Page 47 of The Temporary Fiancée
He finds a dusty bottle of whiskey and pulls it down from the shelf, pouring two tumblers of the liquor and handing one to me. He raises his glass in a toast, and I gently tap the rim of mine against his.
“To you and Olivia,” he says. “I hope that you both find lasting happiness with each other.”
The words are genuine, and as I swallow the whiskey, it burns my throat more than usual. It kills me to think that they have such a positive view of me, against all evidence—and despite the fact that I’m lying.
How is this going to work out? What will they do when they realize the truth? My promise to protect Olivia’s reputation weighs heavily on my mind. It’ll take some doing, but I’m confident I can protect her in a professional, public-facing sense.
But can I protect her family, too?
“We’re happy to see Olivia happy,” says Robert, oblivious to my nervousness. “I know we don’t need to approve her marriage—but if we did, we would.” He cracks a smile. “Not that you two are so old-fashioned.”
“I know how important family is to Olivia,” I say. “She wouldn’t be comfortable with it if you weren’t on board.”
He seems to appreciate that. He swirls the whiskey in his glass, then takes a sip, nodding. When he looks back up at me, there’s a glimmer of humor in his eyes. “That being said, if you hurt my daughter, they’ll never find your body. You hear me?”
His tone and the look on his face suggest that he’s joking, but there’s something about the matter-of-fact statement that makes me realize he’s also completely serious.
I nod, meeting his gaze. “Believe me, I have no intention of hurting her.”
“That’s what I like to hear.”
We stand in silence for a few moments. He takes another drink of whiskey, then nods to the door.
“We should join them in the next room,” he says.
As I follow him back into the living room, I’m lost in my thoughts.
Olivia lights up when she sees me, her smile wide enough that I almost believe the performance. I sit down beside her, and she puts her arm around me, leaning in. Her parents give her loving looks.
Olivia’s parents have bought our story, and in a few days, the whole world will know. I sit on the couch, listening to the Quinns’ laughter, the realization sinking in: if I mess this up, then my optics—with Eastwood, with the world, and with everyone I care about—will be worse than they ever have been.
I’m starting to understand just how special my new fiancé is to everyone in her life. I know that, if I fail to keep my promises—if I do end up hurting her, the way Declan and Cole were worried I would—then I’ll have to answer to all of them.
Chapter 13
Olivia
“I think it went well,”says Reed.
He’s been quieter than usual on the drive back to his place, his hands gripping the wheel tightly. I can tell that he was nervous at my parents’ place, but it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary; he seemed like an anxious suitor meeting his fiancé’s parents for the first time.
“Yeah,” I murmur. I pause for a few moments, then add, “I still feel a little shitty about lying to my parents.”
He nods in understanding, but says nothing.
“It’s good that they took the lie well, at least.” I lean against the window, watching the buildings slide past. “That makes me feel a little better.”
“We’ll work something out,” Reed assures me. “They’ll never have to know you lied to them. I swear.”
He sounds confident. His earlier nerves at my parents’ house must have worn off now that we’re en route back to his own home.
Either that, or he’s just really good at hiding them.
“You think this’ll all be okay?” I ask him, glancing at him out of the corner of my eye.
He smiles easily, meeting my gaze for a fleeting instant before returning his attention to the road. “Oh, yeah. Of course. If I didn’t think it would turn out okay, I wouldn’t have pushed for it. You know that, right?”
Reed’s conviction is as infectious as ever, and I find that I’m smiling as I turn back to the window. I’m glad I’m doing this with him. I don’t think it could have been anyone else.
