Page 80 of Boss's Baby: A Fake Fiance Romance

Then silence. Thankfully, Dad chose that moment to arrive.

“Ah, the Martens. So good to see you all.” He picked up on the tone of the room right away. “Is something wrong?”

Mark didn’t waste any time getting into it. “Your son wants me to move my car. Says it’s doesn’t fit in with the ‘vibe.’”

“Did you say that, Sam?”

“I simply thought it would be weird to have a car like that parked out front.”

Dad stepped over and looked out the window. “Ah, an ’85 Lincoln Mark VII. Hell of a car. Haven’t seen one in that good of shape, though.”

Mark was as shocked as the rest of us. “You know your cars?”

Dad tilted his head to the side. “A little here and there. Enough to know a good one when I see it. Sam, let the man park his car wherever he wants.”

“But, Dad—”

“Matter’s settled. I want our guests to feel welcome, and you’re doing the exact opposite of that.”

Sam didn’t say another word. And I liked it that way. Kid was being a brat.

“Now,” said Dad. “Let’s all get a drink. There’s something else I’d like to discuss before we get on with our evening.”

I could tell by Dad’s tone of voice that it was important, whatever it was. He led the group out of the entrance and toward the study. Cass lagged behind, and I quickly hurried to get her attention and keep her back.

“Hey.” I waited until the rest of the group had gone before continuing. “You OK? Something seems up with you.”

“Oh, huh? I’m fine. What’re you talking about? I mean, I might be a little tired.” That wasn’t a good sign—in my experience when someone offered up an excuse right away, it meant they were telling a lie.

“Are you sure? Because it’s important that we’re in communication all the time. If there’s anything I need to know, I want you to tell me.”

She glanced away and shook her head. “Nothing. The usual.”

“Promise?”

Her eyes stayed downcast. “Promise.”

I didn’t like it. Made me feel like I’d finally become one of the ones being lied to.

But I had to let it go, leading her from the room. After all, we had the evening of all evenings to worry about.

Chapter 35

JOSH

Dad did his best to make small talk, but my mind was a million miles away. All I could think about was what was going on with Cass—because something was definitely going on. And the looks from Katie only made me more certain. I couldn’t figure out if she wanted to scream at me or what, but there was some definite dagger-shooting coming from her direction.

Luckily, Cass’s parents kept the conversation flowing. And between them and Dad, they didn’t notice the serious tension between me and Katie and Cass and Sam. I had a bad feeling about what was going on. It felt like things were coming to a head, like we were in the middle of a situation that wasn’t going to hold.

Mark sipped his beer and set it aside. “Now, nice as it is chatting, you said that we needed to talk about something important. I’m not a man for dancing around things, so let’s hear it.”

“Ah, yes.” Dad set down his drink. The bad feeling I had continued. “It’s the matter of the wedding.”

“What about it?” asked Linda. “Did you want to have it sooner rather than later?”

“I believe that’s up to the bride and groom. But it’s not the timetable that I’m thinking about—it’s the ceremony itself. Specifically, how it’s going to be paid for. Who’s going to be paying for it.”

Cass and I shared a knowing, concerned look—it was the first time I’d felt like I’d been on the same wavelength as her since she’d shown up. But it wasn’t exactly a happy moment. We both knew where this was going.

“That’s simple,” said Mark, sitting up. “I’m the father of the bride, and the father of the bride pays for the wedding.”

Her mom chimed in. “I was thinking maybe we could have it at the house. Maybe a nice little backyard ceremony.”

Dad shifted uneasily in his seat. “I appreciate the sentiment. And I know that you are both are eager to contribute what you can.”

“But there’s the matter of appearances,” said Sam. “And that’s most certainly not the sort of appearance we’re looking for.”

The temperature of the room went ice cold. Mark’s face turned hard, but he didn’t say a word.

“I want to take care of the wedding,” said Dad. “Money’s not an object. Whatever Cass and Joshua decide on, that’s what they’ll get. They want to have the wedding here, they can have it here. They want to have it in New York, that’s fine. They want to fly to Paris and do it under the damn Eiffel Tower, that’s fine with me. But it needs to be a wedding that goes down as one of the best. Only fitting for my son and the love of his life.”

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