Page 19 of Playboy Billionaire's Fake Marriage

For all his stuffiness, the moment Mom walks into a room, our dad becomes a hormonal teenager.

“Way to go, DILF,” we hear Mom murmur as they come up for breath, and Gina gags.

I don’t even spare them another look. I take Gina’s elbow and we start back down the great curving staircase. Those two can deliberate on my upcoming wedding once they’ve had enough suckface.

“So, spill, Ryan,” Gina pokes me in the side, blue eyes twinkling, “who’s the unlucky lady?”

“Not a chance.” I steer the conversation to her on-off boyfriend instead. “Guess who I met in New York last week? Chad. He’s doing some pro bono work for some women’s charity. And killing it in the courtroom, I bet.”

She rolls her eyes. “Wow, Ryan, you should get a medal for being subtle.”

“He’s a good guy, Gina, and you like him. What’s the problem?”

“I told you, he’s boring.”

“So you’d rather have the bad boy that will break your heart, or one I’d have to break his nose for being an asshole?”

“Xavier isn’t breaking Brooke’s heart, is he?”

She sees the look on my face and laughs. “What, he was my first crush. We tend not to forget things like that.”

“You love Chad, Gina,” I insist, hoping I’m right. “You just love drama more.”

She shrugs. “I dunno. Maybe I do, maybe I don’t.”

“He won’t hang around forever.”

“Speaking of,” she smoothly deflects, “who is this woman you’re planning a drive-through wedding with? I can’t imagine she’d be okay with her ‘forever’ starting like that.”

“Let’s not talk forever here—” I begin, already wincing at her mention of that.

“Well for you, six months of marriage is forever, isn’t it?”

“Agreed.” I try to change the subject again, but this time she digs in, nagging me for the next hour, until I feel the life draining out of me. I finally cave and I give her a name.

Gina still doesn’t relent in her quest for more details about Stella, so I show her a photo on my phone just to make the hounding stop.

The moment she sees Stella, she gasps, then snatches the phone from me, peering closely. “My God, Ryan, she’s gorgeous. Shame you’re only marrying her for power.”

“Technically, she will also be marrying me for money.”

“It’s still unfair since she’s going to end up falling in love with you. You on the other hand would be chomping at the bit to kick her out.” Gina stares for a few more seconds, then suddenly shouts at the top of her lungs. “Mom, I’ve got a picture of the incoming wife of Ryan Richard Fairchild the sixth!”

“Gina!” I hiss as she dances just out of my reach. “So help me, if you—”

She takes off like a jackrabbit with my phone, presumably to find Mom.

She returns after a good ten minutes, with a huge smile, and not at all fazed by my glare.

“Analyzed to your heart’s content?” I snap, holding out my hand for the phone.

“We can’t wait to meet this Stella. I can tell we’ll be besties. Your union might be temporary, but Stella and I will remain friends for life.”

“Hold your horses with the declarations. How do even you know you’ll like her?”

“I just know.”

“The way you knew with Brooke?” I tease and snicker at her injured look.

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