Page 85 of Between Hate and Desire

Maddie giggles, and Lennon gives me a pointed look.

“Her parents refused to talk to her. The whispers around our small town essentially broke her to the point that she moved away. The rumors spread like wildfire, and her mother told her story like it was a lesson for everyone,” Lennon explains. “She was a disgrace to her parents and lost everything. And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried the same thing will happen to me.”

“What the hell did she do to deserve that?” I scoff, appalled.

“Adultery,” Sophie answers. “Except the guy never told her he was married, but it didn’t matter to them. She’d committed the ultimate sin.”

“And then she ended up pregnant with his baby. It was a double whammy,” Maddie adds.

My eyes widen at the reality of this. My family wasn’t overly religious, but we pretended to be. Or rather, my parents did, and I had to follow along, so I guess in a way I get it. You don’t want to let your family down because they’re all you have. Even with my strained relationship with my father, I’d be devastated to lose my mother or brother.

What happened to forgiveness and understanding? I want to ask her more questions, but with her sisters here, I hold back.

“Well?” I lift a brow.

“Hunter has a good idea,” Sophie concludes.

“I agree,” Maddie says. “Plus, what is it we always say? What they don’t know won’t hurt them?” Maddie arches her brows, the known rebel of the three.

“Am I living in a freaking twilight zone right now?” Lennon’s eyes search my face, and then she turns to her sisters. “We’re talking about a big lie here. I was just with Brandon, and now I’m supposed to be married? You think they’ll even buy it?”

I can see she’s freaking out, overanalyzing it all before we sit and talk through this, and I can’t blame her. This is a crazy idea, but I wouldn’t have suggested it if I wasn’t sure we could pull it off.

“Lennon.” I pull back from the table and go to kneel in front of her. I want her to see how much I care for her and that this would ease some of her worries so she can enjoy the rest of her pregnancy while staying healthy. “Just hear me out, okay? I know this sounds off-the-wall insane, but I want to protect you. I know a little bit about messy families. I don’t want you or the baby to go through any extra stress, and I know it’s taking a toll on you. I know how much it means for you to have their support. You’ve already lost so much, and this is all avoidable,” I tell her softly.

Though I’m trying to act as calm as can be, my heart hammers in my chest.

Lennon looks down at her hands for a second, contemplating my idea. I can almost see and hear the wheels turning in her head. I’m hoping she doesn’t have a meltdown with the way her hormones have been lately. She’s eerily quiet, which starts to concern me, so I keep talking about it as I think of more ideas to make this work.

“I don’t have all of this figured out, but when they’d ask us questions about the relationship, all we have to say is we became friends through Brandon, but I always had unrequited feelings for you. We started leaning on each other and grieved him together, which made us grow even closer and eventually my feelings were reciprocated. His death put into perspective that life’s too short not to be together, and once we set aside the guilt, we ultimately didn’t want to be apart.” I have to pause because there’s too much truth in my words for me to continue. Brandon comes to mind and all the conversations we had about Lennon and how much he loved her and was planning to ask her to marry him. Now here I am on my knees, begging her to fake a marriage with me.

I think about how Brandon wanted to meet her parents this summer and propose on their trip. A trip he never got to take. The thought of it all nearly chokes me, and I feel like I need to gasp for air as the guilt consumes me.

He should be going with her, not me. His timing would’ve been almost perfect with the pregnancy. I think about the ring he bought her and how I can never tell her about it—that secret will have to die with me. If she ever found out the real reason for this trip, it could potentially destroy her and the trust she had in me. All I want to do is keep her happy after all the tragedy she’s endured. That’s all Brandon would want me to do too.

I suck in a ragged breath. When she meets my eyes, waiting for me to continue, her gaze pierces straight through me.

“I—” Lennon starts, then stops. She’s conflicted, which I’m not at all surprised by. I’m offering a lot here.

Instead of waiting for her, I continue to sell her my idea. “So we say we drove to Vegas and got hitched. I know it sounds crazy, but people do it all the time since there’s no waiting period. We’ll say you got pregnant right after the wedding before we even told anyone we eloped. They don’t know how far along you are and won’t know the difference if you move it back a few weeks. You can hide your belly, and when the baby arrives, we’ll say he or she came early. I’m sure it’s nothing new for due dates to be off,” I tell her confidently while trying to keep my voice even and calm.

“Aww.” Maddie interrupts our moment, looking back and forth between us as if I confessed my undying love to Lennon, and considering my words, I somewhat have. I want Lennon to say something, but she doesn’t. Meanwhile, Sophie grins wide, eating up every word.

“This could work,” Sophie confirms with a nod, looking at Lennon and me. “It’s smart and nearly foolproof. If you told me this, I’d believe it one hundred percent. Plus, you’re not showing, at least nothing you couldn’t hide with some leggings and a baggy T-shirt, so you could play it off like you’re still in your first trimester instead of entering your second.”

As I look at Lennon, I know she’s in her head, and I want to talk her off the ledge and tell her I’m here, that I’ve always been here and always will be, but she knows. I can’t allow her to go through this by herself, she’s already lost so much. Losing her parents would nearly kill her, and I know it’s not healthy for the baby for her to be this stressed out. Though she talks about how strict they were, she loves them with everything she is, that much is certain.

“Lennon,” I plead, barely above a whisper. “Talk to me,please.”

By the way she’s looking at me, I wish I hadn’t said anything with Sophie and Maddie around, but it was a random thought that popped into my head, one that will solve all her problems. Her sisters would’ve found out eventually if this plan goes through because they’ll have to be in on it too. As I beg with my eyes for her to speak, Lennon’s demeanor changes, and she shakes her head.

“Hunter, have you seriously lost your mind?” She rests her hand over her belly as if she needs to protect the baby, which is exactly what I’m trying to do.

That wasnotthe response I was expecting.

Maddie’s mouth falls open in shock.

“Have youalllost your minds?” Lennon fires back at us. “I’ll have to pretend to bemarrieduntil the end of time. They don’t allow divorce either, so then what? Anytime I have to go for a visit or they come here, we’re gonna continue pretending? What if I meet someone who actuallywantsto marry me? Or what if you meet someone?” Her eyes flash to mine. “Think she’ll let me borrow you for the weekend when it’s time to visit my parents?” She raises her brows in a mocking question.

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