Chapter 7
Luca
The work retreat for Addison and her company wasn’t during the best time for me. Thankfully, a friend of mine and Colt’s had been able to step in and take care of the patients I had. But I didn’t work seven days a week all the time, so I had actually been able to do this.
I would’ve done this for Addison even without the lie. Because she was my friend, and I hated her ex, and her boss, and her job. She needed me, so I would step up.
But the fact that we weren’t actually talking about the elephant in the room was driving me crazy.
The event was at a huge lodge that catered to corporate execs and retreats for team building and bonding. I found it odd that they wanted families and spouses there, real and fake, but that was fine. If this is what Addison needed to get ahead, then I would help her.
But I knew she was using this idea of a promotion and beating her ex as a way to not think about what was actually going to happen.
“We’re almost there,” I said after a moment, and I realized the awkwardness in the car wasn’t just on my end.
“You’re right. And I’ve been so busy at work, and so have you, that we actually haven’t made any ground rules.”
I raised a brow even as I kept my attention on the road.
“What kind of ground rules are those, Addison?” I asked, trying to keep my tone calm.
She was pregnant. Having our child. And we weren’t talking about it. If we didn’t talk about it, I couldn’t come to terms with it or make it feel real. Perhaps that was why we were doing this, but if this is what we needed to do for her fucking five-year plan, then we would.
I was not going to become my father or my mother. I would not be a deadbeat parent that left when things got complicated. I would be there. I just needed to figure out exactly what there meant.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, looking at her briefly before tearing my gaze back to the road. “What do you think, Addison?”
“Stop saying my name like that. I know this is ridiculous. I know you put your life on hold for this weekend, and I’m so grateful. I owe you.”
“You don’t fucking owe me. We’re best friends.”
“Best friends are allowed to owe each other.”
“Fine, then you owe me a conversation.”
“I was trying to have one right now.”
“How about a conversation about the fact that we’re having a kid. An actual real-life baby. Not one that we can schedule at a time that is more convenient for us both.”
“Luca…”
“What?”
“Let’s figure out this whole retreat and the fact that we have to lie the whole time before we get to that part.”
“And then we’ll come up with something else to worry about, like the fact that what, Paisley and August are somehow not fighting? Or that something will happen with someone’s job, or I’ll get busy at work, or you’ll get the promotion, and then there’s a whole new set of issues. Life is always going to be in the way, but we created it. Actual life. Maybe we should talk about it.”
“What do you want to talk about? We’re having a baby. An actual baby. We’re in the first trimester. I’m reading the books. Are you reading the books?”
My hands tightened on the steering wheel.
“I got the checklist of books we were supposed to read. And while I’m only a vet, I’m still a doctor. I know how pregnancy works.”
“You’re not an obstetrician, or a neonatal surgeon. You’re not a fertility doctor. You help deliver puppies and kittens. Not babies.”
“Fine, I get that. And I’m reading the books, Addison. But we’re still not talking about it.”
“I don’t know what there is to talk about right now when we have to deal with this. This farce of a weekend.” She put her hands over her face and let out a little growl. A damn sexy growl, but I didn’t let myself focus on that.
“I’m keeping the baby.”
“I know.” My chest tightened because I was feeling that tiny spark of excitement. The need to know more about this baby.
Because this was real. Whatever happened this weekend, it might have some reality to it, but what was happening between us? That was real. Whatever that was.
Ever since that drunken night, I had wanted more. Fuck, I had wanted more before that night. But we had put ourselves in the boxes that said friends only, and I had accepted it. I lived with it because that made the most sense. It would screw up the dynamic of our friendship and our friend group otherwise.
But we were blowing that all out of proportion now, weren’t we?
So, how did you tell your best friend and mother of your future child that you wanted to date her?
You didn’t.
Hell, I was a complication here.
“So we read the books, we have this baby, and what?”
“And we raise this baby. I have more space than you, it just makes sense, right?”
“You’re right. It does. And you’re not doing this alone.” I let out a breath as I took the exit off the highway. “We’re going to talk about it more when we get back from this trip. I know that. But I want you to know that I’m here. I know that this part is real. And that we’re going to have to tell our family and friends and then they’re going to want answers we don’t have.”
“Then we’ll ask the questions first. I’m just trying to live in my bubble of insecurity and non-reality for a little while longer, okay?”
I snorted, shaking my head. “Well, panic with me, won’t you?”
“Always. We’re good at panicking together.”
I sighed, then gestured towards the glove box. “Open it. I have a gift.”
I was suddenly nervous, not knowing if this had been the right move or not. But if we were going to go along with the charade, we might as well lean into it.
She frowned at me before leaning forward and opening the glove box.
When she just sat there, not saying anything, I nearly pulled over.
“Addison?”
“There’s a ring box in here.”
“Yes. It’s a ring. I figured it’d be a good idea to have one. Don’t you?”
“You got me a ring.”
Suddenly aware that I had probably stepped in it, I sucked in a breath.
“I’m not going to do this half-assed. We’re going to get you that promotion so you have more time off and you get what you earned and deserve, and then we’re going to celebrate. In order to do that though, I have to be the best fake fiancé ever. And that includes getting you a ring.”
“Oh.”
I scowled as I took another turn. “Open the damn box, Addison. It’s not going to bite you. I’ll bite you though if you don’t. Just warning.”
She blushed, and then I remembered our night together and how I did bite her.
Dammit. So not the time.
“Okay fine,” she muttered, before reaching for the box. Suddenly nervous, I kept my attention on the directions and road rather than her.
When she didn’t say anything, I cursed under my breath. Grateful for the stop sign, I turned and met her gaze, annoyed with myself for the whole damn situation. “What?”
“It’s beautiful.”
I was nervous again. This wasn’t a real proposal, I knew that. But doing it in a car at a stop sign on her way to an event for her work when I hadn’t even asked? This probably wasn’t the best idea.
I quickly looked in the rearview mirror, and since I couldn’t see any cars coming, I put the car in park.
“What are you doing?” she asked quickly and turned toward me as much as the seatbelt would allow.
“I wanted to get something that fit you. It’s an older ring, a little more unique setting, but that’s a diamond with emeralds all around it. You look nice in emeralds.”
She looked at me with wide eyes. “You got me a ring, Luca.”
“You’re my best friend, Addison. If I am going to be your fake fiancé, I’m going to do it right.” I cleared my throat, then pulled the ring from the box since she hadn’t. Feeling awkward as hell, I took her left hand and slid the ring on her finger. For some reason, that felt like an oath, a promise. Or perhaps it was just my dreams. After all, I hadn’t let myself want her before.
“Addison Lily, will you fake marry me? Will you make me the happiest fake fiancé until the end of this farce where we can step into reality and realize that the real world is just as tough as this fake one? Will you make me a happy fake man?”
She blinked at me, her eyes going dark for a moment before she threw her head back and laughed.
“Fake man? Really?”
“I was leaning into it, and I went too far. So, what do you say?”
“The ring’s on my finger, Luca. You’re the one doing something real for me. But you did not have to spend that kind of money.”
I shrugged. “I got it at a consignment shop. Like I’m really going to go to a fancy jeweler and get you some nice shit. Sorry, I’m saving for a child.”
We both froze as reality started to seep its way in.
“Oh dear God. There are child funds. There’s childcare, and college funds, and prom and tuition and diapers. Oh my God, so many diapers.”
“Okay, there’s a car coming and we need to go, so push that off to the side. Remember, we’re leaning into the fake.”
“Sure. We can totally do this. Oh my God, breastfeeding. I’m going to need breast pumps.”
My gaze went straight to her breasts, then back to her face.
“I can help with that.”
I said it so serious that she blinked at me before she grinned and punched me in the shoulder.
“Asshole.”
“I can also play with your asshole. You just tell me what you want.”
She scrunched her nose and I laughed before I put the car in drive again and we made our way up the hill.
“This whole thing’s ridiculous, you know,” she said softly.
“I know. But don’t worry. We can do this.”
“You really got this at a consignment shop?” she asked softly, and then I realized what she was asking. Why I might have that on hand.
I cursed as we made our way into the lodge, but I drove slowly so the valet wouldn’t get to us right away.
“It’s not… It’s not hers.” Hers as in Ashleigh’s. Because we hadn’t gotten that far. “It’s also not a family heirloom.”
Addison snorted. “I wonder how many wedding rings your mom has?”
“I don’t ask those kinds of things,” I said with a wince. “But don’t worry, it’s a real ring. For my real friend in this fake relationship. I wonder how many bingo slots we get for that.”
“I don’t even want to think about what the free space would be.”
I laughed as we finally pulled into the valet.
Because this was it. The start of everything, and maybe the start of nothing.
I couldn’t screw this up.
Because college tuition and daycare and car seats and diapers were on the way.
My breakfast that I had downed far too quickly earlier threatened to make an appearance.
I really didn’t want this true reality.
Not yet. So I would lean into the dream and the acting. I had to.
By the time we were at the cocktail party that night, it felt as if I were doing a thousand things at once and yet running in place, much like the Scooby-Doo gang. Honestly I would much rather be hunting old creepy men in sheets pretending to be ghosts than dealing with this. Of course, I had plenty of the old creepy men at this event.
“Lily, come over here. Introduce us to your man.”
I raised a brow at Addison because I had never once heard her called by her last name.
She smiled brightly and moved forward.
“Mr. Wells, this is Luca Cassidy.”
Harrington-Wells III looked down pointedly at the ring on her finger and winked at me.
“Good job on the ring. I was a little worried that she was hiding you from us for so long for a reason. You’re a vet?”
“Veterinarian,” I said as I shook the man’s strong hand.
“Ah, large animal or small?”
“Small animal, although I do have some experience with large animals because I did some work out in Portland on farms. But small animal here.”
“Good to know. Had a cousin of the wife’s that was a large animal vet. At least back in the day. Now he owns some property and uses it for dude ranching or something.” The old man just rolled his eyes. “Not quite sure, but it works for him. So, Lily, when’s the wedding?”
“Oh. Well.”
I cleared my throat, wondering who this Addison was beside me, because this was not the woman that I knew.
“We’re still waiting to plan, allowing for a bit longer of an engagement. You know, enjoying ourselves.”
I put my arm around her and squeezed her hip. She looked up at me, and I tried to force her to understand that everything would be okay.
This had to work. It was the whole reason we were here.
When she smiled up at me and her shoulders relaxed, I saw a glimpse of the Addison that I knew.
“Yes, we’re just enjoying the engagement for now. Plus, with the two new accounts, I’m focusing on that.”
“Yes, yes. You’ve been doing good on that with Nathan.”
“He’s a great junior partner and I’m looking forward to working with him more in the future. With all of the partners.”
“Ah yes. Oh good, there is Armstrong and his fiancée. I need to go meet that lovely woman again. Enjoy yourselves, the fun starts tomorrow.” He winked as he said it, and I had a feeling that nothing about this would actually be fun.
She visibly relaxed when the man walked away, and I kept my arm around her, keeping her steady.
“So.”
She shook her head, and then looked down at the sparkling water in her hand.
“I really wish this was booze right now.”
I clinked my soda to hers and grinned. “I am in solidarity with you. Don’t worry. I won’t be a drunken mistake.”
We looked at each other, and she blushed when I shook my head.
“It wasn’t a mistake, Addison,” I whispered, even though this was the worst time for that.
“Anyway, I’m really sorry about the bed situation.”
I grinned at her. “They think we’re engaged. Of course, there’s only one bed in the room. It’s a nice room though, a suite?”
She nodded. “There’s a small couch, but I don’t think it’s even long enough for me.”
“Addison, we’re best friends and we’ve slept together. I think we’ll be fine in one bed.”
I winked as I said it, and she smiled before another group came over to talk to us. Finance bros and their wives that seemed bored as hell to be there.
There weren’t many women that worked with Addison, and that bothered me. I was used to how Paisley worked, where it was a good mix of people. This seemed to be a little more old school, but now that the cobwebs had been shaken off, Addison was back to herself and kicking ass.
Of course, all I could think about was the fact that once we were done with this evening, we were going to be dealing with the fact that there really was only one bed. And I was going to be sleeping next to her.
Trying not to touch her like I was now.
This was already a fucking problem.
I didn’t know what Harrington wanted, but if it meant that I needed to step up to the plate and be the best fiancé out there, I’d make it happen.
But I couldn’t help but wonder exactly what this crew here would think once they found out that Addison was pregnant. Oh, there was nothing lawfully they could do, but there were always ways to make things difficult for her.
Would they really want a new female junior partner that was not only pregnant, but not even engaged? I didn’t think so. I had a feeling that this was all going to be a problem for them, but Addison had always worked at the hardest colleges, on the most challenging degrees, and put herself up to be the best at the hardest parts of her job.
She was the best. I knew it deep down in my heart, even though it wasn’t my career.
And as I watched her walk all over these finance bros without them even realizing it? I realized that she was a fucking star.
But these next months were going to change everything. And I didn’t know how I was going to be able to protect her. I would do everything that I could, I would be there. But I was still just the best friend.
The best friend who’d put a ring on her finger, even if it was fake.
I couldn’t help but think of Ashleigh in that moment, and I hated myself a little bit for it.
I had lost the one I loved before. Lost her to an aneurysm when neither one of us were prepared for that. But you never really could be prepared for something like that.
I couldn’t help but think about the fact that Addison had medical issues of her own, and that was just one more reason I was keeping an eye on her. But I couldn’t focus on that. I couldn’t focus on the what-ifs. There were enough of them hitting me in the face as it was.
But every single little moment kept stacking against us. Saying that this was going to be too much, and we weren’t going to be able to find an easy way through this.
But what else was there? What were we supposed to do?
Addison Lily was fucking amazing. Stunning and powerful and brilliant.
I was going to do everything in my power to make sure she stayed that way.
Only I had a feeling that fate had already kicked us in the ass once, and it was going to do it again, and this was going to be a lot harder than I thought. Especially when her ex looked over at me and grinned, and I had a feeling that man was going to do everything he could to ruin this.
I kept my attention on Addison, and knew that we would kick that man’s ass.
And hopefully get her this promotion.
Even though, no matter what, everything was going to change.
But we would do it. Side by side.
It wasn’t like we had any other choice.