Epilogue
THEO
Six Months Later
We’re back at the lake house, lounging on the couch in the living room as we watch the fire crackle. Beth has joined us. She and Sienna engaged in a conversation about a newly released rom-com movie they recently went to see for “Galentine’s Day.”
Roman sits next to me as he taps away on his phone, finishing up last-minute business before putting it away to spend the weekend with the rest of us.
We’ve decided to come up here for a long weekend to spend time as a family before our schedules get hectic in the spring.
As the weather gets nicer, it’s prime time for construction.
Being here with Sienna again, with her on my arm as my real girlfriend this time, feels right. As if everything in my life has officially clicked into place.
We’ve drafted our one-year plan, leaving room for flexibility, of course.
Which I’m thankful for, considering I have something planned for later that will throw our plan completely out the window.
Something tells me she won’t care too much about that, though.
The thought of building a life with Sienna gives me a newfound purpose I didn’t know I needed.
I’ve spent most nights at her place, but when Beth really needs to focus, Sienna comes over to my place. Although that usually ends in Matt and me fighting over some dumb shit he ends up saying, and we have to hide out in my room for the rest of the night.
I throw my arm over Sienna’s shoulders as we wait for Alex and Leo to join us. Slipping my free hand into my pocket, I rub my finger along the small blank key I’ve tossed in there. I run through my plan again of how I’m going to ask Sienna to move in with me.
Beth and Sienna’s lease is up at the end of the month, making it the perfect time for us to look for something together.
It wasn’t exactly in her original plan, but the other set of keys weighing down my other pocket reminds me that, with Beth inevitably moving out, Sienna will be looking for a new roommate anyway.
I wish I could take credit for us all meeting back here, but it was Alex’s idea.
When he found out that Sienna and I made things official, he lost it.
He was excited that we were finally together, of course, but more than that, he was excited at the chance to crown a winner of this year’s Kane Family Games.
After all, we never did play that last game of Uno, and he always did hate leaving things unfinished.
Leo joins us from the kitchen, setting a plate of meats and cheeses on the coffee table. He takes a seat next to Beth as I start a conversation.
“I still can’t believe you and Alex tied this year,” I say to Leo.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Roman empty the box of Uno cards onto the table, preparing to shuffle them as we wait for Alex to arrive.
After a few table flips and food fights over the years, Roman became the designated shuffler.
“I can’t believe it either, but I’m ready to beat him this time,” Leo rubs his hands together, “That asshole needs to be taken down a few pegs anyway.” I smile at Leo.
After our last trip to the lake house, I checked in on him so frequently that he eventually told me to fuck off (lovingly).
We were able to talk things through, and I eventually stopped apologizing for triggering his anxiety.
Beth snorts. “You can say that again.” She high-fives Leo. “Where is Alex anyway?”
“He should be here any minute,” Roman says.
Beth and Leo discuss their Uno strategy when Roman turns to Sienna and me. “I’m happy to see things worked out between the two of you.”
Sienna gives my brother a soft smile, one that makes me resist the urge to plant a kiss on her soft lips in front of everyone, “I truly am sorry for this summer. We didn’t really think through our plan entirely, and I—”
Roman raises his hand, and Sienna stops mid-sentence. “It’s all in the past, Sienna. You don’t need to apologize. I’m sorry for the things I said that night. My brother tells me that I come off a bit grumpier than I intend to be.”
“A bit?” I snort at his downplaying of his own attitude.
Roman throws a glare my way before looking back toward Sienna. “See how happy you’ve made Theo.” He gestures in my direction. “And I’m certain you’re the reason he’s actually made it to work on time every day these past few months.”
Sienna laughs, jutting up her nose in playful confidence. “I might have a thing or two to do with that.”
Roman smiles at her, and I’m happy to see the two of them getting along. She’s warmed up to him over the past few months, reinforcing my sentiment that she fits in well with my brothers and me. Which is a good thing, considering I have no plans of ever letting her go again.
A cold rush of air runs through the living room when the front door bursts open. Alex barges in, wearing the winner’s belt. “Who’s ready to lose to me again?”
Once he settles down, Roman deals out the cards. We decide to play a few rounds among all of us before Alex and Leo play their tie-breaker game.
Sienna wins the first round, taking all of us by surprise.
“What? I may be uncoordinated, but I’m excellent at card games.” When she smiles at me, I kiss her until a chorus of “boos” sound around us.
“Don’t rub your happiness in our faces, Theo. It’s unbecoming,” Alex says.
“You’re one to talk.” I motion toward the belt he refuses to take off.
“Alright, tie-breaker round. If I don’t get food soon, I’m going to get grumpy,” Roman says as he deals the cards between Alex and Leo. We all chuckle at his words until he levels us with a glare that has the laughter tapering off.
It’s a close game between Alex and Leo. One that’s kept all of us on the edge of our seats. Roman doesn’t pick up his phone once as we watch in anticipation.
“Uno,” Leo says as he drops a draw four, wild card onto the deck.
There’s a collective chorus of gasps as we all hold our breath, watching Alex draw four cards to add to the three already in his hand. He stares at his cards in deep concentration, thinking about his next move.
“You can never go wrong with red,” Beth says, breaking the silence.
Alex tips his imaginary hat to her and sets down a red number six card onto the deck.
Beth laughs before any of us can process the events that unfold. Leo sets down a red number four card onto the deck, winning the game of Uno.
“Hand it over.” Leo holds out his hand, waiting for Alex to hand over the belt as the rest of us burst into laughter, cheering at Leo’s win.
Alex, being the good sport he’s always been, stands up and pulls Leo into a hug, then turns to all of us. “I’d like to remind all of you that I’ve won the last three years, and I plan on winning next year.” Alex pulls the belt from his hips and hands it to Leo.
“Sure you will.” Leo pats him on the shoulder, and Alex brushes him off, laughing. “Who’s ready for dinner?”
“Me,” Sienna says, raising her hand enthusiastically. “I’ve had dreams about your food, Leo.”
Leo laughs as he and the others move toward the kitchen. I stop Sienna before we follow. “What about my food?”
“Oh don’t worry, baby.” Sienna places her hand on my chest. “Nothing will ever compare to your sandwiches.” She winks at me, and a warmth fills my chest at knowing this woman is mine.
“My ego appreciates your lies.” I kiss her on the forehead. The giggle she lets out prompts me to land a small slap to her ass as I follow her to the kitchen. A reminder of the many things I plan on doing to her tonight, assuming she says yes to my proposal of moving in together.
Dinner is full of laughs and embarrassing stories I wish Sienna never knew about me. She says she finds them “endearing,” but I’m reminded to ask Sara to see her baby photo album next time I see her so I can give Sienna a taste of her own medicine.
We’ve spent every summer here since I was a kid, but tonight is the first night since my parents’ passing that the table has felt full. My heart feels the same with Sienna by my side.
“Give me ten minutes before coming upstairs,” Sienna says to me as we stand in the kitchen after putting away the dishes. Roman and Leo have retired to the firepit out back, bundled up with a couple of beers, as Beth and Alex finish their portion of cleanup in the kitchen.
“Do you have a surprise planned for me?” I say to her in hushed tones.
“Yes, but you don’t get it if you come up early. Ten minutes, no more, no less,” and with that, she heads upstairs. Knowing how punctual she is, I set a timer on my smartwatch.
“Hey, Theo.” Beth approaches me from the dining room. “Were you able to turn in my signed lease forms to the owner of that shop?”
After Sienna and I became official, Beth expressed interest in the abandoned shop I had dragged Sienna to.
Over the past few months, I’ve been helping Beth sign lease agreements.
Getting her set up so she can begin the process of opening her bookstore.
It was easy considering I’m close with the owner.
I don’t blame her for wanting to rent the space.
It’s in a great part of town, and it has potential.
Something I hope she remembers when she realizes I’ve been lying to her.
Grabbing the set of keys that rest in my pocket, I hand them to her. “It’s all yours. I turned in the agreement last week, and the landlord gave me the keys this morning.” I pause. “Beth, there’s something you should know about—”
She raises her hand to shush me. “Unless you’re about to tell me that the lease agreements didn’t go through, I don’t want to hear it. This is the only usable place I’ve found at a price I can afford. I don’t want anything to ruin this celebratory moment.”
“You really don’t want to hear what I have to say?”
Beth grabs the keys from me. “Nope,” she responds. Jumping up and down slightly as she says thank you, I try to shove down the guilt that I feel as she all but prances off upstairs.
Alex approaches me in the kitchen, placing a hand on my shoulder. “You give her the keys?”
I shove his hand off me. “Yes, but I still don’t like this. Sienna is going to tear me to shreds when she finds out we lied to Beth.” I lower my voice to avoid anyone overhearing.
“You didn’t tell her?” Alex looks surprised. “You were supposed to tell her before you gave her the keys.”
“I tried. She wouldn’t let me. She said she didn’t want to ruin the moment.”
“Well, at least you tried.” Alex shrugs.
“Beth is going to kill you when she finds out,”
“And I would happily die by her hand.” Alex fakes getting stabbed in the chest, tumbling back as though he’s hurt. I take that as my cue to walk away, leaving him alone in the kitchen.
The only reason I agreed to help him in the first place was because he helped me in my time of need.
I just hadn’t fully thought through the repercussions of my actions until he gave me the keys this morning.
Alex doesn’t just own his gym. He also owns the other two buildings attached to it.
With the coffee shop next door closing, I appreciated him letting me use it to build a bridge between Sienna and me.
The plan was to offer Beth a killer deal on the place she fell in love with to house her bookstore. We were going to tell her Alex is the landlord when I gave her the keys, but since she refused…this is getting way more complicated than I signed up for. But it’s a problem for another day.
Today, I focus on heading upstairs to find the woman I love and the surprise she has waiting for me. Excitement courses through my veins at the thought of spending each of my nights falling asleep by her side.
With a deep breath and a smile on my face, I pull the blank key from my pocket and head upstairs.
Thank you for reading Fake It with You, your support means the world to me. If you enjoyed this book, I would be forever grateful if you posted a review on the platform(s) of your choice. Reviews, posts, and word of mouth go a long way for authors.
Until next time,
Makenna