Page 61 of Faking With You

I chuckle at her dig at her ex-husband. A sales rep joins us, and Isobel gives her the breakdown of what she’s looking for. We follow the rep to the back of the store where she gets us set up with a dressing room. She tells us she’ll be right back, and a few minutes later she returns with a few dresses in her hand. She pulls back the curtain to the dressing room, and I rush in as she follows and hangs the dresses on a hook.

She helps me into the dresses, doing the tough zippers and corsets, and with each dress, I head out to show Isobel. She gushes over them all, but none of them feel exactly right, until we find a purple dress with a sweetheart neckline and slit right up to my upper thigh that only makes itself known when I push my leg through it. I join Isobel and stare at myself in the mirror. It makes me feel elegant and sexy all at the same time. Staring at it, I know that it will make me feel strong in a room full of businessmen all there to show off their wealth and status, two things I don’t have.

I’ve never felt out of place with Mac, he’s never really thrown around his money and he doesn’t talk about it, but I know based on where he lives and the role he has in his father's companyhe at least makes good money. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was a trust fund baby, too, but I don’t know because he’s never mentioned it. The more I think about tomorrow and everything Mac’s mentioned about it, I can’t help but think I’ll be out of place. This dress feels like it can be exactly what Isobel called it, armour.

“I love it,” I say, and she smiles.

“Purple is your colour. You look stunning.”

I head back into the dressing room and slip out of the dress, and the sales rep takes it up front and packages for me while I finish changing back into my own clothes. When I go to pay for the dress, the rep hands it to me in a bag and tells me it’s all been taken care of. I look at Isobel, and she says, “It was Mac’s treat. He wanted you to have something.”

I thank the rep, and she waves as she tells us to have a good day. When we step out onto the sidewalk, I look at Isobel. “I could have bought the dress. Mac didn’t need to.”

She takes my hand and pats it softly. “I know. Mac likes to take care of the people he loves. He’s just taking care of you dear. I’m so happy for you two.” She steps forward and tucks my hair behind my ear, much in the way Mac does sometimes, but this touch is different. It’s almost reverent. “I always prayed my boy would meet a nice girl like you. Someone who would make him stop and smell the roses, enjoy life. I always feared he’d end up too much like his father, and I think he did, until he met you. I haven’t seen him this happy since he was a boy, and I know I owe it all to you. Thank you.”

Her words tear me apart, and I feel the tears hovering at my lash line. I blink, hoping that will push them away, but it just has them dropping, and I feel them slowly run down my cheeks. I brush them away with a hand and look up, trying to gather myself. I wish nothing more for her words to be true. For Mac to love me and for me to be part of the reason he’s happy.

I push all my emotions aside and slip my free arm in hers and let her lead me to our next stop.

CHAPTER 46

Mac

I’m standing in the living room of the flat, finishing my cufflinks, because Eliza refused to let me see her dress before she was ready. I hear the crack of the door, and I turn towards it just in time to see Eliza step out in the most gorgeous purple dress, her hair with a slight curl to it with the front pieces pulled back. When she takes another step towards me, I notice the slit that travels right to the top of her thigh.

“Bloody hell,” I say as I drag my hand down my face.

“You like?” she asks as she does a little spin.

“Eliza, you look... I don’t even have the vocabulary to express how beautiful you look right now.”

She smiles and closes the distance between us. She takes my wrist and the cufflink sitting in my hand and helps me with the final sleeve before her hands slide up my torso and she pinches the collar of my shirt. “You look very handsome as well.”

“Don’t go talking sweet to me now, love. If you keep at it, we just might need to skip this gala.”

She pats her hand against my chest. “There will be none of that because I would like to show this dress off and I’d like for you take me for a spin on that dance floor at least once tonight.”

I smile. “As you wish.”

I offer her my arm, and she delicately slips her hand into the crease of my elbow. I lead us downstairs where I ordered a car to wait for us. I can’t believe the last six months have culminated into this very night. This event where my father is to announce to the world that I’m to take over his position as CEO. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted. In the last few weeks, though, I’ve started to wonder if what I really want has changed. My father mentioned in passing yesterday me moving back to London, and I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but the more I’ve thought about it, the more a sinking feeling sits in my gut.

The position can really be done from anywhere in the world. It’s not tied to one specific office. And while a year ago if my father had told me the position required my presence in London, I would have packed everything and moved, now, I can’t. I won’t. I gave into my father’s ridiculous demand of finding a committed relationship and I thought I had found the smart way out of it, a fake one, but I was the furthest thing from right. I’m not willing to just do whatever my father tells me I need to do anymore. Pleasing him is no longer my priority, Eliza is. In any and every way, making her happy is my priority.

When we arrive at the venue, the people managing the door wave Eliza and I right in. She takes in all the intricate detail as we make our way to the main room where the gala is being held. My father went all out and hired an event planner for tonight to make sure it was night to never forget, and I feel like he’s accomplished that.

As we make our way through the tables in the main room, I notice all the heads that turn towards us, but they’re not looking at me, they’re looking at Eliza. I don’t blame them, she’sthe most stunning thing in the entire building. My hand finds her lower back as though making my mark that she’s mine to everyone who might approach her, and she smiles at me over her shoulder. I point at a table near the front, and we head straight there.

There’s an older couple already seated at the table, and they stand as we approach. They offer me their hands, and I shake them.

“Harry, Alice, this is my girlfriend, Eliza. Eliza, this is Harry and Alice. Harry’s on the board of my father’s company and a long-time friend of my father’s too.”

Eliza smiles as she shakes their hands. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Not from here, I see,” Harry says.

Eliza shakes her head. “No, I’m from Vancouver. Mac and I met there.”

“Are you moving, too?” he asks, and we both look at him, not answering. Before either of us can say anything, though, someone comes and pulls him away.