Page 20 of Real Fake Husband

This. Was. Fucking. Amazing.

I shot out of the garage like a bat outta hell. I wish I could say I looked cool, though I was sure I did for a few seconds. But again, young and stupid. I managed to get out of the garage and drive half a mile down the road before I took a turn too sharply. The next thing I knew, me and the bike were tipping too far to the right, and in my attempt to straighten it, I overcompensated.

For a brief second, I was airborne, and then I hit the groundhardand rolled away.

“Cal!Cal!”

Miraculously, I wasn’t hurt. Not seriously, anyway. My pride was a little bit, though. I was lucky my head hadn’t hit the ground, or it could have been way worse.

I sat up. “I’m good.”

Theo caught up to me and breathed a sigh of relief. For half a second. “Shit, the bike!”

He helped me to my feet, and we hurried—well, I limped—toward the motorcycle. It was stuck against a lamppost, tires spinning and engine protesting and sputtering angrily. Theo turned it off, and together, we pulled the bike away from the post and propped it back up. Not only was there a dent where it had hit the streetlamp, there was also a huge scrape across the paint on the side that had skidded against the asphalt.

“Oh, God, oh, no,” Theo muttered.

My heart immediately sank. “It’s okay, dude. We can fix it before he gets back.”

“How? I don’t know how to fix it.”

“We’ll figure it out.”

I helped Theo walk the bike back to the parking garage. I realized I was more hurt than I’d initially thought. Every time I put weight on my leg, a sharp pain shot through my knee. I couldn’t focus on that right now. My mind was racing, thinking of how to get us out of this mess. Luckily, his dad wouldn’t be home for a week. We had time.

At least, I thought we did, until we got back and found Gran standing in the open garage (yeah, thanks Earl Grey). She was in her rosé robe, with curlers in her hair, and arms crossed. Not only was I surprised to see her, but the stern expression on her face told me all I needed to know about what she was feeling.

“Callum Maximilian Ashford,” she scolded. “Care to explain what you think you’re doing?”

The memory is as vivid now as it’s always been. Theo and I got in a shitload of trouble. Gran made me call his dad and tell him what I’d done. Then, as a punishment, I had to help him fix the bike by paying for the damage with my pocket money and extra hours of work around the house and garden. Despite all of that, I don’t regret what I did. It was through that whole situation that I developed a love of motorcycles, and I ended up hanging out with my buddy every free chance I had.

“She was so mad,” I recall, getting to my feet. “And then when she learned I enjoyed fixing bikes, I thought she was going to be angry again, but she was supportive.”

“Ehh…to a point,” Theo reminds me. “I remember her not beingthatsupportive when we wanted to ride across the country.”

“She was just worried.” I laugh. “She made me call her at every rest stop.”

Theo chuckles. “Sorry we missed the service, bro. But glad we’re here now.”

I nod and pat him on the back. “You can head on over to the shop. I’ll meet you there.”

Theo inclines his head and doesn’t speak as he leaves. I don’t stick around for too long. I take another minute or two to say my goodbyes, and then I follow.

I’m lighter when I climb back into the car. Now that I’ve said a proper goodbye, I feel better.

Time to move on.

Time to do what I returned home to do.

7

JOSIE

“Josephine Graham!” Her voice is harsh, well, as harsh as Kaylin can get. I feel like I’m being scolded by a parent, which is hilarious, given that she’s younger than me and typically the quiet soul of the place.

“What? Why are you talking to me like a mom?”

She puts her hands on her hips to complete the image. “Icannotbelieve you went along with this crazy scheme.”

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