Page 37 of Close to My Heart

Teddy shook his head. “That was a hypothetical. This is real.”

Wes’s expression was guarded. “This is our decision, and we’re asking that you accept it. We can handle the fall out.”

Holiday music played in the background, a stark contrast to everyone’s mood.

“Let’s enjoy the day. It’s not every Christmas that Ryder and Faith are with us,” Al said lightly.

Conversation started up again around us.

“Are you okay?” I asked Wes.

He put an arm around me and pulled me into his side. “I will be.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t want to cause trouble with your family. Maybe we should call this whole thing off.”

Wes’s expression was grim. “I want to help you.”

“But not if your family’s upset with you,” I insisted.

“They’re just worried about me. They’ll get over it.”

“I don’t want them to be mad at me either. They’re the family I never had.”

Wes’s grip tightened around me. “And they’re still that. You don’t have to worry about losing me or them.”

The thing was, I was worried this was going to blow up in our faces and we’d lose everything. The last thing I wanted to do was lose Wes or his family. They were everything to me.

Wes dipped his head. “I promise; it’s going to be fine.”

I held onto his words, hoping they were true. That we would be fine. That I’d get everything I wanted out of the arrangement and not destroy our friendship in the process. It was a tall order and, at the moment, seemed like a pipe dream. But I had to try.

I couldn’t give up on my family’s legacy or my dreams. I wanted something good to come from my childhood, and right now, it was the house. I wanted others to enjoy it like I had.

The guys eventually went outside to play football. It was a tradition whenever the brothers were together, and the women watched from the porch. This time, Izzy and Faith wanted to play too.

It was heartwarming to watch these big guys go all soft around their daughters, step-daughters, or nieces. They played catch with them first, then walked them through the different plays. Faith paid a little more attention than Izzy, who was part cheerleader, part football player.

I sat on the rocking chair next to Fiona and Daphne with our hot cocoa. Daphne rocked her sleeping baby boy, Colson, who was bundled up in a puffy sleeping-bag-looking thing. The afternoon was so different than the stuffy brunch we’d shared with my family this morning. There was concern about our fake wedding, but it was from a loving place. There wasn’t any talk about tradition or protocols. They didn’t want Wes to get hurt in all of this, and I wanted the same.

“So tell us more about this fake engagement. Are you going to get married?” Fiona asked.

My nerves kicked up at her question. “We have to in order for me to inherit the estate.”

“What does Wes get out of all of this?” Daphne asked.

“Initially, we decided to give whoever I chose a stipend at the end of the marriage.” My husband would get a cash payment as part of the divorce settlement. Essentially, we’d sign a prenup.

Fiona frowned. “Is that what Wes wants?”

“I don’t think he’ll go for it.” I had a feeling he’d be insulted by the idea. It’s why I hadn’t brought it up yet.

“Will you live as husband and wife?” Daphne asked.

“We need it to be convincing, so we’re moving in together this week while we’re planning the wedding. Our story is that we finally revealed our feelings for each other and don’t want to wait.”

“You read about things like this, but I’ve never heard of it happening in real life,” Fiona said.

Daphne nodded. “It’s like something out of a romance novel.”

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