AllFreeNovel
Share Us
There went my heart, racing off again.
For the millionth time, I had to remind myself this was fake. And that was when I spotted the photographer on the boat.
Bryce grimaced when he looked back and noticed him.
“I hope you don’t mind…I just thought it would be good to get some photos, you know, something a real couple would have.”
I waved away his concern.
“Of course. We need to start documenting our relationship. It makes perfect sense.”
Bryce reached his hand out to me and helped me onboard the boat.
“There is a cabin downstairs where you can stow your bag if you’d like.”
I nodded and walked carefully down the steps he indicated and found the cabin. It was surprisingly spacious, with a large king-size bed and bathroom fully stocked with all the toiletry essentials. I pulled my makeup bag from my tote and freshened up a bit, thankful that I always carried a small drug store worth of products with me.
I smoothed out my skirt, which was admittedly not very wrinkled somehow, and fixed up my hair. The Georgia summer humidity wasn’t doing me many favors, but I managed to pull it up into something cute. I was ready for the camera.
I walked back upstairs and found Bryce on the deck.
“There you are.” He walked over to me and gave me an easy kiss on the cheek, captured by the photographer. “Champagne?”
He offered me the second glass he was holding, and I accepted it gratefully.
“We’re just going to go for a casual ride. It’s going to be a nice evening, so I got some catering for dinner and I thought we could just hang out for a while.”
“That sounds amazing.” The smile I gave him was surprisingly real, given that this felt like the fakest, most staged time we had spent together.
We set off, Bryce expertly steering the boat, and talked all about my work history. Bryce wanted to know about the path that brought me to Raven and seemed impressed by my rise. We also talked about some of Bryce’s antics and adventures which had me throwing back my head in laughter, all caught on camera.
We anchored in the middle of the lake for a while, enjoying the afternoon heat and sun. Bryce jumped in and tried to convince me to change into one of the bikinis he bought me and left in the cabin, but I declined, happy to just feel the sun on my face.
When we got hungry, Bryce brought out the delicious snacks he had picked up – a cheese plate, fresh fruit, and the most mouth-watering spiced chicken sandwiches – it was simple but amazing. And I couldn’t help but be swept away in all of his plans. He planned this for me. Even if it was just for show, he went out of his way to plan something. We could have just as easily gone to some trendy bar in midtown to be seen.
Before long, the shadows started to lengthen as the sun made its way to the horizon. It surprised me that I was actually disappointed for the evening to end when we got back to the dock.
“I have one more surprise up my sleeve tonight,” he said as he led me away from the dock and toward the sandy beach. I saw wildflowers, just like the bouquet he gave me, scattered on the beach. Then a path of tea light candles in delicate glass holders formed a path to the water.
Just before we reached the water, Bryce stopped and turned to look at me. He raised one eyebrow in the photographer's direction. I heard some clicking and saw movement out of the corner of my eye. I knew exactly what was happening.
The proposal.
We hadn’t talked about this, but I’d assumed we’d need to dosomethingto make it seem real. Bryce Taylor wouldn’t get engaged without a show.
Bryce dropped to one knee and opened a small box, showing off the most dazzling piece of jewelry I’d ever seen in my life. He was selling me the dream – a dream we both knew wasn’t real, and I hated that a small part of me wished that it was real.
“What’s all this?” I asked with a chuckle, looking at him.
“I just wanted this to be something that you’d remember. A few photos to add to our collection. And, there's a reason why there's no video. We can do and say whatever we want.”
“Really, you didn’t have to –”
“I know, but we’re here, so go along with it, okay?” I laughed nervously as he winked. “I’ve never knelt this long in my whole life holding a loving expression, and honestly, the sand is now deeply exfoliating my knees, so I’ll just get straight to the point.”
I chuckled.
“Reyna. Gorgeous, brilliant Reyna. I don't know you well, but I will. We're going to have a lot of fun doing this, so I know we can make the best of this crazy situation. Will you fake marry me?” He was definitely playing it up for the cameras and having fun with this, but still…
