Page 34 of Fake It For Him

“She’s just—You don’t usually go for women your family might actually like.”

Fair enough.

When I realized that this was what had gotten her so worried that she’d tracked me down, I laughed, relaxing completely. I shook my head at her. “Stop looking so worried. That’s a good point. It’s okay.”

Her gaze jumped back to mine, and I saw the relief flooding her insides when she realized I wasn’t pissed off. “Thank goodness. It’s, uh, I mean, I’m happy for you. Really happy. She’s amazing and she’s exactly the kind of woman I’ve always hoped you would eventually end up with, but I can’t help but be a bit concerned.”

“Concerned?” I frowned. “Why?”

She glanced back at her coffee. “Well, it’s just, uh, I wanted to make sure that everything was peachy with you before the wedding.”

Since I had a feeling she wasn’t done talking just yet, I didn’t say anything, waiting her out until she sighed and looked back up at me. “Can I trust you, Calan?”

An unsettling undercurrent coursed through me, but I nodded anyway. “I’ve already fucked up one family wedding. I won’t mess with yours.”

As I held her gaze, I crossed my own heart, and while Ella might not be my real girlfriend, I meant this with every fiber of my being. I wouldn’t mess with her wedding.

She watched me do it, then shook her head. “That’s not good enough.” She held out her hand, stretching it across the table. “Pinky promise. Like we used to when we were kids.”

I eyed her outstretched finger for a beat before I locked my pinky around it, wondering if it still counted that the fingers of my other hand were crossed under the table.

18

ELLA

The scent of oil, frying rice, and vegetables filled the air while Kara stood behind the stove, spatula in hand and wearing an apron that had the words Sizzling Hot emblazoned over her chest. She shook her butt to a pop song blaring over the radio, using the spatula as a microphone every so often as she danced and cooked.

I sat at the small kitchen island watching her after I’d done all the food prep, and Mikey was on the other bar stool with his laptop closed in front of him. He was rubbing his eyes after a long day of studying and staring at his screen, and I got up, looking back at them over my shoulder as I headed to the fridge.

“Can I interest anyone in a glass of our finest chardonnay?”

Kara laughed. “If by that, you mean the boxed stuff you and I picked up that tastes only slightly better than battery acid, then yes. Please.”

“That’s exactly what I meant.” I pumped my eyebrows at her. “Sadly, that is our finest. Mikey?”

He nodded, bleary-eyed but clearly still planning on at least staying awake to eat before he went to bed. “The day I get you two to switch sides from cheap wine to cheap beer will be the best day of my life.”

“Hey, I love cheap beer,” I protested. “Cheap anything, really. The cheaper, the better.”

“For now,” Kara sang into her spatula-microphone. She gave the rice another flip and then shot me a wide grin. “Soon enough, you’re going to be treating us to fine food and finer wine. At least once, right?”

“Definitely.” It was the least I could do for them after they’d taken me in indefinitely. “It’ll have to wait until after I get the money, though.”

“Of course,” she agreed easily. “Besides, there’s nothing wrong with that chardonnay. After the first glass, it tastes exactly like the finest wines do anyway.”

I set Mikey’s glass down in front of him and he picked it up, giving the wine a sniff before he grimaced. “I’m willing to bet it takes this stuff at least two glasses to taste that good.”

“Oh, shut it,” she chided him with a smile on her face. “We’re celebrating, remember?”

“Yeah, I remember,” he grumbled and turned to me. “Why are we celebrating again? You didn’t exactly look happy when you got home after the weekend.”

“I wasn’t, but I’m over that now.” I wrapped my fingers around the stem of my own glass and set Kara’s down in front of me on my way back to my stool. “This is a new beginning for me and it deserves to be celebrated. I just need to focus on the positives.”

“Like what?” he challenged me, gripping his glass tight as worry bloomed on his features. “I saw you when you got home. It didn’t look like there were any positives to be celebrated.”

Kara had been brought up to speed on my situation with Calan, but unlike Mikey, she was excited for me. They’d been arguing about it ever since he’d given her the lowdown on my overnight visit to the Reid compound, and she shook her head at him now as they fell back into their continuing bickering.

“Of course, there’s something to be celebrated, Mikey,” she said snootily. “For all intents and purposes, Ella is Calan Reid’s girlfriend for now. She’s met the family, it went well, and at least she knows what she’s going to be dealing with for these next couple of months. Her eyes are wide open and her wallet is too. This is an opportunity for a fresh start for her.”