Page 36 of Fake Fiancé for the Billionaire Rockstar

Knowing him, he likely assumed it would pass us by and we’d only get a bit of hard snow before it went to the next town over.

Layla.

Did she ever make it here? Is she okay if not?

"Relax, Sunshine," Donny's deep voice cuts through my thoughts, steady and reassuring. His arm tightens around me, his hand at my waist pulling me closer.

I’ve got this.

It seems like years, but eventually, the lights flicker back on. I find myself clutching onto the front of Donny’s shirt, and when I look up at him, his eyes are intense, focused.

He places a hand on my lower back, steadying me. “You okay?”

We stare at each other for a moment, his eyes searching mine. I nod slightly, offering a small smile of gratitude. "Thanks," I murmur, my voice barely audible.

Reluctantly, I step away from him, immediately missing his warmth. I make my way to the window he peered out of a short while ago, needing to assess our situation for myself. I glance at all the cars lining the driveway, each one belonging to my family, and I blow out a breath of relief when I see Layla's SUV sitting there with a blanket of snow covering it.

I’m about to let the curtain fall when I see Walker step out of his cabin with a lantern, slowly maneuvering his way toward ours. I watch him for a moment as he stomps onto the porch, and he curses loudly under his breath when he tries to open our door, but it won’t budge.

“Over here!” I holler, gaining his attention.

He squints against the snow that fell into his eyes and eases his way to the window with a frown. “Is everyone okay?”

I nod and point at the door. “Why the hell isn’t it opening?”

Walker looks toward the door, his frown deepening, then a white cloud of air comes out of his mouth as he sighs. “It looks frozen shut.” He glances back toward his house, likely checking to make sure Jessa or one of the kids haven’t come outside, then looks back at me and Donny. “Got in touch with the manager. He said it would be a few days before someone can get here to help us out.”

Great.

After Walker made a comment about the weather when we arrived, I looked into it myself and I already know that the temperature is supposed to get below freezing throughout the night. The odds of me and Donny getting out of here aren’t that great, which means I’m going to have to be closer to him than I had planned.

I send the thoughts away and nod to Walker. “Go check on mom and dad, we’ll be fine here!”

Walker glances at me and Donny, that frown still on his face, but he nods and starts the trek toward our parents’ cabin. While I watch him walk away, I take a deep breath in and let it out as slowly as I can in hopes that it will help the anxiety building in my chest.

Donny sits quietly, his gaze locked on the snow-covered window. I settle onto the cushion beside him, acutely aware of the small space between us. The silence is thick with unspoken thoughts and tensions that have been building since we arrived. Hispresence is both comforting and unsettling, a constant reminder of our complicated history and the pretense we're maintaining.

'What now?' I ask softly, my voice barely above a whisper.

He turns to me, a slow, knowing smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Just thinking about how we can make the most of this... situation, Sunshine.” His voice is low, laced with something I can’t quite place. “And... I’m glad you didn’t end up in the other cabin tonight.”

His gaze stays steady on mine, intense and unwavering, and suddenly, it feels like breathing takes twice the effort. I try to hold my composure, but the weight of his eyes makes it nearly impossible.

I nudge him, which has him flinching and arching an eyebrow. “Jessa is a piece of work, right?”

He scoffs and rolls his eyes. “She was looking at me like I was going to be her next meal.”

I straighten my spine and eye him curiously. “Wait, she did what?”

Donny frowns and shakes his head. “I’m sure I was imagining it.”

“Uh uh, explain.”

He shrugs and runs a hand through his golden curls. “I don’t know. She just kept looking at me in a certain way. It was a little uncomfortable.”

“That’s different, but wouldn’t necessarily surprise me. She probably thinks that you’re making more money than her darling husband, and money has always been her weakness.”

“Wow, you really don’t like her.”

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