Page 106 of Forever and Other Lies

He sank down beside her, draping his arm across her shoulders. “So, what’s the problem?”

She inhaled deeply. “Couples start with a puppy before they have kids.”

“You don’t like kids?”

“Kids are fine. It’s just me. I won’t make a good mother,” her voice cracked. “You were raised by these great parents. I mean, look at Tommy. He was a great kid and turned into an incredible man.”

“That is true,” Tommy spoke up.

Derek shot him an annoyed glance, then turned back to Jayna. “What about me?”

She harrumphed. “Well, they did the best they could with you.”

Tommy let out a loud laugh, and Derek glared at him again.

“Jayna, you will be a great mother. You are nothing like your parents.”

Jayna sniffed again, rubbing her cheek against the puppy’s soft fur. “You don’t know that. I could be a disaster. What if I turn into them?”

“You won’t,” Derek said firmly. “You’ve already proven you’re different. You work for a living, and barely touch your trust fund.”

Jayna let out a shaky breath. “But a puppy, Derek? That’s a big step.”

“We don’t have to figure everything out now. We’ll just figure it out as we go along. Together.”

She looked up at him, eyes still glistening with tears. “You really think we can do this?”

“I know we can,” he replied, his voice steady and reassuring. “One step at a time. We start with Chaos, then we’ll see if we decide to pop out a kid or two. Whatever you want Jayna, sign me up.”

Jayna glanced down at the puppy, who started licking her face. “You can’t call her Chaos. It’s like tempting fate.”

“We aren’t naming her Bella,” Derek confirmed, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “And I get to name our kids, too.”

She smiled through her tears, hugging the puppy closer. “Oh, that’s not going to happen.”

Tommy cleared his throat loudly from behind them. “Does this mean I’m off truck-washing duty?”

Jayna shook her head, roughly wiping away the tears. “Definitely not. You’re washing my truck when you’re done with Derek’s.”

“Seriously?” Tommy muttered, pulling the soapy sponge out of the bucket.

Jayna stood up, cradling Bella in her arms. “Derek is helping.”

“I am?”

“You are. I can practice my parenting skills on you. Pick up where your parents left off,” Jayna laughed at his confused expression. “You made a bet on our engagement. Not cool! Then you stole my doormat. Also, not cool! Consider this punishment for your bad behavior.”

Tommy laughed again and tossed the soaked sponge at him. Derek caught it, soapy water splashing into his face. Damn, he really didn’t think this entire engagement thing through. He now had a puppy and a fiancée. A real fiancée. And a bossy one at that. Had this been Jayna’s plan all along when she’d proposed the fake dating scheme? She did have a wedding altar installed in his backyard.

Jayna set the puppy down on the grass. “Come on, Norbert and Bella,” she called to the puppies and ran to the edge of the property where the archway stood.

“Her name isn’t Bella,” Derek called after her.

“Is too,” Jayna turned, running backward. The smile on her face nearly dropped him to his knees.

“Admit it,” he yelled, pointing at the arch. “That is a wedding altar you and Jamie built.”

“I’ll admit no such thing.” The grin on her face said otherwise.

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