy. How could you possibly afford me?

"This new manicure cost me 200 bucks. How many deliveries do you have to make to earn that much?

"And I heard you've got a kid. Is that even your kid? I'm not about to be some kid's stepmom."

A smooth male voice replied, "I'll hand over my paycheck. All you need to do is be a mom to the kid.

"When he gets older and doesn't need a mom anymore, we can split up. Until then, we can have a marriage on paper."

The woman sounded totally impatient. "You want me to spend years for your monthly paycheck? That's barely enough for a purse or a couple of outfits."

The sound of her high heels faded into the distance.

That caught my attention. I got up, walked around the half-wall, and looked over to where the voices had come from.

When I saw the man, my cheeks flushed. He looked like some kind of angel.

A young man was sitting in the booth, his hair falling casually across his forehead, long lashes casting shadows over his eyes, a sharp nose, rosy lips, and a chiseled jawline.

He wore a simple linen shirt, not a crease on it.

He noticed me openly checking him out and looked up at me.

Those eyes, amber in color, seemed to glow under the lights.

I didn't hesitate. I slid right into the seat and introduced myself. "Thea Sterling, 27. I'm in finance. What do you think? Am I your type?"

The guy across from me froze for a second, then realized what I meant, a faint blush creeping up his cheeks. "I'm Wade Hale, 22. I deliver food for a living right now."

He mumbled the last part, and I almost missed it.

When I heard he was only 22, I raised an eyebrow. "Just graduated?"

Wade nodded.

I drummed my fingers on the table without thinking.

A younger guy?

My friends always said younger guys were awesome, amazing, and plain adorable.

Even though I had spent years grinding at work and school without so much as a date, I figured as long as a man could cook and clean, he was basically wife material. Who cared if he was younger?

"Are you good at cleaning? Can you cook and do laundry?" I asked.

Wade looked a bit puzzled, but he still nodded.

My eyes lit up. Could my wish actually come true today?

But then I remembered what that woman said about him having a kid. I had to clear this up. I was not looking to deal with any complicated baggage.

I pressed on, "So, you have a kid?"

Wade pressed his lips together, nodded, then shook his head.

I frowned, confused. "So, do you or don't you?"

Wade lowered his voice. "He's not mine. He's my sister and brother-in-law's kid. They passed away."

His voice was heavy with sadness.

Crap, I hit a nerve. My bad.

"How old is the kid? Are you the one taking care of him now?" I asked, genuinely curious.

Wade nodded. "He's two."

A two-year-old? Already chattering away, past the high-maintenance baby phase, and honestly, that was the cutest stage.

Kid: acquired.

With that in mind, I flashed a smile and tossed my perfectly styled hair. "So, would you mind dating an older woman?"

Wade's face went bright red.

I kept going, "I'll give you 7 thousand dollars a month as pocket money, plus extra for living expenses. All you have to do is keep the house in order and take care of the kid every day."

Wade mumbled, "That doesn't feel right."

"What's wrong with it? You make seven thousand a month delivering food? Stay home and earn seven grand, easy money. No running around in the sun and rain," I said.

Wade lowered his head. "I'm not that kind of guy. I don't want to be a kept man."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Come on, who's keeping you? I'm seriously here to find a husband."

The word "wife" almost slipped out, but I quickly changed it to "husband."

I let out a sigh. What I actually wanted was a wife.