Page 11 of Dating Your Fake Fiance
He's dressed, and thankfully his nose is no longer bleeding. There is some slight bruising under each eye forming.
“I know that how we got together wasn’t honest to others, but what I feel for your daughter is real. I care very much for her, and I would never do anything to hurt her.”
I'd long since given up needing my parents' approval for how I lived my life, but there was still a part of me that felt relief when my father stood up and walked over to Charlie.
"I'm going to hold you to that," he says, holding his hand out to him.
Charlie doesn’t blink an eye and takes my father’s hand, but he has no idea what this means. My father doesn't take to people easily. He told me once that putting up walls around him helped keep people from trying to take advantage of him and the family's money. But Charlie's straightforward honesty and confidence to lay everything out on the table to two people he didn't have to might have been enough to win him some favor in my father's eyes.
He already has my heart, but he earned even more. His declaration wasn’t just for my parents. It was for me too.
“That’s it?” my mother asks, standing up and glaring at my father. “What are we supposed to tell people?”
“It's none of their business," he tells her. "They will talk either way, and then they will move on to the next juicy piece of gossip and focus on that. But in the meantime, I think that we should get out of here and leave these two alone.”
My mother storms out without another word, and my father follows after her, mumbling about how he's going to pay for that later.
"Well, those were my parents,” I say, unable to hold back the bubble of laughter that erupts out of me.
“I’m looking forward to them meeting my parents," he chuckles. "It's going to make for some exciting holidays going forward."
I wrap my arms around his waist, and he pulls me close. “Can’t wait.”
7
DANA
News of our fake engagement did eventually get out, but as my father said, people moved on pretty quickly when Buffy and Chip were seen leaving a marriage counselor's office. I felt a bit guilty after my mother told me about that piece of gossip, but it was short-lived. My new plan is to focus on myself and what I can control in my life. Everything else is just water off a duck's back.
It's been a couple of weeks since Charlie and I officially became a couple, and it's been wonderful, but he had to go back home for his brother's homecoming party for the weekend. I was supposed to go, but a last-minute rush order came in that I couldn't pass up. Thankfully Charlie was very understanding.
The business has really picked up since the reunion despite my little scandal. I guess my desserts are good enough to overlook the lie. Besides, I'm dating my fake fiancé anyway. It wasn't like he was some gigolo that I hired to play the part.
The bell on the bakery door rings out, and I look up to see Charlie standing with a suitcase in hand.
“Your back!” I cry out in excitement and run into his arms. “I missed you.”
“Me too, babe. It wasn’t the same not having you there.”
“Did the cake go over well?”
Charlie chuckles and nods. “You could say it set in motion something that was years in the making.”
I tilt my head in curiosity at him. “What does that mean?”
“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later. Maybe after I try out your new butter tart brownies.” He looks around me toward the dessert case. "I've been dreaming about these since you texted me a picture yesterday."
“All sold out.” I shrug.
His face falls for a moment before he realizes I'm kidding. "That's cute. You're just lucky I love you so much, or I might have had to punish you.”
"Two things," I say, holding up my hands to stop him. "One, we will be circling back around to that punishment part later." Charlie wiggles his eyebrows at me suggestively. "And two, youwhatme?"
“I was hoping you’d catch that,” he says, leaning in to kiss me, but he stops just before my lips. “I love you.”
I bounce with excitement on my toes. “You love me? Like, for real or because I keep your butter tart addiction going?”
“I’d love you even if you never baked me a butter tart again.”
