Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
“I hate to break it to you, but you two already skipped several steps. You have a baby.”
“I know, and believe it or not, having a baby hasn’t solved all of our problems.”
“You don’t say,” she muses.
“He is great with Walker, though. And even if it doesn’t work out between us, I know we’re civil enough that we can still make sure he has two supportive, loving parents. Even if they’re not a couple.”
“So what’s stopping you from being a couple? What’s your side of it?”
I frown. “I don’t want to put it all on the line for a guy who loves hockey more than anything else. He’s always going to put hockey first, and I’d be crazy to think he would make room for me in his life.”
Mia reaches out and grips my hand. “Then Jake is an idiot. Want me to talk to him? I could tell Nolan to hit him, too.”
I smile. “No. But to answer your question about the wedding, I think I’m just scared it’s like a time bomb ticking away in the background. Either we figure our shit out before we pretend to tie the knot, or we don’t. Because getting divorced from a fake marriage seems like a really bad way to start a real relationship, you know?”
Mia looks thoughtful. “So you’re saying you want to actually marry him? But the fake wedding is happening too fast?”
I blush just hearing it out loud. “I don’t know. I didn’t say I wanted to get married, exactly. It just feels like we can’t have a normal relationship because we’ve agreed to go through with a wedding in three months. Imagine trying to date somebody with a clear mind when that’s looming on the horizon.”
“You do know. I can see it in your face. Oh my God, dude.” She gets up and hugs me, shaking me around and squealing. “You want to marry him. You so want to marry him,” she whisper yells, shaking me some more.
“Shut up,” I laugh, cheeks burning. “Somebody is going to hear you.”
“Oh no. What ever will we do if somebody hears that you want to marry the man you’re supposed to be marrying in like three months?”
“You know what I mean. And that’s not what I said I wanted.”
“So all we have to do is make him want to marry you? That is so easy. You’re awesome. I’d marry you if I wasn’t already spoken for.”
“Gross,” I laugh.
“What?” she says, poking her hip out and giving me smokey eyes. “You don’t want a piece of this every night.”
“If only I could be so lucky,” I say sarcastically.
Mia looks at her phone. “Oh, shit. I think I’ve passed the safe amount of time to be gone before there’s a risk of the restaurant burning down. Nolan will not be happy with me if he finds out we burned down Taste while he’s away. Then again… he’s pretty sexy when he’s mad. And he likes to take it out on me in the bedroom in the best way.”
I roll my eyes and get up, physically pushing her toward the door. “Out. You’re enjoying all of this way too much. And I’m mad at you for letting me think I was lying to everybody I knew this whole time.”
“You were lying to everybody you knew,” she says sweetly. “You’re really a terrible person.”
“Go!” I say, pushing her out the door and shaking my head.
I smile to myself when I’m alone again with Walker. So everybody knows? Everybody already knew?
I can hardly stop myself from going straight to Jake’s practice and telling him the good news. It is good news, right?
27
JAKE
The guys are all laughing their asses off, drinks in hand. Townies from Frosty Harbor are doing karaoke at the bar’s little stage, and the place is packed. Caroline, Mia, Paisley, and Andi are all at Frosty Harbor’s small theater, watching some romance movie that just came out.
We were all more than happy to let them handle that one on their own.
Besides, all my friends are enjoying this. Too much, probably.
“You really didn’t know we knew?” Nolan asks. “I thought it would be kind of obvious.”
“How would that be obvious?” I ask. “Nobody said a word to me.”
“And how does that feel?” Liam asks. He’s got an arm around his chair, eyes narrowed.
Okay, slight correction. All the guys but Liam have been laughing and enjoying this. He’s clearly still pissed. Not that I blame him. As soon as Caroline called and told me what she learned from Mia, the news was everywhere. We knew, so everybody could stop acting like they didn’t.
“I was honestly trying to do you all a favor,” I say. Somebody at another table whoops loudly and the waitress appears with a tray of more beers. A group of young girls are waving our way.