Page 39 of Fake It For Him

On the one hand, he really hadn’t told me all that much about his family, but I didn’t think it was because he didn’t care about them. It was probably just because we weren’t really dating and we hadn’t spoken much about most things.

On the other hand, I had a feeling he was doing all of this with me to get back into their good graces. He’d told me that he could only go to Freya’s wedding if he had a date, but I really suspected it was about more than just that.

Calan didn’t strike me as the kind of person to just give in to that kind of demand. He could’ve easily told his family to go fuck themselves and that he’d be there either way, but he hadn’t, and that said as much about his intentions with this fake relationship as the actual stated reasons for having entered into it in the first place.

It wasn’t just about Freya. That much was clear to me. He might not have admitted it in so many words—hell, I didn’t even know if he’d realized it himself—but it was about how all of them, as a family, had turned against him.

Which meant I had to tread carefully with this subject. If I blew it, our relationship might allow him to go to the wedding, but it wouldn’t achieve anything else. If he thought that had to do with me or something I’d said, he might knock off some of the money he’d agreed to pay me.

The amount had been stipulated in the contract, but still, I didn’t want to take any risks, and strangely, I also wanted to help him with this. Despite how much of a jerk he could be, I’d also seen glimpses of him that suggested there was so much more than met the eye.

That was part of the reason I was so drawn to him. It wasn’t just physical and it wasn’t only because of the whole alpha thing. Somewhere in there was a man with a heart, and said heart wasn’t as cold and dead as he seemed to want me to believe it was.

“He’s actually told me quite a lot about all of you,” I said finally, carefully choosing my words. “I know all about your history and about the family business. I also know about all that unpleasantness that happened before Finlay’s wedding. It’s really not that he doesn’t talk about your family at all. Especially about you. I know he loves you deeply and that he’ll do whatever it takes to make you happy. I just think he hasn’t given me that many details about all of your personalities because he wanted me to discover it for myself once I started getting to know you.”

She smiled, blinking away the sudden shimmer of tears in her eyes. “I love him too, and I’ve missed him something terrible these last few years. Can I tell you a secret?”

“Sure.”

“You have to promise you won’t tell him, though.” She gave me a meaningful look and set the handbag back down in favor of turning her full attention to me. “Pinky promise?”

I frowned, but twisted my little finger around hers when she held it out. “Pinky promise.”

“I’ve been hoping that my wedding will bring my family back together,” she said in a hushed voice. “Calan must really care about you if he told you what happened, and it’s not completely fair, but I’m hoping you and I can work together to bring him back into the fold.”

Fuck. That’s exactly what I was afraid of.

Still, I made myself smile at her as I nodded. I had a few weeks with this family, but while I was here, I might as well try to do some good. “Fair or not, I’ll do what I can to help.”

“Good.” She swiped her index fingers under her eyes, pressing hard. Then she took a deep breath, composed herself, and beamed at me again. “Let’s put the heavy stuff away and just shop for now, okay?”

“Okay,” I agreed, even though I still wasn’t comfortable having her buy me stuff from these hellishly expensive places.

In the end, I wound up with dozens of new things for my wardrobe. Handbags, shoes, earrings, clothes, and a gorgeous dress that showed off my figure. It was the last thing I tried on, and once again, Freya wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“I have nowhere to wear this to,” I said as I emerged from the changing room wearing it. “It’s beautiful, but it’d be a complete waste.”

“No, it won’t,” she argued happily. “You can wear it to my bachelorette party. You’ll come, right?”

My heart jerked in my chest again. “Of course. If you want me to, I’ll be there.”

“Then it’s settled. You’re coming and you’re wearing that. My brother’s going to be thanking me for getting that for you, provided he can keep his hands off you for long enough to actually do it.” She winked.

Once I was back in my own attire, she paid for everything. As we left the shop, she turned to me. “Time for lunch, I think. Do you mind if I pick? My favorite restaurant is only a few blocks away.”

I hated to think what her favorite restaurant charged for lunch, but I nodded anyway. I was already knee deep in Reid spoils. Lunch wasn’t really going to make much of a difference at this point.

To my utmost surprise, however, her favorite restaurant turned out to be a totally understated soup and sandwich place, and I relaxed a little bit more. It seemed Freya was also more than just designer wear, crystals, and Lamborghinis.

The Reid siblings were certainly multidimensional, and while I knew I shouldn’t let myself get too immersed in their lives, I couldn’t deny that I was enjoying my time with Freya—and my time with her brother.

There was something about the Reids—and that included Calan, unfortunately—that made me feel a sense of belonging. It was dangerous for me. I’d been searching for it for a long time and I’d looked all over the world. I never would’ve thought I’d find it in a family that wasn’t mine, in a city I’d only ever wanted to escape from, and with a man who wasn’t my boyfriend.

21

CALAN

At the bar with Joe, I kept wondering how it was going with Freya and Ella. At first, I’d thought it was a good idea for them to go shopping together. Plus, Freya had been so excited when she’d asked if I’d set it up that I hadn’t been able to turn her down.