Page 19 of Claiming the Fake Boyfriend
Whispers ripple through the room. Amber's eyes glisten with unshed tears, her cheeks flushed.
"Tucker," she whispers, "you don't have to—"
"I do," I interrupt gently. "Because I need everyone to know that this isn't fake. It never was, not really." I cup her cheek, uncaring of our audience. "You knocked down every wall I had, Amber Hill. You walked into my life and suddenly all those defenses I built didn't matter anymore."
A tear slips down her cheek. I brush it away with my thumb.
"You're it for me," I finish simply. "The only woman I want. For as long as you'll have me."
The restaurant is utterly silent now. I'm distantly aware of Callie retreating,of the waiter grinning from the hostess stand. But all I really see is Amber, looking at me like I've given her something precious.
"I love you," she says suddenly, the words bursting from her as if she can't contain them anymore. "I know it's crazy and fast and probably stupid, but I do. I love you."
Joy explodes in my chest, bright and overwhelming. "Not stupid," I manage. "Perfect. Because I love you too."
I pull her into my arms and kiss her, right there in the middle of The Copper Kettle with half the town watching. She melts against me, her arms winding around my neck as she rises on her toes to meet me.
When we break apart, laughing and slightly breathless, I press my forehead to hers. "Well, that's one way to announce we're official."
"Go big or go home, right?" she teases, her eyes bright with happiness.
"Speaking of home," I murmur, just for her ears, "what do you say we get our breakfast to go? I suddenly have an appetite for something else entirely."
Her laughter is the most beautiful sound I've ever heard. "The Scandalous Mr. Hughes strikes again."
"Only for you," I promise, stealing another quick kiss. "From now on, only for you."
As we collect our to-go order and walk hand-in-hand back toward my loft, autumn leaves dancing around our feet and the town buzzing with fresh gossip behind us, I realize something profound: for the first time in my life, I don't mind being known. Being seen. Being vulnerable.
Because with Amber, I'm not Whitetail Falls' notorious heartbreaker anymore.
I'm just a man who found exactly what he didn't know he was looking for—in a coffee spill, a fake date, and the curve of her smile when she looks at me like I'm her happy ending.
And I am. We are.
Epilogue – Amber
Two Years Later
The morning light spills through the loft windows, painting golden streaks across the exposed brick walls. I stir the batter for pumpkin spice muffins and watch Tucker through the kitchen archway as he fusses with the coffee grinder, his brow furrowed in concentration.
"You're staring again," he says without looking up, a smile in his voice.
"Can you blame me?" I set down the mixing bowl and move behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist. "You're very stare-worthy, especially when you're making that intense 'coffee is serious business' face."
He turns in my embrace, catching me close. His morning stubble grazes my cheek as he drops a kiss on my temple. "Big day today. Need the caffeine."
"It's just cake tasting," I remind him, though my stomach flutters with excitement. "Not rocket science."
"Amber Hill, soon-to-be Hughes," Tucker says solemnly, "cake is never 'just' anything. It's the cornerstone of any decent wedding."
I laugh and step back, holding up my left hand where my engagement ring catches the light. The center stone isn't a diamond but a deep amber citrine, surrounded by tiny emeralds that Tucker said reminded him of his eyes meeting mine.
"I thought I was the cornerstone of our wedding," I tease.
Tucker pulls me back, his hands warm on my hips. "You're the cornerstone of everything."
How does he still do this—turn my knees to jelly with a simple sentence? After two years, hundreds of kisses, countless nights wrapped in each other's arms, he can still make me blush like it's the first time.
