Page 93 of Faking I Do
“We haven’t even gotten married yet and you already want to leave me?” he joked.
“I’m serious. The wedding won’t be real but people will think it is. We’ll need a good reason to separate after. Something believable.”
“Irreconcilable differences?” he suggested.
I shook my head. “That sounds complicated. Maybe you could cheat on me.”
“No.” Bodie stopped in his tracks, letting my hand drop.
I’d continued moving forward, so I turned to face him. “Why not? It’s just pretend.”
“I’m not going to be the cheater. If you want out, you cheat on me.” His jaw set, a hint of anger or hurt flickered in his eyes.
“I can’t cheat on you. I’m the mayor.” What kind of mayor would I be if I cheated on my brand-new husband?
“Well, I’m a deputy sheriff. Cheating’s off the table. Pick something else.”
“Fine. Um, how about we just say that we moved too fast? That we need a little space to catch our breath? Everyone will be so busy keeping up with all the new business in town they won’t even think about us.”
“Fine. We’ll say we moved too fast.”
“That it was a rash decision to get married.” I nodded. “If I come up with something better between now and then I’ll let you know. Does that sound okay?”
“Whatever you think.”
I cast a nervous glance his way. I’d been concerned only about getting the media coverage, hadn’t really thought about what might come next. We rode back to his apartment in silence, the only sound coming from the stereo speakers playing the local country station.
He pulled into the spot next to my truck and cut the engine. “You want to come in?”
Oh, I wanted to come in, all right. I wanted to come in and stay a good long while. All of this pretending had made me realize just how empty my shell of a life had become. On the outside it seemed like I had it all together: the adoring fiancé, the high-profile job, the big plans to save my hometown. But I’d been empty on the inside for a long time. Until my forced time with Bodie had lit me up like the fireworks finale on the Fourth of July.
My fake engagement had been the best thing to happen to me since . . . I tried but I couldn’t think of anything better. As much as I wanted to continue the facade, to keep up pretending that Bodie and I were going to tie the knot for real, time was running out and I needed to untangle my heart from his before I was too far gone.
“I’d better not. I still have so much to do.”
He nodded. “Yeah, I figured.”
I took my time getting out of his truck and switching over to mine, all the while what-ifs and why-nots swirled around in my head, almost making me see stars. Better to leave things like this. If I went in, there was a good chance I’d give in to the feelings all of this pretending with Bodie had stirred up inside. That would only make things harder in the long run.
“So I’ll see you on Saturday?” I asked.
“I’ll be the one in the penguin suit.” He smiled, the kind of smile that made me want to throw my arms around his neck and kiss that smirk right off his lips.
Instead, I responded with a grin of my own. Then I threw the truck in gear and gunned it out of the parking lot before I did something I’d regret. Like fall a little more in love with the man of my dreams. The man I’d convinced to pose as my fake fiancé.
CHAPTER 46
BODIE
A beadof sweat formed on my upper lip. I swabbed at it with the handkerchief Lacey’s dad had given me. I shouldn’t have been nervous. This wasn’t real. It would all be over within the next eight to ten hours. It was like the play I did in fifth grade. I’d stand up on the stage, say my lines, and tomorrow I’d go back to normal life. Whatever the new normal was.
“You ready for this?” Jonah came into the room in a matching rented tux. With my dad and pops in jail, I didn’t have anyone else to ask to be my best man. At least I wouldn’t have to stand out there alone, even if it was only Jonah at my side.
“Can’t wait.” I tried to squash the anxiety blooming in my chest.
“It’s okay to be nervous, man. I puked ten minutes before Amelia walked down the aisle.” Jonah clapped me on the back.
“No shit?” For some reason that made me feel just slightly better.
