Page 33 of Just My Fake Husband

Gabriel stills, his hand tensing in mine. I’m sure it won’t be easy for him to see his father again. There’s a beat of silence and then another one.

“Great,” Gabriel finally says. “And she also needs to meet Benson.”

“Right,” I say, nodding. “The new brother. Well, new to you all.”

“Mom says he’s coming here from Seattle next month, so that might be the time, assuming you two are still . . .”

“Okay, cut it out, Lolo.” Gabriel lets go of my hand. “You can stop pretending you don’t know.”

Milo laughs, doubling over. “I have to say, you two are convincing, with the long stares and the hand holding.” He laughs again and claps his hands. “Wait. Does she know I know?”

I move to give Gabriel a hearty shove. “Why did you let me carry on like that if he already knows everything?”

Gabriel dodges me. “It was good practice. And see? We passed with flying colors. Well done.”

I glower. “Who else knows?”

“Just Milo, I promise. I had to tell someone.”

“And you didn’t try to talk him out of it?” I ask Milo, then turn on Gabriel before he can answer. “We should add that to the contract. That both of us need to know who all knows.”

“Who have you told?” Gabriel asks me.

“Just Jana, my best friend. I’ve sworn her to secrecy.”

One brow goes in the air and his blue eyes scrunch together. “You trust her implicitly?”

“Absolutely.” I point to Milo. “What about him?”

“Milo’s a locked vault. As the youngest, there was no other way to survive.”

Milo nods and gives a small smile. “I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize this. Gabriel deserves Dad’s company, and I’m glad you said yes.”

“I haven’t signed anything yet.”

“Well then, I’ll leave you be. Maybe I’ll start wandering around and see which brother I run into first.” The two of them start doing a complicated series of fist bumps and palm smacks. “You’d better watch out, Gabriel. You might get used to it here and want to stay like everyone else.”

Gabriel just shakes his head. We say goodbye to Milo and as soon as the door is closed, I put my hand over my heart. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this. And Gabriel? It wasn’t cool that you let me go on, thinking Milo didn’t have a clue. Why did you do that?”

He shrugs, a touch of color gracing his cheeks. “I like holding your hand.”

There’s a beat in which I believe him, his earnest smile simmering down the flares of anxiousness in my soul.

But I don’t tell him that. “Don’t get used to it,” I say. “We can just both pray this year will go by quickly and be over before we know it.”

Gabriel’s eye twitches, and I have to look away. There’s a carefully masked look of longing on his face. Hidden, but for some reason, I see the edges of it. Like maybe he wouldn’t want it to end.

And neither will Skye.

How amIgoing to feel when it’s over?

Chapter 11

Gabriel

My brother, Alec, has this habit of talking with his hands when he’s got some big emotions. So, when both his mouth and his hands are going like crazy, I know it’s bad. His wife, Oakley, is looking on, amused.

And yes, we tease him about his big emotions. We shouldn’t.

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