Page 78 of Fourth Wall

“Holy—”

“I know.”

“When did you figure this out? Did you always know?”

“No. I figured it out a couple of weeks ago and was planning to meet up with Stephen to talk to him about it. I didn’t put it together until I heard Tyler on the phone talking about him coming home from a shift he was volunteering at the hospital.” Christian’s head hung low.

“I never asked him because we always liked to keep some level of privacy. We were connected, but in a very intimate way where we had gone through this trauma together, so it felt almost weird to know his personal life. I never looked him up until I realized who he was.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I was hurt. I was really hurt that Christian was still keeping secrets, and all those thoughts started to swirl around my brain again. I wanted them to stop. I stepped backward away from Christian and braced my hands on the edge of the bed.

“I was planning to tell you…”

“This is exactly what I was talking about, though. I told you how important it was for me to be part of a team with you.” Christian looked at the floor and took a few hesitant steps to where I sat.

“What is your plan anyway? To run into their house with all these guns and scare them? That is ridiculous.” I sat on the bed and ran my hands through my blond locks.

“I wasn’t thinking,” Christian confessed and sat down on the bed next to me, mimicking the same movement of running his own hands through his hair.

“I want you to be my partner. I just saw red and ran upstairs.” His voice suddenly changed to something more quiet. “This is my fault.”

“This isn’t your fault. This is no one’s fault but honestly my own. I shouldn’t have dragged you into this. We should never have done this whole fake dating scenario,” I confessed, and then I felt his large hands pull my jaw to his face.

“Do you regret it?” Christian’s tone cracked at the very end.

“No.” I put my hands to his and wrapped my fingers around his wrists as they rested on my jawline. “I love you so much,” I confessed.

“Maeve, I need you to hear me on one thing?” Christian demanded, his hands still resting on my face. “I would walk where the stars meet the ocean and back if that meant I could have just one more minute with you on this earth. I don’t just love you. I belong with you.”

Tears brimmed the edge of my eyes as I listened to him. I pulled him close.

“Then I need you to make sure that we are a team. We have to work on this together, and going to his house and threatening everyone is a bad idea.”

“I agree. You are my equal, Maeve. On the other hand, I do think we need to go over there before he takes this to court at the end of the week.”

“I also agree with you, but we need to go in with a plan.” I looked over at his suitcase with what was probably twenty guns deep. “None of those either.” He laughed and wrapped me upin a hug. The smell of pine was so strong I just inhaled his intoxicating scent before I felt the bile creeping up my throat. He had never smelled this strong to me…ever.

“The lawyer suggested something ridiculous.” I pulled away from him and wrapped my legs with his on the bed.

“What is it?” Christian asked.

“That we make our relationship more legitimate.”

I giggled, thinking about how our fake relationship would somehow become serious.

“Why are you laughing?”

“This whole thing started as a fak—”

“Don’t finish that sentence,” Christian threatened. “We already talked about this. Nothing about this is fake. I love you. You love me. We live together. I love Kelsie and Kinsley. I pick them up from school and actually look forward to it. Does this seem petty to you?”

“It’s not petty.”

“Well, does it not seem serious, then? Because to me, if I was an outsider looking in, it looks very fucking real,” he huffed out.

"Christian, it's real. The lawyer mentioned that if we got married, it would legitimize things for the court," I explained, sitting up in bed as he listened attentively.

"Let's do it then," he responded matter-of-factly, surprising me with his quick and decisive answer. We had both been through marriages and divorces before, and neither of us had ever planned on getting married again, nor had we discussed the idea with each other.

---