Chapter 16
brAXTON
The ground grows unsteady beneath my feet when Maddox’s lips part on a smile. Gleaming teeth and a dimple sunken deep in the apple of his right cheek. I want to reach into the pocket of my dress—convenient, right?—and grab my phone to snap a photo of him.
The smile is beautiful and real, so real that I can’t help but smile back. And oh boy, does it feel amazing to smile with him again, even if it’s a once-off.
“Do you happen to have an extra pair? I forgot mine in the truck,” he deadpans.
I shove both hands in the pockets at my hips before pulling the inner fabric inside out. “No room.”
“Shame.”
A pop of blonde peeks out from behind Maddox a second before Adalyn joins us. She pushes in front of her brother and grins at me, her lips and cheeks a matching shade of bright pink.
“You look so beautiful, B,” she starts in a tone that has me immediately nervous. “And I’m begging you not to kill me here, but other than Mom, Dad, and me, nobody else here knows about the whole fake dating thing. That means it’s showtime,” she says, far too happily for my liking.
She planned this—it’s obvious. The conniving, youngest Hutton sibling has asked for hell from her brother, and as much as I want to be upset with her, I don’t think I ever could be.
Maddox scowls. “What? I’m not lying to our family.”
She rolls her eyes and pops a hip. “Auntie Gracie can’t keep a secret to save her life, and neither can Jamie.
You let them know the truth about this, and it will get out within the day.
Now, it’s either do this here where you can deal with everyone’s reactions in person or over social media when you’ll have to deal with countless calls and texts.
I’m surprised they’ve left you alone after I posted that photo of us. ”
“Not everyone is as addicted to their phone as you are, Addie,” he grumbles, levelling her with a stern look. “You should have warned me about this. We aren’t prepared to do this yet.”
“I feel bad lying to everyone. Your parents are okay with this?” I ask, worrying my lip.
“Totally. And I’ve already told Cooper to keep his mouth shut when he gets here too.”
Maddox blows out a long, deep breath and watches me over his sister’s shoulder. He arches a brow, and I shrug, leaving the ball in his court. This is his family, so what we do next should be his decision.
“Fuck. Fine,” he relents, and Addie claps excitedly.
“I’ll leave you to it, then. Remember, make it believable, or it will have been for nothing.” She tosses me a wink before slipping out from between us and rushing—no, more like skipping—off.
“Is it really necessary to convince my family? Whether they believe it or not, it won’t change how the public sees me.”
I swallow the ball in my throat and take a step toward him. With the distance between us shrunk in half, I don’t feel nearly as confident as I did walking in here.
His looming, strong frame makes me seem tiny in comparison, and I almost laugh. Tiny is not a term I’ve ever used to describe myself, yet in the presence of the world’s hottest man, I can’t think of a better description.
“Are you scared you can’t pull it off?” I ask. “Say the word and I can fake a stomach ache and leave. But just so you know, everyone is watching us right now. They’re expecting to see something.”
His eyes tighten at the corners, and suddenly, he’s right in front of me. I’m poking the bear, but I feel the furthest thing from scared.
Tilting my head back, I slowly track my gaze up his front before finding his waiting eyes. The heat behind them has me on the brink of paralyzed, and when he lifts one hand to cup my cheek and jaw, I think my knees shake. His palm is so hot against my skin, yet I shiver like it’s ice-cold.
“I can pull it off. Can you?” he counters, and the next second, he’s swiping his thumb across my bottom lip and sucking in a pained breath. “Lean up for me, Curly.”
I do without hesitation, obeying his command.
Planting my hands on his chest for balance, I swallow a moan at the feeling of hard, toned muscles.
My fingers move on their own, taking advantage of the moment by exploring the planes of his chest one ab at a time.
He shudders when I drag my hands up, up, up and use them to grab his neck and pull him down toward me.
Voices wrap around us, hints of curiosity and surprise only adding to the heightened emotion inside of me. Everyone is watching, and it only fuels me to take this further. All the way.
The moment our lips are a hair apart, I bump my nose to his and whisper, “Make it believable, Dox. Kiss me like you love me.”
His other hand cups the opposite side of my face before he leans me back and follows the curve of my body forward, bringing our mouths together.
Like sticking a fork in an electrical socket, my body bursts with sparks, starting from my lips and spreading outward until I’m burning from the inside out.
I twist my fingers in his T-shirt and fall into the kiss. Our first kiss. Our fake kiss.
Fake.
The word repeats in my mind, but I ignore it. Shove it away into a box and lock it up tight. This feels anything but fake, and when Maddox’s chest rumbles with a deep groan, I release a whimper into his mouth. He swallows it eagerly before parting my lips with his tongue and delving deep.
Our mouths move at a quick pace, and the kiss turns dirty, desperate. Years of anger, frustration, and betrayal battle with childhood love and longing, turning what should have been a quick show of fake affection into something meant for quiet, private nights tangled in bedsheets.
I nearly tip over when he rips his mouth away, and hot, angry puffs of air hit my face. A flush works its way up my throat to my cheeks and ears as he glares down at me, his pupils blown.
“Are you okay?” I ask softly, cautiously. The fingers clenched in the material of his shirt relax as I pull them away and drop my hands to my sides.
“No.”
A hand on my back makes me jump, and Maddox’s eyes leave mine to glare over my shoulder. I try to collect myself, but I’m all over the place, my mind in shambles.
“Get it together, guys. You’re going to blow it.” It’s Cooper.
“You’re late,” Maddox grunts, stepping back from me, running a hand down his front over the wrinkles in his shirt that I created.
The hand on my back rubs up and down once before dropping. “Got here at the perfect time, it seems. Drop the broken expressions, and go deal with the questions. Maybe smile. Look in love.”
Maddox snorts. “Yes, Dad.”
I face Cooper and smile, hoping he can read the thank you in my stare. He smiles back before sweeping me up in a hug. It’s an I missed you hug, and I soak it up.
“Happy you’re here, Brax,” he says.
Cooper isn’t as tall as Maddox, but it’s still a task to look up at him from this position, so I don’t bother trying. I bury my face into his chest instead before pulling back and patting him on the stomach.
“Right back ’atcha, Cooperoni.”
“Do you need some more time to chat, or are you ready to say hi to everyone, Braxton?” Maddox snarks. I scowl.
“Right. My bad for wanting to say hi to my friend.”
“You’ll have plenty of time to gossip later.”
“Gossip? Don’t be an asshole. Not—”
“Not what?” he interrupts.
“Not after that.”
“That what? Kiss?” He shakes his head, laughing in a way that has my stomach twisting painfully. “We were pretending. You need to focus on what we need to do next. They’re going to swarm us. Our story is weak at best.”
“Okay, chill out. Get it together, Dox, or you’re going to be the only one responsible for your downfall,” Cooper says in a no-bullshit tone.
“Are you going to take the heat from us, then? Or are you just here to be the angel on my shoulder?”
Cooper thins his lips and cocks a brow. He looks like a dad prepared to scold his kid for being smart-mouthed, even though he’s only two years older than us. His maturity can be jarring for those who don’t know him well. Personally, I love it.
“Watch it. I’m not here to be anything but a friend. You don’t need anybody to take the heat from you. Just make your plan believable. You saw each other again and decided to give it a shot.”
“That’s believable?” Maddox asks incredulously.
“Why not? It’s been eight years. They don’t know the whole story between you two, anyway. Just parts of it.”
“Cooper’s right,” I say. Maddox’s intense stare does little to make me waver. “But the longer we stay here whispering, the more questions they’re going to have.”
Finally, with a harsh laugh and a shake of his head, he relents. “Fine. Okay. But if this fails—”
“It won’t,” I reassure both him and myself.
Cooper flashes me a half smile before patting Maddox on the bicep and brushing past us. Addie shouts his name from somewhere in the yard, but the nerves buzzing under my skin, distract me from listening to what she’s saying.
This is Maddox’s family. At one time, I considered every single person here mine as well. They deserve the truth, but this isn’t about what I feel and think. It’s about helping Maddox. If keeping the truth a secret will ensure that happens, then I’ll do it.
“Ready?” I ask.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” My fingers tingle when he links them through his and squeezes my hand. “They’ll get over it. You don’t have to feel guilty about lying,” he adds, reading my mind.
I drop my eyes to our clasped hands. His is calloused and burning hot, and it swallows mine, making it look so delicate.
I straighten my shoulders and pull on a smile. Then, I wait for him to turn around and face the crowd before stepping up beside him and tightening my grip on his fingers. He returns the squeeze.
A slow clap starts from the left side of the yard, and I find an older and much buffer-looking Jamieson Bateman watching us with a shit-eating grin. Beside him, his dad and brother look more shocked than anything. Not that I can blame them.
“You know what? I called it. Didn’t I, Dad? I told you they would get together one day. You owe me a hundred bucks,” Jamie gloats.
The corner of my mouth twitches. “When did you place that bet? Before or after you asked me out in the tenth grade and I turned you down?”
His bright blue eyes twinkle with humour, and the look almost grounds me. Jamie has always been a joker, and I love that even after all this time, he hasn’t lost that quality.
“After. I had to shoot my shot before wishing you off to another man.”
“We all told him it was a long shot. You and Maddox have been meant to be since you were children,” Maddox’s aunt joins in, her voice watery as she and Ava close in on our position. I stare at Gracie and swallow down a wave of guilt at the pure joy in her expression. “You’re so grown up!”
I laugh weakly, fumbling with something to say, but Maddox beats me to it.
“You’re telling me. When I saw her for the first time, I nearly fell to my knees. She’s always been beautiful, but shit. She’s the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen.”
His blunt words have my pulse thumping. His thumb draws a path of fire across the top of my hand. My lungs are so constricted I fear I might pass out as I gaze up at him. At the sharp line of his jaw and side profile worthy of a magazine cover.
“Dox,” I breathe.
He ignores me, pushing on. “It’s true. One look was all it took to decide I wanted her back.”
“That’s so romantic,” Gracie says dreamily. “And your parents knew about this and didn’t tell me?”
Maddox shifts me in front of his body and moves our connected hands to rest against my soft stomach. The weight of his arm wrapped around me relaxes me. It feels so natural to be like this, and warning bells blare at that epiphany.
He presses his face to my hair, and I hear him inhale. Is he smelling me?
“We asked them to keep it to themselves until we were ready to announce it to the world. You know how it is,” he answers his aunt.
“Good call. The press can be ruthless,” Tyler adds.
Gracie turns to Ava and takes hold of her arm, pulling her close. “This is just so exciting. Maddox’s missing piece is back.”
Ava’s eyes find mine, and I blink back the burn behind my eyes. Her smile is real and raw and reassuring, but it’s her son’s words from beside me that have me struggling to keep my balance.
Three words and I’m struck down at the knees.
“Yeah, she is.”