Page 51 of It's About Time
I set my beer bottle on the table and then hang my head in my hands while preparing my admission. “I’ve sort of agreed to a fake relationship.”
“With who?”
“I’m afraid you wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” I mumble just loud enough for them to hear me.
Henley clears his throat. “Are you fucking serious?”
Fletcher and Rhonan share a look, clearly not up to speed.
I lift my head and lock eyes with Henley. “Don’t hate me.”
“Idon’t hate you, but my sister sure does.”
“Well, if it makes you feel any better, it was her idea.”
Fletcher’s mouth falls open. “Wait…”
“No fucking way,” Rhonan adds.
Blowing out a breath, I lean back in my chair. “Trust me, if I thought there was any other way to make Tori believe there is no second chance for us, I would consider it. But I’m afraid this is the only option.”
“You’re going to pretend thatmysister, Dilynne Clark, isyourgirlfriend?” Henley clarifies.
And that’s when I admit the entire truth, shocking my friends even further. “Not just girlfriend.Fiancée.”
Silence descends upon the room. The only sound is Ellis’s faint voice coming from Rhonan’s room where she’s watching a movie with Vienna.
Given Vienna is still recovering from the gunshot, Rhonan was apprehensive about leaving her, which is why we all agreed to play blackjack over at his house tonight.
Now, I’m not even sure if the game is on any of our minds anymore.
Shaking his head, Henley is the first to speak. “No way. There’s no way that my sister would suggest something like this.” He reaches into his pocket for his phone. “I’m gonna call her.”
Rhonan, Fletcher, and I watch him leave the room with his phone plastered to the side of his face. Then Fletcher meets my gaze. “How did this even become a thing?”
I tip my beer back and drain the rest of it, not completely relaxed now but more than I was when I got here. “You know that Dilynne hates Tori just as much as I do,” I explain.
“You used tonothate Tori, though,” Fletcher counters.
“Well, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I do now.” He doesn’t say anything, so I continue. “Look, I have no desire to be with her again, but she’s been trying to talk to me about what happened between us, asking if there’s a chance for us. Having Dilynne as a buffer isn’t the worst idea. And I’m not the only one getting something out of this. Dilynne needs my help with something too.”
A pinch develops in Rhonan’s brow. “What on earth could you possibly help that woman with? You know jack shit about cars, so…”
“Thanks.”
He shrugs. “I’m just speaking the truth.”
Henley comes back into the room, slumping down into his seat before glaring at me. “She said it’s true. What the hell are you two thinking?”
“What did she tell you?”
“That I’m not her father and she’s a grown woman so I can shut the fuck up.”
Fletcher huffs out a laugh. “Sounds about right.”
“Making Tori think that I moved on isn’t a bad idea. You have to admit that.”
Rhonan shoots me a look that says far more than what he actually voices. But I don’t want to think about that right now. “No, I think this is stupid. I mean, how in the hell are you two going to convince everyone that you’re suddenly in love and getting married?”
