Libby Bennet Fakes a Husband

Chapter 1

LIBBY

“That is the most little-sister thing I have ever heard of, Libby Bennet.”

I can’t help my snort laugh. Ellie, my older sister, sits back in her chair and arches her eyebrows at me. My other older sister, Janelle, chuckles.

But Ellie’s lips are twitching and she’s seconds away from laughing, so I’m not worried that she’s actually annoyed with me.

“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” I say airily, waving my hand. “And besides, I’m buying a hockey team, not a football team, and it’s minor league.” Definitely not that similar to the fact that my sister recently purchased a pro football team based in Denver.

Ellie scrutinizes me and then reaches for her Diet Coke to take a sip.

It’s our last sister lunch for a while since she’s moving to Denver tomorrow.

It might seem selfish to hijack the conversation and tell them that I’m in the process of buying a minor-league hockey team, but Janelle was starting to get teary.

We’ve already done the tearful goodbye things. I’m positive Ellie would prefer this.

“You couldn’t stand the thought of staying in Houston without me, could you?

” Though Ellie’s words are teasing, her expression is soft and there’s a hint of worry in her eyes.

Janelle, though she doesn’t say anything, does tilt her head at me, like she’s wondering too if there’s truth to that.

I know they’re both considering if I might have plotted to buy this team in Denver, Colorado because I still need Ellie nearby.

As much as I love Ellie, I’ve come a long way from the days when I needed her to stay with me in my room to even be able to sleep.

The problem is, none of my family will ever really believe I’m okay, despite thousands of dollars in therapy and the fact that I’ve run my own business for almost six years now. Of course she wouldn’t see buying a professional sports team as proof that I’m as capable as Ellie—but as a cry for help.

I bite back a sigh of frustration. I huff at them. “I wanted to buy a team somewhere far away from all of my hovering mamas, but Denver was the only one available.”

Janelle pushes away her plate with her half-eaten club sandwich. “But why hockey, Libs?” she asks. Thankfully her expression has relaxed into curiosity. “Why not football?”

I tap my fingers on the table, avoiding their gazes for a second. I’m not sure how my sisters—my whole family, actually—are going to take the other piece of news I have to share. So I avoid telling them for a few minutes longer.

“Has Ellie not shared the numbers with you?” I ask sarcastically.

“Pro football teams are out of my price range. And I’m pretty sure the league is definitely not going to allow another Bennet into the owners’ circle.

Talk about colluding.” Ellie is lucky they approved the sale of the Denver Devils to her since our dad is the owner of the Houston Pumas.

It’s not typical, but the Devils are in such a downward spiral, I think the league wants to see if the Bennet name can change something.

Janelle nods. “But what about some of those new leagues? Couldn’t you get into that?”

“Hockey is huge right now,” I say. “I want everyone paying attention when I set the narrative straight that I am not the girl who ran off to Mexico with—”

“You did not ‘run off,’” Ellie growls, cutting me off before I can call Grayson Hollis a nasty name.

I hold up a hand. I have her lecture memorized on how he coerced me into the choices I made back then.

And she’s right, but it doesn’t change how everyone else sees me.

Even in the best light, my public image is the teenager he groomed and took advantage of.

I want people to see more—I’m a successful businesswoman just like Ellie, but no one talks about that.

“I love the work I’ve done with my firm,” I say. “I don’t regret any of it. But as long as that’s what I’m the face of, my story will only ever be about how I’m a survivor. I’m so much more than that.”

Janelle reaches over to take my hand in hers. She’s getting teary again. “Of course you are.”

“You know that, but no one else does.” My voice is gentle, and I squeeze her hand gratefully before pulling away to bring up a post on my phone to show them. I spin it around to face Ellie. “Want to know how Celebrity Newz captioned this picture of me at Ava McComb’s birthday party?”

Ellie reads the caption out loud. “Sexual assault survivor and advocate Libby Bennet hangs out at a football star-studded bash with Congresswoman Gabriella Diaz-Duncan…” She trails off. “Stupid,” she mutters. “Why isn’t Gabriella ‘one of the youngest congresswomen from Texas’?”

“Exactly,” I say.

“So you’re hoping the new direction will help you control the narrative better,” Janelle says with an understanding nod.

“Yes…” I draw out the word, because there’s more. More that I’m not sure my sisters will approve of.

“Yes, and what else?” Ellie picks up on my hesitation right away. Her expression is relaxed and open, ready for whatever I throw at her, despite her questioning. Years of helping me cope with my past and the addition of motherhood have made her pretty good at lovingly encouraging me to communicate.

“I’m doing a show. A Libby Bennet show, about my venture with the hockey team and my new life.

” I bite my lips together, watching her and waiting for her opinion.

My family pulled out of the reality TV business ten years ago, when I was still a teenager, right after everything that happened with Grayson.

That’s a big part of the reason I’m only remembered for that—there was nothing after.

I’m ready to write the rest and show people who Libby Bennet is now.

And the network and producers are going to play by my rules.

The contracts are all signed, and my leverage to get what I want is the hockey team.

When I brought the idea to Victoria, the old director of our family’s show, after starting the process of buying the White Wolves, she was practically salivating.

Everyone is into hockey right now, and she knows this is gold.

So do I. And that’s how I got them to cave to every demand I had about doing my show my way.

“Oh.” Ellie shifts, folds her arms, and shares a quick look with Janelle. The worry has definitely amped up in their expressions now.

“That sounds…” Janelle takes a breath and forces a smile. “It sounds interesting.”

I lean over the table, tempering my excitement for the show. Eagerness to do this has simmered in me since I first pitched the idea to Victoria and could tell she was excited too.

“I always liked our show,” I say. “You know that. I had things to learn, obviously, but this is going to be so different. I’ve been really careful with the contracts, the development, who will be involved. All of it.” Unlike last time, I’m not letting the show dictate how the world views me.

Ellie beams at me, even if there’s still a thread of worry in her eyes. “We know you’re brilliant, Libs.”

I let my shoulders relax in relief. If she’s got my back, I can tell my parents. They’ll understand too. They always do. But how much is this going to worry them?

“Do you?” I ask in a small voice. I can’t help it. They always say I can do anything, but they’re also always hovering in the background, ready to catch me when I inevitably fall.

Ellie puts an arm around me to give me a side hug “I know we’re all protective, Libby. And we probably go overboard. My excuse is that I’m your big sister.”

Janelle once again reaches over to take my hand in hers. “We know you’re capable. And we trust you, of course.”

Ellie nods along with her words. “I know what it’s like to want to prove yourself.”

“Okay.” I bite my lips together again. “And you’ll both back me up when I tell Mom and Dad?”

Ellie laughs. “Libs. You’re twenty-seven. You’ve been running a successful business for years. You don’t need us to back you up.”

“Mom and Dad are going to understand too,” Janelle assures me. “They once said yes to a reality TV show, remember?” She grins at me, and it’s less forced than before. Janelle’s moods have always been swayed by Ellie’s vibes. If Ellie’s confident in me, so is Janelle.

“Yeah, but considering how things ended … I know they’ve always blamed themselves a little bit.” I bite my lip.

“As a parent, you always blame yourself for every decision your kids make,” Janelle says with a sigh. “Grayson Hollis is the only one to blame. We all know that.”

“Amen,” Ellie says lowly.

“What about your firm?” Janelle asks. “Are you closing it down?”

I shake my head quickly. “No, Candace is taking over and rebranding.” I’ve already discussed this with my employees at, for lack of a better term, my private investigations firm.

Candace, our head legal counsel, is a better fit to run it anyway.

“I’ll still be involved, but not in a public way anymore.

” I’m proud of the firm I created to help victims when law enforcement can’t help, but I’ll never be able to separate myself from my past if I don’t step away, even if I’m proud of myself for how far I’ve come.

I don’t want to forget what I’ve overcome or pretend like it didn’t happen. I just want my story to be about more.

Ellie gives me a wide grin. “You are amazing, Libby Bennet. This is going to be awesome for you, and we’re behind you all the way.”

“Mmmm-hmmm,” Janelle says. “Exactly.”

Ellie turns a mischievous eye on our sister. “Now we gotta find a team for you, Janelle. Maybe baseball?”

To which Janelle scoffs.