Chloe moved on, talking about the projects they were planning to do at camp, but I just stood there. Trying not to let Lincoln’s small act of kindness lodge itself somewhere dangerous—like under my ribs. Too damn close to my heart.
When I was able to step away from Chloe, I tried—again—to leave. I even made it two steps past where everyone was gathered before Sutton’s voice rang out and stopped me in my tracks.
“Um…hello?” she asked, her head cocked to the side, loose brown waves just kissing her shoulders.
I lifted a hand in greeting and forced a smile, hoping that was enough. I should’ve known better.
Laurel—Sutton’s sardonic teenage daughter and mini-me—snorted and raised a brow. “You think we’re all just gonna ignore the wholewifething?”
Sutton leaned back into the vast expanse of Atlas’s chest and tipped her head toward her daughter. “Lolo has a point.”
With a smile in my direction, Chloe settled on Xander’s lap. “Were you planning on saying anything, orrr…?”
And then, as if he’d been waiting for his cue to arrive, my jackass husband strolled over, wrapped an arm around my waist, and tucked me into his side. “Ididsay something. Everyone heard when I called her my wife, right?”
Silence settled for long moments as I shifted on my feet, my pulse speeding into a gallop. I wanted to pull his armpit hairs for this bullshit. But instead, I just stood there, afraid any small reaction from me would only make things worse.
Finally, Declan said, “I heard it. I just want to know how you managed to trick her into it.”
“No tricking involved,” Lincoln said smugly. “My little hellcat couldn’twait.”
Forget pulling his armpit hairs. I was going to shave off his eyebrows after he fell asleep tonight.
“Everything okay?” Atlas asked, eyes intent and mildly suspicious.
“Better than okay.” Lincoln grinned and hugged me tight, pressing a kiss against my temple to really lay it on thick. “I’ve been enjoying the hell out of her being my wife.”
His words rang with such sincerity, I had no doubt everyone could hear the truth in them. But only I knew what he’d actually enjoyed about my being his wife was irritating the ever-loving shit out of me.
“I didn’t want to get my hopes up…” Holly, Lincoln’s mom, stood and clasped her hands, a bright smile on her face. “But Mabel mentioned something last night at book club!”
“Mabel?” I asked, eyes wide, because how in the actual hell?
Lincoln and I had specifically traveled to another town so we wouldn’t raise any suspicions in Starlight Cove. Not until we were ready to spill the details. And that wily old woman had apparently knownhoursafter Lincoln and I had said I do?
“Oh, you know her…” Holly waved a hand through the air as she strode toward us. “Once a journalist, always a journalist.”
“I think you mean the walking leak,” Xander said dryly.
“I’m just so happy!” Holly pulled me from Lincoln’s hold and wrapped her arms around me. Squeezing me tight, she enveloped me in her familiar scent—the one I’d long associated with the only true motherly presence in my life. “I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time.”
Waiting for one of her fully grown sons to finally find a wife? I didn’t blame her. Though, she’d probably assumed it would happen first with Atlas or Xander since they were both in committed relationships. But here I was, swooping in out of the blue and throwing a wrench into things.
She held me at arm’s length, her smile as bright as the sun. “We have to throw a party!”
I stiffened, my face probably resembling that of a deer caught in headlights. “Oh, that’s really not necessary.”
“Nonsense! Iwantto. You don’t worry about a thing. I’ll take care of it all!”
Could she take care of me sinking into the earth? Because that would be the only acceptable outcome for this little party.
I wasn’t what you’d callsocial. I didn’t enjoy being around a ton of people, and I absolutely hated being the focus of all those people. Not to mention having to act like a happy little wife to my fake husband.
Before I could start sweating, Lincoln slipped his arm around my waist again and tucked me back into his side. He slid his hand into the front pocket of my overall shorts like that wastotally normalbehavior and not seventh circle of hell territory.
“You throw an awesome party, Mom,” he said, his thumb rubbing a maddening path up and down the soft curve of my stomach. “But if I know my wife—and I do—” he lowered his head, dragging his nose up the column of my neck before placing a kiss below my ear “—she’ll hate having a party where she’s the center of attention.”
As if that chaste-but-actually-quite-indecent kiss wasn’t enough, Lincoln glanced down at me with a soft smile. This wasn’t the charmer schmoozing his way through the night, and this wasn’t the jackass goading me just to see how much I could take before I snapped.
