Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Liam
“Engaged? As in, you proposed to my sister?” Max’s voice is low, dangerous. I can practically feel the anger radiating through the phone, his words clipped and sharp.
I scrub a hand over my face, my shoulders slumping in defeat. This is not going well. “Yes, but?—”
“Have you lost your fucking mind?” Max shouts, his voice rising to a fever pitch. I wince, pulling the phone away from my ear. “This is my sister you’re talking about. I told you to keep an eye on her, not to . . . What exactly have you been doing with her in San Diego?”
“I know how it sounds, but if you let me explain, you’ll find out that this is just temporary and definitely nothing serious,” I say quickly, my words tumbling over each other in my haste to explain.
“But you’re engaged?” he growls.
“Yes, but not really. It’s just like a fling for the next week. You know, with your parents’ anniversary and everyone from your family to Ethan’s, Cal’s, and mine will be in town?—”
“So you decided to have sex with my little sister and pretend it’s an engagement?” he snarls, his voice dripping with venom. I can picture the vein throbbing in his forehead, the way his fists clench at his sides.
Okay, so maybe I shouldn’t have used the word “fling” while trying to explain my situation with Audrey to Max. That was my bad, but this guy needs to give me the chance to talk and stop trying to murder me through the phone, not that it’s possible. If only he knew how attracted I am to his sister, he would definitely kill me. I can picture the rage in his eyes, the way his fists would clench at his sides as he prepared to pummel me into the ground.
But can he blame me? Audrey is strikingly hot, with her dark hair and those piercing hazel eyes that seem to see right through me. And while I spent only a few hours with her, it was so easy to be around her. We fell into a comfortable rhythm, our banter effortless and natural. Not that anything would ever happen between us.
She’s the girl you take home to your parents—hence why I said we’re engaged. She’s the kind of woman you build a life with, the kind you grow old with. And that’s just not who I am. I’m the guy who goes out with women who want to be fucked senseless for a night. No names, no phone numbers, no expectations.
But with Audrey . . . it’s different.
She’s different.
She’d be the kind of woman who’d make me want to be a better man—a better version of myself just for her. I wouldn’t want to be just a one-night stand or a weekend fling. Nope. And that in itself scares the shit out of me.
None of that matters though. I have to focus on making sure that Max understands the deal I just made with his sister and that I would never, ever cross the line. Unless . . . unless I have to blur it a little so it seems like we’re a real couple.
“Can you give me a fucking minute to explain?” I snap, my own anger rising to the surface. I’m tired of being interrupted, of not being given a chance to defend myself.
“You have ten seconds, so you better make it count.” Max’s voice is cold, unforgiving. I can hear the unspoken threat in his words, the promise of retribution if I don’t convince him.
I take a deep breath, steeling myself for what I’m about to say. “Grandma has cancer. Her dream is to see me settled with the love of my life. Mom asked if I had anyone in my life. I thought your sister would fit the bill,” I say, the words coming out in a rush, as if I’m giving an elevator pitch.
There’s a long pause on the other end of the line, and for a moment, I think Max might have hung up on me. But then I hear him sigh, a heavy, weary sound that seems to deflate all the anger out of him.
“Your grandma? Cancer?” Max’s voice is much calmer now. I can hear the sympathy in his tone, the understanding that comes with shared grief.
“Uh-huh,” I confirm, my own voice barely above a whisper. I swallow hard, trying to dislodge the lump that’s formed in my throat.
“Sorry, that’s pretty fucked up,” Max says, and I can almost see him running a hand through his hair, a gesture of frustration and helplessness .
“Yeah, and out of nowhere, I just thought . . . It seemed like a good idea to say that I was engaged to your sister,” I admit, my voice small and uncertain. I run a hand through my hair, tugging at the strands in frustration. “They adore her—all my family. Who better to be my fake fiancée than Audrey?”
There’s another long pause, and I can hear Max breathing on the other end of the line. When he speaks again, his voice is softer, almost hesitant, as if he’s trying to find the right words.
“Liam, I get that you want to make your grandma happy, but this . . . this is a big deal. My mother is going to want to do something big to celebrate and . . . there’s the anniversary too. She’ll want to organize at least an engagement party or probably marry you tonight.”
I wince, guilt twisting in my gut like a knife. He’s right, of course. I’m being selfish, putting my own needs above everyone else’s. Will it be bad if the McCallisters play wedding planner for a few days? They’re busy with the anniversary party. If I break up with Audrey early next week, we should be safe from having to deal with Mrs. McCallister’s nonsense. Right?
I pace back and forth in my room, my free hand gesticulating wildly as I try to convince Max—and myself—that this plan will work. “Listen, Audrey agreed to it, and we have a solid plan,” I say, my voice rising with each word, even when I’m lying. We don’t have shit and if she doesn’t have a good story for us to share we’ll get caught. “Your parents and all our families are too busy with the anniversary party. It’s best if we don’t make a big deal. Next week we’ll break up, and no one’s feelings are going to get hurt.”
Even as I say the words, I know they’re a lie. Something just doesn’t sound . . . Well, everything is a lie, what were you expecting, asshole? I ask myself as I’m trying to figure out if there will be any consequences that will create some kind of mess.
I sit down on the edge of the bed, my shoulders slumping in defeat. Does it even matter? I can’t back out now. Not when Grandma could be running out of time, not when I’ve already set this plan in motion.
“If you think it’ll work out, I trust you,” Max finally says, his voice heavy with resignation. I can almost picture him rubbing his temples, trying to ward off the headache this conversation has undoubtedly caused. “Just be careful. I would hate to have to break every bone in your body.”
“Well, aren’t you a ray of sunshine,” I try to sound funny and lighten the mood, but my laughter falls flat, echoing hollowly in the empty room. I can feel the tension radiating through the phone, the weight of Max’s words hanging heavy in the air.
“I mean it, Liam,” he says, his voice low and serious.
“Understood,” I sigh with relief, my shoulders sagging as the tension leaves my body. But then he adds, “And you just told me this right on time before the word began to spread.”
“What word?” I ask, confused. My brow furrows, and I sit up straighter, my heart starting to race with a sense of foreboding.
“Mom just texted me. According to Susie Cohen—your sweet mother—you and Audrey are engaged. Congratulations, asshole. I’m pretty sure this won’t work out the way you thought.” Max’s words are clipped, tinged with a hint of sarcasm that makes my stomach twist.
“Are you sure about that?” I ask, my voice rising an octave. I can feel the panic starting to set in, my palms growing sweaty as I grip the phone tighter.
“Yep. Mom sent it in the family chat. Everyone knows.” Max’s voice is matter-of-fact, almost bored. “Congratulations, Lee.”
Fuck.
I close my eyes, my head falling back against the headboard with a thud. This is not how it was supposed to go. We were supposed to have more time, more control over the situation. But now, with the news spreading like wildfire, there’s no telling what kind of expectations and assumptions people will make.
I take a deep breath, readying myself for what’s to come. “Okay, so everyone knows. We’ll just have to roll with it, stick to the plan.”
“And what exactly is the plan, Liam?” Max asks, his voice dripping with skepticism. “How are you going to keep this up without anything getting out of hand or . . . getting caught?”
I run a hand through my hair, tugging at the strands in frustration. “I don’t know, Max. But we’ll figure it out. We have to. Maybe we’ll need your nonsense to get this right.”
But something tells me it won’t be that easy and he might just play with us while pretending to help. Love the guy, but he can be such a fucking asshole.