Page 3 of Faking It With the Single Dad

His face was almost unrecognizable, and it was hard to believe that this furious man was the same person who’d once cared for me so deeply.

Determined to keep the ring, I was frozen in disbelief as Caleb forcefully pried my fingers apart, one by one, despite how much it felt like my skin might rip.

Some friends tried to step in, but Caleb pushed them away without hesitation. In the end, he managed to yank the ring out of my hand.

He staggered toward the other Bella, holding up the ring, and dropped to one knee with a strange, almost reverent look in his eyes.

“Bella,” he said, “will you marry me? This ring was meant for you. I’ve waited so many years for this moment.”

The room went dead silent, and I felt everyone’s eyes on me.

At that moment, it became clear—Caleb’s love wasn’t for me; it was for the other Bella.

I clenched my jaw, my face burning with pain, and turned to walk away.

But after taking just a few steps, a loud commotion made me stop and look back.

To my surprise, Caleb had collapsed.

The other Bella called out, “Take him home and act like this never happened.”

She gave me a faint smile, her expression laced with disdain.

“Caleb invited me to your wedding. I’ll be there tomorrow. It’s a shame you’re marrying him when you’ll never be the one he truly loves. What bad luck for you.”

But Caleb never even showed up to the wedding.

Chapter Two

Ryan

The highway is crawling with traffic. Brake lights flare in front of me like a taunt, and I drum my fingers on the steering wheel, biting back a curse.Cedar Ridge. I never thought I’d be driving back into this town again, yet here I am, stuck behind a minivan with an “I Brake for Moose” bumper sticker and a backseat full of screaming kids.

Alice hums softly to herself in the backseat. She doesn’t know how much I hate this place or the memories it drags up. The tidy little streets, the nosy neighbors, the way everyone knows your name and thinks they have a right to your business. Cedar Ridge was supposed to be where my last marriage worked out and I built a life. Instead, it became the place where everything fell apart.

The minivan inches forward, and I follow. I promised myself I’d never come back, but then family obligations came calling. The land my father left behind is in limbo, and now it’s my job todeal with it. As a property law attorney, it’s a clean-cut case: sign the papers, get the deed back, and move on. Simple enough. But nothing about Cedar Ridge stays simple for long.

“Daddy?” Alice pipes up from the back. “Are we almost there?”

“Almost,” I say softly, careful not to take my irritation out on my five-year-old. “Just a little longer, sweetheart.”

She sighs dramatically, and I catch her pouting in the rearview mirror. “This is boring.”

“Welcome to my life,” I mutter, which earns a small giggle from her. At least one of us finds this funny.

By the time we drive past the “Welcome to Cedar Ridge” sign, the sun is low in the sky and casts the town in a golden glow. The streets are as I remember—quiet, lined with maple trees and buildings that haven’t changed in decades. It’s quaint, sure, but it feels more like a trap than a homecoming. I pull into the parking lot of the only decent hotel in town, throw the car into park, and let out a breath. We made it.

“Come on, kiddo,” I call as I open Alice’s door and lift her out. She clutches her stuffed rabbit, ears worn from years of being dragged around. “Let’s get checked in.”

The lobby smells faintly of lemon polish and old carpet, and the receptionist greets us with a too-wide smile. She’s young, maybe in her late twenties, with blonde curls that bounce when she talks.

“Welcome to the Maple Inn!” she chirps. “How can I help you?”

“Checking in. Ryan Blackwood,” I say curtly, shifting Alice to my other arm. She’s heavy for her age, but I’m not about to put her down in a place like this.

“Of course!” The receptionist types on her keyboard, sneaking glances at me as she works. “Staying long?”

“Just a couple days,” I say.Hopefully less.

---