Emery
Abigail was surprisingly quiet as we walked into Blooming Beauty.
At the bakery, she had loads of opinions, but here her lips were pulled into a tight line as she walked behind me.
It was almost like something had happened, but she didn’t want to say anything.
For Abigail, that was completely out of character.
The woman behind the counter was in the middle of assembling a flower arrangement, so she told us to look around and that she’d be with us shortly. There was a park across the street from the shop, and Timothy was chomping at the bit to go, so Noah offered to take him while we looked around.
Never in my life did I think I’d be hoping for someone to approach us just to get some sort of a conversation going between Abigail and me.
The seconds that ticked by felt like hours until I couldn’t stand in silence anymore, so I turned to face Abigail. If she was upset with me, I wanted to have it out now so we could both move forward. I hated tense and awkward silences.
“Everything okay?” I asked as I reached out and pulled a daisy from a black bucket filled with water. I rolled my fingers against the stem, causing the white petals of the flower to become a blur as it spun.
I cautiously turned my gaze to meet Abigail’s, hoping that I hadn’t somehow offended her with my question.
Abigail looked more startled than anything else. Her eyes were wide as she looked at me, and I could see her thoughts forming. “Yes, of course. Why do you ask?”
Relief flooded my body as I blew out my breath. “You just looked upset ever since we left the bakery, and I was worried I’d done something.” I gave her a weak smile.
Her lips parted as her eyebrows went up. “Oh my gosh, no.” She reached out and patted my arm. “You’ve done absolutely nothing wrong.” Her smile was wide as she studied me. “I was just thinking…”
I quirked an eyebrow as I waited for her to finish her sentence. “You were thinking…” I repeated.
She blinked a few times. “Sorry. My mind is just going a mile a minute.” She took in a deep breath as she squared her shoulders. “I was just thinking…have you noticed that Noah agrees with everything you say?”
Her question startled me. “Um…no,” I said as I thought back to my most recent interactions with Noah.
Then his little catchphrase, “Whatever you want,” entered my mind, and my initial response to Abigail’s question suddenly felt like a lie.
“Well, now that you mention it, he is very agreeable when it comes to things that I want.”
Was that a bad thing? Did that make me a bad person?
I quickly raised my hands, wanting to clarify my stance on the situation before Abigail ran wild with her interpretation.
“It’s not like I’m not open to hearing his side of things.
I realize relationships need compromise, and I’m more than happy to do that.
” I paused. The problem was, Noah never seemed to offer a differing opinion. It was always what I wanted.
“Do you think he feels like he can say something?” Abigail asked. Her gaze was cautious. No doubt she was gun-shy after what happened with Sabrina. I didn’t blame her. The last time she voiced her opinion, her sister ran off with a rock star.
I didn’t want her to feel like she couldn’t say something like this to me. If there was an issue, I’d rather we talk about it than sweep it under the rug.
I hesitated as I thought on her words. Did Noah feel like he could share his opinion? Probably not. After all, he was coming into my life. He was living in my condo. He was marrying me because it’s what I needed. My feelings and opinions were smothering him.
Heat pricked my skin and I felt ashamed.
I’d been so focused on what I needed out of this marriage and how this relationship made me feel that I’d completely forgotten there was a whole human on the other side of this equation.
The last thing I wanted was to be the cause of someone losing their autonomy.
“Oh my gosh,” I said as I leaned against the table next to me. I dipped my head as regret washed over me. “I’m a terrible person.”
“No, no.” Abigail moved to join me. She wrapped her arm around my shoulders and gave me a squeeze.
“That’s not the conclusion I wanted you to draw.
” I glanced over to see her smiling at me.
“You and Noah are navigating an impossible situation, and you’re both trying your hardest. I’m just offering an outsider’s view.
You are gearing up to spend three years with each other.
” She scrunched up her nose. “It’s probably best to learn who the real person is on the other side. ”
I began to nod along with her words. She was right.
All of this was so new. There were plenty of books and podcasts to help newlyweds navigate their lives together.
But I was certain I could scour the internet and never find a book about how to best fake a marriage.
We were in uncharted waters and trying our best.
“I appreciate that,” I said. “I want Noah to be happy. Three years is a long time.” The weight of what I’d asked Noah to do settled around me as I spoke those words.
I was asking this man to dedicate three years of his life to a relationship that had an expiration date.
I was already getting what I wanted, and yet, Noah seemed content to give me more.
“What should I do?” I glanced over at Abigail.
“Have you guys, like, gone on a date?”
“There was the gala.”
Abigail shook her head. “No, a real date. Just a guy and a girl going out and getting some food. Preferably somewhere your boss is not.”
I started to nod as my mind swirled with ideas. Truth was, we’d never gone on a date as just a guy and a girl. I’d gone out with Noah, but that was normally with him walking a few feet behind me as my bodyguard. Going out with him for real felt scary and exciting at the same time.
My nod slowly morphed into shaking my head. Truth was, we’d never gone on a date. That thought had never even entered my mind. “Where would we go?”
Abigail shrugged. “What’s his favorite food?”
My eyes widened. Thanks to our impromptu get-to-know-you session at the gala, I knew his favorite color and animal, but that was about it. I really didn’t know much else about the man I was about to dedicate three years of my life to.
“Do you know?”
I shook my head. “I don’t.”
Abigail gave me an are you serious look. “You guys need some help.”
“Thank you so much for waiting. How can I help you guys?”
Abigail and I both turned to see the owner approaching us. She was wiping her hands on her floral apron with the words, My Broom Broke, so Now I’m a Florist, on the front.
“We’ll talk about this later,” Abigail whispered before she stepped forward with her hand extended. She introduced herself and then introduced me.
I was so grateful that I had Abigail. Sure, she was opinionated, but I appreciated that she didn’t hold back. I knew she wanted the best for me and was willing to challenge me when necessary.
We spent the next thirty minutes with the florist. She was startled that we wanted flowers for that weekend, but I told her that I was okay with whatever she had on hand. Obviously, I’d love to have roses incorporated in my bouquet, but I understood if that wasn’t possible on such short notice.
She was grateful that our order was small and promised to make everything beautiful.
I still wasn’t sure who was coming, so I ordered a bouquet for me and boutonnieres for Noah and Timothy.
I ordered one smaller bouquet for a bridesmaid and another boutonniere in case Noah had planned on inviting a best man.
And then I realized I’d never asked Noah if he had anyone he wanted to invite. After my conversation with Abigail, I felt awful. I had been so wrapped up in my own life, that I’d completely ignored Noah.
I wasn’t going to let that happen again.
With the flowers ordered, we headed out of Blooming Beauty together, squinting as we stepped out into the afternoon sun. The cool ocean breeze surrounded us, carrying a salty scent with it.
“Are you going to ask Noah what kind of food he likes?”
I glanced over at Abigail with an appreciative smile. “Thanks, but I think I got it from here.”
Abigail raised her eyebrows. “You do?”
I nodded. “I heard you, and I understand.” I narrowed my eyes. “This isn’t my first relationship.” A small smile spread across my lips.
It surprised me that my first reaction to a thought about Carson wasn’t sorrow.
Instead of the instant wave of grief I normally felt when I thought about him, I felt a sense of gratitude.
I was thankful for my marriage to him. I was thankful for the memories.
And I was thankful that I had someone else to think about now.
I was going to get to know Noah. He had been Carson’s best friend.
And from what little I knew of him, he had to be the most patient man to deal with me.
Even though our marriage was more of a contract than a relationship, that didn’t mean we couldn’t be friends.
He was sweet and kind and loved my son. What else could a girl ask for?
We found Noah and Timothy at the swings. Timothy was pumping his little legs as Noah pushed him higher and higher. My momma heart almost stopped when I saw just how close he got to flipping to the other side of the bar. I hurried over to them with the hope that my presence would slow him down.
“Hey,” I said as I stepped up next to Noah. “I think you’re high enough, lovey,” I called out to Timothy. The last thing we needed was an impromptu trip to the ER.
Thankfully, Noah stepped out of the way, and I was able to grab the chains of the swing to slow Timothy down—much to his chagrin. But, as soon as his feet were on the ground, he leapt up and hurried over to the slide. Abigail gave me a quick wink as she followed after him.
Now alone with Noah, I peeked up at him. He was glancing around with his hands shoved into the front pockets of his jeans. His jaw muscles were so tight that they were twitching.
It was strange. After my conversation with Abigail, it was like I was looking at him for the first time. I’d been so selfish up to this point, and I wanted to prove to him that I could think of others.
That I was capable of doing that.
“Abigail was thinking that you and I should go on a date.” I meant to sound casual, but instead it tumbled out of me awkwardly. I pinched my lips together, embarrassment coursing through me as Noah dropped his gaze to meet mine. Why was I so bad at this?
“What?” he asked as he furrowed his brow.
“A date. Me and you.” I waved my hand from my chest to his. “And I agree,” I hurried to add so he knew that I wanted this and wasn’t being forced into it.
“You agree?” he asked.
I nodded. “I think it would be good for us to”—I shrugged— “get to know each other.”
Noah hesitated, and I feared that I’d overstepped. When I’d pitched the idea of a fake marriage, I’d promised him that it wouldn’t require much from him. That the relationship would be in name only. Was I going back on my word? Was he disappointed?
The sides of his lips tipped up into a smile, and relief flooded my body.
“I can do that,” he said.
“What are you two lovebirds talking about?”
I glanced over to see Abigail had approached us with a teasing smile. I narrowed my eyes at her, but she just ignored me. I’d wanted a sister, and this interruption felt like a very sisterly thing to do.
“Noah agreed to go on a date with me tonight,” I said.
“Ooo, very exciting. Where are you going to go?”
I glanced over at Noah. “We haven’t decided yet.” I turned to fully face Noah. “Where do you want to go?”
Noah raised his eyebrows as he studied me. “Wherever you want.”
I deadpanned. Was he serious? “We always do what I want. How about, tonight, we do what you want?” I held his gaze so he would know I was serious. I didn’t want a fake marriage where my fake husband always did what I wanted to do. I needed him to have opinions, too.
“I, um…” He glanced over at Abigail, who was studying him with her eyebrows raised expectantly. He held her gaze for a moment before he glanced back at me. “I like hamburgers.”
“Perfect. I like hamburgers, too.”
“You know what?” Abigail said, “There’s this new bar in Jordan that I hear has the best hamburgers around. It’s called the Honky-Tonk Bar.” Her smile was wide now. “And they have line dancing if you want.”
I stared at her, and Noah made choking sounds. Was she serious?
I’d just asked this man to dinner, and I could feel his body tense at the idea of dancing. “I—”
“It’ll be fun,” she said as she waved away the words I was about to say. “Trust me.”