Page 31 of Fake It For Love (Faux Love)
“So, how does this fake engagement thing work?” she asked. “Are you guys going to hang out?”
“I’m not sure,” I answered. “We’re supposed to catch up today and discuss the details. The engagement thing wasn’t planned. It just happened.”
“Everyone here is going to be so jealous of you,” she said. “I had drinks with some of the girls last week. All anyone could talk about was him. The man has no shortage of admirers. They all want a piece of him. They were giving me crap about dumping him. Saying I made a big mistake and all that.”
“Nice friends,” I said.
She laughed and sipped her smoothie. “They are not my friends. You are my friend. You are the only real friend I have, which is why you are my maid of honor. You’re the only one I could trust not to move in on my man. Hell, you don’t even want to move in on my ex-man from forever ago.”
“Ryan is not my type,” I said. “I’m just so glad I don’t have to face everyone as the single girl.”
“Half of them are single,” she said.
“Yeah, but by choice,” I said.
“You’re single by choice,” she replied.
“Yes and no,” I said. “If there was someone for me to reject, we could say it was my choice.”
“Stop.” She waved a hand. “There are plenty of men that want you. You just never give them the time of day.”
That didn’t feel entirely true, but we’d go with it. “Are you feeling relaxed?” I asked her. “You’re supposed to be here relaxing before the wedding. We don’t want you wrinkled or with bags under your eyes on your big day.”
“I’m so relaxed,” she said. “I’m glad we decided to come early.”
There was a loud bang followed by raucous laughter. “Glad to see they are sowing their wild oats.”
“I think they might be a little drunk,” she said. “Tony started with a mimosa this morning. Apparently, he’s had a few more.”
“All of them have by the looks of things.”
The guys were splashing around in the pool like a bunch of kids. To think of Tony having kids was pretty hard to imagine. He was a giant kid himself. Maybe he’d settle down. I wasn’t convinced of that, but I would support Norah.
“They’re having fun,” Norah said. “A couple of the guys are living it up while their wives are back home minding the kids. Tony wanted to have a week-long party before I slapped the old ball and chain on him.”
I couldn’t imagine any of the men splashing around the pool with kids. The idea of them in a minivan with toddlers and car seats and the whole package was just not something my imagination could conjure up.
“Have you and Tony decided whether or not you’re going to move out of the city?” I asked her.
“It’s still up in the air.”
“You don’t want to,” I said.
“Right now, I don’t,” she admitted. “But if we do start a family, that might change. In some ways, I feel like we’ve had a fifteen-year honeymoon. Getting right down to business might be a good thing. Then I think about how good we have it. I love that we can do something like this whenever we feel like it. We can go to dinner or sleep in late.”
“You’re looking at all the things that might change in a negative light,” I said. “What about the excitement of seeing your little guy or girl with big wide eyes on Christmas morning? Or watching your baby take their first steps? There are lots of exciting memories you’ll make with your little one.”
“What about you?” she asked. “Are you thinking about kids?”
I laughed at the idea. “I can’t even get a date!”
“Stop, you so can get a date. You just choose not to.”
“I don’t have time,” I said.
“Once you get your big payout, you’ll have lots of time to look for a man,” she said.
I rolled my eyes and settled back into the chair. I was a little jealous of Norah. She was getting the dream wedding with her dream guy. Tony was not my dream guy, but he made her happy. I was happy for her. I knew my own biological clock was ticking away. If I didn’t get busy looking for a man, having my own family was going to stay a dream.
