Accidental Love (Fake Marriage Romance 1)

I watched as Alyssa tacked up her horse, checking the girth before helping her on. Then I led her to the ring for a lesson. She was learning quickly and I determined that next time, I’d saddle up with her and take her out into the pasture.

After her lesson, we headed back into the house. She ran upstairs to clean up while I went into the kitchen where my mother was making supper.

“You don’t have to cook for us all the time,” I said, putting my hand on her shoulder and looking over it to see what she was making.

“Just doing my share. You and Sinclair work so hard all day.”

I went to the refrigerator and pulled out a beer. Popping the top and tossing it in the trash, I leaned against the counter.

“I asked Sinclair if I could adopt Alyssa.”

My mother’s gaze jerked to mine. Her eyes twinkled. “You did? So, this marriage isn’t fake?”

I shrugged because while things were going well, I couldn’t say if they were real. “Whether it is or isn’t, I want to be her father. Seems like a girl should have one.”

My mother’s eyes misted. “You’re such a good man, Wyatt. I’m so proud of you.”

“So, you’d be alright with that?”

“Absolutely. She fits so well with our family. She even looks like us.” She went back to stirring the sauce in her pot.

“Is that a thing where people end up looking like their dogs?”

She laughed. “No. She has a sweet temperament, enjoys the farm, and she has your coloring. Even your eyes.”

I thought about that for a moment. I supposed she did.

“You know, I remember seeing Sinclair with Alyssa not long after she was born. I’d gone to the clinic for something and she and her mother were with the baby. She was home from school and Alyssa couldn’t have been more than two or three months old. She was such a beautiful baby and I remember thinking how she had those big green eyes like you did.”

“Don’t all babies look alike?” I took a swig of my beer.

“Oh no. I remember thinking that if you and Sinclair had still been dating, I’d have been sure Alyssa was yours.”

Something shifted in my gut, but I pushed it aside.

“It bothered me some that she’d replaced you so quickly. I mean she must have met the father the first week of class.”

That uneasy feeling flared again. “Why would you say that?”

“Because Alyssa was born right at the end of the school year. If she wasn’t pregnant when she first went to college, she had to have been soon after.”

Everything inside me went still. If she wasn’t pregnant when she first went to college… Could she have been pregnant before? Yes, because the first time I had sex with her, I didn’t use a condom.

I shook the idea away because surely Sinclair would have told me.

“She has your smile too. Have you noticed?” My mother grinned at me. “Are you sure you’re not the father already?” Her tone was teasing, but I didn’t find it funny. Not when there was a possibility that it was true. But no. She wouldn’t keep that from me. Would she? Shit, inside my head was a whirling dervish of confusion.

I heard a car pull up and a door shut.

“Excuse me.” I strode through the living area and out the front door, meeting Sinclair before she could come in the house. “I need to talk to you.” I took her arm and led her over to the large yard by the side of the house.

“Is everything alright?” she asked, looking up at me with a concerned expression. “Is Alyssa-”

“She’s fine.” I bit out. When I was far enough away from the house that I felt we had some privacy, I stared down at Sinclair, wondering if I was about to be destroyed. “Who is Alyssa’s father?”

Her eyes went wide like the proverbial deer in headlights.

“Is it me? Am I her father?”