Page 72 of Just My Fake Husband

“I’ll never have a truce with you,” she teases. “The arguing is too fun.”

I laugh. “It’s enjoyable, yes.” I hesitate, and she senses why.

She sighs and shifts in the dark so she’s lying on her side. I can barely make out the outline of her facial features. “Besides, what does it matter? If this marriage is just a ploy to get your father’s company, then why do you care about Antonio?” Her words are weighty and suddenly, I realize that I wanted her to ask that question. I want to go there with her. That doesn’t necessarily mean I’m ready.

The mind is willing but the flesh is weak.

“My dad—”

She cuts me off, swiveling her legs to one side and kicking the blanket barrier over. “No. Beyond what your dad thinks. We both agreed to this situation, the least we can do is be honest. What doyouthink? What do you feel, Gabriel?”

You mean I can’t hide behind my dad?“Seeing you with Antonio pissed me off.”

She bites down a smile. “Why?” Now she’s sitting up on her knees, and she’s so close to me that I want to call foul. Yet, I’m drinking this Kool-Aid—engaging in this act of rebellion like I’ve been brainwashed by a cult.

“Because you’re my wife.”

“Is that the only reason?” Her voice is strained. Delicate.

“Because I like you.”

She seems to weigh my words a moment, and then she sinks over, her legs curled up on the other side. “Can I tell you a story?”

“Sure. I like stories.” Except, if it’s a story about how she doesn’t feel the same for me, then I don’t want to hear.

“Once upon a time, there was a teen girl, living her best life in Longdale, Colorado.”

“Was this teen girl you?”

Shhh!” she scolds and presses her finger against my mouth. “No interrupting.”

“Sorry,” I mumble against her finger before she takes it away and continues on.

“She was fourteen and her parents uncharacteristically gave her permission to go to a late-night party at the high school and she didn’t even have to bring her older sister with her this time. It was the traditional, end-of-summer bash. There was a rumor that some of the Tate brothers might even be in attendance.Which was a particularly exciting prospect because the Tate brothers attended school in Denver.”

“The Tate brothers did go to school in Denver.” I nod. “Admit it, though. Was this girl hoping Sebastian would be there?”

She makes an “Uh” sound likeHow dare you assume that?“No, this girl was hoping the middle one would come, what was his name? Grant? Gary? Hmm. Something with a ‘G.’”

“Gween. I think his name was Gween.”

She giggles. “That’s it. Gween. So anyway, she was hoping Gween would show up because she’d tried all summer to get to know him and she’d seen him at Shake, Shake, Shake a few times, but he was always busy with other people.”

“Gween did like the mint chocolate chip shakes there,” I add. I have a feeling of where this is going, but if she’s telling a story about us both back when we were kids, that wouldn’t make sense because we never met back then.

“The girl preferred marshmallow fudge.”

“What was the girl’s name again?”

“Roberta.”

I laugh. “Ah, got it.”

She claps her hands together. “Imagine Roberta’s excitement when Gween was spotted at the party, and she even scored a seat right behind him in the auditorium for the movie.”

“Huh. Lucky Roberta.”

“You’d think so. But then this Roberta gal got a text from a friend. The point is, she was sad and fled the movie.”

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