Page 57 of Chasing A Fake Wedding (Lakeside Love 3)

Chapter 24 - Marcus: Decisions

It had been two weeks since New York and since Maddison had practically denounced her birthright. She was no longer an heiress of an esteemed construction firm. She was just plain old Maddison. Well, to be fair, there was nothing plain about Maddison at all.

She was a ten out of ten, and a pure knockout.

When we had returned home, we spent one last night together and then we went back to our original arrangement. I slept in my room, and she slept in hers. I had grown so accustomed to having her in my arms, it was weird for the first morning waking up without her.

I missed her scent and warmth.

Maddie had been doing okay for the most part. She never spoke of her parents after that day. She focused all her energy on the ranch and worked closely with Danny. But she had been acting weird the last three days. She had been avoiding meeting my eyes, and she kept her responses short enough to not lengthen the conversation, but long enough so she wasn’t being rude.

I hated this new normal we had adapted to.

I didn’t know where her head was at. I wanted to ask her if she wanted to try it with me. If she wanted to make this thing real.

It was comical really. I was nervous about asking my wife out on a date. We had done everything backward. But that was what Maddison, and I were like. We weren’t traditional. We were just us.

I was in the kitchen in the station making myself some coffee when Chief Whitehall walked in.

“Anderson,” he called, “you have a visitor.”

I frowned. “Who?”

“Ashleigh McNeil.”

I paused. I hadn’t spoken to Ashleigh since the kiss which was weeks ago. She had called and texted, and I had avoided every single call. I had made the decision that I would respect Maddie. In order to do that, I needed to keep away from her.

It had been easy because I left for New York, but even there, she tried to contact me. It had been easy when I returned because apparently, she had left for Sandlewood. I had hoped it was because she was moving back, but then a few days after Maddie and I arrived, she arrived, too.

I nodded to the chief and made my way out to the front of the firehouse.

I stopped when I noticed that she had changed her appearance completely. Her hair was a much lighter brown than before, and her clothes were so different from what they used to be. She looked more and more like Sarah.

“Ashleigh?” I called.

She turned around and smiled at me. “Hey, I heard you were back in town.”

My eyes moved up and down her body trying to grapple with whether or not this was her that I was seeing.

“New look?” I asked pointing to her hair. She looked more of a blonde now than she did a brunette.

“Yeah,” she beamed, “do you like it?”

“It doesn’t matter what I like; it’s your body, Ash.” I scratched the back of my neck. “What are you going here?”

That earned me a frown. “I wanted to see you. I didn’t get a chance to talk to you after the kiss.”

“There is nothing to talk about, Ash. It happened, and it was a mistake that I moved on from. And I’m sure, as you know, I am married now.”

She took a step forward. “Yeah, but you aren’t happy with her, Marcus. I know you and I can tell that you aren’t happy. You want to be with me. That’s why you kissed me that day.”

“No, I kissed you because I thought you were Sarah.” I ran a hand through my hair. I opened my lips to finally say what I should have said a long time ago. “I don’t feel anything for you, Ash. I know you want me to, but I don’t. I never have, and I never will. I’m in love with Maddison.”

Her jade eyes darkened. “Don’t be stupid, Marcus. I know you like me. You even wanted me when you were with Sarah, but you never wanted to admit it. I saw the way you looked at me. The way you would care for me. I was the one you wanted all along.”

“Ash, you are confused. I was nice to you because you were Sarah’s sister. There was nothing romantic between us. You and I both know that.”

“Stop lying!” Her voice carried all the way to the inside of the firehouse. “You love me, Marcus, the same way I love you. You never loved any of them the same as you loved me. We both know that.”

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