AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Bam, bam, bam.
My eyes fly open. I stare around me, dazed and frustrated, as I rip my hand through my hair. The obnoxious knocking on the door continues.
“I’m coming,” I yell, annoyed whoever it is couldn’t wait five more minutes. The dumb dream was just at the good part.
My fingers wrap around the knob, yanking it open. When I see Thad standing on the other side, I want to slap him. Then I realize he never comes around here. “What’s wrong?” I ask, unable to hide my worry. “Did they find out it’s fake?”
“Not yet,” he brushes his fingers through his hair. “But they’re sniffing.”
“Shit.” I open the door wider and wave him in. “What now?”
“We need to have an engagement party.”
I roll my eyes and huff. “Is that all? You could’ve told me that by text.”
“And set a wedding date.”
That gets my attention. “Set a what now?”
His lips twist to the side as both hands reach up, gripping his neck. His designer loafers click against the tile as he paces with nervous agitation. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen Thad so disheveled. “We have to set a date, Lil.”
“Hold on, Thad. I agreed to this because it’s fake, and we both benefit. I’m not marrying you.” He can’t seriously expect me to attach myself to him like that, can he? We don’t like each other like that. Marriage of conveniences might end in love for some, but Thad and I aren’t in the small statistic. We’re more like brother and sister.
He spins on his heels and faces me before dropping to his knees and crawling toward me with his hand folded in front of him. I jump back as if his crazy is contagious. “Please, Lily. We don’t have to get married for real, but we need a date. And maybe…”
“Maybe?”
“Maybe a fake wedding.”
I jump back some more and start my own pacing. My bare feet sound angry slapping the cold stone beneath my feet. I am angry, and he’s completely lost his mind. He knows we can’t pull this off. What the fuck do we do when they say kiss the bride? “A fake… How the hell do you fake a wedding, Thaddeus?”
He lifts a shoulder as he falls back on his heels. “A fake minister? Maybe we forget to file the marriage license? I don’t know, Lily, but I’m desperate.”
“Why is this so important? It’s not like there aren’t other deals to be made.”
“Because my dad said if this deal falls through, I’m fired.”
I stop my pacing and turn to face him with a gaped mouth. “Fired? Why would your own father fire you?” He winces, his cheeks turning red, and I realize I didn’t get the entire story when I agreed to be his fake fiancé. “What did you do?”
“The last deal, the five-million dollar one that fell through? It might be my fault it didn’t work out.” I lift a suspicious brow with a good idea of where this is going. “I swear I didn’t know she was the owner’s daughter.”
“For fuck’s sake, Thad.” I throw my hands in the air and begin pacing again.
“I need your help, Lil. That shit got out around the business circles. No one else will give me a job. And Dad isn’t just threatening to fire me. He’s threatening to cut me off. I’ll be a pauper.”
I roll my eyes because he will not be a pauper. Thad may be a high-maintenance playboy man whore, but he’s not an idiot. When I start to answer, another knock sounds.
What the hell?
I cut a glare at Thad as I returned to the door. When I open it, I realize tonight is not my night. The universe dumped all the shit on my doorstep. Literally.
Dark blue eyes and… Black hair? When the hell did she decide to do that?
Her face turns to ice as she rakes her eyes over me. “What are you doing here?”
I take a second to remember I cannot punch her in the face without giving everything away. “I live here.”
Her eyes narrow, scanning me again with a look of contempt, and the last time I saw her plays in my mind. The smug smile as she announced she was… My eyes drift to her midsection. She’s obviously not pregnant anymore. When I find her eyes again, they’re filled with rage. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think she knew. “I thought you left.”
