Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Luc
E lise had to open the shop early the morning after our dinner with my family, so she hadn’t moved in yet. I’d help her load up some basic items she’d need for the next few days to carry out the ruse, and we’d get her set up in my house this evening.
Not just my house, but my room.
My bed.
This was so far from what I’d planned. Between the restlessness plaguing me about the whole setup to this new hurdle, how was I supposed to maintain the distance necessary to manage my family? We were never supposed to be so close for any length of time. This was another level of imposition on her. Knowing I’d promised not to kiss her without her saying the word, I was smart enough to sense distance would be essential. And yet hadn’t I been thinking she should get out of that unsecured apartment? Granted, her ex shouldn’t be an issue any longer, but still…
Still. We would be very close in the coming days, and the risk had escalated. The odds of me not wanting her even more…
I shook off that thought, but not before Kenny noticed my expression.
“Uh oh, is someone daydreaming about his fake fiancée?” He grinned like the thought of me thinking of Elise made him happy.
“Just thinking over some logistics. She’s moving in today.”
He’d taken a bite right as I started speaking and he nearly spit out his food when he heard me. He chewed frantically, eyes wide and no doubt delighted, before he swallowed and said, “Moving in?”
A breathy laugh tripped out of me as I remembered the blazing fire in her eyes as she told my grandfather in no uncertain terms that Odette wasn’t about to stay with me. That she was already living with me, and we wanted to have a slumber party with my sister and brother-in-law.
Okay, she didn’t phrase it that way, but she’d set us up to all be in quite close quarters, hadn’t she? Even if Aurelie and Michele wouldn’t be critical of how we acted in the same way my grandfather was, it would be very new territory.
All night, I’d expected a sense of dread to settle in as I came to terms with the plan. Not only were we pretending to be engaged, but to be living together. It was a brilliant plan on the one hand, as it reinforced the idea that my grandfather was too late to effect any change, and yet we hadn’t discussed it.
Between the way she reeled me in with her strength and determination, and this new roommates situation, my plan to stay mostly unaffected and abide by my promise not to kiss her unless she asked was unraveling before my eyes.
“Yeah. My grandfather wanted Odette to stay with me, and Elise stepped in and shut that down right away.” Satisfaction burrowed into me at the memory. Whatever damage had been done by the comments about her family, she’d rallied and doubled down. That show of strength stoked my interest and, if I was honest, the care growing in me for her each day.
“Oh, she did, did she? I approve.” Kenny held up his hand.
Dutifully, I met it with a smack of my own.
He nodded with a grin. “But now you’re going to be cohabitating with Elise? That’s…”
“Unexpected,” I provided.
“I was gonna say sexy, but sure. Unexpected works, too.”
I glared at him, but after a bite of my sandwich, had to acknowledge his point. “It is a little something , for sure. She didn’t do it as a way to get close to me, but it’s going to have that effect since she also invited Aurelie and Michele to stay in the guest bedroom.”
Lying to Aurelie didn’t sit well, but so far it hadn’t felt terrible. I worried being in the same house for several days, even if it was fairly spacious, would exacerbate the guilt.
“Oh, so you’re going to be sharing a room.” He gasped. “And there’s only one bed.” His mouth dropped open wide, and he wore the dopiest expression of all time. He was saturated with glee as he whispered, “It’s just like The Proposal !”
My eyes shut to block him and his expression out, but also to block out the memory of Elise falling asleep on my shoulder as we watched that very movie. I’d liked her leaning on me just like I’d enjoyed every second I got to be near her or touch her.
His enthusiasm was doing nothing to help me keep my feet on the ground, but if I needed a reminder of why I was doing this, I’d have one up close and personal very soon. Apparently, Odette de Valois would be arriving in town tomorrow and my grandfather had arranged for us to all meet for a drink at the cocktail lounge at the resort.
Génial.
“It’s not because we’re not ending up together. Nor are we staging a fake wedding and duping a wily old woman or feeding small dogs to eagles. We’re just…”
With his face cupped in his hands and elbows leaning on the table like a school child, he said, “Spending time getting to know one another? Slowly realizing she’s a wonderful person on top of being a total ten? Finding out?—”
“Hey, aren’t you practically engaged?” I asked, irritation spiking.
“I am very happily imminently engaged as soon as my soon-to-be fiancée will allow me to propose, yes. She would also acknowledge Elise is a ten. I think literally anyone with eyes would, and that’s before they taste a donut or have a conversation with her. Don’t be an idiot and act like it’s a secret.” He gave me a disappointed look.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it. I’m just… I don’t know. I don’t like lying.”
No way he didn’t recognize the irony of me saying this after just revealing I’d lied to him and all of our closest friends about my past and even my name… but I was turning over a new leaf in that regard.
He snorted. “Well, you sure set yourself up for failure on this one, then.”
“Don’t remind me.” I’d brooded on that enough already, though. Elise had taken the engagement lie and pushed it up a notch, but it all fell within the parameters of what I’d wanted. It only made us more convincing.
So why did it feel like such a step off a cliff?
“What are you going to do about the other woman? And sorry, but why is she coming here? Isn’t that weird?” he asked, then took a giant bite of his sandwich.
I exhaled and ran a hand through my hair. “Yes, it is. Supposedly, her family was already coming to the gala, but I doubt that. I suspect it’s a ploy to get me to see her and decide I’ll give it a chance or something? I’ll meet her. I’m with Jenna tomorrow until late so I’ll only have a few minutes anyway. I’ll play the game to meet the minimum expectations my grandfather has while not letting him elbow in and ruin things between me and Elise.”
Somehow, I’d convince him he could move on from his singular focus on me acquiescing to his choice. At some point, I’d find time alone with him and hope that the relationship we had long before my rebellion and his doubling down could reemerge.
“I’m glad Jenna’s back. Hope she’s doing alright.” His brow furrowed, and we ate in silence after I agreed.
Jenna Halter had been an early client of Saint Security. She’d been through the wringer as her celebrity skyrocketed from being a vaguely familiar face to a must-see A-lister in the matter of a year. That fame brought with it opportunity and wealth, but also several forms of unwanted attention. I’d been part of her personal security team when I first left the military and lived in the UK while she worked on a project there and had seen her a few times since. We were good friends, and I was glad I’d get to work her detail again.
We finished our lunch and cleaned up the table in the break room where we’d been sitting. Kenny liked to post up there so he got to see anyone who came and went from the fridge and microwave. “To maximize social potential,” as he said.
“Listen, can I just say something about all of this? I know you know what you’re doing and everything’s fine, but…” he trailed off as we walked toward our offices.
“Of course. I value your opinion, even if you’re obnoxious sharing it at times,” I said honestly. He was one of my best friends and there was no denying it.
He grinned. “Good. So, maybe you should consider letting all of this be real.”
Real? Was he so deluded with his own happiness he couldn’t see that not everyone would end up with a match like his and Elizabeth’s? The internal rejection came swiftly, even as something in my gut hitched like some part of me liked the idea.
Didn’t matter how much any part of me liked the idea of things being real with Elise. Elise didn’t want it, period. There was nothing else to say. So, I raised a brow, which he properly interpreted as my request for more explanation.
“You and Elise are good together. At least, she’s good for you, or this situation is, or something. You came clean with us and I feel like I’m seeing more… you. I don’t know how to explain it. You’re letting us into your life, and it’s a beautiful thing.”
His expression was so genuine, I couldn’t laugh like I might’ve wanted.
I couldn’t deny he had a point, though was it Elise? Or simply the situation forcing me to own up to the truth?
Ironically, even though I was living a lie with my family by birth, I was living the truth with my family of choice, and the unanticipated side effect of that was an incredible sense of freedom. I hadn’t realized how liberating it’d feel to have my closest friends know me even more than they already did, but now I was living it, and sure enough, this was me in all my authenticity. They knew the man they’d bonded with during our years in the military, and now they knew my true history, my real family name, and yes, even the wealthy roots that had formed me in key ways.
Whatever came of all of this, I would be thankful for the breath of fresh air this had given me.
Kenny continued. “Granted, I haven’t seen you together since you actually started successfully stringing whole sentences together in her vicinity, but?—”
I shoved him because sometimes he required it.
He chuckled. “My point is, I think you like her. And I don’t know how she feels about you, but upping the ante on moving in with you isn’t something she would’ve done if she couldn’t stand you.”
“An impressively high bar,” I said, my insides feeling itchy with the direction of his comments.
Could he be right? No.
Non. Right?
Her display of confidence in our relationship came from the desire to take the agreement we’d made to the fullest extent. Granted, the “agreement” was really just her being kind and willing to help me since she wasn’t gaining anything except a jerk-ex deterrent. She hoped to deter Callum further, and maybe it would. That was a small payout for what she’d already had to endure, but I hoped our appearance at the gala together would truly help.
I felt the chemistry between us, the desire to finally kiss her and claim her in some small way, so I knew there was something real there. But she didn’t want real, and I wasn’t sure I could let myself have it even if she did. I didn’t have it in me to hope for such a thing, much less grasp it with both hands and hold on.
“I know you’re convinced you’re not interested in anything real, but…” He gave me a small, almost reluctant smile. “As a guy who thought the same for a long time, and had really convinced himself he didn’t want to risk getting messed up by another woman, I can say with certainty it’s worth it.”
“What’s worth it?” Liz asked as she shot Kenny a smile.
Kenny gasped, then he ran toward her with arms wide open and scooped her up. She wrapped him up, and they twirled around as he pressed kisses all over her face, and she laughed. They were both beaming, though his eyes were closed, and his face conveyed pure bliss.
“You. You’re worth it,” he said, setting her down gently and sliding his hand into her hair.
And that was where I left them. Liz had been gone for a few weeks, and apparently she’d just gotten back. They deserved to celebrate their reunion without me standing there witnessing it all like a creep.
As I settled back into my seat and tried to focus, my mind kept running back to Elise. Not even Kenny’s words about her, but the woman herself.
In the wake of my grandfather’s pushing and insults—his machinations to shove her out of my life—she’d stood firm. She truly was the strongest woman I knew, and if I thought she wanted me, I’d…
There was no point in entertaining such thoughts. It wouldn’t be fair to either of us. She didn’t want a relationship, and I had eschewed the idea for so long, I wasn’t sure I could offer much of anything even if she did.
At least, that was what I’d keep reminding myself as I moved her into my house for the next week.