Page 29 of Married With Lies

“All right. I’m left handed. My love for the music of Elton John is eternal. The only sport I’ve ever played was badminton. We were all required to sign up for two semesters of a sport in high school. Badminton looked like it wouldn’t require much effort and yet somehow I avoided ever winning a single game. My sentimental favorite book of all time is Charlotte’s Web. I have no special talents but I’ve always wished I could paint. And I’m a vegetarian. Not a vegan. I don’t have the willpower to give up dairy. I just don’t eat meat.”

He looks down at my boots. “So you’ll wear animals but you won’t eat them?”

“For your information, the boots are faux leather.”

“Noted. I’ll refrain from carving up any steaks in your presence.”

I wait for him to offer up the same bonanza of information or perhaps ask questions. He doesn’t do either.

“Well?” I prod him.

He checks his phone. “Time to go. They’re waiting downstairs.”

“Who is they?”

“The officiant. The photographer. And the witnesses.”

“Don’t we need to go get a license or something first?”

“I told you I’d take care of all the details. And I have.” He speaks in the kind of brusque tone one might use with an exasperating coworker. I suppose that’s what we are to each other.

When I don’t immediately run to the door, Cale sighs and whips out his phone. Ten seconds later my phone pings with a text.

My eyes bug out when I read it. “What’s this?”

“Your wedding gift. To show you that I keep my promises. That account was opened this morning. I’ll double the amount once everything is official.”

I’m barely listening because my brain is already dancing with visions of everything I can do for Bright Hearts with this kind of money. The barn! The Doghouse! Every single item on my idea board will come true. “Thank you so much, Cale. This truly means everything. I can’t wait to get started and of course I’ll include you in every step so you know your money is being well spent for a great cause.”

“It’s yours to spend however you want,” he says and opens the door, gesturing that it’s time for me to walk through it.

I take two steps and then stop cold. “Wait.”

He gives me a look that says, Now what’s your problem?

“Do we need to kiss at the end of the ceremony?”

Finally I’ve caught him by surprise. There’s a rare flicker in his eyes. Cale Connelly, who seems to think of everything, hasn’t thought of that yet.

“Shit,” he says and then nods. “Yes, we definitely do.”

Kissing Cale shouldn’t be a terrible thought. He’s gorgeous and he smells like a mix of sandalwood and lemon trees. It goes without saying that he must know how to kiss properly.

The fact that I’m out of practice is irrelevant.

The whole kissing concept just puts a dent in my self-delusion that this is all nothing more than a standard business deal. I’m actually marrying this guy.

What am I doing?

Then I think of the precious, pleading faces of all the animals sheltered at Bright Hearts. I think of the ones I can still yet save. All the doubts vanish.

“No big deal,” I say to Cale with a breezy shrug. “We can be actors for a little while. Actors kiss all the time when they’re not romantically involved. Kissing is just part of their job. For today that will be part of our job too, right?”

“Sure.” He stops short of rolling his eyes but gestures more impatiently that it’s time to walk through the door.

This time I cooperate.

We ride the elevator down to the third floor and Cale leads the way to a room that takes my breath away.

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