Page 18 of The Replacement Fiance

"She walked in on them doing the nasty in their apartment," Brad whispers. "And to think that Minerva was her maid of honor and her best friend. Can you imagine recovering from that?"

"I'd have killed him."

"Tell me about it," Brad says. "Em and I were already married then and man, she was so mad she could have beat Elliot herself. And poor Mariah was simply trying to keep calm because, hell, it was huge wedding. Over three hundred guests. I mean, where do you start letting them know the wedding's off?" Brad shakes his head. "But that woman is the epitome of class. While whats-his-face and her best friend hightailed it somewhere, Mariah quietly informed the guests and the wedding party that the wedding was off, and that was that."

"And now they're celebrating Christmas next door."

"He grew up next door. They were childhood friends," Brad says. "His parents used to work at the lodge and they were kinda forced to resign after what happened. They've resumed their friendship in the last year but, I mean, what can you do? They're neighbors, you know? But it only makes things complicated."

"We ran into them earlier."

"Did you punch him for me?" Brad exhales. "Just kidding. But you know what, man? I'm glad Mariah's moved on, and with someone who's actually cool."

I laugh. "Why, thanks. I wouldn't want to know what'd happen if I wasn't cool enough."

"You ride bikes. You repair them. Most importantly, I've never seen Mariah happier than she looks now. She's practically glowing. And that makes you cool in my book. And Em's book as well even if she'll give you the third degree now and then. She's just being protective of her little sister," he says. "Anyway, have you decided on a date yet?"

"A date?"

"Your wedding, man. What else?"

I shake my head. This is definitely heading toward shakier ground. "We haven't gotten that far in planning yet."

"You're not planning on eloping, are you? That wouldn't be cool for a florist. Definitely not. Em and I did that, by the way. She wanted a grand wedding at first, but she was a grad student and I was a professor. So we eloped instead, which worked out for us, complete with an Elvis impersonator walking her down the aisle. So really, who needs a big wedding, right?" He holds up his hand to show off his ring. "Look at me. Happily snagged three years and counting."

For a serious-looking Biology professor, Brad's funny but he could also be drunk. It also makes Mariah's family so quintessentially normal. As Jonathan gleefully runs toward his father with a toy in his hand, his blond curls flying everywhere, I realize I want this… a home, a family. And I want a woman like Mariah to enjoy it with me.

But as Brad watches me, still waiting for my answer, reality sets in and I remember why I'm really here.

"Nope. No date yet," I say, shaking my head as I remind myself I'm going to need a few more beers before the night is over if I want to keep this charade going for as long as I can. "But I guarantee you, man, there'll be no eloping."

Hell, there's not even going to be a wedding.

8

Mariah

I'mglad my sisters don't ask me any more questions about Logan while we're in the kitchen. Instead, between glasses of wine, we talk about Emily's latest kitchen remodeling to Harper's celebrity sightings. It's a hodgepodge of topics that make me smile, reminding me of how fast we used to go from one topic to the next when we were children, and how not much has changed since then.

It also reminds me that I need to hang out with them more often. But with Emily living in Colorado and Harper flitting from one party to the next—thanks to her job as a fashion and lifestyle vlogger—it's been tough. That's why we make sure to show up for Christmas at the very least.

When we emerge from the kitchen, my heart catches in my throat when I see Logan sitting with my parents, Brad, and Jonathan. He looks like he belongs and I hate knowing that in a few days, I'm going to be telling them that Logan and I broke up. But I take a deep breath and force a smile as Logan sees me and gets up from the couch. This was my idea, and I have to go through with it until the end.

"How are you?" he asks when he gets to my side. We're standing by the hallway leading to the guest room.

"Good. What about you?"

"I'm good. Better now that you're here."

"I hope my family's not too crazy for you."

He laughs. "No, they're great, Mariah. They really are."

"Oh, look, you two!" Harper exclaims. "You're under a mistletoe."

"No, we're not," I counter, looking up to see how wrong I am for someone did hang a mistletoe just above the hallway entrance. "Oh, crap."

As everyone hoots and hollers for a kiss, Logan turns toward me, a faint smile on his lips. I can feel my cheeks burning, the realization that I'll be kissing Logan in front of my family for the first time making me want to blurt out the truth, that this is all a charade, and that there's nothing to see here.

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