My Super-Hot Fake Wedding Date

I sat up a little, curious and maybe a little wary. “What’s that?” The Italian Stallion did need a rest, albeit a brief one.

Maddy blinked at me. “Cuddling. I’m still not sure if I like it.”

I leaned back against the pillows and pulled her against me. “You like it. You practically slept on top of me last night.”

“That was’t cuddling. That was foreplay.” She laughed.

“Well then, let’s try it.” I positioned myself around her. “This is called ‘spooning.’ See if you can tolerate it.”

She went quiet for a minute, but I could tell she wasn’t asleep. “You okay?”

“I think so.” She laughed again, her shoulder shaking. “B what’s that thing pressing up against me?”

I sighed and turned her back toward me. “I think you’re pretty familiar with it by now.”

“I thought you were too tired?” She arched an eyebrow.

“I can do anything, babe. Even you-know-what again. They don’t call me the Italian Stallion for nothing!”

Epilogue

MADISON

“You have to admit that you got engaged quicker than they do on The Bachelor.” Sienna eyed me as I kneaded the dough for the pie I was making. “Is there something you’re not telling me? And hold on—since when did you make pie?” She scowled at me as I rolled the dough out. “What the heck are you even doing?”

“Geez Sienna, that’s a lot of questions all at once.” I kept rolling the dough, even though I was pretty sure I was screwing it up.

“Start with the pie.” She eyed the mess I was making. “You’re scaring me.”

I scowled back at her. “What are you doing in the kitchen, anyway? I don’t think you’ve ever been in here before.”

“I’m only in here because you are. I like to give the staff their space. And not get flour all over their workstations.” White powder covered the island, my apron, and most of the floor near me. “They get pissy about that.”

“They do?”

Sienna laughed. “How would I know? I’ve never even made toast!”

I sighed. “Well I’m making Ricotta Pie. It’s an old Palmieri recipe—Bob’s mom used to make it.” I shrugged as I kept working on the dough. “I wanted to do something nice for him. It’s our first holiday together.”

Sienna arched an eyebrow. “If you want to do something nice for him, don’t kill him with food poisoning.”

“Ha ha.” I frowned as I tried to straighten out the dough. “What else did you want to know?”

“Why you got engaged so fast,” Sienna reminded me. “My wedding announcement ran one month, your engagement announcement ran the next. I was wondering if something else was going on to make you so suddenly domesticated.” She eyed my belly.

I eyed hers, which was flat and partially exposed beneath her crop-top sweater. “It’s nothing like that—not yet.” I smiled at my sister, feeling a blush creep up my cheeks. “We just know we want to get married, and we both want to have kids sooner rather than later so…why wait?”

“My uptight, corporate sister is so domesticated now!” Sienna clapped her hands together. “This is perfect. You can hire the best nanny, then when I’m ready to have kids, I’ll triple her salary and steal her from you.”

I frowned. “Gee, thanks.”

“Has Mom started interrogating you about the ceremony yet?” Sienna looked half-sorry for me, half-gleeful.

“Of course she has.” I finally got the dough in a shape somewhat resembling a circle. “She’s driving me insane.”

Sienna pulled up a barstool. “Tell me everything. But first, promise that your wedding won’t be as nice as mine.”

I sighed. “It won’t be—but you’ll have to get mom to swear on it. I wanted to have a private ceremony, but she went ballistic. You’d have thought I’d said I wanted to wear a bargain-basement wedding dress and have Red Lobster cater the reception.”