Page 25 of Pretend To Be Mine

“Elizabeth Laramie,” he said, his voice taking on a theatrical quality. “Will you marry me?” He paused, a grin tugging at his mouth. “Hey, that kind of rhymes. Okay, wait. Let me try it again.” He cleared his throat dramatically. “Will you marry me, Laramie?”

He held out his hand, and I looked down to see a ring resting in his palm. My breath caught.

It was stunning. A large diamond—at least two carats, maybe more—surrounded by small sapphires. The band was platinum or white gold, delicate but clearly expensive. It looked like something you’d see in a museum case, not sitting in Adrian Blackwell’s hand in a backstage area.

Not something that should go on my finger.

“Yes,” I heard myself say, laughter bubbling up despite the nerves screaming inside me. “Yes, of course I will.” His silly proposal had somehow cut through my panic. I couldn’t have a full breakdown when he was being ridiculous on purpose. “What took you so long?”

Adrian smiled. “I’ll never forget the first time we met. It feels like it happened yesterday.”

I grinned back at him. “It happened an hour ago.”

“Time flies when you’re in love.” He stood and slipped the ring onto my finger. It fit perfectly.

“It almost looks real,” I whispered, staring at the way the stones sparkled.

“Oh, it is real. Only the best for my future wife.” His voice was light, teasing, but when he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to my forehead, the heat that burned through my veins was anything but fake.

My knees went weak. The simple touch was almost brotherly, but it somehow affected me more than anything else that had happened today. For just a second, standing there with his lips against my forehead and his ring on my finger, I let myself imagine this was real. That Adrian Blackwell actually wanted to marry me.

The fantasy lasted about three seconds before reality crashed back in.

“Ready for your close-up?” he asked, pulling back to look at me.

“Nope.”

He chuckled and offered me his arm. I took a deep breath and hooked my arm through his. In the back of my mind, there was a girl doing cartwheels and squealing at the fact I was touching Adrian Blackwell. Together, we walked toward the curtain.

A man with a headset gave us a thumbs-up. “Thirty seconds. I’ll announce you, then you walk out to the podium. Sound good?”

Adrian nodded like this was completely routine. I managed something that might have been a nod or might have been a mild seizure.

I could hear someone speaking on the other side of the curtain now, amplified by microphones. “It’s our privilege to share some exciting personal news from the Blackwell family. Please welcome Adrian Blackwell and his fiancée, Elizabeth Laramie.”

The curtain parted.

The first thing that hit me was the light. It was so bright and coming from what seemed like a thousand different directions. Camera flashes created a strobe effect that made me dizzy. Beyond the lights, I could make out shapes that resolved into people. Lots of people.

They were all looking at us.

At me.

Adrian’s hand moved to the small of my back as he guided me forward. By guiding, I mean gently pushing. I was sure he could tell I was reconsidering everything. Running sounded like a much better idea than facing the vultures.

We walked together to a podium with the Blackwell logo emblazoned on the front. More cameras clicked. Someone shouted a question I couldn’t quite make out.

Adrian stepped up to the microphone. He looked so comfortable, like it was just another Thursday. I stood slightly behind him and to the left, trying to remember Annika’s advice. Smile. Don’t fidget. Stay still. Breathe. Chin up. No gums.

Look at Adrian.

Wrong move.

The man was too handsome to look at. He was built like a sex god. Tall. Muscular but not overly so. Square jaw. Confident. The confidence was what got me. He held himself like he owned the room, which he kind of did, but still.

“Thank you all for coming on such short notice,” Adrian said, his voice carrying easily across the room. “I know you’re used to hearing from me about fashion and business, but today I wanted to share something a little closer to the heart.”

He turned and looked at me.