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Then his mother’s crystal glass smashed to the floor.
––––––––
“THAT WAS TERRIBLE.Horrible,” Bella stated, as his driver closed the door and circled the car.
“It wasn’t that bad,” Blake replied, moving her closer to him.
It was.
His mother brushed off her reaction, claiming she was surprised. Which, yeah, that was fair.
Jacob had pulled him aside part way through the evening and asked if he was serious.
Even though Blake understood how shocking it must be for them, and ignoring the fact the relationship wasn’t actually real, he’d been irritated.
What if this was real?
What if he’d fallen in love with Bella and actually wanted to marry her? It wasn’t that insane. She was a beautiful, smart, and wealthy woman.
And given that was the script he was sticking to, it wasn’t hard to defend.
Yes, it was real.
Yes, he’d fallen in love fast.
Yes, he was marrying Bella Montgomery.
Emma, of course, had been thrilled. The two girls chatted about weddings, while his mother had given them an almost cold congratulatory hug each, and then sat sipping sherry after sherry.
“When is the wedding?” his mom had asked.
“We’ll have an engagement party in two weeks,” Blake said. “Then marry in early April.”
“That’s...two weeks?” his mom had spluttered. “We don’t have time to plan everything that quickly. Sorry, but you are both rushing into it. I understand being engaged, but you should wait to marry.”
Blake had glared at her.
“Oh, I know a great planner. I’m sure she’d love another Dufort booking.” Emma announced.
“You are both young. Take your time.” His mom repeated, sipping faster. Then she’d proceeded to get rotten drunk.
So yeah, it had been horrible.
“Blake, she hates me,” Bella said as the car left the gated mansion. “Your mom hates me. Why?”
“She doesn’t hate you,” Blake explained, digging deep for an explanation. “Her first baby is getting married. To a stranger. It’s not about you personally.”
“She hates me,” Bella mumbled down into her phone as she scrolled.
“Well, I don’t and you’re marrying me,” he said, cupping her cheek and turning her to face him. Then he reminded himself for the tenth time that night it wasn’t real.
When the car stopped outside her apartment, Blake walked her to the door.
“Can’t believe we are doing this.” Bella glanced down at her ring.
Yeah, neither did he. He’d just lied to his family, which was something he’d never done in his life.
Technically, he hadn’t lied. Theyweregetting married. He’d never said they were in love. Together, they’d fielded a ton of questions about how they’d met. They’d agreed to stick to the truth but exaggerate how much time they’d spent together already.
