The Art of Falling in Love with Your Fake Fiancé: A small town closed door romantic comedy (Sweetkis

Epilogue

“Can I see it again?” Bex asks, but I feel like the words were mostly a warning because she grabs my hand before I answer and grins. “I mean, this thing is HUGE! I can see my reflection in it.”

A cheer erupts, reverberating in the room around us and in the stadium outside the window where we sit. It’s the National Football Conference Championship and the highlight of the day this year; it’s Porter versus Porter in the last showdown before the Super Bowl and they’re playing in Charlotte. The winning team today goes on to the Super Bowl.

Beside me, Duncan taps my arm. “Can I get more food now?”

The family VIP box at the football games has become this boy’s playground. When Levi made the decision to retire at the end of this year, we’d sat down and mapped out a plan for us. He managed intermittent trips, coming home to Sweetkiss Creek as often as he could so he could be present for Duncan, and, ahem, for me since we have a wedding to plan, and in return Duncan and I did everything we could to get to his games every weekend so we could support him.

There were homework meltdowns in airports and a series of Monday mornings skipped at school, but watching Duncan’s eyes light up as he watched Levi play and got to travel the United States with us has been the best reward ever.

I check over my shoulder, making sure there’s still food for this little scavenger to dig into and he’s in luck. One of the room attendants was busy refilling the luncheon platter with fresh sandwiches.

“Of course, but,” I wag a finger in the air, “you have to eat all of your dinner tonight. Promise?”

I hold out my pinky, and he wraps his in mine. “Pinky swear,” he whispers before racing off to fill his belly.

“You guys are so good with him,” Bex says, her voice low as he walks off. “He’s grown so much over the last, what, six or seven months?”

I smile at the thought of my first meeting with Duncan. His appearance as a tiny thief in the back of my bookstore is almost erased from my memory. “It’s all Duncan. Levi, too. He wants to see Duncan thrive, so he’s worked hard. Therapy, bonding sessions…”

My voice trails off as I look across the room at Lorna, who sits in a chair beside Mary, both women laughing and cheering together.

“And Lorna, huh?” Bex puts an arm around my shoulders and gives me a giant squeeze, the way only your bestest girlfriends can. Because she knows the subtext of the entire story from being here on the sidelines through the whole thing. “That relationship has done the biggest one-eighty.”

Lorna’s eyes meet mine across the room and she waves, her smile big and happy as Duncan jogs over to sit with her and Mary as he noshes on a sandwich.

“Yeah,” I say with a grin I can’t hide, curling my lips upward. “I feel personally responsible for that one.”

Bex grabs my arm and we throw ourselves back into our seats, cackling, as another cheer breaks the air. Around us, everyone in the room is up on their feet and screaming. Not to be outdone, but also confused because I wasn’t paying attention, we both shot up and pressed our faces back to the window, scanning the field. As I do, I realize what the extra loud cheering is all about.

“Look,” tapping on the window, I show Bex, “Austin is covering Levi and about to tackle him!”

We watch the two giant Porter boys clash together on the field, Austin taking his brother down and stopping the play.

Bex gasps, grabbing my arm. “Is that legal, can a tight end cover a wide receiver?”

My head spins as I look at Bex. “Wow, you’ve gotten the lingo down.”

“Well,” she says with a blush, “I like knowing things. I’ve taken the time to learn football since I’ve gotten to know you. Before, I never got it. It was a long stupid game, but had good snacks.”

Giggling, we sit back down as someone calls a time-out and Bex waves her hand at the field. “And that’s another reason why it’s not my favorite. Too many stops. I tell you, if you want to watch a game where there’s some insane strength and power, rugby is a great sport.”

“Well, Levi’s not allowed to play that, there’s no helmets. I need him around.” Settling back into my seat, I sip my drink and scan the room. This time my eyes land on the tiny Barbie-doll blonde in the back corner, Austin’s current influencer girlfriend, who is busy taking selfies and posting to social media.

I’ve been around Stacey a few times now, and she’s easily the most selfish woman I’ve come across in ages. Look, I’m always going to support other women, and since the incident with Duncan, I’ve learned not to judge a book by its cover (pun not intended), but sometimes a vapid thing is just a vapid thing.

I’ve witnessed her giving her number to other football players and flirting with the owners on more than one occasion. I’m pretty sure her intentions aren’t the greatest, but Levi’s put me in a cone of silence for the time being.

My face gives my inner thoughts away. “What’s the look for, puss face? It’s like you sucked a lemon.”

“Oh, just Stacey.” I pull my eyes off the girl, focusing back on the game. “I don’t like how she treats Austin.”

“Have you said anything?”

“Not allowed. Levi thinks we shouldn’t interfere with his brother’s love life. He’s tried to protect him in the past, but he’s gotten defensive. Even stopped talking to Levi for six months once when he was dating someone that Levi didn’t get along with.” Shaking my head, I cast a sideways glance at Bex. “With those boys, I’ve learned to let them figure it out.”

“They’re blood. I get it.” Bex shakes her head, eyes scanning the field and landing on Austin’s side. “Do you think he’ll come to his senses?”

Now, this sentence piques my interest. “I guess, I mean, I hope so. Why are you asking?”

Bex shrugs. “Dunno. I’ve gotten to know him more and I just want to see the best for him.”

“Huh.” Narrowing my eyes, I cross my arms in front of me. “Do you have a crush?”

“What?” she almost shrieks. “No. No way! I’ve seen that man date all kinds of women in the short time I’ve got to know him. He’s a friend, but I wouldn’t set him up with one of my friends, and I for sure would not date him. He gets around.”

“Okay, just checking in. Not that I would mind if you had one,” I say with a chuckle, my eyes landing on Stacey again. “At least you watch the game and don’t post selfies the whole time.”

“No, not yet,” she teases, waving her hands in the air. “Anyway, we should talk about something more fun, like your upcoming wedding. I love a spring wedding!”

Grinning, I glance at my engagement ring as I settle back into the plush seat of the VIP box, the excitement in the air palpable and snapping with electricity as the game picks up speed right in front of us with the timer beginning to countdown. The stadium buzzes with energy, the crowd roaring with every play.

From my vantage point, the field is spread out in front of us, almost like a vibrant tapestry. The players may be mere specks in the distance, but I can make out Levi’s position. Pride wells inside of me for him. His team is down in points and probably won’t win this game, but that’s fine. He’s my forever MVP.

I follow the ball’s trajectory, watching the madness unfold, my heart racing with each pass and tackle. Then, a sudden hush falls over the crowd as a clash between the teams forces a pile-up. A whistle blows, players untangling themselves, stepping away with arms waving in the air. There’s an intensity to their actions that signals something more foreboding.

A player is down.

My heart leaps to my throat as I stand, clawing at the glass, my eyes meeting Mary’s across the room as we both try to hide our worry.

Snapping my focus back to the field, I look for Levi’s number among the throng of people and finally, I’m rewarded when I see him. Only he’s rushing and pushing himself through the small crowd gathered around the man down.

“Oh, my…” Bex grabs my hand, her hand flying to her mouth as a chill whips across my body. “It’s Austin. He’s injured.”

Time seems to slow as medics rush onto the field. Panic grips me as I watch them attend to Austin, my mind swirling with fear and worry. In a moment, Mary’s hand is on my other arm.

“Come with me, please?” She looks over at Lorna, who sits with Duncan. The two women have a silent exchange that’s all-knowing. Motherly. “They’ll wait here. I don’t feel good about this and want to be in the locker room when they bring him off the field.”

I don’t say a word. I take Mary’s hand and lead her toward the exit, stopping by Stacey’s seat as I do. The kicker is that I have to get her attention, she’s busy posting a TikTok. My eyes want to roll to the back of my head, and I fight the urge to take the phone from her hands and throw it onto the field.

“Austin’s injured. Are you coming?” I should try to engage more, but I don’t have the energy.

Stacey looks around the room, peeking out onto the field for a moment before turning her attention back to me. “Ummm, is it cool if I stay here? Maybe text me and I’ll meet you guys when you know how he’s doing?”

Mary’s grip on my hand tightens as my jaw goes slack. I’m frozen with a touch of anger gluing me to my spot, but thankfully, Bex is here.

“Come on,” she says, opening the door that leads out to the hall. “I’ll walk you guys down and see if I can help get you any news.”

Turning away from the now silent room, which was full of excitement and enthusiasm mere moments ago, the three of us headed downstairs to the belly of the stadium.

Bex

Today was supposed to be a day of celebration; either one Porter or the other was walking off this field a champion. The media had a field day in the run up to the game with Porter versus Porter headlines, but they made it this far. That, in itself, is incredible. They’re both champions. On the field and off, but that’s just my opinion.

The hallway outside the Thunderbolts locker room is charged with anxiety. I hurry ahead of Georgie and Mary, hoping to find someone, anyone, from Austin’s team who can tell us what’s going on. All the while, my head is still trying its best to wrap itself around the fact that his girlfriend couldn’t even be bothered to come with us.

I’ve seen it before. The hanger-oners are what we called them when I was in Los Angeles. Working in the entertainment industry, you get all types of people. Hanger-oners are the people who like to be close to the people who get the attention, the stars of the show. Only in this case, it’s the football player. Thanks to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce for making it even cooler to date a guy in the NFL, but like adopting a pet, it’s something you have to think about. There’s a lot that comes with it…sadly, more times than not, these attention bunnies, as I like to call them, are in it for the wrong reasons.

An official-looking man wearing a team jacket jogs past me. When I see him stop at the locker room door, I make a move.

“Excuse me,” I call out, pointing to the door. “I’m with Austin Porter’s family. Is he inside? Can we see him?”

The older man stares at me, his face etched with worry as he shakes his head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t even take his family to him right now. He’s about to be transported by ambulance to the hospital.”

A blast of ice water courses through me. “Can I ask what’s going on?”

Behind me, the sound of footsteps slowing to a stop alerts me that Mary and Georgie have caught up to me. The man’s focus rocks to each of us as he takes a big breath, looking at Mary.

“Mrs. Porter,” the man murmurs, recognizing Austin’s mother. “Austin’s injured his knee. We’re not sure how bad it is, but he can’t stand on his own.”

Mary’s hand flies to her mouth as Georgie holds her. I’m fighting a swell of emotions, ones I’m certainly not expecting to surface right now and they’re ones I don’t have time to deal with. I do not have any time to unpack feelings that may or may not be rising to the surface for Austin.

“We need to check for a concussion, he was hit with intense force. He’ll be going to the local hospital soon.” He steps forward to squeeze her arm. “I’m sorry, that’s all I know and can tell you right now, but I will let them know you’re on the way.”

With a heavy sigh, he turns on his heel, opens the locker room door, and disappears. Leaving the three of us standing here in the hallway. We may be surrounded by people milling about, but there’s a feeling of being oh-so-very alone. Surreal. Stunned.

Austin. The fear he must be going through, the pain he could be in. My heart pounds in my chest for him. And Stacey. Useless. Sitting upstairs, on her butt, posting photos or stories or TikToks…I do not care. She’s heartless, asking us to text her when we know something. Like she deserves to know.

I look at Mary, who is all but crumbling in front of me.

“Come ladies,” I say, pulling my car keys out of my pocket. “We know what hospital he’s going to and we’ll be there when he arrives. Yeah?”

Mary nods silently, tears starting to slowly trickle down her cheeks. Catching Georgie’s eyes, she mouths the words ‘thank you’ to me. I don’t need her to do that, this is just what you do. You take care of each other when the going gets tough…you don’t post a selfie.

“It’s settled. Follow me.”

There is strength in numbers, there’s the power of three. Like on that TV show Charmed. Three women, three strong women, backing each other up.

Our small gang makes its way to the parking lot exit, arms wrapped around each other and unsure what to expect once we get to where we’re going, but it’s fine.

Because we have each other.