Page 24 of Faking With Mr. Steele

“What is it?” I rub my hands along my arms to warm up.

“Well…” she draws out, “I was thinking why not have the wedding here and now while the family is all together?”

She can’t be serious. I grasp at straws. “I’d want my mother here, so I don’t think that’ll work.”

At that precise moment, Graham steps outside, and like a saint has my winter coat in his hands. He helps slide it over my arms, and then smiles at his mother. “What is this?”

“A wedding. It’s already decided,” his mother exclaims, nodding at me.

My mind can’t comprehend all of this. I glance over at the deer-in-the-headlights look Graham has on his face, waiting for him to step in and explain everything. Or to come up with an excuse as to why we can’t get married this weekend.

He doesn’t. Instead, he strides over confidently to his mother, places a kiss on the top of her head, says, ‘perfect,’ then walks back inside the house.

What the…? Men.

I turn back around to face Eleanor and try to lift my lips. “I love it.”

Ugh, I guess I’ll play along until Graham tells everyone the truth, preferably before my mother shows up.

“You have a lot of explaining to do, Zoe.”

Oh my god. My mother. She’s here. I blink to make sure the petite woman with a dark bob stepping onto the patio isn’t a hallucination. It’s not.

I can tell by the tone of her voice she’s not happy. And why should she be? Her only daughter didn’t even tell her she wasgetting married.

“I’ll leave you two alone,” Eleanor says with a smile, moving around us to go inside.

“Zoe, you’re marrying Graham Steele?” my mom asks, once we’re alone. “I searched him on the internet. How did you end up engaged to a man like that?”

“Mom, it’s a long story. It all just sort of happened.”

I know this is so wrong, and I’m probably going to Hell, but I’m actually beginning to like the lie. I’m kind of believing it too. Just like the kid says in that movie, ‘Oh fudge.’ I decide to sit on my throne of lies a little longer. “I’ll explain everything later. Let’s go inside; it’s cold.”

We step inside to find Eleanor and Lindsey sitting on the couch with a million bridal magazines. Graham is nowhere in sight. And I’m not in the mood to plan a wedding I’ll never get to enjoy. A wedding to a man who doesn’t truly want me. I think it’s this thought that depresses me further.

But, then I remember our deal and plaster on a fake smile, because, let’s be honest...the only way to put on a fake smile is to plaster it on. Right?

I move closer, feigning interest. “Are you looking at dresses?”

“Yes, and this one would look so perfect on you,” Lindsey says, pointing to a form fitting gown with a low back. “Mother knows the owner of Fantasy Dresses, Pierre Von Ludwig. Yes,thePierre Von Ludwig. And he’s coming...here...today.” Her voice rises on each word.

Eleanor taps away on her phone. “Yes, what’s your dress size? I’m texting him now.”

I tell her my dress size, and then sit on the red wingback chair before my legs give out. Pierre is a legend in the wedding arena. Well, in the famous socialite wedding arena. He designs all the top dresses of all the top brides. Ugh, put it this way, I’m so out of my freaking league here.

There’s no way Graham will let this happen. I just need to pretend until he reappears to fix this.

A few hours later, it’s not fixed, and I stand in the middle of my room, wrapped all in white, looking like a bridal nightmare. That’s basically what I’m in right now. A nightmare.

This just doesn’t feel right anymore.

Flutes of champagne are passed around as everyone waits to see me in the dress Pierre has brought over. Pierre has basically brought the whole store with him. He says it’s because this will betheevent of the century because I’m marrying one of the country’s most eligible bachelors. And I haven’t even been able to find that most eligible bachelor anywhere, let alone talk to him.

Hopefully he’s planning our escape.

I close my eyes and count to ten, taking a deep breath for good measure.

It’s like a fairy tale gone rogue. How do I say I love the dresses and not actually have them purchase one?

---