Page 135 of Fake Married to the Grumps

I hate the twist in my gut and the pain slicing through me as Gracie runs away. She is wrong in every way. It’s not that she’snot good enough for me. It’s me who will never be good enough for her!

Chapter 11

Gracie

The next evening, during dinner at our apartment with some of Trevor’s teammates, Trevor is quiet. We haven’t said a word to each other since the brief kiss in the kitchen last night, and the tension from that encounter still runs through me.

The clink of silverware reminds me of dinner with my parents and Trevor when we were younger. Those dinners were always full of laughter and joy.

I used to enjoy being around Trevor so much; it felt like he was family.And I started to fall for him.

How did I let this happen?He turned me down six years ago, and I should know better than to allow him to kiss me and sway me with words. Trevor’s not the kind of man who’ll love me. I knew that before I agreed to help him with this scheme.

So why isn’t my heart complying?Even though I know harboring these feelings for him is useless, I can’t help myself. With a sigh, I focus on my dinner and try to ignore the adrenaline spiking through me and awakening every nerve in my body.

I’m aware of Trevor’s eyes on me, and it doesn’t help me feel relaxed. I’m tense, and I hate the feeling because it reminds me of my last argument with Jace.

He knew this would happen. He knew I would start to feel something for Trevor again, and he tried to warn me.

His teammates are talkative around the dinner table, enjoying the pasta dish I cooked. It’s the one recipe from my mother’s collection I’ve perfected over the years, and I prepare it for guests to impress them.

Trevor glances at me from where he’s seated, and I offer him a fake smile, ignoring the tension rising in my veins.

“This is the best pasta I’ve ever tasted,” Trevor’s teammate, Billy, says as he looks at me.

“It was my mother’s recipe,” I answer, then glance towards Trevor again to find him staring at me, his meal untouched.

Our eyes stay locked, and the air around us tenses before someone clears their throat and sparks another conversation.

“What do you think about the recent Harper Cory scandal?” Brady Rivas asks, then glances over to the guy by his side, Josh, to continue with his light gossip.

I quietly pick up my half-empty plate and head for the kitchen while they continue their discussion about the actor caught cheating on his wife with a colleague.

The news has been all over the gossip columns all week, along with news of my marriage to Trevor. So far, the paparazzi hasn’t been able to get any juicy information about me from anyone.

The pictures of me circulating in the media were from Golden Bay, and a few were pulled from my social media pages. Trevor’s life here in New York is completely different from what it was like back home with the press constantly hovering. Even though it’s not entirely as peaceful as being in the beach town, it still doesn’t suck.

I’m lost in thought while doing the dishes, and I completely zone out from the voices in the dining room. The boys seem to be having a good time as they discuss the scandals, and I wonder if every night is like this with them.

After drying my hands, I head back to the dining room to clear the rest of the dishes, and I stop in my tracks when I hear Trevor speaking.

“Yo! That’s not a big deal. I mean, every guy cheats on his wife in Hollywood, don’t they? There’s no loyalty, and most guys certainly want to get away with almost everything. Anyone whobelieves otherwise is living in a fantasy, man. It ends with one person getting hurt most times.”

“Not all relationships end that way,” I mutter from the doorway without thinking, and all five men sitting around the large dining table turn to look at me.

Trevor’s blue eyes hook on mine, and it feels like I can’t breathe as I shake my head.

“My parents had a great love, and it lasted them a lifetime. Neither of them got hurt because the other party was unfaithful. I believe in a love that lasts forever. I want a love that lasts forever, and I think anyone who doesn’t should do so, because love is beautiful. It’s the best thing that can happen to anyone, if you ask me.”

Trevor clears his throat when I’m done and smiles at me before excusing himself from his friends. He curls his fingers over my arm and leads me away from the others into the kitchen.

After Trevor closes the door behind us and faces me, he shakes his head and asks, “What was that about?”

I arch a brow before tilting my chin to stare at him defiantly. “You’re in the best position to answer that. You’re the one who’s faking a marriage and being in love, and yet you go around making statements like that? What would they think? How do you sell being in love when you’re telling people you don’t believe in the concept of love?”

“I wasn’t talking about myself, Gracie,” he says as he towers over me, then combs his fingers through his hair.

“But you were,” I cut in desperately, my voice hoarse. “You don’t believe in love, Trevor. You’ve made that abundantly clear to me before. We both know you meant every word you said out there.”

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