Page 7 of My Perfect Valentine

The last encounter with him plays over in my head. How he instructed me to lose fifty pounds, at least. It hurt because I’m well aware, but he said it in front of his colleagues. It was so embarrassing.

“What did he say to you?” Logan lowers his coffee cup, and his hands clench on the table as his eyes narrow.

“What?”

“He said something to you. What did he say?”

I wave him off. “Oh, it’s not important. I’m just explaining what he’s like and why he’s not a good match for me. My parents like how it looks good on paper, not in reality. That’s where youcome in. They can’t be forceful if I have a boyfriend, and when this is over, they’ll see I’m so-called heart-broken and it might grant me the rest of the year to get over things.” Now is the extra pathetic part. “I already told them I had a boyfriend, and I haven’t been saying anything because I want to make sure it’s right. So for them, me bringing you around now must mean I’m head over heels in love, or I’ve been lying and bought a fake boyfriend.”

The embarrassment of this conversation is strong and I work hard to avoid his gaze.

Logan grunts. “So you’ve talked this fake boyfriend up?”

Ugh, if he only knew I described him. Not so much in how he looks, but his personality and how kind he is.

“Something like that, but most importantly, this would be my first relationship, and obviously the first time I’m introducing them to somebody, so it’s bound to be serious, in their opinion.”

Logan takes a couple of big gulps of his coffee before he clears his throat. “First relationship?”

The room grows hot and my cheeks flush to match the temperature. I hate having to admit that, but my parents are going to say something, so I need to make sure he’s aware of what might be said.

“Um, yeah. I’ve never dated anybody before.” Gosh, another tick in the majorly embarrassing column to drown myself in later.

Logan’s rough hand wraps around mine, and my body is ready to burst into a million fireworks. Damn, just his hand on mine feels so good. I can’t imagine what it would feel like if his hands touched my whole body.

“Don’t worry about anything. We got this and your parents are going to think I’m the best first boyfriend you’ve ever had.”

If only you could be real and my only.

I gaze into his eyes even though I tried to keep my gaze away, but he locks me in and takes over my mind.

All my life, I’ve read romance novels and love the concept of the one and only. To only have one soul mate, and I’m well aware of how silly it is, but I can’t help imagining Logan being that for me.

I shake my head at those intrusive thoughts. “Thank you. And I promise to show your sister how madly in love with you I am.”

It won’t be hard after all. This instalove for him is no joke. It’s real, but I’m realistic enough to understand it’s all one-sided. I’m a dreamer, not delusional.

“What do you need me to do?”

“Oh, nothing.” Logan pulls his hand back and I struggle with not showing my disappointment. “I’ll just take some pics on our dates, and maybe others will take photos of us, so she can see that I’m seeing somebody.”

“That’s all your sister needs? Really?”

Logan shrugs and picks up his fork and dives into the pie. I follow suit even though I would rather stare at him longer. It’s incredible I found a new addiction so quickly? Pie is no longer in the running in my mind.

“She knows how I don’t want to get married, and that I’m more satisfied alone. That I’m not just working and hanging out at home will be more than enough to satisfy her.”

I frown as I take a bite of the pie, which I can’t taste as I stew over his words. He never wants to marry. That’s something I want more than anything. To have a partner, and having Logan as a partner, would be amazing. We’re practically strangers, but he’s one of those souls you can just tell is remarkable and good.

The only bonus is, I won’t watch him love somebody else. It’s selfish, but I always worried about the day when he would take up with one member from the gym or bring in a womanwho’s more put together and closer to his age. Somebody well established like him.

I don’t have a clue about what I want to do with my life. It’s always been that I wanted to be a stay-at-home parent. That has the greatest appeal to me.

We continue discussing my parents and what they’ll be looking for to convince them we’re in a happy relationship. Logan opens up about his life more so I can answer questions my parents will ask, knowing I’ll need to jump in from time to time to answer for him. To make this work, they’ll need to see I know him just as much as he knows me.

“Okay, so I have your address and I’ll pick you up at your apartment at six,” Logan says as he walks me to my car.

“Yes, it sounds perfect. And remember, you don’t need a tux, but a nice suit will work.”

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