Fake Engagement, Real Temptation

“Good man.”

Was he, though? A good man?

Maybe he should put a stop to this now. Before he got in any deeper. But the one part of him that knew it was good couldn’t walk away now. Not when Carrie needed him. He’d eat this ache, swallow it whole, if that was what she needed.

There was a loud noise in the background, and Lane muttered a curse. “Fuck, I’ve got to go. I’ll call you back. Just keep her safe. Don’t let her cry her eyes out or get depressed. And don’t leave her alone with Kevin. That prick manipulates her like you wouldn’t believe. Whatever it takes, keep her happy.”

Lane clicked the phone off and Blake muttered his own curse.

Those were his thoughts exactly.

Chapter Eleven

Carrie wasn’t sure how she imagined the perfect proposal, but this was already light years ahead of what Kevin had done. That proposal hadn’t even been a proposal. He’d told her they should get married and then taken her to pick out a ring. There’d been no romance, no mystery, no excitement. Heck, he hadn’t even asked her if she wanted to get married.

Of course, she hadn’t asked herself, either. She’d just gone after the fantasy, one step after the next.

And now Blake was going to propose to her at the final party on their last day on the island. In front of everyone. Kevin and Wendy would be there. Blake apparently had the details covered and wasn’t telling Carrie much. Fake proposal or not, he still wanted it to be a surprise. Sweet man.

Yeah, maybe she wasn’t sure what her perfect proposal would look like, but if it felt like this, she’d be the happiest woman on earth.

The only part that felt more real than fake this whole trip was earlier in the chopper.

He had opened up to her, and she truly loved him for that. That word swirled in her mind hard and fast. Love.

Did she love Blake?

Yes.

It was the easiest answer she’d ever come up with. She’d known him forever, maybe loved him the whole time. But this past week had taken everything she knew to be true about him to the next level. She would have been lost without him. And now, her heart was healing and her confidence was restoring.

And then the news of Kevin’s engagement…

She had to take a sore breath on that painful news. Yet Blake still had a plan. Was still taking his mission of keeping her in the fantasy very seriously.

But she needed to show him she wasn’t a weak thing that needed saving. She could handle herself. She needed him to believe that. She needed to believe it about herself.

Now she and Blake were at dinner, for once free of Kevin and Wendy. Instead, they had the sounds of the beach, a delicious table of food, and the bright promise of the fake engagement that would show Kevin once and for all what he’d given up.

“So, you can fly helicopters, track moose, and catch fish with your bare hands. Anything else I should know about you, Mr. MacGyver?”

He smiled and took a bite of his steak.

“Typically, I use a fly pole to catch fish, but other than that, that’s pretty much it about me. I want to know about you,” he said. “Other than your love of pink, impeccable patience, and sexy freckles, what do I need to know?”

She blushed. Blake could do that to her.

“Can I tell you a secret?”

“I wish you would,” he said.

“I want to own my own business,” she admitted.

Blake’s eyes shot up, and she was backtracking quick. She knew this was a dumb idea.

“Never mind—”

“No, tell me more,” he said, and he looked genuinely interested. This felt like a real conversation, too, so she’d take it.