Page 34 of Just My Fake Husband

But we do.

“I never thought I’d see the day when you were on the outs with Dad.” Alec’s arms go wide.

I adjust my chair at the outdoor theater overlooking Longdale Lake. He’s Sebastian’s activities president, or CEO of Fun, the misnomer the family gave him when he came to Longdale after his pro football career-ending injury. He and Sebastian dreamed up this addition on a ridge near the resort, on the edge ofthe property. It’s an amphitheater with every amenity the local acting troupe and other performing artists could need or want. And it was a gift to Elianna from Sebastian, in the hopes of winning her back.

It worked.

I ignore Alec’s comment because I don’t know what to say. It hurts. And I did it to myself.

“Do you know the details of what happened? Of what I did?” I need to have a family meeting and make sure everyone’s on the same page about what happened in Prague. Not tonight, though. Tonight is about Milo.

That doesn’t stop me from thinking about River.

“I’ve heard some things. Yeah.” Alec grabs Oakley’s hand, and she lifts her other one to put her sunglasses on top of her head. Her ponytail swishes in the lakeside breeze.

“I’m not going to make any excuses. It was as bad as probably everyone has said. And knowing you all are talking about it makes my skin crawl. Makes me want to fly right back to Europe and do the pilgrimage thing all over again. Which is saying something.”

It wasn’t the physical aspect, although I did get blisters and a sore back and knees from all the walking, it was the mental. Of having all day, every day to torture myself with guilt over what I did. Except, if I wasn’t all in my head about it, I’d have to listen to everyone else’s conversations and there’s only so much of that I could take.

“We all make mistakes, Gabriel,” Oakley says. “Sounds like you’re fixing things. I don’t think you need to worry too much about it anymore. It’ll blow over.”

“Dad’s not going to stay mad at you for very long,” Alec says. He takes a long drink from his water bottle and then glances at his phone. “Hold on. I’ve got landscapers coming to get this area ready for the party and I have to give them some instructions.”He stands and holds his phone to his ear, walking towards the lake.

When I don’t respond, Oakley offers a small smile. “In a way, I’ve been where you are,” she says. “I lost my dream job and my lying thief of a boyfriend in one fell swoop. It was rough.” She drags the word out and shakes her head. “But it brought me here, and now I can’t imagine my life anywhere else. And Alec is . . .” she smiles and ducks her head, adjusting the neckline of her t-shirt. She crosses her leg and pumps her sneakered foot. “Well, Alec’s my person. And I don’t take for granted the fact that I had to hit rock bottom in order to find him. It’s funny how things work out.”

When I only nod, she continues. “It’s a sort of swinging pendulum. One minute we’re on top of the world, the next minute, we’re flat on our backside, wondering what just happened. It’s hard, but rest assured, it’s going to be okay. There’s always hope.”

“Thanks. It’s not good. But I’m just going to keep going . . . keep trying to get my old life back. I think my dad will come around eventually.”

Here’s to hoping he comes around after I’m married to River for a year.

Married to River.It’s actually going to happen. We’ll go to the family party tonight, be a true couple, convince my dad we’re in love. Then we’ll elope to the county courthouse and voila! The countdown to my return to Foundations begins.

“Well, good luck,” Oakley says, sliding her necklace charm along the chain. “I mean that sincerely. And if your old life isn’t what comes back around for you, try to trust that whatever it is, it’s a thousand times better than what you had before.” She grins.

I don’t see how that’s possible, but I appreciate the sentiment.

She excuses herself to go to her physical therapy internship, and when Alec returns after his phone call, he’s managed to wrangle up two more of our brothers: Oliver and Milo.

“Where are Sebastian and Henry? Then we could wrestle like the old days.” My eyes scan the tree line at the rim above the resort. “Or try to find Maverick the donkey. I heard he’s still around somewhere.”

“He’s still around,” Oliver says. “But right now, Henry’s holed up in his security office, so I doubt he can come, and you know Sebastian can’t spare the time.”

“When are Mom and Dad getting here?” I ask, my heart thrumming in my ears at the thought of having to see Dad again.

“Not until late afternoon,” Milo says. “Then we’re going to party.”

“Which means I’ve got a ton to do before I can allow myself to relax with the family.” Oliver scowls.

“Sebastian’s overworking you now, huh?” I ask.

“It’s more like I’m overworking him.” Oliver smirks.

“And how have you been filling your time since you got here?” I ask Milo.Please give me some tips because I’m going crazy not working in an office.

Milo shrugs. “Sleeping. Eating. The chef upstairs at The Summit restaurant is legit.” He glances back at Oliver’s retreating form. “Give me the deets on River,” he whispers.

“I’m not going to talk about this with you.”

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