Pretend It's Love (11 page)

“Of course he is.” Gracie shook her head, fiddling with the centerpiece in the middle of the table that would house all the food. “I can tell.”

The bouquet of white and silver silk flowers had been sewn with a smattering of crystals that caught the afternoon light. A lace tablecloth covered the dark wood, and two large white letters—
G
and
D
—sat on either side of the centerpiece. In that moment, Libby understood why some people got caught up in the excitement of weddings.

Ordinary things seemed special because they carried the weight of a greater meaning. The letters weren’t just
G
for golf and
D
for Delta. They represented the union of two people who loved each other enough to risk a lifetime of messy emotional entanglement.

Libby swallowed against the lump in her throat.

“You should see the way he looks at you,” Gracie continued. “I’ve seen Paul around a
lot
of women. Believe me, he hasn’t looked that way at any of them except you.”

“What do you mean?” She didn’t care, but a happy girlfriend would ask that question.

Yeah, keep telling yourself that.

“He gets this expression on his face when you’re around. He looks…content.” She gave Libby’s shoulder a squeeze. “You make him happy. Even Des has noticed a change.”

“Really?”

“He said the other night that Paul seems more invested in his work, he’s more motivated. You’ve been a great influence on him.” She drew Libby into a hug. “I’m so glad you two met.”

A large stone settled in the pit of Libby’s stomach. Gracie and Des—and Paul’s parents—were such wonderful people, and she was lying to them over and over. They’d embraced her with such warmth and acceptance, she didn’t know how she’d ever go back to the cold criticism of her own family once it was all over. These people didn’t deserve to be lied to. The truth hovered on her tongue; she wanted to clear the air. Settle the score with her conscience.

But Paul had held up his end of the bargain, and now her product was going to be on the menu at First. She had to see it through to the end and hope that she’d be able to make it up to them.

“Don’t look so worried.” Gracie released her with a grin. “Everything will work out, trust me.”

The doorbell rang, and within moments the Greene household was buzzing. Waiters had been hired to serve drinks from silver trays, including the special cocktails. No detail had been left unattended. Everything matched from the invitations to the name tags to the trimmings on the seats that lined the large dining area.

Games had been set up and a table had been cleared for presents, which was soon filled to bursting. Libby hung back, introducing herself to anyone who came near, but she didn’t want to get too involved. After all, her relationship with Paul was due to expire in two weeks. It made her feel like a carton of milk.

An elegant woman with glossy blond hair dropped down into the chair next to Libby and slipped her feet out of a pair of low, sensible heels.

“I love your shoes,” she said, looking forlornly at Libby’s heels. “I miss high heels so much.” She placed her hand over her stomach for a moment and sighed. Other than some dark shadows under her eyes, everything about her was perfectly polished. A diamond the size of a beach pebble sparkled on her left hand and matched the two smaller stones in her ears. “No one ever tells you how tired you get when you’re pregnant.”

“How far along are you?” Libby asked. The bump on the woman’s stomach was small, and if she’d been wearing a flowy top you might not have been able to see it.

“Just over four months. Though it feels like even longer since I can’t get through the night without needing to go to the toilet a hundred times. And don’t get me started on the morning sickness.” She cringed and tucked her hair behind an ear. “I don’t get these women who say pregnancy makes them feel beautiful.”

“You look lovely, if that means anything.” Libby caught the attention of a passing waiter and grabbed a cocktail.

“Oh and I’ve been craving a drink like you would not believe.” The woman shook her head. “But enough about my pregnancy woes. I’m Sadie.”

Libby shook her hand. “Libby. How do you know Gracie?”

“I’m married to one of Desmond’s cousins. I must admit I’ve only met Gracie on a few occasions, but it was very sweet of her to invite me.”

“She’s a lovely woman. Des has done well for himself.”

Sadie nodded. “Indeed he has.”

As if she’d heard her own name, Gracie wandered over. “Sadie, did Libby tell you she created these wonderful cocktails for us? We’ll have to make you a special one, I made sure we had a bottle of non-alcoholic wine for you.”

“You made them?” Sadie looked impressed. “They’re so beautiful and I bet they taste divine. You girls really are making me jealous.”

“I can’t really take the credit.” Libby said, shaking her head. “Paul was the one who put them together. I just made the special ingredient.”

“Paul?” Sadie blinked.

“Oh, Des’s brother. I assume you’ve met?” Libby sensed a change in the air around them as Sadie and Gracie exchanged looks.

“Libby is Paul’s girlfriend,” Gracie explained. “She’s helping out with the drinks for the wedding.”

“Oh.” Sadie tried to smile but her lips made more of a grimace.

“I’m sorry to ditch you, Sadie, but I need to check on something in the kitchen. Libby, could you give me a hand?” Gracie shot her a look that said
now.

“Of course. It was lovely to meet you, Sadie. I’m sure we’ll bump into each other at the wedding.”

Sadie nodded, but her eyes were focused on her lap.

“Is Paul’s name a bad word or something?” Libby asked as they threaded through the guests and stepped into the hallway.

“I’m surprised he hasn’t told you.” Gracie sighed. “It’s quite awkward. Sadie and Paul used to date.”

“That’s odd, he’s never mentioned it.”

“Yeah, maybe he wasn’t sure how to bring it up. Anyway, Sadie’s a lovely girl but the whole thing makes family gatherings pretty uncomfortable. They’d been together for a few years, and everyone thought they were going to get serious. Then it turns out she’d been sleeping with his cousin.”

So Sadie was the ex who cheated on him, but he’d never mentioned that it was with his
cousin
.

How awful knowing that she not only betrayed him, but that it was with a family member. Someone who should have put him first. Every time they had a family function he’d have to face the infidelity, the lies. It was a never-ending punishment.

No wonder he’d wanted someone by his side at the wedding.

“Oh my God, that’s awful.”

“Yeah, apparently he came home and found her packing her bags with his cousin standing right there.” Gracie shook her head. “But I didn’t want to exclude her, she
is
family, after all. I’m sorry, I would have mentioned it earlier but I assumed you knew.”

“I didn’t.” Anguish turned over and over in her stomach. “It’s an awful story. I feel terrible for him.”

“Don’t feel too bad.” Gracie slung her arm around Libby’s shoulders. “He’s got you now.”

“I
f you put your hand any higher I’m going to have to let my girlfriend know I cheated on her today,” Paul said.

The older gentleman checking the inseam for Paul’s tuxedo pants shook his head and muttered something to himself. The whole thing was a little too intimate for Paul’s tastes. Not to mention that his junk had been touchy since his night with Libby. Any mention of her name caused a reel of X-rated memories to flood him, and that had…unsociable consequences.

But those thoughts quickly lead to thinking about Libby’s declaration of belief in him at the bar…and he had no idea what to do with that.

“This is a professional operation, Mr. Chapman,” the tailor said drily.

Des shot Paul a look. “Stay still and it’ll be over in a moment.”

“That’s what she said.” Noah grinned and ducked when Des’s hand came flying toward him.

“Get all your jokes out now,” Des warned. “Because I’ll cause you a world of pain if you ruin my wedding.”

“Lighten up, man.” Noah slung an arm around Des’s neck. “Gracie might have your balls in a sling once you sign the paperwork, but you’re still ours for now.”

“Paperwork has already been signed, Noah. It has to be done before the wedding.”

“But you sign something on the day, isn’t that why you have to have witnesses at the wedding?”

“It’s basically a fake. If you haven’t done the real paperwork before then the marriage isn’t valid.”

“What about Vegas weddings? Can’t I get hammered at the casino and then marry a stripper on a whim?” Noah shook his head. “What’s the world coming to?”

“I think the laws are different in America,” Des pointed out. “Your random stripper wife fantasy may come true yet.”

“Just goes to show how much we know about weddings,” Paul said, turning around and holding out his arms when the tailor instructed him to.

“I’ll be happy when it’s all over and we can go back to talking about things other than flower arrangements and speeches.”

Paul finished up with the tailor and then swapped places with Des. He itched to change out of the suit and back into his jeans, but they had at least another twenty minutes of checking and measuring to ensure the custom tuxedos were perfect for the big day.

“How do you think Libby will handle seeing Sadie at the wedding?” Noah asked.

Paul blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Well, it’s always unbearably awkward when she and Mich—”

Paul held up a hand.

“He who shall not be named,” Noah said, making quotation marks with his fingers, “end up in the same room as you.”

“She doesn’t need to meet Sadie.” Paul folded his arms across his chest. “I’ve done pretty well avoiding her all this time; there’s no reason that can’t continue.”

Noah frowned. “You have to deal with it at some point.”

“You’re one to judge; when was the last time you spoke with your mother’s family?”

Noah’s face hardened, and Paul immediately regretted the words. His situation was nothing compared to what Noah went through growing up. Calling that out was just a dick move.

“I didn’t mean that,” Paul said, sighing. “Things are so new with Libby, I don’t want to screw things up by delving into my fucked-up history with Sadie and that letch who happens to be related to us.”

The truth in his words unsettled Paul. He hadn’t told Libby the whole situation with Sadie because he didn’t want her pity. Asking her to pretend to date him was a tactical move, one he’d put aside his pride for. He didn’t need to rub salt into the wound by telling her that his ex had left him for an upgraded version.

“So you haven’t told her about Sadie,” Noah pressed. “Are you crazy? You’re just going to let her find out on her own?”

Paul shrugged. “I don’t know what the big deal is, I don’t have to tell her everything.”

“When she finds out she’ll know that you’re keeping things from her. You’ll be in the doghouse, my friend.” Noah nodded sagely.

“And you know this from your string of successful relationships with women?” Paul quipped.

“Sticks and stones. I grew up with three foster sisters. I
know
women.”

Des looked over his shoulder, earning himself a stern word from the tailor to keep still. “They’re having a baby—she’s not going anywhere and neither is he. You have to get over it. It blows, but that’s reality. Tell her Sadie will be there.”

“Unless you’re just keeping Libby around for a bit of fun…” Noah looked at Paul with a glint in his eye. He knew exactly how to push his buttons. “I mean, that’s more your style, isn’t it?”

“She’s
not
just a bit of fun,” he said the words so vehemently that his whole body tensed like he was bracing himself for a physical blow.

The thought had been weighing on him all week. The fact that they would be parting ways in two short weeks had settled over him like a dark cloud and dampened any pleasure he should be feeling about proving Sadie and his family wrong.

This is not how you’re supposed to feel about a fake girlfriend. You’re not supposed to feel anything.

Maybe it was a mistake sleeping with her. He’d expected that it would go the same as with any of the other women he’d bedded in the last few years wherein he’d feel less interested afterward, not more.

He certainly never stewed over the idea that the relationship would end. But thinking past the wedding to when he and Libby would be no more was like looking into a bottomless pit. It wasn’t a place he wanted to go and yet confronting the way he felt about her was equally unappealing. Why couldn’t she just be like everyone else?

“You’re hooked, man.” Noah clapped a hand on his back. “She’s working her lady voodoo on you
bad
!”

“I haven’t seen him like this in a long time.” Des grinned. “I got that look on my face when I met Gracie. Be warned, bro, it’s a slippery slope.”

It was indeed a slippery slope, and he was sliding headfirst at full speed.

Chapter Eleven

T
hanks to Gracie’s mother’s militant event planning, the kitchen tea was packed with activities, meaning Libby didn’t have time to think about her recent discovery. She threw herself into helping coordinate the games and assisting Cecilia, Gracie, and Gracie’s sister, Emmaline, wherever possible.

“Thank you for your help today, dear,” Cecilia said, motioning for one of the caterers to come so she could hand them an envelope.

“The extra pair of hands was great.” Emmaline smiled as she stuffed the crumpled wrapping paper into a garbage bag. “Mother wanted to get people in to run the whole thing, but I thought it would feel more personal if we did it as a family.”

“That’s sweet,” Libby replied, collecting a handful of paper and handing it over.

A few guests remained, including Sadie who looked as though she wanted to curl up on the couch and go to sleep. While the other women occupied themselves, Libby watched Sadie talking to a few of Paul’s aunts. She couldn’t imagine Sadie and Paul together the way she had when she’d seen him with Cassie the other night.

Sadie seemed nice, but she looked so formal, so polished. Nothing like the kind of girl Paul would date.

But what did she know? The reason she was dating Paul was to help her business, and he’d suggested it because there was something in it for him…not because he was attracted to her.

Why do you care if he’s attracted to you? It’s not a requirement for the job.

But it had become clear that his opinion did matter and that Libby had crossed the line by daring to feel sorry for him upon discovering the truth about his ex…not to mention her recent idiotic display of truth. They’d said up front that emotions were to be kept completely out of it. She couldn’t breathe a word of this to Paul.

Libby picked up a couple of empty teacups and carried them into the kitchen to be washed. The catering crew had done most of the cleaning, and the dishwasher whirred as it churned through yet another batch of dishes. She placed the cups on the counter.

As she went to leave the kitchen she heard her name, though it was obvious the person was talking about her and not to her. Flattening her back against the wall next to the alcove that lead to the hallway, she strained to listen above the gush of water in the dishwasher.

“The redhead,” the first voice said. “That’s his new girlfriend.”

“No way. He finally stopped fucking his way from here to kingdom come?”

“Maybe she’ll be able to do what I couldn’t.” The first voice definitely belonged to Sadie.

“What, tame him? Please. Some people aren’t meant to be the settle-down, get-married type. Hell, he wasn’t even the hold-a-job type…if it wasn’t for his brother, he’d still be out of work and mooching off Zia Leone.”

“I tried so hard to encourage him to do something with his life.” Sadie’s voice wavered.

“Don’t cry.”

“It’s these bloody hormones.”

“That’s the reason you’re upset now, not because of Paul. You made the right choice to be with Michael instead.”

“You have to say that, he’s your brother.”

“I believe it.”

“I shouldn’t have cheated on Paul.”

“Sure, but he more than made up for it after you left by screwing anything that could walk.”

Libby’s hands trembled in front of her. How
dare
they talk about him like that. Judging by how he’d treated her in the last month
and
considering they weren’t even in a real relationship, Libby had zero doubt in her mind that he’d been a great boyfriend to Sadie. Perhaps he hadn’t lived up to everyone’s expectations, but who would even try with people like that putting you down? These people were his family and yet they talked about him as though he were the scum of the earth.

And she knew
exactly
what it was like to have your own family push you into the ground. No one should have to experience that.

“You chose right, Sadie,” the second voice said. “Paul’s a lost cause, but good luck to this girl in trying to change him.”

Sucking in a breath, Libby pulled back her shoulders and walked into the hallway.

“For the record, I like Paul just the way he is,” she said, not even pausing to let them close their mouths. “He’s a wonderful, supportive boyfriend and I wouldn’t be with him if all I wanted was to turn him into someone else.”

Sadie’s face paled and the girl next to her, who Libby assumed was another of Paul’s cousins, blinked rapidly. Neither girl said anything to fill the void.

“And, for the record,” she said, putting her hands on her hips. Adrenaline coursed through her, the high from standing up for Paul fueling her words. “We’re thinking about getting married because he’s never been so happy, and neither have I.”

She regretted the words as soon as they came out of her mouth, even more so when she realized that Paul’s mother had walked into earshot. Libby wished the floor would open up and swallow her whole, so she could stew over her bad life decisions in solitude.

“Married?” The look on Leone’s face was like a stake through Libby’s heart. Paul was going to
kill
her.

“We’re just talking about it,” she said, trying to smooth the situation over. “It was supposed to be private, but it just…popped out.”

Sadie blanched. “He told me marriage was old-fashioned.”

Libby shrugged, grappling for how to recover. She had to get to Paul and tell him what she’d done so they could come up with a solution. But how could she tell him that without revealing what his family was saying about him behind his back?

Her stomach swished, the floor tilting beneath her feet. What had she done?

Leone looked so excited Libby wondered if she might spontaneously combust. She rushed over and enveloped Libby into a tight hug. “This is wonderful news!”

“You have to keep it a secret,” Libby begged. “He’ll be mad if he finds out I mentioned it without consulting him first.”

Or even alerting him to this mystical fact.

“You have my word,” Leone said. “I won’t make a peep.”

Now all Libby had to do was figure out how to tell Paul that she’d made things worse for him.

P
aul turned his mobile over in his hands, contemplating what to do about Libby. Guilt weighed on him. Maybe Noah and Des were right. He
should
have told her the full story about Sadie.

But the last thing he wanted was her pitying him or, God forbid, saying something at the wedding. He didn’t need anyone feeling sorry for him. The whole point of his “relationship” with Libby was to change that power dynamic. Except now these complicated feelings of guilt and obligation had clawed their way in—along with a few other, more primal feelings—and he was debating how to break the news to her.

He held his thumb over her number when a knock sounded at his door. Libby stood on his doorstep as if materialized from his thoughts. Her long, copper-colored hair floated around bare shoulders, draping over the top of a strapless dress in shades of pale blue and yellow.

“Don’t you look like a fantasy?” He looked her up and down, taking in the details he’d come to expect from her. The shoes matched perfectly with the tiny green leaves on the flower pattern of her dress.

It was that level of attention and care which made her such a fantastic businesswoman. Everything she did was thought out to the very last detail…even if it did drive him crazy when she expected the same from him.

“Hey, I hope it’s okay that I dropped by without calling first.” She stepped through the door, her hands knotted in front of her.

“Of course.”

“So we had the kitchen tea today,” she said, walking through to the living room and dropping down onto the couch. She slipped her feet out of her heels and rubbed at a mark on her ankle where the strap had bitten into her skin.

“What’s the point of that again?” Paul took the seat across from her.

“It’s like a wedding shower. Traditionally people buy gifts for the kitchen, but these days it’s just all the women getting together to chat about the wedding and play games.” She tapped her fingertip to her chin. “Think of it as a super tame version of a hen’s party.”

“No male strippers then?”

She laughed and shook her head. “No strippers, no penis-shaped straws or lollipops.”

He stared at her. “Girls really have that?”

“Oh yeah, I’ve even seen cupcakes decorated with them at one hen’s party.”

“I feel cheated.”

“I don’t prefer the cupcake if that’s what you’re worried about.” A cheeky smile pulled up on her lips.

“Damn straight.”

Silence settled over them and again Libby knotted her hands. Underneath the jokes and her beautiful smile he sensed a wariness in her.

“I met some interesting people at the kitchen tea.” She sucked on her lower lip, her eyes avoiding his.

Paul’s stomach dropped. It would be just his luck if she met Sadie today after he’d come close to calling her and fessing up.

“Anyone in particular?”

“I met your ex, Paul.” She looked up and nodded slowly. “I was chatting with her, but I had no idea who she was. Then Gracie introduced me as your girlfriend and she filled me in afterward. I never realized the guy she cheated with was your cousin.”

He watched her face, waiting for the pity. Waiting for any sign that she thought him pathetic for being duped by Sadie and his cousin.

“You can understand why I wasn’t keen to share those details,” he said drily, interlacing his fingers behind his head.

She nodded. “I do understand but…”

“But?” he asked, his defenses rising like great shadows around him.

He fought the urge to push up from his chair and stalk out of the house. Storming off was his usual way of dealing with problems. Lord knew how many times he’d walked away from his brother or his parents in such a manner. If he was being honest with himself, he’d done it a number of times to Sadie as well.

Libby deserved more than that. He’d dragged her into his problems by keeping information from her. She shouldn’t have to deal with his temper as well.

“It would have been better if I’d known. I was taken by surprise.” She was working up to something—her leg bounced and she fiddled with the hem of her dress, picking at some invisible flaw.

He nodded, gritting his teeth. “I didn’t want to put you in that position.”

“I know.” She sucked in a breath, her chest rising and falling. She continued to pick at her dress.

“What’s wrong, Libby? Did she say something to you?”

“It wasn’t what
she
said.” Libby looked up, her brows creased as she chewed on her lip.

“I don’t understand.”

“I said something, Paul. Something bad.” The anguish on her face was killing him.

“Spit it out. I can’t help if you don’t tell me what’s going on.” The hypocrisy of his statement wasn’t lost on him, but right now all he wanted was to wipe the tension from her face.

“I overheard Sadie talking with someone, I didn’t catch her name. Some things were said, things that weren’t true and I just…reacted.”

The muscles in his neck bunched, his hands curled into fists. He knew
exactly
who Libby was talking about—Miss Goody-Two-Shoes Gina who always looked down her nose at him. She and Sadie stuck to each other like Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Gina thought her brother was God’s gift and that no one else in the family deserved what he did.

They took, took, took without regard to anyone else.

“What did they say?” He ground the question out through clenched teeth.

“It doesn’t matter…all you need to know is that I wanted to stick up for you.”

“
What
did they say?” Humiliation coursed through him, curling in his gut like a poisonous snake.

Libby ran a hand through her hair. “I don’t want to repeat it.”

He sat still as a statue, shutting down his emotions. Packing them all into a tight ball and pushing them deep down as he’d done day after day since Sadie left. He knew eventually the pain would stop, but every so often something happened to split him apart, and it would all come tumbling out if he wasn’t careful.

He looked at the scar on his right hand, the one he’d gotten when he put his fist through a wall after bumping into Sadie and his cousin right before they got married.

“Tell me, Libby.” He drew a slow breath. “I need to know.”

“You’re just going to torture yourself with it.” She shook her head. “I told them that you’re perfect just the way you are. That we’re happy together and I don’t want to change a single thing about you.”

He felt a “but” coming on.

“But,” she said, steadying her breathing. “Something else kind of slipped out.”

“What?”

“I told them…” She grimaced.

“God, Libby, you’re killing me. Spit it out.”

“I told them we were thinking about getting married.”

The words seemed to suck the life out of the room, turning it into a vacuum. His head pounded, the ramifications of her words flying at him thick and fast like a swarm of wasps.

He shook his head. “Say that again?”

Her face begged him not to make her repeat the admission, but he held his tongue until she sighed, defeated. “I told them we were thinking about getting married.”

He gaped at her. “What on earth possessed you to do that?”

“I couldn’t listen to them say these things that were untrue and…” She swallowed. “Unkind. You deserve better than that, and I got so angry that I confronted them. It slipped out.”

“How does the invention of a marriage proposal simply slip out?”

For someone who claimed to have no interest in long-term relationships it didn’t exactly seem like a go-to defensive move. Unless of course his wretched cousin and cheating ex were saying he wasn’t marriage material. It wasn’t exactly a stretch.

His hands curled around the arms of the sofa, fingertips rubbing against the beginnings of a split in the worn leather.

“I don’t know,” she said, her eyes wide and blank.

He leaned forward, bracing his forearms on his knees. The old Paul would have suspected Libby of using this situation to manipulate an outcome, force him down a specific path. But he knew her.
Really
knew her.