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“What, ask you to marry me?”
“Yeah.” I know it’s pretend, but my heart flutters all the same. “I’m not desperate.” Heat rises to my cheeks.
“I never said that. Look, Sunny. Think about it. This way, no one finds out your little runaway groom secret, and I get to finish my article.”
“We’ll have to lie to everyone, including our families.” The reality of what this article will cost me sits heavy in the pit of my stomach. I want this. The article. Him.
“We will, at first at least. We will need to have anyone that does know sign an NDA.”
My mouth drops open in shock. “You’re joking.”
“I wish I was, but think about it. It protects both of us. The last thing we need is it getting out that this was all just a fabricated story to sell magazines.”
“But that’s exactly what it is.” I weigh the pros and cons, and the only thing that I keep circling back to is the farm, helping my father get out of debt and gaining enough exposure to turn my dream into a reality. “What are you going to tell your grandfather?”
“Nothing for now. I’ll spin it for him later. Besides, he’s always saying how I need to settle down and be more responsible. This could be that.” He waves his hand in my direction. “You need this article to boost your career, and in order to do that, you need a fiancé.” He pats his chest. “That would be me. And I need your help to save Blissful Bride.”
Well, when he puts it like that, it’s almost impossible to say no.
“What do you say, Sunny? Will you marry me?” Even though there is nothing real about the words he’s saying, the way they make me feel is anything but fake. My heart beats a steady rhythm.
Putting it that way, he makes it sound so easy. “I don’t know. There are so many kinks that would need to be worked out.”
“Leave the kink to me.” He fights back a smile when he sees I pick up on his little innuendo. “I’ll come to town, cover the story. I’ll play the part of the dutiful, loving, not-so-fake fiancé. You’ll plan an exquisite wedding. The readers will eat it up.”
“What happens after the wedding? You know, the whole marriage thing… you think it’s really that simple?”
“It really is. You’ll get more business than you can handle. After the wedding, I’ll leave, say I have to travel for work, and six months down the road, when we can’t make a go of the long distance, you’ll already be in the full height of the next wedding season. It’s a win-win, really.”
As much as I think he’s crazy and the idea is terrible, he does make some valid points. It’s either take a stranger home and plan a fake wedding or go home alone and risk losing my wedding business and my father’s farm. I can’t let that happen. Not an option.
“Okay,” I tell him.
“We have a deal?” His face lights up.
“We do,” I confirm.
He holds out his hand for mine. I’m silly enough to think he came with a ring, so I place my hand in his to shake on it. But Beau surprises me, bringing my hand up to his mouth and brushing a featherlight kiss to it.
I can’t help but wonder if this is part of the act or if he really means it.
“Now what?” I pull my hand back.
“I’ll be in touch.”
“Do you need my number or something?”
“I have it.”
Of course he does.
“Okay.”
“Good day, Miss Landers.” Beau doesn’t give me a hug or lean in for a kiss, not even one on the cheek. He just pulls out his wallet, throws some bills on the table, and gets ready to leave. What felt like an intimate conversation suddenly starts to feel like a business transaction.
It’s fake. What do you expect?
“Soon to be Mrs. Montgomery,” I blurt out, trying to make a joke and ease the tension.
