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"You too, babe." I hug him just as tightly.
Well, at least the lie is still on. My heart feels heavy as I walk toward the car waiting to take us shopping.
We find the outlets only a few miles from our hotel. We ask the driver to drop us at the food court and get out.
"Where should we go first?" I ask.
Aaron's mother points to a "You are here" sign and walks over to it so we can see where everything is. We make our strategic plan. The first stop is the Coach outlet, one of my favorites. We walk in, and signs everywhere point to "up to seventy percent off savings."
I find a cute, lavender crossbody purse, big enough to fit a phone, sunglasses, ID and credit card, cash, and lip gloss. It's perfect for day outings when you don't need much, and lavender is my favorite color. Now I'll have to buy something that matches it.
Aaron's mom finds a cute beige and coral heart-shaped clutch. It's the same size as mine and perfect for day outings. I covet it, but it's the last one they have.
We pay for our finds and walk to our next stop. Marc Jacobs is also having a large sale, and we browse, looking for outfits to match our new purses.
As we browse, Aaron's mom asks me how the wedding planning is going. I almost drop the hangers in my hand. I probably look doe-eyed with surprise, and I begin to stammer. Finally, I take a deep breath and calm my nerves.
"We haven't set the date yet. We are planning to do that after the premiere of Aaron's latest film. We don't want our relationship overshadowing it." Whew, I dodged that question. I will have to tell Aaron what I told his mother so he can keep the story straight.
"Well, when you are ready to begin planning, just give me a call. I have many contacts and can get great prices on venues, flowers, cakes, etc. I would like to help with the planning."
"Thank you so much. I appreciate it."
"How did your mom take the news?"
"Oh, she was surprised, like you guys." I laugh. "I think she might have even been a bit disappointed that it wasn't through her persistent efforts to set me up with rich, handsome men that I engaged. However, when she found out it was Aaron, she got on board." I shook my head.
"Well, we are so happy you two finally got together. We thought it would happen in high school. You two were so close, even then. You have always been part of the family; now it will be official. I've always wanted a daughter." She hugs me, and I blink guilty tears away.
I never took into consideration how this lie would affect our families. When we break up, it will break their hearts. I feel small thinking of how selfish I was to drag Aaron into this.
Shadowed by my unintended consequences, we finish shopping and head back to the food court to have a snack before we call the Uber. The day has been great, aside from beating myself up over the lie I'm telling. I have always loved spending time with Aaron's mom. She seems so much more laid-back than my mom. Probably because she is not my mom, who can be overbearing and insistent, even after the word "no" has been spoken. It's not even in her vocabulary. I can relax around his mom without being hounded about meeting some random guy my parents want to set me up with.
I have thought about giving in to my parents and saying yes, at least once. I could have some fun with it. It doesn't have to be serious. Yet, if I do that, and it doesn't work out, my mom and whoever's friend's son's cousin I went out with would know all about it. I really would prefer to keep my private life out of the spotlight. I have to laugh at that, considering I'm now "engaged" to a famous movie producer, and we are quickly becoming splattered across the tabloids.
Returning to the hotel, we decided to have a little fashion show just for us. We try on clothes and match them with our purses, oohing and awing over everything we bought.
"How about a dip in the pool?" I say and get an enthusiastic agreement.
We wear our new bikinis and cover-ups — hers is a cute coral tankini, mine is a turquoise and black number — and head down to the hotel pool.
It's not too crowded, and we find an area with equal shade and sun. I take the sun, and his mom takes the shade. The hotel has a swim-up bar, and I asked Aaron's mom if she would like anything to drink. She declines, so I swim up and order myself a dirty martini.
I'm minding my business when a man swims up and sits beside me. He orders an Old Fashioned, then turns to me and asks, "You here with anyone?"
I smile and say, "I'm here with my fiancé and his family."
His drink arrives, and he swims off. I think about how smoothly that rolled off my tongue and realize I like the sound of it. More importantly, I like the man behind the word fiancé.
I swim over to Aaron's mom and tell her what just happened. We have a nice chuckle about it.
"I liked telling him I had a fiancé," I share with her. I did.
We spend some more time down at the pool, chatting and tanning. The more enmeshed I get in the engagement lie, the harder it will be for me to let it go. Why didn't I hire someone to pretend to be my fiancé? Why did I go to Aaron? Well, that's a dumb question. I know deep down why. I know Aaron would do anything for me, no matter how crazy. I would do the same for him. It's how it's always been between us. I shake my head and sigh.
We decide to go up, shower, and rest until the guys return. We left our bags strewn around the suite and went to our rooms. I showered and lay down in my panties, enjoying the coolness of the Egyptian cotton sheets against my skin.
I wish Aaron and I had more time to talk this morning. I need clarification about his response. At first, he was the playful, fun Aaron I know, joking and teasing. Out of nowhere, he got up, showered, and then was gone from the room before I could get ready. Is he okay with pulling back on the intimacy, or did I hurt his feelings? I wish he wasn't so good at hiding his emotions or leaving before I could read them.
