Page 78 of The Pucking Fake Marriage

“Keep up with that, and I’m going to screw you right here,” he groans. “Lord knows I was this close to doing it the last time we were here.”

“A lot almost happened the last time we were here.” I look around the bar, grateful that we get to be here again. “And I’m grateful for all of them.”

“Are you sure about that?”Ken’s voice is slightly amused as he pulls away from me.

I feel a lick of embarrassment. “If you’re talking about those viral videos…” Those were most certainly a low point of the past year. For a month or so, people actually came to the restaurant merely to gawk at the girl who, to pull a quote from the internet, “brazenly declared her love without shame.” Ken didn’t get away easily either. For weeks, he was bombarded with questions about me in his interviews. It took a lot of PR photos—sponsored by the Philly Titans—to reduce the attention.

“I wasn’t talking about them.” Ken sounds even more amused. “I was talking about my brother.”

I groan. Kali’s the last person I want to remember right now, although it is satisfying to think that he got his comeuppance in some way. My public confession must have clued him into the fact that I believed what Ken said because he gave a hasty confession to his parents.

“Definitely not grateful for those moments,” I admit. Ken’s parents had been shattered. Even my mother was taken aback by it. It shook both families hard. Interestingly enough, I was the least affected. Looking back, I was always more hurt by the fact that Ken could have caused the accident than I was about the accident itself. Kali being the preparator merely makes me feel pity for him, especially now, when I’m finally carving out a fulfilling path for myself.

“Yeah, they were more hilarious than anything, like my mother coming up to my apartment and finally admitting that she overlooked me my entire life.”

I squeeze his hand. Both our relationships with our parents have undergone radical transformations. While Ken’s parents are trying to make amends with their only son whose whereabouts are known, my mother is starting to come around to the idea that she never really knew me. It is a lot of work, but it also involves a lot of pay off. For one, Elizabeth is not averse to giving her new daughter-in-law new recipes that keep my customers wanting more.

“What would you change about the last year?” I ask suddenly. It’s not a question I’ve ever thought of before, but it feels right to ask it now.

Ken pauses for a moment. “Nothing,” he says a second later. “Only…”

“What?” I ignore the pang of anxiety that crawls up myspine. I’m no longer terrified of losing Ken, but I’ve got to admit that this sometimes feels too good to be true.

“I’d like to have a real wedding. One where we are both sober and both know what we’re doing.”

I giggle. “I’ve never pictured myself in a white dress. Or holding on to a folder and barking orders.”

“So what?” Ken places two fingers on my chin, tugging my face around to look at him. “Let our mothers handle the planning. Since they’re both desperate to make amends, they can start there. I want a wedding I can fully remember. Where I say vows to you. It’s been my lifelong dream.”

And here I thought I couldn’t be happier. “Yeah,” I say, “Let’s do that.”

Ken gives a whoop, nuzzling into my neck again and giving my skin gentle bites. The light airy feeling between us is suddenly replaced by thick, sensual energy. I moan, caught up in the middle of it. Ken is hardening against me again, and I feel glad about the fact that I’m only wearing a thong. If I were to slip it to the side and Ken were to pull down his zipper, then…

“The Edwards!”

I yelp at the voice, looking around at the same time Ken does. My cheeks burn as I see that we’re now being watched by a sizable portion of the Philly Titans team and their partners. Blake is right in front of the little crowd, grinning broadly with his arms outstretched.

For the first time in my life, I’m completely fine with the ground opening up and swallowing me whole.

“Hi,” I hear myself stammer. As a fairly new addition to the team outings, nothing can be more awkward than having them walk in on Ken groping me.

‘Hi, Charlie.” Blake’s eyes are twinkling. “You ready for us? Or are you…indisposed?”

I know Blake is only teasing, while Brit and the other girls merely seem amused. Still, this is beyond embarrassing.

Ken appears to be more predisposed toward anger than humiliation. “Fuck off, Blake.” His hands are still gripping me tightly to him, and he’s making no move to back off.

“My bad. You know how it is. I’ve got to blow off some steam, since my wife can’t come out with me without shutting down Las Vegas.” His grin is getting eviler by the minute. “But I get that you guys are in that newlywed stage.”

“Can’t really call it that,” Alex chips in. “Since they’ve been married for about a year.”

Kill me now.

“Well…” Holding on to me more firmly, Ken raises me up and sets me on my feet. He rises a second later. “It’ll please you to know we’re getting married, for real this time. And you’re all invited, except for Blake.”

A small cheer goes around the group. Suddenly, I’m being hugged by the girls, while Ken is getting pats on the back. I hug them, my embarrassment burning off in the wake of their joy. Even with the little lapses, it feels good to be celebrated by the group.

“Congratulations, you guys,” Blake says, giving me a quick hug. “I’ve got to text Faye. She predicted this would happen. Plus, fuck you, Ken. I’m going to come to your wedding, whether or not you approve.”

“We should get to our table,” Nelson says, as Blake peels away to text his wife.

Ken puts his arm around me. I snuggle into him as we all walk toward the booth together. Brit is already discussing wedding theme colors, and Luke’s girlfriend, Lisa, is going on about dress styles. Evidently, our mothers are going to have to get in line if they want to plan this wedding. I listento the girls, catching on to their excitement, taking mental notes.

It’s time to open another chapter of my brand-new, amazing life.

THE END

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