Page 10 of Accidental Fiancé

I nearly dropped my whiskey when Chloe shouted, “What?” Hell, I’d almost shouted the same thing myself.

But Maggie went on, “I would have said something earlier, but you love to hear yourself talk, Chloe, and I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“Oh my God, congratulations!” Emma said, taking Maggie in for a hug. “I had no idea! I’m so happy for you! How did this happen?”

“Yeah,” Chloe said, seething. “I’d love to know how this happened.”

Maggie’s warm brown eyes silently begged me to play along as she played the role of the happy fiancée. “Um, well, it was pretty sudden, right, sweetie?”

“Right,” I said, trying to be smooth. My heart drummed in my chest, and my mouth went dry. Another swig of whiskey whetted my whistle. “But when you know, you know.”

Chloe’s tone went skeptical. “So, the two of you have been dating this whole time? Since high school?”

“No.” Maggie clung to my side, no doubt hoping we could make this lie work. I wasn’t sure how far we would have to take it, but I could roll with the punches. She explained, “Actually, we lost contact right after high school.”

“Then how did you two reconnect?”

Maggie blanched, so I dug into the memories of what I knew of her life now. As much as I didn’t rely on the internet for biographical answers, some details were readily available, and Maggie was one of the few people I cared to look up.

“Recently, I was at a fundraiser for an animal shelter, I think that’s what?—"

“You don’t remember where you met up again with the love of your life?” Chloe interrupted me.

“I go to a lot of fundraisers. After a while, they start to blur together. Anyway, Maggie was one of the caterers. We recognized each other and started talking, and we couldn’t stop. Even as the lights went down, I couldn’t get enough of hearing her beautiful voice.” I hoped Chloe took that for the slight it was. “After that night, I knew I wanted to marry her. I don’t want to wake up without her by my side ever again.”

“Aw,” Emma cooed, smiling dreamily at my co-liar.

“We’ve been together ever since,” Maggie said. The way she beamed up at me, I would have believed us too. She was a hell of an actress, but it was something genuine in her smile that thrilled me. Her full cheeks lifted, those sexy lips curled at the ends, and her eyes lit up in a way that made me feel like everything would be alright in the world. Maggie Bryant smiledwith her whole being as if that was the thing she was created to do.

I had missed that smile more than I realized.

In truth, I had no idea who Maggie was these days. She was a baker, and her shop had suffered a fire, but that was all I knew. Maybe she wasn’t the girl I had a little crush on anymore. Maybe she had become someone else entirely, I certainly had. I imagined she was single by the way she practically jumped at the chance to use me to play defense. Whoever she was now felt like a favor to the girl she once was.

The girl who had helped me get through drama class because I needed an elective to graduate, and she had promised to help me. The girl who had reassured me I wasn’t a loser just because my girlfriend had cheated on me. The girl who let me down easy after I stole a kiss.

I was happy to help her now. Outside of it being the right thing to do, I knew playing along would annoy Chloe, and that was more than enough reason. Maggie’s bully sneered as she said, “When were you going to tell us? You’re not even wearing a ring. How were we supposed to know?”

“Relax, Chloe,” I said, smiling. “Didn’t anyone tell you this is a party?”

Maggie laughed. “I forgot it at home. I’m still not used to wearing such a big ring when I bake, so I keep leaving it on the nightstand.”

“So this ‘engagement’ is new?” She said engagement in a mocking manner, as if the word itself was in doubt.

“What’s it been, sweetheart? Two months?” I casually asked. “Three?”

“Nine weeks, I think? Maybe more. I’m not sure.”

“You don’t even remember?” Chloe laughed wickedly. “When I get engaged, it’ll be a story worth telling.”

Maggie just shrugged and wrapped her arms around me, head on my shoulder. “It’s funny. I don’t remember exactly when he popped the question, actually. In a lot of ways, it feels like we’ve been together forever. We were at dinner, and he pulled out that ring, and everything else sort of faded away.”

I nodded knowingly. “You lose track of time when you’re having fun. Isn’t that the cliché?”

“Yes, but?—"

“That’s why you’ll remember the exact moment when you get engaged, Chloe,” I cut her off. “You don’t know how to have fun. It must suck to be you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to dance with my future bride.” I set my drink down, took her hand, and led her into the middle of a different kind of chaos.

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