Page 15 of The Make-Believe Marriage

“Welcome. We’re so excited to meet you. When Tom called this morning to let me know you were coming, I wept with joy.” The woman, who looks like an older and kinder version of his sister, pulls me into a warm hug.

“Welcome to our home,” his father says, opting to shake my hand instead. “Come on in. Food’s ready.”

The largest brunch spread I’ve ever seen is covering the dining room table. There’s enough food here for at least twenty people.

“Mom likes to cook,” Tom says with a wink.

“I can see that. And it looks like she’s an amazing baker too.” The cinnamon rolls look and smell amazing.

After too much food, I excuse myself and step out onto the front porch. It’s strange being in a home so filled with people and their love for each other. My head is spinning from the changes the last twenty-four hours have brought. The cold December air helps calm my nerves and clear my head.

The front door opens, and Stephanie steps out, a cup of steaming coffee in her hand. “I was hoping to catch you alone.”

I nod, suddenly feeling trapped. “Of course. What’s on your mind?” I ask. Offense is the best defense I find.

“You and Tom are together, after all?” Her eyes scrutinize me more openly than they have inside the house.

“We are now. We weren’t before. I didn’t lie to you, if that’s what you’re thinking. I was doing Tom a favor, and he let me stay with him.”

“He explained the whole make-believe marriage thing. I can’t believe he never told anyone ... Never mind. That’s not why I’m here.”

“Why are you here?” I ask, wrapping my arms around myself as the cold air seeps into me.

“I won’t beat around the bush. What are your intentions toward Tom? I don’t want to see him hurt again.”

I almost laugh at the old-fashioned turn of phrase. One look at her face sobers me up. She’s worried about him. That I can understand. “It’s all very new, but what I can tell you is that I like your brother very much and that I hope we have a future together.”

Stephanie barks out a laugh. “Right.”

“I’m serious. I had a crush on him for a while and was as surprised as you are when he asked me to move in. Then I got to know him and fell in love with him.”

“I don’t buy it. I think you enjoy having a cushy place to stay and a man who will do anything for you.” Stephanie sets her coffee down on the railing and puts a hand on her hip.

“I don’t know what to say other than that I’m telling you the truth. I can’t promise you that things will work out between us, but I hope they will. I’m in love with Tom.” I hope she can see the honesty and vulnerability in my eyes.

“Prove it.”

“How?” I ask, unsure what this woman wants from me.

Stephanie’s shoulders slump, and she lets out a breath in a big sigh. “I don’t know. I just don’t want to see him like that again ...”

“Would me moving out and getting a place of my own do it? Because that’s the plan.”

Stephanie looks at me, surprised. “It is?”

“Of course. I never planned to stay past the first of the year. And that’s not going to change. I’m not going to rush us into anything, especially not a marriage.”

Stephanie nods, and I get the feeling I’ve won her over, even if she isn’t quite ready to admit it yet.

Epilogue

Tom

New Year’s Eve

“If you would have told me a month ago that I’d be spending Christmas with my girlfriend, I wouldn’t have believed you.” I sit on the couch, my arm around Krysten, keeping her close. Flames are dancing, and blazing wood is crackling in the old fireplace in the living room. The Christmas tree and every piece of decoration are gone, thanks to a family superstition of hers that keeping anything holiday related up into the new year brought bad luck. It wasn’t how I wanted to spend the better part of today, but now that it’s done, it feels good to start the new year with a clean slate. The house is sparkling almost as much as the small secret I keep hidden behind the couch cushion, waiting for the right moment.

“I know. Everything went so fast. I can’t believe how quickly my life turned completely around since that day we ran into each other in the coffee shop. I have a job, and Christmas was so much nicer than I’d ever imagined it would be. I like your family.” She smiles and snuggles closer, taking a sip of her hot cocoa.

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