Page 58 of Accidentally Falling for My Fake Wife

“Well, sometimes the road you have to travel is a bit bumpy.” Steve laughs.

“A bit? I think the road I had to travel had more than a ‘bit’ of bumps.” I quirk a brow. I reach over and give my brother a quickhug. “Thank you for your support through all of this. And siccing Darius on me.”

Steve gives me a side hug and a light slap on the back. “I’m just glad it’s all working out better than either one of us could’ve hoped. Now go inside and shower. The first time you see Susie in your jersey is going to be an experience that will be branded on your brain forever.”

“That’s pretty romantic for someone who claims not to be into romance.” I grin at my brother. Does he really think he’s not into romance? What he just said tells me all I need to know about what a softy he is when it comes to love.

He rolls his eyes at me. “I’m romantic; I just don’t read romance.”

A huge grin crosses my face as I head into the locker room. The time can’t move fast enough for me to see Susie.

Hopefully, I can keep my emotions in check because what I really want to do is let the entire world know she’s mine.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Susie

“Soooo…” Brie nudges me.We’re in the stands watching the game from our usual seats. The Mavericks crowd is completely amped up and wild. “Want to tell me what wearing Adam’s jersey means?”

“It’s just a jersey.” I shrug, trying to play it cool. “I’ve worn other jerseys before.” But the silly little grin that appears on my face whenever his name is mentioned tells a different tale.

There’s no point in denying it. I am completely smitten with my husband. The husband that my best friend still doesn’t know about.

The crowd around us deflates as the Jags get into the endzone, making it a three-point game. Brie, however, is relentless about the story behind what I’m not saying.

“Did you kiss?” I don’t answer, but the grin that covers my face says it all. “You did! When? How come you didn’t call me with all the details?”

“You’ve been a bit busy yourself.” I laugh, thinking about how everything going on between Josh and Brie has been onbroadcast for anyone who followsTea Time. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen Pleasant Hollow buzzing with this much excitement.

“Never too busy to hear about my best friend kissing a hot guy!”

“Don’t let Josh hear you say that,” I tease her, laughter bubbling up. “You should’ve seen his reaction the first time you said Adam was hot.”

“What was his reaction?” Brie’s face lights up, and just as quickly, her brows knit together. “Oh no, you don’t! You almost got me. We are talking about you and Adam Daniels. Not me and Josh.”

I pull in my bottom lip. This is where things get tricky. I don’t want to lie to my best friend, but at the same time, I’m not ready to tell her the full truth. My best bet here is to say as little as possible and start talking about something else.

“Mrs. Baker knows that I’m Amelia Adams.” Brie’s eyebrows shoot up, and her mouth drops open. “Yup. I found out yesterday.”

Her eyes get bigger than I thought possible, asking questions that her mouth can’t form.

“Apparently, we got abit too excitedwhen we sawThe Fake Date Playbooksitting on the shelf.”I laugh when I think about how Brie and I started jumping up and down only to have Mrs. Baker shush us. “We weren’t very subtle.”

Brie’s eyes dance. “I guess we weren’t. How many other people know?”

It’s only right for her to assume that if Mrs. Baker knows, odds are high others know my secret, too.

I nod my head to confirm her thoughts.

“Everyone?” Her eyes widen again and she covers her mouth with her hand. “For how long?”

I shrug. “I think it might be the first time in Pleasant Hollow history that a secret has been kept.”

Small towns are a paradox. When you’re the topic of gossip, you may or may not hear about it. But when it’s about someone else, the buzz is impossible to ignore.

For the first time, I wondered if my mom knows everyone knows about my pen name.

There is a subtle rumble from the crowd that turns into a roar. I turn to the field just in time to watch Michaels throw a perfect pass to Shaw. When Shaw crosses the goal line the crowd goes wild. This touchdown puts the Mavericks up by ten, almost guaranteeing another win for them.

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