Page 61 of The Fiancé Hoax

“Yes, that’s all for today. Have a good evening, everyone,” Inga said with a smile. She gave the girls a hug, and they told her goodnight.

“Bye, Inga. Thanks for your help,” I said.

When she was gone, the girls turned back to me.

“Please, Daddy,” Lily begged. “Can't Felicity take us today?”

I shook my head. “No, Felicity has things to do. I'll take you to dance class like I always do.”

“It's okay,” Felicity said. “I don't mind. Really.”

“Yay!” Eva and Lily high-fived.

I turned to Felicity. “Are you sure? I know you have a lot on your plate with the boutique.”

“I'm positive. This will be a nice break from working on ad campaigns.” She laughed.

“Okay.” I rubbed my jaw. “I could catch up on some work while you're gone and then meet you guys at the diner afterward.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Felicity fished her keys out of her purse as the girls pulled her toward the front door. I grabbed the girls’ dance bags and walked with them to Felicity’s car.

“Did you notice we're wearing the stuff we made to class?” Eva asked, tugging on my hand.

“I did notice,” I said. “You two look awesome.”

Eva was wearing her purple and yellow outfit to her hip-hop dance class. Lily took ballet, and she wore a leotard with the pink skirt Felicity had helped her create. A fairy skirt, I had been informed.

I had already bought child car seats to keep in Felicity’s car, and I watched as she carefully strapped them in.

I had offered to buy her a new vehicle, but she’d refused. So I’d insisted on taking the Plymouth to my mechanic to make sure it wouldn’t break down on the highway.

“Bye, Daddy!”

“Bye, girls. Be on your best behavior for Felicity.”

She smiled at me and got in the driver's seat. “See you soon.”

I watched as she drove down the driveway. For the thousandth time that week, my heart flipped over.

I made my way upstairs to my office, smiling to myself as I walked. Felicity was making the girls' lives better. There was no doubt about that.

But we were getting really deep into this thing. Eva and Lily were getting more attached to her all the time. And it had only been three weeks since she moved in.

It was easy to think the four of us would go on like this forever. Having Felicity with us in the house felt so normal, so natural.

But this was all based on a little white lie. Or a big one, depending on how you looked at it.

Either way, Felicity and I were not in a real relationship. I had to keep reminding myself she wasn't always going to be a part of our lives.

The guilt about how it might affect the girls was overwhelming. Maybe I was setting the girls up for heartbreak. But it was too late to change things now.

I had just over two months until the custody hearing. The girls and I could get through a few more weeks. Maybe we wouldn't get through unscathed, but at least we'd be together in the end.

Without Felicity.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and sat down at my desk. Pushing away my worries, I threw myself into my work.

An hour later, I walked into our favorite diner. I spotted Felicity and the girls at a table in the back, chatting excitedly.

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