Page 125 of The Fiancé Hoax

I bristled, and my stomach rolled. I knew he was trying, but he still believed that Cooper and I weren't right for each other.

“Those girls belong with us, Dad. Please don't try to ruin this.”

“I'm not trying to break you up, Felicity. I know you believe you have something lasting with Cooper. But remember, this whole engagement thing was fake.”

“Not anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“He proposed to me today, Dad.”

He was silent on the other end. Speechless, probably.

“Cooper and I love each other,” I said. “You're just going to have to accept that we’re together.”

He started to protest, but I cut him off.

“I've got to go, Dad. I'll talk to you later.”

I ended the call and hurried to the bathroom where I bent over the toilet to throw up.

I wasn't sure if it was the morning sickness or hearing this terrible news that was making me sick, but I felt awful.

Standing, I rinsed my mouth out, washed my hands, and looked at myself in the mirror.

My heart was pounding. If Cooper lost this case, it would destroy him. It would destroy everything I cared about too.

And it would all be my fault.

I should have stood up to my dad a long time ago. I should have told him that he couldn't control my life. Now his volatile emotions and indiscretion threatened to rip everything apart.

Just when things were starting to go right, this happened.

I walked out of the bathroom slowly. Cooper's and Nick’s voices lofted through the hallway. Nick said goodbye and left, and Cooper closed the front door behind him.

I walked into the foyer, and Cooper's eyes met mine.

His brow was furrowed with worry. He reached for me, and I moved to him. We held each other in silence, each of us hoping for a miracle.

32

COOPER

“It's going to work,” Felicity whispered to me. “It has to.”

On Monday afternoon, I sat in the courtroom between Nick and Felicity.

I wiped my palms on my pants and gave Felicity a smile.

She had been nothing but supportive all weekend, brainstorming ideas and approaches with me, listening, offering suggestions. But above all, knowing she was there for me meant everything.

Marsh had called to apologize about Ruth. I knew he regretted what had happened. Though I was pissed off at him on Saturday, my anger had subsided.

Marsh was a good guy deep down, and he just wanted what was best for his daughter. I could understand that.

I knew he wasn’t trying to hurt me or the case. Unfortunately, his indiscretion had done exactly that.

I met Felicity’s gaze and reached for her hand to squeeze it. She wore her new engagement ring, the real one. The love in her eyes somehow made me feel like everything would work out, even if my brain was telling me there was no way I could win this case.

---