Weekend Wife (Sassy in the City 1)

My heart started to race, and my palms instantly went cold and clammy. My mask slipped a little and I scrambled to comprehend what he was doing.

“Leah,” he said. “Will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?”

My blood froze. He was pulling a ring box out of his pocket

. He opened it up to a shockingly large clear-cut diamond ring in a square setting.

He had a ring. Why did he have a ring?

There were excited gasps and a hush of anticipation.

I was supposed to say yes. I was being paid to say yes.

But my throat was constricted and all I could do was nod.

He gave me a wicked, pleased smile, then slid the ring onto my finger.

I burst into tears.

I didn’t mean to. But there they were, bursting forth as I felt confused and irritated and in love and wishing it was all real.

But glad it wasn’t at the same time.

The reaction genuinely startled Grant, but not the room. Everyone seemed thrilled that a woman would be so happy at a proposal she’d cry. I could hear all their pleased exclamations and someone yelled out, “Never thought I’d see the day!” to which everyone laughed.

Grant the second was nodding in approval but Tiffany looked like she’d swallowed a lemon.

My Grant (damn it, why did that still sound so good?) stood up and pulled me into his arms. He kissed me and I kissed him back because everyone was watching and because I had all kinds of crazy feelings. The ring felt like a boulder resting heavily on my finger.

He pulled back and stared at me and I couldn’t read his expression at all. “I love you,” he said.

He’d said it right in front of everyone and I wanted to say it back.

But I also wanted to run away like a serial killer was chasing me. Just bolt without looking back. I felt trapped and uncertain what was real and what was fake.

The hours loomed ahead of me. Congratulations. Questions. Stares. Photos.

I did the only thing I could do under the circumstances.

I faked a faint and went down in a heap at Grant’s polished Italian shoes.

Chapter 15

“What the fuck was that?” I asked Leah, running my hands through my hair. She was propped up on our bed but I was still trying to slow my heart rate back down to normal after watching her crumple to the ground.

I had freaked the fuck out, thinking she had really fainted. The room around me had exploded with gasps.

But I knew her well enough that when I dropped down and gathered her into my arms and she “came to” that it was all an act. I had waved off offers to call for an ambulance and had carried her up the stairs.

I heard Aunt Judith say with great authority that Leah was most likely pregnant.

Which had momentarily terrified me before I realized that was unlikely.

No, she had just decided to drop to the floor like a ragdoll.

Leah had kicked off her shoes and was sitting up, cheeks flushed, looking agitated. “What was that? I could ask you the same thing! What the hell was that? I was just getting the hell out of there after you blindsided me. Again.”

“I wanted everyone to know how I feel about you.” I had. I did. I had also wanted Leah to understand that I may have fucked up with not telling her about the theater but that my feelings were real.