Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 93578 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 468(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93578 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 468(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
She laughed. “That’s good, because now that I know the whole thing was a scam and you’re not really engaged to a billionaire at all, you’ll probably be working it for a while.”
EIGHTEEN
HUTTON
“So how’s it going?” my sister asked as she cleaned up the post-breakfast kitchen mess. “I haven’t even seen you since you got back from New York. You ignore me now that you have a fiancée.”
“Sorry.” I was sitting at her kitchen table watching the kids play in the yard through the window.
“Looks like you guys had fun. I saw some pictures.”
I folded my arms over my chest. “We had fun. Despite the people who felt it necessary to intrude on our privacy and take photos.”
“The ones I saw were good.” She collected some more dirty plates from the table. “I mean, you knew people were going to be interested. The love lives of celebrities sell.”
“But it’s fucking annoying. I don’t want to be a celebrity. And Felicity didn’t ask for that kind of attention.”
Allie shrugged. “No, but it sort of comes with the territory. She knows who you are.”
She did. She knew me better than anyone. Why was I mad at her for it?
“Quite a ring you gave her.”
“Yeah.”
“Have you guys settled on a date yet?”
“No.”
She wiped off the table with a sponge. Then she stood there with her hands on her hips. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” I clenched my jaw a little tighter.
“Is it the hearing?”
“That’s a lot of it.”
“So what’s the rest of it?”
I averted my gaze out the window again. The kids were drawing with sidewalk chalk on the cement in front of the garage.
“You know I’ll get it out of you.”
“Maybe I’m dreading that stupid engagement party.”
“Hutton! You’re not supposed to know about that.”
“Too late.”
“Who told you?”
“Felicity. She heard it from her sister that works at Abelard, because unlike my family, her family knows how much I hate parties and gave us a warning.”
Allie tossed the sponge in the sink and sat down at the table, flashing her palms at me like she was innocent. “It was not my idea, okay? But Mom consulted some crazy celestial calendar that said to throw a party on that date. When she found out it was available, she took it as a sign from the stars.”
“Of course she did.”
“Is that really what’s bothering you?”
I exhaled, wishing I was outside drawing with chalk instead of in here under the microscope. “There’s just a constant loop of negative shit running through my brain, okay?”
“They’re just thoughts. You don’t have to give them power.”
“Don’t go therapist on me. I don’t fucking need it right now.”
“Okay, okay.” Her tone softened and she sat back. “I just want to help.”
I dug in deeper. “You can’t help.”
“All right. Then I’ll just say I’m really proud of you for having the guts to finally admit your feelings for Felicity and asking her to marry you. I know how hard that must have been. And I think you made the perfect choice. She’s really amazing.”
She was amazing. Goddammit.
“She’s so good for you,” Allie went on. “She’s always understood you so well. You really need someone who’s a safe place, someone to ground you. But also someone who can stand up to you when it’s necessary.”
“I know,” I snapped. I didn’t need to be told Felicity was one in a million. This wasn’t helping.
“I’m just so glad you got out of your head and told her how you feel before it was too late. I mean, it took you long enough—but also, it came out of nowhere. One minute you won’t even go to a reunion, and the next—poof, you’re getting married.”
I looked at her. “Allie.”
“Yes?”
It was so obvious. “You know.”
“Know what?” She blinked innocently at me. “That your sudden engagement is totally ridiculous? That it was a ploy to get Mom off your back? That you two are actually in love but somehow feel more comfortable faking it? Which thing that I know should we talk about first?”
“Fuck. Why didn’t you say something?”
“What good would that have done? You two clearly had your reasons, you’re consenting adults, and people work out their shit in different ways. I just figured this was your way of finally crossing the line without fear. If you could call it all for show, it was less pressure.” She grinned. “Plus, it was a riot to watch you two react that morning at your house.”
I groaned. “I can’t believe you knew. You made us take all those pictures! You made us kiss.”
“I know.” She chuckled. “So did you guys plant the story yourselves?”
“Not exactly.” Taking a deep breath, I launched into the story—how Felicity had blurted it out at the reunion, how she’d asked me to come rescue her, how the story had leaked, and how I’d convinced her to keep up the act.