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The truth was that I'd hired his brother to pretend to be my boyfriend so the fact that my cheating ex attending with my ex-bestie didn’t ruin the wedding.

The truth was that Damon had agreed to an arrangement that should have been simple.

The truth was that things had stopped feeling fake. At least for me.

And the truth was that I had absolutely no idea what any of it meant to him, and more importantly, what to do about it.

Deacon sighed. “Look, I'm not trying to pry.”

“Um…that's exactly what you're doing.”

“Fair enough.”

I almost smiled.

He shoved his hands into his pockets. “It's just... Damon doesn't usually do this.”

“Do what?”

“Relationships.”

Which was why he’d been the perfect candidate for a fake boyfriend.

“I know.”

“Do you?” Deacon's jaw tightened as a sudden gravity settled over his expression. “I’ve only known him for a couple of years, but from what I’ve observed, my brother dates. He flirts. He has a good time. He doesn’t settle down.”

I wanted to say, no shit, Captain Obvious. Did you also want to tell me the sun was hot and you need oxygen to stay alive?

Instead, I said, “I appreciate your concern, but I’m a big girl. I know what⁠—”

“I’m not concerned about you,” he emphasized.

“Oh, okay, um…” I wasn’t sure what to say to that.

“I think there is a lot more to Damon than meets the eye, and I don’t want to see him get hurt.”

I blinked, several times, in total disbelief. “Wait, so you think I would hurt him?”

“Not intentionally, no.”

Okay, now I was really confused.

He continued, “Word on the street is no one has seen him like this before.”

“Like what?”

“Happy. In love.”

There was that L-word again. How could I tell him that he was pretending? That this was fake. Or at least, it was supposed to be.

His phone buzzed and he pulled it out. “I need to take this.”

If there was anyone who understood the pressures I faced, it was Deacon. He’d started his own company at fourteen and made his first million by eighteen without any help from his parents.

I started to turn to walk back in the room when Deacon stopped me.

“Just think about what I said, okay?”