Page 30 of Fake It For Love (Faux Love)
She rolled her eyes. “That was so long ago. That’s why you were going to walk away?”
She didn’t know about the prom night incident. I wasn’t going to get into those details. “Because it just felt so weird.”
“Okay, but now you are going to do it,” she said. “That’s why you’re wearing the ring.”
“He made me see reason,” I said. “We’re both here. It’s not like we are going out of our way to make this work. We’re going to be in the same places. He also explained his reasons for hiring a date.”
“What were they?” she asked.
I wasn’t going to betray his confidences. “He just didn’t want to go stag to your wedding or the class reunion.”
“I could totally see that,” she said. “No one wants to go solo. You included.”
She was so right. “Not being alone is certainly a motivating factor. That, and I really need the money. It benefits us both. I just want to make sure you and Tony are cool with it.”
“Definitely.”
“Why did you invite Ryan to the wedding?” I asked. “I thought Tony hated him. And you guys weren’t exactly friendly.”
“Because we wanted to invite everyone,” she replied. “And I did care about Ryan. Once. Not now. It’s over.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“I’m positive,” she said. “I know how much this money means to you. I wouldn’t get in your way.”
“For what it’s worth, it’s all fake,” I said. “We aren’t actually together.”
She laughed. “I get it. But I promise, I wouldn’t care if you were. You guys can be together, and I wouldn’t mind. I’m over him. We were kids when we were together. It wasn’t real love. We had a good time together but not like Tony and me. When I’m with Tony, it’s everything. I love him. I know I could never be happy with anyone else. If he were to leave me, I’d be crushed.”
“What took you so long to get married?” I asked.
She giggled. “Because we both said we weren’t ready, which is ridiculous. We’ve been together for sixteen years. Yes, we’ve broken up a few times but never very long. I think we were both worried a marriage certificate would ruin what we had. It won’t. It’s going to make it better.”
“I’m happy for you,” I said. “You two really seem happy together. The kind of love other people dream about.”
“We are. In fact, Tony and I talked again last night. We’re ready to take the next step.”
“What next step?” I asked.
“Babies!” she squealed. “We want babies.”
“Really?” I asked with surprise. “I thought you didn’t want kids.”
“A few years ago, I didn’t. It’s different now. We both want to start a family.”
“Congratulations,” I said. “I’m very happy for you.”
“Thank you,” she said. “And don’t worry about the Ryan thing. I will tell Tony to cool his jets. He doesn’t need to make this any harder on Ryan.”
“You can’t tell him about the arrangement,” I warned.
“I won’t.”
“I’m serious, Norah,” I said. “I could get in a lot of trouble if it gets out. And I’m sorry, but Tony isn’t exactly the kind of guy I trust to hold my secrets.”
“I won’t say anything to him,” she promised.
“Thank you.”
