Page 30 of My Fakish Fiancé

I joined her on the bed, and there were at least two feet of space between us.

"How are you handling everything?" I asked after a moment of awkward silence.

"I'm okay, excited to be in Orlando, and happy it's with you, but I am a bit nervous about dinner. What are we going to tell your parents?"

I shrug before realizing she probably couldn't see them.

"Let's get our story straight. Your parents were more worried about us being together and how it looked to the club's people, no offense. They only asked a few questions about our background. But, knowing my parents, they are going to grill us about everything. I'll be honest, though. Scott knows that it's all pretend."

Erica looked at me and nodded, "At least around Scott, we won't have to fake anything then."

She had a point.

We spent the rest of the hour getting on the same page about our story before Erica headed into the bathroom to change while I changed in our room.

As I changed, the only thing on my mind was that I hoped my parents would buy our relationship.

Chapter Ten

Erica

AaronandInaileddown the lies we would tell about our relationship. We covered how we started dating, how he proposed, and the biggest question, why we kept our relationship a secret. Now we need to sell it to Aaron's family. I'm glad that at least Scott knows. Keeping up a facade will take a lot of work to do one hundred percent of the time. At least with Scott, we can let our hair down and relax.

I step into the room from the bathroom, and Aaron gives me the once-over slowly. Was that desire I saw in his eyes? I'm sure I'm mistaken. Aaron has never looked at me that way in all the years I've known him. We have been friend-zoned since we were in diapers together.

"You look amazing," Aaron says.

I blush. "Thank you, you look pretty great yourself. Are you ready for our big performance, director?"

I smile at him mischievously. His cheeks bloom, and he nods as we hold hands and walk out of our room, ever the loving couple.

"Ah, there they are!" I hear Aaron's mother exclaim. "If we leave now, we can make our reservation on time."

"Honey, we are just going down to the hotel restaurant. We have plenty of time to get there." Aaron's dad is the most patient man I have ever known, never in a hurry.

"I heard the steakhouse in the hotel is one of the best in Orlando. I think I'm getting a nice porterhouse." Scott claps his hands and licks his lips, and we all laugh.

"That sounds good," Aaron chimed in.

We decide to go to the restaurant early to have drinks and chat before our reservation.

I'm so nervous as I order a dirty martini. Aaron's mother keeps looking at me suspiciously, or I could be misreading her squinting eyes that keep looking in my direction. I stay close to Aaron, afraid that if we separate, she will corner me and get the truth. I'm not a very good liar.

We chat about what we are going to do while we are here. I voted for Disney World, having never been. There are some outlet stores Aaron's mother mentioned, and of course, the men want to play golf.

"Maybe we should try Eagle Creek Golf Course," Aaron's dad suggests, and the boys give a resounding yes.

Our party was announced then, and we followed the waiter to our table. The view from the restaurant overlooked a lake, which was stunning as the sun started to set. The orange fireball reflected off the water, showcasing a pair of beautiful geese floating lazily with the current.

We order more drinks and appetizers. I order a petite sirloin with scallops, and the men all order porterhouse steaks. Aarons's mother orders a salad. I'll always need to understand the older generation. Women have been brainwashed that they shouldn't eat an authentic meal when they are out. Have a steak if that is what you want. I stay in shape with yoga and pilates and eat what I want. I'm not allowing any man to shame me into eating a salad. I'll kick him to the curb before that happens.

Aaron squeezes my hand under the table, preparing for the interrogation to begin. I squeeze back as I start on my second martini. Once the appetizers and drinks are delivered, the first question comes from Aaron's mother.

"Aaron, why have you kept your engagement and relationship with Erica a secret from us this whole time? It doesn't make any sense to us."

Aaron clears his throat and begins the lie. "When we started dating, we both decided that if we were going to give this a real shot, we needed to keep it to ourselves. We didn't want our families to be involved and push us to be together, and if we broke up, it would be awkward. We wanted to see how things progressed without any input." Aaron's dad and brother nod while his mother still has questions in her eyes.

"And why keep the engagement a secret? Obviously, you two worked out.

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