Page 5 of Just One Spark

There was something about that wordwifethat penetrated my heart.It was an intense sensation that made it difficult to breathe."It's only pretend."

"Mmm," he hummed noncommittally as he spun me away from him.

The sudden movement had my stomach spinning in time with the motion.When he spun me back into his arms, I was pressed against him, way too close for comfort.I felt every ridge of his muscles.

He'd filled out since we were friends.He was big all over, and I wanted to explore his body.I felt weak as he continued to hold me, slowly moving around the makeshift dance floor.

Why was I thinking about Rowan's body?I didn't remember having those thoughts when we were friends, but then again, we were young then.I just knew that Rowan got me like no one else did, and if I'd remained close to him, he would have seen inside my family and know what was going on.I couldn't let that happen.

His family was so good, so full of love, whereas mine felt more like a roller coaster I wanted to get off but couldn't.My only choice was who to take along with me, and I'd chosen no one.

I wanted to be alone.I wanted to handle everything by myself.And now, it felt like it was too late to catch him up on everything that had happened over the years.I was sure he'd heard things about my family but I wasn't the same person anymore, and I didn’t want to talk to him about it.

"If we do this, it's only surface level.Our story is that we were friends.We reconnected and realized we were?—"

"In love," he added not so helpfully.

I swallowed hard."Yes.That."

His brow furrowed."You can't say the word?Haven't you been in love?"

It felt like all the air had been sucked from the universe.I couldn't seem to draw in a deep breath, and everything in my vision had narrowed until I only saw him."I'm not sure how that matters."

"Oh, I think it very much matters.You're my fiancée after all.These are the things I should know about you."

I sighed."It's not real, remember?"

He nodded sagely."But we want to make it look as real as possible.I've always found that if you add more details it makes everything more believable."

"You make it a habit to lie?"I didn't remember that about him, but maybe he'd changed too.

"Have you met my brothers?Our childhood was one long game.One of us was always telling on another.We had to have our stories straight."

"Are you saying you lied to your parents?"I asked, pretending to be scandalized.

His expression was grim."I did what I had to do at the time.I'm not saying I do it now."

"Except when it comes to your fiancée," I said dryly.

He slowed until we were just standing with me enclosed in his arms."It's for a good cause, and once upon a time, we were friends."

I wrinkled my nose as if the idea was distasteful."We're not anymore."

"What if I want to be friends again?"he asked softly.

I shook my head."That's not how it works."

He raised a brow."You think you can resist me?"

I had to shake my head, not sure what he was talking about.Was he asking if I could resist him as a friend or something more?There was no way he could mean anything else.We hadn't spoken in years.

"What's this I hear about you two being engaged?"a woman asked.

We both startled, but I recovered first."Judy, I?—"

Rowan put my hand in his, and we turned to face his mother together."The reporter asked if I was seeing someone, and I couldn't keep it quiet any longer."

Judy looked from him to me, and I slowly nodded."That's right."