Page 116 of Fake it With Me

“I love you too.” He kissed me, right there in front of everyone, and the applause got louder.

When we pulled apart, people were crowding around us, offering congratulations and asking questions about the rebranding. Daisie pushed through the crowd and threw herself at both of us.

“This is the best party ever!” she announced. “Can we put pictures of whales everywhere?”

“We can definitely put pictures of whales somewhere,” Darek said, laughing.

The party continued around us, people celebrating the new name and the new direction for the club. While Daisie was safe with Sasha, Darek and I walked out onto the deck that had been completely redone. There were a few other couples taking advantage of the warm evening air. I leaned my head against Darek’s shoulder with his arm around me.

“Ever think you’d be here?” he asked in a soft voice.

“No.”

His body moved with his light laugh. “Honest.”

“Did you?”

“Nope.”

We stood there watching the boats in the distance and simply enjoyed the quiet. We spent a lot of nights like that. We didn’t have to fill the silence with conversation. I thought ahead to the coming winter. I knew it was going to be cold, but I was actually looking forward to seeing the beach covered with snow. I had never seen it before. Back in Oregon, it rarely happened.

“Ready to go home?” Darek asked eventually.

“Yeah. Let’s go home.”

Home. Where my clothes hung in Darek’s closet. Where Daisie’s artwork covered the fridge and her whale sounds echoed through the halls.

Home. Where I belonged.

We collected Daisie, who protested leaving even though she could barely keep her eyes open, and drove back to the estate together. We would pick up my car in the morning. Daisie fell asleep about three seconds into the drive.

After Daisie was tucked in bed, we stood in her doorway for a moment, watching her sleep.

“She’s happy,” I said quietly.

“She is. We all are.” He took my hand and kissed my knuckles.

We went to bed, our bed, and climbed in. I drifted off to sleep in his arms almost as quickly as Daisie had fallen asleep. I smiled thinking about how far we had come.

From a fake relationship to the beautiful family we were building together.

I couldn’t wait to see what came next.

EPILOGUE

DAREK

One Year Later

The auditorium was packed with people in caps and gowns, proud families clutching cameras, and a handful of crying babies. I sat in an uncomfortable folding chair somewhere in the middle section, Daisie beside me swinging her legs and periodically asking when Liza would get her diploma.

“Soon, kiddo. They have to go through a lot of names first.”

“This is boring,” she stage-whispered.

“I know. But it’s important to Liza, so we’re going to sit here and be patient.”

Liza and I had considered having Daisie stay with Sasha but Daisie had insisted she could handle what might end up being a three-hour commencement. I was pretty sure we were all rethinking that sentiment.