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“No one is calling anything off. What are you doing here?” Shouldering past him into the room, I don’t wait for his response and address my father, “You summoned me?”
“Yes. Christopher was in anaccident.”
Looking back at Alex, I gulp. “Is he okay?”He better be, my plans depend on it.
Father pauses and lets out a long, almost exaggerated breath, pulling my attention back to him. He lowers his head for a moment before his stoic expression and stiff posture returns. “I’m sorry. He’s not coming.”
Mother rushes to me, pulling me into a tight embrace as she whispers, “Don’t let him cancel it. We have to find a way to fix this.”
Quickly stepping out of her hold, my brows pinch. “If he was in an accident, why don’t we just postpone?”
“Because we can’t disclose how my brother got into said accident. The story will be that he stood you up,” Alex replies, though he’s less smug about his suggestion than I expect. He actually sounds…sorry?Hell must’ve frozen over; this man has been nothing but a thorn in everyone’s side since he took office. Not only does he not vote with his brother on a single policy issue, but based on his approval rating, it’s blatant to all of us that he’s making his own moves for the executive branch. He should be elated by a chance to take Chris down; none of this makes sense.
Also, how can those golden flecks in his hazel eyes still draw me in after well over a decade?
I’m still unsure why he’s here and not his father. Even more curious is why he can’t keep his eyes off me. My skin is on fire under his gaze, and I can’t seem to keep mine to myself, either.
With my jaw tight, I bite back my words and keep my composure. Mother is right. It would ruin me if the storyis that Chris stood me up—it’s bad enough some tabloids have dubbed me an ice queen. The safest route is to echo her sentiment. “If you need to sweep the accident under the rug, we need to find another way.”
Alex’s lips tilt up in a half-smile, and my eyes briefly fall to them before I catch myself. There is absolutely nothing humorous about any of it, and I hate that he’s enjoying this. He briefly hums and asks, “Do you actually want to marry my brother?”
His tone isn’t accusatory, but I still pierce him with a cold glare and dramatic scoff. “Of course.” I have no desire to participate in whatever game he’s playing.
He nods thoughtfully. “Then, marryme?” His words steal my breath yet again. The suggestion is absurd, but somehow Alex’s odd proposal feels more honest than Chris’. A public relations company staged our engagement—the time, the location… all of it. Unlike today, everything was executed with precision.
“What?” Mother laughs. “You?Don’t be ridiculous, Alexander. It would be a bigger scandal than your brother’s accident. Absolutely not.”
“She’s right. You’re a damn playboy, not to mention the wrong side of the aisle. You’d ruin her life,” Father seethes.
“Just as a stand-in for Chris. No one would know it’s me,” Alex explains, raising his hands in surrender. “Jaclyn briefly thought I was him when I opened the door; it’s not a stretch. So, I marry her in the ceremony. Everyonethinks I’m Chris, and we say ‘Alex’ had an emergency. The only one who saw me here was your secret service detail, so as far as everyone else is concerned, I’m not here.”
My plans are in flames. After all these years of avoiding each other, why would Alex do this? I can’t marry him, even if he’s only pretending to be Chris. I’ll have to lie to my friends, our families… to God. We were both brought up in the church; he has to know vows aren’t empty words.
No, I can’t do this.
“Their marriage certificate is already signed,” he continues, “except for the officiant and witnesses, correct? So, she’ll be married to Christopher, his accident remains a secret, and you—” He pivots to face me, and arrogance drips off him as he purrs, “You, princess, will get your happily ever after.” His words are a twisted knife to my heart. He has to know this is just an arrangement, not a happily ever after for me.
I thought agreeing to marry Chris would be like marrying someone like Alex, but the twins share no emotional similarities. It’s been years since Alex and I were friends—though I secretly wanted more. Even now, he’s one of only a few people who really understands me. My childhood was spent on campaign trails, making it difficult to be able to maintain true friendships. It was lonely—still is. If only Alex and I could’ve remained close, perhaps he wouldn’t be so aloof about this?
Perhaps if I hadn’t listened to my family, Chris wouldn’t be in the picture, and I would be marrying Alex instead…
“That’s… actually brilliant. It’ll smother the scandal for now. She’ll do it,” Mother accepts before I even have a moment to register what she’s agreed to.
“It could work,” Father adds, void of emotion and smoothing his beard. “As long as it’s temporary.”
Small laugh lines appear at the corner of Alex’s eyes; he’s enjoying this far too much.
“We don’t have much time. Alex, go find Lisa. For it to work, none of us breathes a word of this... or the accident,” Mother announces indignantly.
“Will anyone tell me what’s going on? Where is Chris? Where was the accident? Was he hurt?” My questions come out in rapid succession, glancing between the three of them. Father gives me a knowing look—he’ll never tell me. My gaze lowers in submission.
Unfortunately, given my current predicament, marrying Alex appears to be the only viable option for a chance at creating my own happiness. It isn’t as if it matters what I want; if it’s my father’s wish, I’ll be marrying Alex within the hour.
“From this moment forward,” Mother tells Alex, “you’re Christopher Blake. At least until Jerry and your father say otherwise. Is that understood?”
“Hold on,” I shout at the same time as Alex replies, “Yes, ma’am.”
Everyone is talking, and my ears are ringing; all I see are lips moving. My whole body silently vibrates, my heart racing to escape my chest, as I pray this is all just a bad dream.
