“Have you completely lost your mind?” he demanded. “I’ve made it crystal clear that it’s over between us.”
She smirked and waved him off. “Nah. You just needed a little push.”
“A littlepush?” His voice rose. “I told you I was done! What partof ‘done’ do you not understand? Do you think we can really build a life based on whatever sham this is? I willnotgo along with this.”
She pointed toward the doorway, where beyond it he heard their parents talking and laughing. “See how happy our parents are? Isn’t that what you want for them after all your folks have been through?”
“No. This is not what I want, and you know that. I will not allow you to manipulate me or my parents. This stops now!”
She shook her head. “You know as well as I do that we’re meant to be together. The sooner you realize it, the better.” She shoved a chocolate cake into his hands. “Take this out to the table, please.”
He slammed the cake down on the counter. “Are you completely delusional? I’mnotgoing to marry you. I’ll admit, it’s the ultimate prank, Claire, butyou’regoing to be the one to tell our parents that you lied.”
“No, I won’t. Because they believe we’re getting married. You’re going to have to be the one to ruin their happiness.”
He stared after her. He’d always known that Claire craved attention and loved to pull pranks, but this was taking it too far—even for her.
He couldn’t stop thinking about Emily. More than anything, he wanted to talk to her alone and tell her that this was all a ruse—a cruel and painful one.
Just then, Sherry entered the kitchen and threw her arms around Jake. “I’m just so happy. I’m finally going to be able to call you my son.” She clicked her tongue. “This is just so wonderful! We’ll have to start making plans right away. New Year’s will be here before you know it.” Sherry picked up the cake and headed out of the kitchen. “Let’s have dessert.”
A hand latched onto his bicep. “Just go with it. You’ll be glad you did.” Claire kissed his cheek, and he shifted away from her.
He followed Claire out to the dining room, where Sherry was serving pieces of chocolate cake.
“I always knew they’d get married,” Sherry said as she set a piece in front of his mother.
Mom dabbed her eyes with a paper napkin. “I’m just so thankful. A wedding is just what we need right now.”
Jake’s stomach twisted, and he was certain he was going to be sick. “Excuse me,” he grumbled before he slipped down the hallway and into the half bath, where he locked the door. Then he slumped against the sink and dialed Emily’s number.
When it went directly to voicemail, he rested his free hand on his forehead and waited for her voicemail to pick up.
“Em,” he began, “please call me. Please. I had no idea Claire was going to pull this charade tonight. I had nothing to do with it. You have to believe me. Ineverproposed to Claire. She made the whole thing up.” He closed his eyes. “I know this sounds crazy, but I’m telling you the truth. You’re the only woman in my life and the only one I want in my life.Pleasecall me. Let’s work this out.” His voice sounded tight. “I’ll be home soon, and we’ll talk, okay? Please. Call me back or text me.”
He disconnected the call, sagged against the sink, and tried to think of a way out of this ridiculous mess.
“We only have three months to plan this wedding,” Mom announced during the ride home. “Claire and Sherry are going to reserve the church and the reception hall, so we need to think about a rehearsal dinner, Leon.” She leaned forward in the back seat and tapped Jake’s arm. “Are you going to ask Emily to be your best—uh—attendant, or do you think you’ll ask Seth? I noticed you and Emily have been spending a lot of time with Andi and Seth.”
Jake only half listened to Mom while she continued babbling about the wedding that was never going to happen. He’d spent the entire evening staring at the tabletop and trying to figure out the best way to break the news to his hopeful mother that this wedding was a farce. The engagement was a farce. In fact, his entire relationship with Claire was a farce.
As much as he wanted to tell his mother the truth, the guilt of disappointing her was also weighing heavily on him. And then there was the issue of Emily. He’d tried to call her repeatedly during the evening. He’d excused himself each time and retreated to the bathroom or the hallway and dialed her over and over again. Each time he left her a voicemail, begging her to call him. He’d also texted her to no avail, and his body vibrated with anxiety. He hoped she was waiting at his parents’ house, but he feared she had left town.
He steered into his parents’ driveway and found only his father’s truck sitting there. Emily wasn’t home.
He rubbed his forehead. Hopefully she’d gone for a ride and would be back soon, but he had a feeling he was wrong. A pit expanded in his stomach.
“Does that sound good, Jake?”
“What’s that?” he asked, turning to face his mother.
Mom harrumphed. “You’ve been quiet all evening, sweetheart. What’s wrong?”
“I have a lot on my mind.”
“Well, you’re going to be a married man soon.” She patted his shoulder. “I’m so happy for you, honey. I’ve prayed for this day for so long.” She wagged a finger. “I had a feeling it would happen soon.”
He set his jaw. “Let’s get inside.”
