When I walkinto the living room, all heads turn to me. I glance around, feeling a little offended that they’re being so blatantly rude about how long my bathroom visit was—and it wasn’t even a bathroom visit.
“What?” I say in defense.
That’s when Justin’s head pops up. I didn’t see him at first. It’s like he was leaning over to tie his shoe.
Oh, my gosh.
He’s kneeling on one knee, not tying his shoe.
He’s proposing right in the middle of the nativity play. Something about that feels really sacrilegious.
My heart pounds, each beat saying,You love Caleb. You love Caleb.
I reach my arms out in a panic. “I don’t want you to propose!”
The lines on Justin’s forehead crease. “Uh, I wasn’t. I spilled my drink all over your mom’s carpet and was trying to clean it up.”
My eyes shoot around the room to my family. “Then why is everyone staring at me?”
“Because your boyfriend spilled cranberry juice all over mom’s carpet,” Anna says, and I get it. The carpet is only four months old—the pride of my mother’s heart. Second only to her bedspread and decorative pillows.
“I wouldn’t marry this one either,” Aunt Carma huffs from her recliner in the corner. “I’d hold out for the other one with the Wrangler butt.”
“Wait.” Justin straightens, coming to a stand. “Did you say youdon’twant me to propose?”
Oh.
I really jumped the gun on that one.
But at this point, I have to rip it off like a Band-Aid. Like one of the really adhesive kinds that will leave gray sticky residue on my skin if I don’t just take care of it immediately.
So that’s what this is. I’m taking care of everything in one sweep. I’m letting Justin down. I’m owning up to my deceit.
“I don’t want you to propose because, over the last few weeks, I fell in love with your brother.”
“I knew it!” Juliet squeals, punching Rick in the shoulder. “I told you that the twin is Justin.”
“The twin is Justin?” My dad leans forward like he can’t follow. “Then who’s the twin?”
“You love Caleb?” Justin stares blankly back at me.
“Who’s Caleb?” my mom interjects.
“The twin,” Hailey says.
My dad shakes his head. “I thought the twin is Justin.”
“Dad, shh!” Erin shushes him so she can hear me and Justin talk.
“I didn’t mean to fall in love with him,” I try to explain to Justin amid the noise, but how do you explain something like this? “It just happened. We spent so much time together, and you were always working.”
“Oh, my gosh!” Erin sighs. “It’s likeWhile You Were Sleeping.”
“Except this one is While You WereWorking.” Tommy laughs at his joke before he even gets it all out.
“So it’s my fault you fell in love with my brother?” Justin’s ability to tune out my family is pretty impressive.
“No, I’m not saying it’s your fault. But you can’t be surprised. You sent us off on date after date—with your blessing—while Caleb pretended to be my fake boyfriend. Love is blind, but notthatblind.”
