Page 26 of A Bossy Proposal

West nods slowly, processing my confession. I can see him piecing together fragments of my life story, but he’ll never find all the pieces.

Nobody can.

“What about extended family?” he probes.

“None.” My chest tightens again. “My mom was estranged from her side after her father disowned her for marrying my dad. My dad’s family? They emigrated, and we never saw them again.”

“That’s...rough,” he says softly.

“It is what it is,” I reply quickly, unwilling to dwell too long on the past that haunts me like a shadow. “So when it comes to family occasions, it’s just me.”

His eyes search mine for understanding. “And the reason you have nowhere to live?”

I nod my head. “I’m not close with anyone but Carly, a girl I met when I first landed in New York.” I wrap my arms around myself as the loneliness creeps in once again like an unwelcome chill. “Jodie once too.”

West walks away and I think I’ve blown any chance of the deal he just offered.

He takes a seat, leans forward, elbows resting on the table as if trying to bridge the gap between us. “Then say yes and you can share my family. Though they aren’t too great. As you know.”

I burst out laughing.

He rolls his eyes.

But the thought of belonging somewhere again warms my heart.

We’re staring at each other for too long before I glance away.

“Go to bed, Amelia, before I take you in my arms and hold you to take that look off your face.”

“What look?”

“The lost little girl.”

Please do. Hold me. Want me.

But before I respond, he continues with a teasing grin, “The little girl who needs someone to look after her.”

I’m not annoyed by his words. In fact, I can’t help but smile. Because, despite our earlier conversation, he seems determined to lighten the mood. And it feels nice that he’s not pressuring me. Now we’re just two people plotting a fake life together.

“I need a lifetime of that, not a year.” I smile and turn back towards my room again.

“One step at a time,” he calls.

One step at a time seems doable.

Can I pull it off?

Can I live a lie for an entire year?

Or will I find it so easy being with him that I’ll struggle to give him up at the end?

The alternative is bleak. Scraping by in New York City, hiding from my past, and sleeping on a couch because I can’t afford anything else.

What other choice do I have? My finances are in shambles, and I’m out of options. Maybe this is the break I need to get back on my feet. The one thing I need to start over again.

I stop and turn to see West stroking his bottom lip with his thumb as he watches me. There’s something sexy about the act, but I shake it off and say, “I’ll do it.”

His eyes widen in surprise as he strides toward me. “Are you sure about this?” he asks, his voice low and husky as he takes my hand. “It won’t be easy.”

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