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Then Terra decided to one-up his lie, and she sent the whole thing into overdrive. His father almost fell over after she announced he’d gotten engaged to her without telling them, and his mother...well, he was pretty sure she hadn’t stopped crying tears of joy yet.
“What the ever-loving hell were you thinking?” Gray barked at her from the driver’s seat of his black F-150.
They were on their way back from his parents’ house. That had been awkward as fuck. Not only did he have to put up with the intensity of his mother’s grilling about wedding details—oh, hell no—but he had to do everything in his power to keep Allie from hearing her grandmother’s wails of happiness as she showered Terra in kisses and hugs. His five-year-old did not need the confusion of thinking she was getting a new mommy, like he’d just gone to Target and picked one out.
Thankfully, Allie had begged to stay for dinner—she picked spaghetti and meatballs over her own father. And that was fine, because he needed to talk to Terra and get this shit sorted out.
Terra looked downright defiant in the passenger seat. “You put me in a position I didn’t want to be in, Gray. So, I decided to make it even harder for you.” She turned and glared at him. “Payback is a bitch.”
“No, you made it harder on us,” he replied. “And just so we’re clear, there’s no woman in this county who’s ever complained about my positions, or how hard it is.” He flashed a wicked smile, unable to help himself.
“You’re such a pig.”
Gray laughed at that. “Hey, you’re the one who chose to get engaged, sweetheart.”
He didn’t know her well. He pretty much only knew of her because he’d gone to high school with her older brother. There had to be ten years between their ages. That didn’t mean he didn’t recognize an attractive woman when he saw her, though.
“Just play along,” he added a bit more seriously. “You’ll get your money, and I’ll get my shit figured out. Plus, I need someone to watch Allie, so you’re definitely on the hook for that now.”
“I’ll play the nanny bit, Gray.” She leaned forward, forcing him to look at her. “But be damned if I’m playing the part of your girlfriend for long. You can’t pay me enough for that.”
He smirked at the insult. “Just play along, Terra,” he repeated. “I’ll fix this mess. I just need some time.”
“Tell me why you lied.”
Instinctively, he tightened his grip on the wheel and faced ahead, out the windshield. “We both lied.”
“You started it,” she argued. “Why did you lie in the first place?”
“Because I wanted a sexy little nanny to be my fiancée?” His crooked grin was back in place, an attempt to hide the anger her questions instilled in him.
“Gray.” It sounded like a warning.
“Why are you even going along with this?” He knew he should be counting his fucking blessings, not questioning her about it, but he wanted to change the subject before he was forced to answer her. Forced to tell her the truth.
“I told you, I need money to—”
“You aren’t getting paid to pretend to be my fiancée, Terra.” He turned and gave her a pointed glare.
“Neither are you,” she retorted. “This isn’t about the money, anyway.”
“You’re damn right it’s not.” His response came fast, with the fury of a raging storm. “It’s about respect. And despite how hard I work and how hard I try, I don’t get it. So, just do me a favor—buckle up, sweetheart, because I need you to pretend to respect me and maybe even like me a bit. You’ll get your money, and maybe I can show my dad that I’m not a complete fuck-up.”
“You chose me to help you prove to your father you’re a responsible adult? Oh shit, Gray, you picked a winner, I’m afraid.”
It was a self-deprecating remark, but his mouth twitched at the humor. “Your turn,” he said. “Why are you doing this?”
Terra looked out the passenger side window, and he didn’t think she was going to respond. Then, a slow smile crossed her face and she turned to him. “I spent my whole life wanting to get out of this town, Gray. And if I can turn this goddamn place upside down with a little drama before I get the chance to leave again...hell, count me in.”
He had to admit it, he was impressed. “I like the way you think.”
Chapter Four
Terra
She did not want to be in a relationship with Gray Radden, let alone engaged to the man. She didn’t even want to be in a fake relationship with him. But seeing as he was so willing to hire her as his daughter’s nanny and he’d put her on the spot in front of his father, Terra hadn’t had her wits about her enough to realize just how bad this whole idea really was.
And it was a bad idea.
