"Hey."
Despite the empty parking lot, Gabe looked around nervously. "Do you…uh…want to sit in my car to talk?"
"Can we walk?" She pointed to a path that circled the park. "I can't walk very fast yet, but I need to move, if you know what I mean." Sitting close to him in a car that probably smelled like the woodsy cologne she'd caught whiffs of over the past three weeks wouldn't help her rapidly growing crush.
"Walking is a great idea." He motioned for her to precede him to the path.
They'd walked a good twenty yards before either of them spoke.
"Thanks for backing me up?—"
"I know you were pushed?—"
They both spoke at once.
Gabe chuckled. "Go ahead."
"I just wanted to thank you again for bailing me out with Phillip."
"It seemed like the right thing to do at the time. Especially sinceyou'd already agreed to be my girlfriend." He rushed on. "I mean my fake girlfriend. I know you were pressured into it by Phillip and everyone at PT, but I appreciate it."
"I still think this is crazy." Paige looked sideways at him. "Are you sure you don't want to just tell your mom the truth?"
"No, I can't. Not right now." Gabe balled one fist at his side and shoved the other hand into his hair. "I need her to believe I'm in a happy relationship."
"But won't she see right through this—I mean—us?"
She mentally chided herself again for the way she flinched when Gabe put his arm around her that morning. How would she react when he touched her in front of his mom?
"I swear moms have a way of knowing when their kids are lying." Paige's voice came out strained thanks to her anxious thoughts.
"While I agree that's true, I also believe people see what they want to see."
Was that why Phillip had been able to deceive her for so long? Because she'dwantedto believe he was the one she'd spend the rest of her life with.
"My mom wants to see that I've moved on, so I'm hoping when she meets you, she'll be so happy, she won't question our relationship too carefully."
"Moved on from what?"
The muscle in Gabe's jaw twitched. "Nothing."
Paige stopped walking and propped her hands on her hips. "Fake or not, keeping secrets from each other will only make our relationship harder to sell."
A cold sweat broke out between Paige's shoulder blades. Meeting the parents was always nerve wracking but meeting the mom of a man you hardly knew was downright terrifying.
"You're right." He let out a heavy sigh. "Six years ago, I went through a bad break-up." He shrugged and started walking again. "I haven't dated much since, and my mom thinks I have a fear of commitment."
"Do you?" Paige fell into step beside him.
"Why does everyone keep asking that?"
"Who iseveryone?" Paige fired back.
"My sister asked the same question when I told her our mom thinks I'm afraid to commit."
"Well, your sister knows you better than I do, so there must be cause for doubt." She raised a questioning eyebrow. When he shook his head, she went on. "So, why haven't you dated?"
"I have. Just not a lot." His admission was quiet.
