Chapter 10
Gage
I watch as emotions play across Celeste’s face too quickly to parse out. Damn I wish I could read her mind and know what she’s thinking right now about this whole thing.
“You’ve been doing your research,” she says with a playful wink. “You were that sure I’d be all in when I came over tonight?”
“There is absolutely nothing wrong with being prepared,” I retort, and she nods with a smile.
“The courthouse sounds good. Maybe in a couple of weeks? That should give us enough time to get everything in order. We could probably tell Tania and Carlo, right? They can be our witnesses.”
“Carlo is going to be insufferable about it, since he knows I don’t want to get married, but you’re right. They should know, especially your sister,” I groan.
“Tania would be devastated if I got married, even just for convenience, without her there,” she agrees. “Your dad and brother wouldn’t care about being there?”
“I’ll invite them, too. The courthouse downtown allows up to six guests, so having the four of them there will be perfect. Gina will most likely stay home with the kids.”
She cocks her head in thought.
“Am I wearing a white dress? Are we getting rings for each other?”
The image of her in a beautiful white dress, the enormity of slipping a ring onto her finger, momentarily stuns me speechless.
I haven’t thought too much about the nitty gritty details since I’ve been more focused on the basic logistics.
My brain better learn to realize that this pending marriage is fake, because right now I am in serious danger of getting into a position where this woman could shatter me.
She’s somehow skirting around all of the caution signs that normally blare in bright colors in my mind.
I clear my throat and shove the errant thoughts away.
“We can pick out rings in the next week or so, I think we should exchange them to really sell it. As for your dress, I want you to wear whatever you’re comfortable with. White dress, black pantsuit, it doesn’t matter as long as you feel good in it.”
“Very kind of you to give me carte blanche on what to wear,” she snarks, but there’s no bite to it.
“I’m nothing if not generous,” I deadpan with a grin, making her snort out a laugh before she sobers.
“What are you going to tell your family about us? They’re really going to buy us getting married so quickly?”
I run my hand through my hair and let out a huff of air.
“I’ve always been a little impulsive, except when it comes to the bar. It wouldn’t be out of character for me, and they’ll just shake their heads and hope I’ll be happy. That’s what I’m banking on at least. It helps that they’ve already seen us together at the bar.”
She looks a little dubious, but nods slowly.
“Your dad won’t get suspicious about the timing? He gives you this ultimatum and now suddenly you’re getting married at the courthouse?”
“He’s not an idiot, I’m sure that’ll be on his mind. That’s why I think it’s important we sell it. If he believes we’re madly in love, then we both can get what we want. No matter what ends up happening with him, we’ll stay married long enough for you to get the treatment you need,” I promise her.
“That wouldn’t be very fair if I got something out of this and you didn’t, so you can bet I will sell it to your family. I’ll be the picture of an adoring wife,” she says, looking at me with big doe eyes and batting her eyelashes, as if to demonstrate.
I never knew eyes could be deadly weapons before, but I’m discovering that I’m powerless against hers. We’re not even married yet, and she’s already going to kill me.
“Those beautiful eyes could make a man feel ten feet tall, looking at him like that,” I blurt without even thinking, because my brain is currently in a Celeste induced fog.
Hermes lets out a loud whistle from his perch, like he’s judging me, while Daisy tries to imitate him with a much more delicate trill. It breaks the spell a little.
“Fine, I’ll practice looking lovesick in the mirror before the wedding,” she huffs, clearly thinking I’m teasing her again.
I could play it off, let her think I’m teasing, and respond with another quip.
That would be a pretty dick move though, and even a fake marriage deserves to begin with honesty.
“I wasn’t joking,” I confess quietly. Her lips part in surprise.
“Oh,” is all she says for a moment, before swallowing hard.
“That’s good. If we’re going to sell this, you should think my eyes are beautiful.
” Her head bobs once with a decisive nod.
“For the record, it won’t be hard for me to sell it either.
You’re not so bad yourself, Casanova,” she says with a little grin that verges on sly.
“A ringing endorsement if I’ve ever heard one,” I say with a laugh.
We’re back in the familiar, comfortable territory of teasing and meaningless flirting we’ve developed, like slipping into warm bathwater.
It should feel like relief, but it’s as though the bathwater has actually gone a little cold and stagnant.
What would happen if she took me thinking she’s beautiful seriously?
Would she want to pursue anything for real?
Would I? I think until I get a better read on what she actually feels about me, I’m too chickenshit to find out.
The teasing and flirting is our armor, and while we’ve both let a crack or two show, neither of us is ready to show anything more.
“So what else do we need to get ready for this wedding? I suppose I should pack my things at Tania and Carlo’s soon? I don’t have much, so it won’t be hard,” she muses.
I nod.
“Yeah, you can move in whenever you’re ready. I can help bring your stuff over. It’ll give me an excuse to say hey to Carlo, Tania, and the cats anyway,” I say.
She shrugs.
“I can fit everything in my car, but they’d love to see you, and I won’t say no to my future husband carrying some of the heavier stuff. You don’t have to, though,” she says, but it comes out of her mouth like it’s painful to say.
“Consider it done,” I promise, and she relaxes a little, like she was worried I would say no to helping her even after I just offered.
“You don’t like asking for help at all, do you?” I surmise, probably too bluntly. Her eyes dim, but she thankfully doesn’t close off completely.
“The only person I’ve ever been able to rely on for almost my entire life is myself.
Even with Tania, it was her relying on me up until recently.
I learned really quickly to help myself with everything, and take care of my sister from the time she came into my life when I was twelve.
So no, I’ve never learned how to accept help, because I’ve never received much,” she says with quiet ferocity and a defiant lift of her chin.
I nod in understanding, my heart splitting in two at her admission.
“I hope one day you’ll be able to rely on me, and have no problem asking me for help, Celeste. Whatever you need, I’ll be there. You’ve got a friend for life,” I promise her. She eyes me speculatively.
“I’ve heard all of that many times before, and they were empty words. I’m not holding you to anything, Gage, and you owe me nothing once this arrangement is over.”
“I’ll just have to show you that they’re not empty words, then. Challenge accepted,” I say with a shrug.
“Suit yourself,” she chirps. “It’s getting late, I better get going. We can talk more in the next couple of weeks about everything, yeah?”
“Yeah, for sure,” I affirm.
A thought occurs to me.
“Hey, would you want to come to dinner at my dad’s this weekend with me?
You could see my sister-in-law again since I’m not sure you got to chat with her much at the bar when everyone was there celebrating your court win.
My niece and nephew would love to meet you before we get married.
It’ll be super casual, just grilling in the backyard. ”
“She and I exchanged hellos at the bar, but that was really it. They won’t mind me coming?”
“Not at all, my sister-in-law will be ecstatic to have another adult woman to talk to there. Gina is completely over these dinners being sausage fests. Those are her words exactly.”
She bites her lip nervously, but then nods.
“It would be good to meet them, so they don’t think you’re marrying some completely random woman. It’ll give us practice for acting like a couple in love,” she reasons.
“Exactly,” I say, pointing at her. We both need to stay on mission and not get distracted. She gifts me with a smile and goes to give the birds some head scratches.
“Bye pretty birds,” she coos.
“Beautiful Celeste,” Hermes answers, making her laugh.
“Such a smart boy.” Then she turns to me. “We’ll talk soon? You can text me the details about this weekend.”
“Absolutely. Here, I’ll walk you out.”
My hand goes to the small of her back on instinct as I lead her down the hallway to the front door.
We walk out into the balmy night, my driveway suffused with pale moonlight that’s accented by the occasional flash of a firefly.
She turns to me when we reach her car, and tips up onto her toes to briefly press a chaste kiss to my cheek. It still feels like a brand.
“Thanks again for a great dinner. See you soon, future husband,” she says wryly as she opens her car door and gets inside.
“Bye, future wife,” I manage to say with a wink, in spite of me reeling at the feel of her lips on my skin.
A few days later, I’m driving with Celeste over to my dad’s house.
My body hums out of control with a combination of nerves about bringing her to dinner, and the electricity of having her near me.
Part of me wonders if I’m being an absolute idiot, play acting that she and I are in love and getting married when I’m this attracted to her.
A simple kiss on my cheek had me tossing and turning the entire night after she left my house. I’ve been distracted by it ever since.