Page 11 of Pretend

That’s when she panicked. It was also right around the time that she realized that she had nothing left to lose and decided that it was now or never. That led to her grabbing the black cocktail dress that she bought a few years ago on impulse, doing her hair and make-up, and after that, it took Morgan another hour to work up the courage to get in her car and make her way to the incredibly expensive restaurant that Amber’s parents reserved for the dinner rehearsal.

The entire drive over there, Morgan focused on one thing, finally telling Eric the truth so that by the time that she walked into that restaurant, she was ready to say the words that she’d been struggling to hold back for years, and that’s when she saw Amber. She-

“There’s just one more thing that we need to handle before we go to the hotel,” Eric said, drawing her attention to find him watching her with a look in his eye that didn’t bode well for her.

Not. At. All.

CHAPTER7

“You’re not getting out of this,” Eric said as the small woman that refused to share her neck pillow with him reached up and pushed her glasses back up her adorable little nose as she continued glaring up at him.

Morgan didn’t say anything, but then again, he didn’t expect her to. There was no getting out of this and they both knew it, but the stubborn little pain in the ass was determined to fight this thing until the very end. That was fine with him. More than fine, in fact, because he’d been prepared for this.

When he didn’t say anything, the little pain in the ass asked, “Shouldn’t we make our way to the hotel and get some much-needed sleep?” Morgan suggested, looking really fucking hopeful.

“As soon as we’re done here,” Eric said, folding his arms over his chest as he leaned back against the wall and waited to see how this thing would play out.

She’d either try to make a run for it or…

He watched Morgan lick her lips nervously as her eyes darted to the large window and locked on the taxi waiting to bring them to their hotel. That was followed by Morgan swallowing hard as she reached up and adjusted her backpack over her shoulder as she took a step back and-

“You don’t have any money and you don’t know where we’re staying,” Eric reminded her as he watched Morgan go still seconds before her eyes narrowed dangerously on him. That was followed by muttering to herself, some grumbling, and then, finally, turning around with a heavy sigh and resigning herself to doing what she hated more than anything in this world.

Shopping.

For several minutes, Eric stood there, watching as Morgan reluctantly made her way around the store, pouting every fucking inch of the way, but he didn’t miss the way that her eyes kept darting over to the section of dresses in the back corner. After he’d dragged her in here, he’d watched as she’d nervously glanced around the store, noting all the exits, only to hesitate when she spotted the white summer dress hanging on the wall.

He'd noted the look of longing on her face before she went back to finding all the exits, making him wonder why she was always so damn stubborn. He watched as she sent one last wistful look at the taxi waiting outside for them before she made her way to the shorts section, pouting every fucking step of the way.

So. Fucking. Adorable.

For several minutes, Eric stood there, absently running his thumb over the black wedding band on his finger as he watched her, surprised by how comforting the weight was and refused to look too much into that as he noted all the dresses that caught Morgan’s attention. He watched as her eyes landed on a baby blue summer dress when she grudgingly grabbed a pair of white shorts. He watched the way that her eyes darted to the baby pink dress as she grabbed a pair of black shorts and the way that she looked at the floral dress when she moved onto the section of tank tops.

She really was a stubborn pain in the ass, Eric thought, grabbing one of the canvas bags by the register and made his way around the store, grabbing everything that she was going to need for the cruise and putting it in the bag. He didn’t bother asking her what her size was because he knew better. She would never tell him, but that was fine. More than fine because he’d taken it upon himself to check the ruined black cocktail dress that she’d abandoned on his bathroom floor this morning before she raided his closet.

As he moved around the store, grabbing dresses, camisoles, nightgowns, and all the other shit that she was going to need for the cruise, Eric felt Morgan glaring at him and couldn’t help but smile. There was just something about pissing off the small woman that meant the world to him that brought a smile to his face.

She always made everything better, Eric thought, glancing over his shoulder in time to watch her angrily snatch an ugly one-piece bathing suit off a rack along with an oversized tee-shirt and baggy shorts and couldn’t help but sigh. Wondering why she had to make everything difficult, Eric walked over to the swimsuits and grabbed a black two-piece, and then, just because he knew that it would piss her off, he grabbed the matching white one as well and shoved it in his bag before moving on to the panties and-

“Don’t even think about it,” came the harshly whispered warning as the woman that was most likely going to try to shove him into oncoming traffic shot him a look that had his balls pulling up tight and deciding that perhaps it would be better to leave this part up to her.

Clearing his throat, Eric shifted his attention to the sandals and picked out a couple of pairs that he thought she would like before he made his way to the register and placed his bag on the counter. As the cashier took her time pulling each item out, scanning it and carefully folding it before placing it in a bag, he found himself watching Morgan as she made quick work of grabbing what she needed and-

Christ, he’d be lost without her.

This past year alone, she’d saved his ass, making sure that Bradford Remodeling ran smoothly. She’d taken over all the bullshit of running the office so that he could lose himself in his work. When she kept taking on more jobs, ensuring that he was forced to stay late and come in on his days off, he’d never been more thankful for anything in his fucking life.

That should have been the first fucking clue that he was making a mistake. While Amber had been bitching and demanding to know why he was working so much, Eric had been happy for the reprieve from her bullshit. Thanks to all the work Morgan had been able to get them, he’d been able to pay for this trip and finally had enough saved to buy Baker House.

The fact that the only time that he felt like he wasn’t going to lose his fucking mind over the past year was when he was with Morgan should have clued him into the fact that he’d made a mistake. He just-

“Just so you know, we are no longer speaking,” Morgan said as she dumped her canvas bag on the counter and had him sighing heavily because this was just fucking sad. He ignored the surprisingly sexy panties and bras and focused on grabbing all the oversized shit that didn’t fit her and put it aside. She didn’t say anything, but then again, there was no need to when that glare said it all.

Once he paid, and he ignored the little brat’s demand to have her wallet back so that she could pay for her own clothes, Eric grabbed all the bags and led the way back to the taxi. After five minutes of rearranging all the bags, it quickly became apparent that they had another problem.

Well, a problem for Morgan since he had no problem having her curled up on his lap. With that in mind, Eric said, “Looks like we’re gonna have to double up,” releasing a heartfelt sigh as he climbed into the backseat and when she didn’t move her ass fast enough, he patted his lap.

“I could sit in the front?” Morgan suggested, licking her lips nervously as she threw a hopeful look at the front passenger seat, only to grumble when she saw the fast-food wrappers and old soda bottles taking up the space.

---