Page 7 of Fake It For Him

Finn’s eyebrows jerked up. “Disagreement. He⁠—”

“You’re getting married?” I spoke over him, not giving a shit about what he was about to say.

We all knew what had happened four years ago. If he wasn’t ready to let it go yet, then fine. He could keep pouting.

Our baby sister getting married, however, was a real concern to me. “To who?”

She ignored my question, her hands landing on her hips as she looked from Finn, to me, and back again. “Now, I know you guys have had your issues, but you’re going to have to put them aside. If not for your own sakes, then for mine, and you’re going to have to do it fast. We don’t have any time to waste.”

“Why?” My eyes narrowed to slits. “When are you getting married, Freya?”

“In a little less than two months. The wedding is on New Year’s Eve.”

I blinked at her, fucking reeling over this news. Finn, meanwhile, had returned his eyes to mine and was glaring at me so hard, I knew he was trying to blow me up with his mind. Stupid, immature, little⁠—

“Shit,” I breathed. “Are you serious?”

Freya gave me a soft smile that threatened to chip away again at those rough edges of my mine. “Yes, I’m serious. His name is Jim Silver and he’s the love of my life. I know you’re going to love him too. You just have to give him a chance.”

I opened my mouth again, but my father motioned to me and jerked his head toward his office. “If you want to be at your sister’s wedding, there are some ground rules, Cal. Let’s talk in private, shall we? Come on. I’ve got an open bottle of the good stuff in my office with our names on it.”

4

ELLA

After spending so many years traveling nonstop around Europe and the United Kingdom, it felt surreal to be back home. I stepped out of the airport terminal at JFK, hiking my backpack higher on my shoulder and looking both ways for my ride.

It was early evening and dusk had fallen, but I couldn’t miss the neon pink Volkswagen van parked a few spots down from where I was standing. Travelers, their families, and friends swarmed around me, but I started toward the van, knowing exactly who it belonged to.

A young woman leaned out of the passenger door as I made my way toward it. Her hand shot up as she grinned at me. “Move your ass, Ella. Drivers around the airport are crazy!”

I laughed out loud, relief and joy flooding through me for the first time since I realized I was going to have to head home. Kara had been my best friend since our freshman year, and her face was a sight for sore eyes.

Her curly blonde hair was short now, barely brushing the tops of her shoulders but still filled with colorful accessories. Her features were still as soft and feminine as ever—even if they were a little more filled out now than they had been before.

I rushed the rest of the way to the van, slid open the back door, and piled in. Kara and Mikey, our other best friend, grinned at me from the front seats. Mikey’s shaggy brown hair fell over his eyes. He laughed while shoving the van into gear, his gaze only leaving mine to check for a gap in the traffic before the vehicle lurched forward.

“Finally, the Triple Threat is back together again.” He glanced at me in the mirror once we’d merged onto the road. “You really made us wait for this reunion, huh? Four fucking years is a long time, Carver.”

“What he means is that it’s great to see you,” Kara chimed in, rolling her eyes at him. She twisted in her seat to look at me. “It really is great to see you, but he’s not wrong. That was a long-ass time. How are you? How was the flight?”

Still getting settled in the backseat, I dragged my hands through my hair. “The flight was okay and I spoke to you guys at least once a week. It’s only been three days since our last video call.”

“Yeah, but that’s not the same as seeing you in person.” Mikey flashed me a lopsided grin, reaching up to push his round glasses back up the bridge of his nose. “Either way, we’re happy you’re home, babe.”

Warmth erupted in my chest as I looked at their smiling, happy faces. I hadn’t expected for it to feel so good to see them, but it did.

Kara, Mikey, and I had gone to high school together. Kara and I had clicked on the first day of ninth grade and we’d picked up Mikey as our third just a couple of weeks later. We’d been known as the Triple Threat—or sort of, at least. It was what we’d called ourselves anyhow.

We used to do everything together, from playing in the band to spending every waking moment at each other’s houses, and it was so damn good to know that our time apart hadn’t hurt our bond. Kara even had tears in her soft blue eyes and she kept smiling at me like she would never stop.

“We’ve got a surprise for you after we’ve dropped off your bags,” she said. “Where are you going to be staying while you’re back stateside?”

“Oh, uh, I’m just going to get a motel room. I won’t be staying long, so I can figure out my accommodations for the few weeks before I leave again. I just haven’t quite done that yet, but it’s fine. We can leave my stuff in the car and I’ll find a motel while we do… whatever the surprise is.”

“A motel?” Mikey’s face fell. “Oh, no. No way. You’re absolutely not staying at a motel. You can crash with us until you get back on your feet.”

Kara nodded enthusiastically, her eyes wide and her blonde eyebrows riding high on her forehead. “He’s so right. Stay with us. Please? You’d finally get to see our apartment and we’ve got a sofa you can sleep on. It’s comfy. I promise.”