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I nodded in understanding.
"Sam, I know this is challenging, but if Bishop is going to buy into it, it needs to look real. Is that going to be a problem?"
I shook my head. It most definitely wasn't going to be a problem to pretend I was head over heels for Matias.
"Matias?" Ronan said.
"Not a problem," was all he said. He sounded all business and I felt my heart sink.
"When do we start?" I asked. The sooner we got this going, the sooner it could be over and I could get back to the life I'd had before Matias had snuck into it. I couldn't even imagine what it would be like to go back to my boring nights of reading in bed and not waiting for Matias to break into my house.
"Right now," Ronan said. He handed me my regular phone… the one Matias had taken from me at Declan Barretti’s house. "Post all your social media stuff from this device. Since we can't completely wipe proof of Ryan and Elliot from your lives, you can mention them being off on an adventure, but nothing more. Spin it so it looks like you're celebrating the fact that you have alone time with Matias. Use the phone as you normally would, but don't contact Elliot or Ryan or Cruz from it. Use only the burner phone for that."
I nodded in understanding and then reached for my phone. I took my time creating a post stating exactly what Ronan had described. I glanced at Matias and said, "Ready?" The man looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there. He nodded and stood. I went to him and put my arm around him, prepared to take a selfie. Matias felt so stiff against me, I was sure there was no way we were going to pull it off. But then he leaned into me and nuzzled my neck. Not only did it look real as hell, it turned me on beyond belief and all that came across in the picture. As I forced myself to pull away from the strong arms that were wrapped around me, I handed the phone to Ronan because I couldn't bring myself to actually post the thing.
When it was done, Ronan handed me the phone back. "Why don’t you go get ready for your first official date?" Ronan suggested. "I've made reservations for you at this little Italian bistro—"
"No," I cut in. "Matias would never go for something like that," I said absently as I turned to look out the window. "He's not a crowds kind of guy. He’d want to go somewhere where it was just the two of us."
The silence behind me was deafening, so I glanced over my shoulder. I was afraid I might have overstepped my bounds when it came to this whole planning thing, but Ronan was watching me with a look of surprise rather than irritation and Matias… Matias just looked completely confused.
"Golden Gardens Park. There's plenty of people around, but you can still find quiet spots. We could do a simple picnic or something. Would that work?" I asked.
Neither man answered me at first. It was Ronan who finally said, "That'll work." I wanted to laugh because it was absolute craziness. I was finally getting to go on my first date with the man I'd lost my heart to, but not only were we hoping that we’d be stalked by a man who hated Matias with everything that he was, but I was having to arrange said date through Matias’s boss.
I took the opportunity to escape to my room, mumbling an excuse about needing to get ready, but there was no getting ready for something like this. The most I could do was try to protect my heart over the next two weeks or however long it took. Then, when it was all over, maybe I'd be able to go back to my quiet, unassuming life as a single dad, and only when the loneliness became unbearable would I dig deep into the recesses of my mind and remember the fake dates.
And pretend they'd been anything but.
Chapter 25
Matias
Dating Sam was heaven and hell combined. The dates themselves had been incredible, especially considering that I'd never been on one and hadn't had any desire to. But being on a date with Sam had meant one thing and one thing only.
Getting Sam to myself.
And there was absolutely nothing wrong with that.
No, the hell of it came in because none of it was real. All the handholding, the soft kisses, the smiles he'd send me… it was all bullshit. I was coolly reminded of that fact as soon as we were in the safety of Sam's home. The second the front door was closed behind us, he’d drop my hand, the smile would disappear, and he'd mumble something about being tired or wanting to call his kids and then he’d disappear for the rest of the night, leaving me to crash out on the sofa and relive every moment of the day together.
