17. Ava
Ava
I’m at my desk, buried in work, when my phone buzzes. It’s a text from Nick. He says he needs to talk to me. I hesitate. Talk typically means sex. I don’t want to make this a habit.
Too late.
I agree to meet him for lunch.
When he shows up at the office to pick me up, I panic.
“What are you doing here?” I hiss.
“Taking you to lunch.”
“Nick, you’re feeding into the rumors.”
“So?” he says with a shrug.
I roll my eyes. “Easy for you to say. If I don’t show up for work tomorrow, look for me in the basement. I would not put it past her to tie me up and keep me hostage.”
“Hmm, that sounds kind of hot.”
“You’re an idiot.”
I grab my bag and follow him out, ignoring the sharp glare Sierra shoots my way as we leave.
We don’t even work on the same floor, but she is somehow everywhere all the time.
It’s a little creepy.
We head to a quiet little restaurant downtown. The cab ride is quiet. Nick doesn’t even try to touch me. Something feels off. This morning, he’d been all smooth and flirty.
Nick’s fidgeting, avoiding my eyes, and it’s making me nervous. As soon as we sit down, I can’t hold back anymore.
“What’s going on?” I ask. “Don’t say nothing because I know there is something. If you don’t want to see me, that’s cool. You don’t have to take me to lunch and let me down easy.”
“It’s not that,” he says.
But there is something.
“What is it, Nick?”
He takes a deep breath, like he’s stalling. My anxiety spikes. I don’t care if he says we’ll never see each other again.
Right?
This was just a fling.
Finally, he blurts it out, “My parents are coming to town. And they think I’m engaged.”
I blink at him, my brain struggling to process what he just said. “What?”
He runs a hand through his hair, looking like a guy who’s just realized he’s stepped off a cliff. “I panicked, okay? They were hounding me about settling down, and I just … blurted it out.”
I stare at him, my mouth hanging open. “Nick, what the hell? Why would you do that?”
“I don’t know,” he says, his voice rising. “I wasn’t thinking. But now they want to meet my ‘fiancée,’ and I don’t know what to do.”
I shake my head. “This is insane. You need to tell them the truth.”
“I can’t,” he says, and he sounds desperate now. “They’ll never let it go. They’ll keep hounding me, and I can’t deal with that right now.”
I narrow my eyes at him, my patience wearing thin. “So, what are you going to do?”
He hesitates, and I can see the gears turning in his head. Then he drops the bomb. “I need you to play the role.”
I freeze, my entire body going stiff. “What?”
“Just for a week or maybe two,” he says, his voice pleading. “That’s it. They just need to see us together. See we’re happy. They’ll go back to Texas, and that’ll be it. I’ll tell them we broke up in a couple of months.”
“You want me to pretend to be … your fiancée?”
“Yes.”
I stand up so fast my chair nearly topples over. “No. Absolutely not. This is crazy, Nick. I’m not going to lie to your parents.”
He stands too, reaching for my hand. “Ava, please. I’m desperate. You know what they’re like.”
I look at him, and for a second, I see the panic in his eyes. I know of his parents. I know Nick’s family is wealthy and powerful and fancy themselves royalty. That means their kids have to make good connections. I know I’m not exactly a princess. They want Nick with someone wealthy and fabulous.
That is not me.
I pull my hand away, crossing my arms over my chest. “Fine,” I say. “Two weeks. That’s it.”
He nods, relief flooding his face. “Thank you.”
We sit back down, but I’m not happy. This feels like a disaster waiting to happen. I’m already regretting saying yes.
“So, you’ll need to move in,” he says.
I choke on the drink of water I have just taken.
“Excuse me?”
“To make it look real.”
“Are they going to inspect the closet?” I ask.
He shrugs. “My mom could be a detective. She’s pretty serious about marrying me off.”
“Nick, this feels wrong. Why do we have to live together? Why can’t we be engaged and not live together?”
“Because I really want to sell this to them. I need them to think this is happening. You living with me seals the deal.”
I stare at him, my mouth hanging open.
"Nick, that's crazy," I say, shaking my head. "I can't just move in with you for two weeks and pretend to be your fiancée. Do you hear how insane that sounds?"
"I know it's a lot to ask," he says. "But I'm desperate here, Ava. My parents won't let this go otherwise. And if they find out I lied …"
“Fine,” I mutter. “I have a feeling I’m going to regret this.”
“Maybe. Or it could be a lot of fun.”
“If this is some stupid game to get me in your bed, it’s not funny.”
He leans forward. “I don’t need a game to get you in bed, Ava. We both know that. Remember yesterday? You were begging me to fuck you.”
Damn him for speaking the truth.
“Whatever. Let’s order. I need to get back to work.”
“Come to my house after work,” he says. “Brink enough clothes for a couple of weeks.”
“Just in case, right?” I quip.
He winks. “Yep.”
When we get back to the office, I can barely focus on my work. I’ve done a lot of stupid shit in my day, but this is probably going to be the dumbest.
After work, I go home and pack two very large suitcases. All my toiletries, a few pairs of shoes, and plenty of work clothes. If his mother does inspect the closet, she’s going to know it’s bullshit. No woman dating her son would only have three pairs of shoes.
Nick is waiting for me when I pull up. He pulls out my suitcases and rolls them as we walk inside. I say nothing and follow him to the master bedroom.
This is so weird.
This is really happening. I am actually going to pretend to be his fiancée, to live with him. Sleep in his bed. I can't believe I agreed to this crazy plan.
"You can put your things in here," Nick says, gesturing to the walk-in closet. "Make yourself at home."
I step inside, taking in the spacious closet. One whole side is clearly Nick's, with rows of crisp dress shirts, tailored suits, and designer shoes. The other side … is empty. Waiting for me.
"This is insane," I mutter.
Nick comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. "It'll be fine," he murmurs against my ear. "Just think of it as an extended sleepover."
“I feel bad for lying to your parents,” I say.
“You’re not lying. Not really. And people break up all the time. So, we break up before the wedding. No big deal.”
He leans against the wall and watches me unpack.
“Did you tell your sister you were moving in?” he asks.
“No.”
“Are you going to?”
“No.
“This has to be over before Jessie gets into town,” I say.
“Oh yeah, I forgot,” he says.
“Think Jessie’s going to be upset about our engagement?” he asks.
I roll my eyes, hanging one of my skirts. “Nick, this isn’t real. Remember?”
“Your brother’s not an idiot, Ava. He’s going to figure out we’re sleeping together.”
I freeze, my cheeks heating up. “That’s not … I mean, we’re not …”
He raises an eyebrow, his smirk widening. “Aren’t we?”
I glare at him, crossing my arms. “I don’t know what we’re doing. Sex. And now deception.”
“It’s not a bad deception,” he argues. “My parents are going to see you and move on. My mom gets in these moods. She tries to marry me off every couple of months. She’ll forget about it.”
“I still feel really guilty about it,” I say.
“Let me help you feel less guilty,” he says and kisses my neck. His hands slide down my sides. “I’ll make you feel something else.”
“The only way I’m sleeping with you again is if you tell me the truth about Sierra.”
He takes a step back. “Ava … don’t. I’ll go make us a drink.”
He leaves me alone in the closet. I finish unpacking quickly, shoving the last of my shoes into one of the neat little squares with a little more force than necessary. Nick is in the kitchen, pouring two glasses of wine. He hands one to me without a word.
“Thanks,” I mutter, taking a sip. It’s rich and smooth, one of his expensive bottles. He always had a taste for the finer things in life, which somehow makes this whole charade feel even more ridiculous. Me? Faux engaged to this man? To his family? It’s laughable.
“So,” he says after a long pause, leaning against the counter. “We should probably go over some ground rules.”
“Ground rules?” I repeat, arching an eyebrow.
“Yeah. You know, to make this convincing.”
I feel like I’m holding all the cards. Or at least a few cards. “I’m tired of being in the dark, Nick. Sierra has seniority in the office, and I don’t like feeling like she’s just waiting to blow up my life. So, if you want this” —I gesture between us— “to continue, you need to be honest with me.”
He looks at me for a long moment, his expression conflicted. But before he can respond, my phone buzzes in my back pocket.
I glance at the screen, and my stomach drops.
It’s a text from a number I don’t recognize, but I know exactly who it is.
You can’t avoid me forever, Ava. We need to talk.
I feel a surge of anger and frustration, my hands trembling as I grip the phone. Ethan is never going to stop.
“What’s wrong?” Nick asks.
I shake my head, trying to play it off. “Nothing. Just … work stuff.”
He doesn’t look convinced, but he doesn’t push it. Instead, he steps closer, his hands resting on my hips.
“You sure?” he asks, his voice low.
I nod, but I can’t meet his eyes. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
He leans in, his lips brushing against mine. “Let me distract you.”
I want to give in, to let him kiss me and make me forget about everything else. But I can’t. Not until I get the truth.
I push him away, my hands pressing against his chest. “No, Nick. Not until you tell me about Sierra.”
He sighs, running a hand through his hair. “Ava, it’s?—”
“Complicated,” I finish for him. “I don’t care,” I say, my voice rising. “I need to know. I can’t keep feeling like I’m walking into a minefield every time I go to work.”
He sighs and turns away.
The more he tells me it’s complicated, the more I think that’s code for involved.