Page 26 of One and Only

Beckett did not smile. “I’ve always wanted to start a relationship off with threats.”

That somehow made me want to smile more. “All the best ones do, I hear.”

“We have a long way to go before we actually pull this off,” he told me.

“I know.”

He took a step closer. “Any addictions I should be aware of?”

I nodded gravely. “A weakness for baked goods and the never-ending quest to find the perfect dry shampoo.”

“Greer,” he said, tone full of warning.

Slowly, I exhaled, attempting an apologetic smile. “And a horrible tendency to tell a joke when I’m uncomfortable and want a reaction because I don’t know how to break up the rampant tension in the room?”

He swiped a hand over his mouth, eyeing me carefully.

We were standing so close.

He smelled so good.

My tongue itched with the impulse to say something about it, that I never imagined a fake husband smelling so good, but I swallowed it down.

“What about you?” I asked. “You were awfully judgy about one of my best husband options last night, but you could be a total psycho for all I know.”

“He was taking a selfie with theflower.”

Laughter bubbled up dangerously in my chest. But it ebbed away when his face went heartbreakingly earnest.

Beckett.

“The biggest problem you will find with me is that very few people in my life have ever seen me do a single impulsive thing. This, by its nature, is so out of character for me that even I can’t believe I suggested it.”

I tilted my head, sifting through his words.

Objectively, I knew it was meant as a warning.

“That sounds very thorough. And slow. You’ll have to teach me how that works.”

“Yes, I’d imagine it’s a foreign concept for you.” His eyes flickered over my face. “And you… that’s another hurdle we’ll have to cover.”

“Excuseme?”

He licked at his bottom lip. “You, Greer Wilder, are not my type.”

My jaw dropped, an affronted noise slipping out of my mouth. “You’re not my type either, Mr. Quiet and Judgy.”

Beckett arched an eyebrow. “So you see why we have a problem.”

“You worry they won’t buy it,” I offered.

Beckett looked away, then managed a tight nod. His eyes tracked back to mine after a moment. “Don’t you worry the same?”

I shrugged lightly. “My parents got engaged three weeks after they met,” I told him softly. “They justknew. So will they ask? Maybe. But that’s not enough to stop me.”

“You sound really certain that we can pull this off.”

I smiled. “It’s one of my most annoying traits. Ask my siblings.”

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