Page 55 of Keep Me Close

Colby’s mouth twitches. “Can’t say I haven’t wanted to do the same.”

“Pretty sure you have,” I say. “Several times, if memory serves.”

“Is that so?” Mom asks, raising a brow as she glances at my brother.

Dad’s arm tightens around her. “Should I separate them just like when they were kids?”

Her lips bow. “Only if it becomes necessary.”

Colby slings an arm around my shoulders. “Please. That’s all behind us. We’re the best of friends now.”

I side-eye him. “You sure about that, bro?”

“Yup, pretty sure. You know we enjoy ganging up on Brooks.”

“Well, that’s true enough,” I admit.

Mom shakes her head. “You two are terrible.”

Dad cuts right through the nonsense. “So… back to Cheyenne.”

Damn it.

His gaze settles on me. “Is she here with you?”

There’s no way to dodge the question.

“Yeah.” I glance toward the crowd where Britt and Cheyenne disappeared. “But it’s not what you think. Her ex has been harassing her, so I’m just helping out by pretending to be her boyfriend. That’s it. No big deal.”

The explanation comes out a little too quickly and maybe a little too practiced. From the way my parents exchange a look, they realize it too.

Dad’s eyes narrow. “Does you pretending to be her boyfriend have anything to do with your black eye?”

Nothing gets past Gray McNichols. Even when he was on the road playing pro, he always knew when one of us was full of shit.

I shrug. “It might.”

“Fake dating, huh?” Mom glances at Dad with a knowing look. “That sounds awfully familiar.”

One corner of his mouth slides upward. “Good times.”

The story of my parents’ fake dating is legendary in our family. Mom supposedly couldn’t stand him at first. When their parents started seeing each other, neither wanted the possibility of becoming stepsiblings, and somehow fake dating turned into a thirty-year marriage with four kids.

When Dad’s phone chimes, he slips it from his pocket and glances at the screen.

One brow arches. “Does part of this fake dating scheme involve kissing Cheyenne on the red carpet?”

He angles the phone just enough for me to catch a glimpse of the photo. My arm is wrapped around her waist, her body turned into mine, and our lips are locked together.

All I can say is there’s nothing about that kiss that looks calculated for publicity. What it looks more like is that I couldn’t help myself.

“How else are we supposed to sell the relationship?” I ask, attempting to keep my tone light even though every muscle is filled with tension.

Colby leans in to look at the screen before giving a low whistle. “Didn’t realize you were such a good actor, bro.”

I grunt. “What can I say? Everyone thinks I like you, don’t they?”

He punches my arm. “You’re hilarious.” Then his expression shifts just enough to show me he means the next part. “But seriously. You mess with my wife’s sister, and there’s going to be major problems. I’ll make that shiner look like nothing.”