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I could sense that he was ashamed of what he was telling me. He knew that his dad’s actions weren’t really his mother’s fault, but sometimes it was hard for kids to see the big picture or understand a parents’ actions. It was even harder to repair a rift so big, even if you wanted to.
Sensing just how vulnerable our conversation had made him feel, I reached out and placed my hand on top of his on the counter, giving it a little squeeze. I felt closer to him right now than ever before. “Thank you for telling me.”
He exhaled a deep breath, then pulled his hand away and stood. “Come on, let’s go plan a wedding.”
I tried not to be hurt by his pulling away after everything we’d just shared, but it was impossible not to feel a bit disheartened. Every time I tried to get closer to him on an emotional level, he’d give me a little glimpse of the man beneath that gruff exterior, then completely shut down again. I was probably wasting my time trying.
But this agreement wasn’t about getting to know my future husband, and I told myself I’d best remember that as we left the restaurant and set out to plan our wedding.
CHAPTERNINE
Logan
I couldn’t believe that I opened up to Mia about my childhood baggage and the issues I’d always had with my parents. I didn’t intend to, but it all just came out while we were talking over lunch, making me feel far too vulnerable when I was someone who’d always kept those emotions stuffed away.
It was the open honesty of her own devastating story about her father that brought mine out in me. She didn’t hesitate to tell me about her own dad and his absence in her life, and admittedly, it made me feel comfortable sharing my issues with my parents.
Besides, it was a good idea to know these more detailed things about each other. If we were going to pretend to be in love for my family, we needed to be better prepared about what we knew about one another.
At least, that was what I told myself.
Deep down, I knew that the real reason I told her about my messed up relationships with my parents was that I had the uncontrollable urge to connect with her beyond just surface level things. It was a bad idea, considering the type of arrangement we had, but I couldn’t seem to help myself.
This woman was getting under my skin beyond just my attraction to her, and I didn’t see that coming.
After lunch, I took Mia to look at flowers.
I wanted to have this wedding as soon as possible, and I couldn’t help being a little pissed at Hayden for egging me into having an actual wedding ceremony instead of eloping like I would have preferred. Something super quiet and low key, with just the two of us. Now I had to deal with my family being present for the nuptials and it wasn’t my ideal scenario considering my family dynamic.
“I like these for my bouquet,” Mia said, bending her head to sniff some deep purple flowers.
The fact that Mia seemed to be at least enjoying the process kind of made up for my grumpy mood over having the actual wedding. I realized that I didn’t want to deny her . . . well, anything.
“Those are a good choice,” the florist said enthusiastically. “And when’s the wedding?”
Mia looked at me questioningly.
“I was thinking about this weekend,” I said off the top of my head. The sooner, the better, in my opinion. There was no sense in dragging out a long engagement when the purpose of getting married was so my grandpa would be assured of my . . . happiness.
I tried not to think too deeply that I was coming to realize that being with Mia, outside of the office, did make me happy.
“This weekend? Are you sure?” Mia’s eyes were wide and she looked a little spooked at the thought. “It’s so soon.”
“Can you give us a minute?” I asked the florist, and she nodded before stepping away. I moved closer to Mia so that we wouldn’t be overheard. “I know it’s fast, but I want to get this done as soon as possible. The doctors say that grandpa might have six months, but they can’t be sure.”
I didn’t even want to think about losing him sooner, but I had to be realistic. If I hadn’t met his criteria by the time he passed away, I wouldn’t get the company. I hated that I was even in this situation, but pleasing my grandpa at this point was all that mattered to me.
“Okay, I get it.” Mia nodded, exhaling a deep breath. “But if we’re going to pull it off, we better plan it quickly.”
So, we solidified our order with the florist before moving on to a caterer. We didn’t have an appointment, but I had a way of making people willing to bend their own rules. I had asked around and learned that Chef Charlie was highly rated. She also worked with a cake artist that could create a small wedding cake in just a few days if I was willing to pay a fee for the rush job.
Money was no problem.
But the planning process was exhausting. Even after spending all afternoon working on the details, we still had to figure out music, who was going to officiate, and what Mia was going to wear.
All for a fake wedding.
Honestly, I wasn’t as annoyed by that as I expected to be. It was because of Mia. I was enjoying my time with her. I never realized how easy she was to be around outside of the office, but as the day went on, I found myself relaxing and in a good mood, despite the tedious tasks we had to complete for the wedding.
