Page 31 of Pretend

“Why are we in this line?” Morgan found herself asking as he tightened his hold around her hand and started moving, leaving her with no choice but to grab hold of the rope handrail as she followed him onto the bridge.

“Because I need to grab something in town and I thought you’d want to take in the local scenery along the way and get a closer look at the river,” Eric said as they slowly made their way across the bridge that wouldn’t stop swaying. “What do you think?”

“That you should probably move faster,” Morgan said hollowly as she glanced over her shoulder to find a family of six waiting their turn.

“And miss this view?” Eric asked with a sad shake of his head as he did the unthinkable.

He stopped.

“Please don’t do this to me, Eric,” Morgan managed to get out as she tightened her hold around the rope as she glanced from the water rushing beneath them to the man standing next to her, looking as though he didn’t have a single care in the world.

“This would probably be a good time to go over the rules,” he said as Morgan shot a panicked look behind her to find that family of six blocking her only means of escape.

“What rules?” Morgan absently asked, nervously licking her lips as she glanced from the family that looked like they were seconds away from joining them back to the man that had clearly lost his mind.

“The rules that will allow us to fully enjoy our honeymoon,” Eric said, releasing her hand so that he could grab hold of the rope handrail as he took in the view below, leaving her with no choice but to grab hold of the rope with both hands.

“It’s not really a honeymoon,” Morgan pointed out, only to tighten her hold on the rope, swallow hard, and mumble, “We’re going to die,” when he shifted, causing the bridge to gently sway in a way that her stomach didn’t agree with.

“Now, where were we?” Eric asked with a satisfied sigh.

“The rules?” Morgan offered with a hopeful smile that turned strained when the bridge started to bounce ever so slightly.

“First,” Eric murmured, reaching into his pocket and pulled out the small black box that had her heart skipping a beat, “we should probably put this back where it belongs to make this easier for you.”

“Make this easier?” Morgan asked hollowly as she struggled not to panic and-

“To adore me.”

“There is something seriously wrong with you,” Morgan said, shaking her head in wonder as she watched Eric reach for her hand.

“Which is why you adore me,” Eric said as he slid the small ring back on her finger, leaving her feeling…

Whole.

There was no other way to describe it.

Since she took the ring off her finger last night, she’d felt like a piece of her was missing, and now…

She had no idea why he was doing any of this, but she planned on finding out what the devious bastard was up to and she knew damn well that he was up to something.

She couldfeelit.

“Which is why I don’t want you to give up Baker House,” she said, getting to the point.

“It’s already settled,” Eric said, shrugging it off like it was no big deal when they both knew that it was a very big freaking deal.

“Eric-”

“No mentioning Baker House,” he said, making her narrow her eyes on him.

Slowly nodding, Morgan said, “Fine. Then, you can’t talk about Amber or any of your failed relationships, including wondering why none of them worked out or why you keep screwing up your life,” knowing that he would break quickly and give her the opportunity that she needed to beat some sense into him.

“Fair enough,” Eric murmured as he slowly nodded. “Then, I’m going to need you to hold my hand.”

“Umm, why do I need to hold your hand?” Morgan couldn’t help but wonder.

“How else are you going to look at me adoringly?” Eric asked as his gaze flickered to her.

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