Page 33 of Wish I Didn't Want You Back

I closed my eyes, fighting the urge to cry. My life had been turned upside down. I went from running from the church to staying with my ex to finding my lake house flooded. My father was pissed, and I was out of a job. I wasn’t sure how much more I could take.

“What if people can tell it’s fake? What if they don’t believe us?”

He shrugged. “Simple. We make it believable.”

This town thrived on gossip. There were probably already rumors going around about me. Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if they hadn’t stopped talking about me since I left.

This had disaster written all over it, but I’d known Brooks long enough to know he wouldn’t do this if he weren’t desperate.And the worst part, the idea of living with him, and pretending we were still in love, made my heart pound for all the wrong reasons.

“I can’t believe I’m actually considering this.”

“You better make up your mind quick. We don’t have a lot of time.”

I shot him a glare. “Can you give me more than a second to make a decision?”

“Fine,” he snapped and looked down at his watch as if to remind me that the clock was ticking.

The irony of this situation wasn’t lost on me. I just walked away from an arrangement because it wasn’t about love, and now, I was contemplating walking into another one. What did that say about me? That I was a hypocrite?

Maybe, but this felt different. I didn’t feel like I was selling my soul. It felt more like I was getting it back.

I rubbed my temples as if that would make this less real. “Okay. I’ll agree to it.”

His gaze traveled down to my mouth. Was he contemplating kissing me again? Did I want him to? Yes, yes, I did, until he said, “If we do this, just remember this is strictly business. Got it?”

I crossed my arms and forced myself to nod. I needed this arrangement to be practical and logical. I refused to let old feelings get in the way. And I definitely wouldn’t allow him to kiss me again. “You’ve made yourself crystal clear. So, now what?”

“Well…”he spun his ball cap around his head and flipped it backward. “Now, we start playing the part of the happy couple who got a second chance at love. We also need to get you a ring.”

“This is insane, but if you insist, then we can get something cheap.”

“Do you want this to look real or not?”

“Of course I do.”

“Great, because we can’t have you walking around town with one that looks like it came from the Dollar Store. It’s just for show. Don’t overthink it.”

“Oh, trust me. I won’t. While you’re prattling off lists, I have a few of my own.”

He grinned. “I can’t wait to hear them.”

“Number one, we can’t let old feelings get in the way. Number two, we need to remember what this is. And last, we cannot blur any lines. No more kissing unless we are in public and it’s all for show.”

His eyebrow raised. “It sounds like you’re the one who needs those reminders, not me.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

BROOKS

Trees blurred past the windows of my truck as I drove to my parents’ house for Sunday dinner. Harlow was stiff as a board next to me. Her hands were clenched in her lap while I kept one on the wheel and rested the other on the console between us.

“Do you want to pick something on the radio?”

“I’m fine,” she said, which was a total lie. She was the furthest thing from fine.

“You look like you are spiraling over there.” I gestured to where she was, twisting her hands nervously in her lap.

She huffed, trying to laugh it off. “Are you sure your parents don’t hate me?”

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