Page 29 of Fake it for Keeps

But when his other hand came up to cup my face, his palm warm against my cheek, I had to actively fight the urge to lean into the touch.

The cameras went wild.

“Smile,” Colt murmured, so quietly I almost didn’t hear it.

I smiled and gazed up at him like he hung the moon. I let my hand rest on his chest, right over his heart, where I could feel it beating steady and strong.

God, he was good at this. So good that for a moment, I almost believed it myself.

His hand slid from my hip to my back, then up to the nape of my neck, his fingers tangling gently in my hair. Every touch felt deliberate and possessive, like he was marking me as his in front of all these witnesses.

And every single time he touched me, I had to remind myself not to lean in. Not to let myself melt against him the way my traitorous body wanted to.

“Now,” Colt said, pulling back slightly but keeping one arm firmly around my waist. “The moment you’ve all been waiting for.”

He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the ring box.

My heart stuttered. This was it. The moment that would make it all real—or at least, make it look real to everyone watching.

Colt opened the box with a practiced flick of his thumb, and even though I’d already seen the ring, the massive diamond still shocked me. I had never actually seen a diamond that big.

The crowd made appreciative noises. Someone whistled.

“Hallie Bellrose,” Colt said, his voice carrying that perfect blend of confidence and affection that probably made hearts flutter across the city. It was certainly working on mine. “Will you marry me?”

“Yes,” I said, because what else was I going to say?

It was all performance.

He grinned and reached for my left hand. I held it out, fingers trembling slightly from cold and nerves. Colt took the ring from the box and positioned it at the tip of my ring finger.

And pushed.

The ring didn’t budge past my knuckle.

“Shit,” he muttered under his breath.

I felt my eyes widen. The ring was too small. How was the ring too small?

Oh. Right. He picked it up, bought it, and that was that. I had been too stunned to try it on. Apparently, it was sized for someone with smaller fingers than mine.

Perfect.

Colt tried again, pressing a bit harder, but the ring refused to cooperate. His jaw tightened, and I could see the frustration building behind his eyes.

“I should have brought Frankie when we went ring shopping,” he muttered. “She would’ve had the sense to check your ring size. She thinks of all the little details like that. Why didn’t you try it on?”

“Maybe because you decided what ring we were getting and that was that,” I shot back.

His eyes snapped to mine, a flash of genuine irritation breaking through the performance. “You can’t speak to your soon-to-be husband that way.”

“You’re the one who got me a ring that doesn’t fit.”

“Hallie.”

“Colt.”

We glared at each other while the cameras continued flashing. I could hear a few chuckles from the crowd, people probably thinking this was adorable bickering between two people in love.