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When I open my eyes, I see his entire family encircled around the room, smiling at the two of us in a way that makes me feel so guilty for ever even accepting Wade’s offer of being his fake fiancée. We’re really pulling off the façade of being a real couple, and it’s killing me.
I don’t want to be a fake couple.
I glance over to Wade, who’s plucking the intro to the song. His eyes meet mine, and he smiles before singing the first verse—the same one he had written before.
I open my mouth, singing my line, and harmonizing with him through it, and I notice everyone’s eyes going wide. With every word we sing, my confidence grows.
As we finish the love song, the whole family erupts in applause, and my heart swells at the sound.
I did it.
And for the first time in forever, I feel like I’m home.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Wade
Roger: Call me right now or I will hop on a plane to Texas tonight!
Roger: I am not afraid to show up at your parent’s house, Wade.
Roger: You can’t keep ignoring me.
Roger: Call me. NOW.
I read the texts over and over as the whole family is gathered around the dining room table eating mom’s famous Lemon Pound Cake. I decide now is as good a time as ever to step away and give Roger a call.
The last thing I need is for him to show up here and make a scene—because he most definitely will.
The man knows how to get his way.
I slip out to the back porch while everyone is happily distracted with dessert. Dialing Roger’s number, I brace myself for the worst.
“Finally!” Roger’s voice booms through the phone. “I was beginning to wonder if I needed to file a missing person report. What the heck is going on, Wade?"
“I’ve been focusing on my family, Roger. You know my dad had a heart attack,” I reply, hoping to diffuse the situation. “I don’t understand why you can’t quit calling me for five minutes."
“I understand your dad had a heart attack, and that’s the only reason I haven’t shown up at your doorstep yet. But Wade, we need to talk about this mystery woman on your arm all over social media. Who is she? Where did you find this woman? And why didn’t you tell me you were moving forward with hiring a fake fiancée?”
I take a deep breath, my eyes closing as I lean against the porch railing. “Her name is Callie Walker. She’s a writer. And we met at a coffee shop in Arkansas that I stopped in on the way down to Sawyer and Bailey’s wedding. I didn’t intend to tell you about her because it’s none of your business.”
“None of my business? Wade, you’re a public figure. I’m your manager. Everything you do is my business.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t do this as some sort of publicity stunt, Roger. I did this because ... well, because I didn’t want to show up to my brother’s wedding empty-handed. And I guess I thought it could help me with the custody battle, or something—which I’ve got to talk to you about, by the way. But anyway, I didn’t intend to tell you, Roger, and I definitely didn’t intend for a picture to get leaked of us together.”
There’s silence on the other end of the line, and I know Roger is considering his next words carefully. “Look, Wade, I get it. I really do. And I can’t say I’m surprised you would go and do something like this.”
“I know,” I say, rubbing my temple.
“But, I shouldn’t have to find these things out through the media just like everybody else. I wanted to be strategic about this.”
“Like I said, I didn’t intend for anyone outside of my family to know about this.”
“Well, you know, since she’s already playing the part of your fake fiancée, we might as well capitalize on this. There’s already some buzz about you two, so why not use it? We could make good money off of this and finally turn your reputation around.”
I shake my head, even though he can’t see me. “No, Roger. This isn’t about money or fame for me. Callie is a real person with real feelings and she deserves more than to be exploited like that.”
“Exploited? Wade, come on. You’re a celebrity. This is what people expect. And it could be the perfect opportunity for her as well. You said she’s some kind of writer, right? We could use this as a platform for her to launch her career. You could even write some songs together and really make a splash in the music industry.”
