Fake Summer Wife

to meet our kids someday.”

Claudia’s bottom lip was quivering, as she wiped away a tear. Then she nodded slowly.

“I want to make all the room for you that you need in this house,” I said, holding her tightly. “But I’m also making room for everything that’s coming along the way. Whenever that is.”

“We should probably get legally married before we have kids,” she said, looking up at me with a saucy smile. “And who knows how long it will take to plan a wedding.”

“Twenty-two people by a lake in Vermont? That shouldn’t take too long to pull together. Honestly, I think you’ve planned the entire wedding already.”

Claudia’s light laugh was one of my favorite sounds in the world. “You’re okay with that?”

“Of course. It sounds simple, down-to-earth, and actually a lot of fun. Unless you wanted something glamorous?”

She shook her head empathetically. “No. Trust me, with the amount of time I spend in heels, I would much rather be in sneakers or hiking boots for most of my wedding day.”

“There’s one more little surprise,” I said, pulling her into the next room which I used as my home office.

Flipping the laptop open, I waited as she read the invitation on the screen. It was for her birthday party next month, at the glamorous Thornton Hotel.

“Wow,” she breathed. “Seriously?”

“We can change the venue if you want, and have any theme you like. But I thought since having an engagement party might be…unusual, given the circumstances, we could have an engagement party disguised for everyone else as your birthday bash.”

She fell against me, howling with laughter. “You sneaky man,” she sputtered. “That is brilliant.”

“My parents can meet you and your mother at your birthday party. Then we can have the wedding in the spring.”

Even though Mom and Dad had only met Claudia through video calls so far, they absolutely adored her. Mom had taken to texting her every Sunday afternoon to hear all about how her week was going. At first, I was worried that Claudia might be annoyed by the intrusion, but instead she seemed genuinely touched that Mom was so interested in every detail of her life.

I also noticed that she had struggled to fight back tears when my dad was giving her advice about the car, and insisting that she call him with any questions at all.

“You’ve just thought of everything, haven’t you,” she said, stretching her arms up to wrap around my neck.

“I try. I need to keep impressing you enough to deserve you, my gorgeous girl.”

Claudia stared at me for a moment, but instead of speaking, she brought her mouth to mine. Somehow she always managed to tell me exactly what she was thinking whenever she kissed me.

“I love you,” I murmured against her lips.

“I love you too, husband and fiancé at the same time,” she giggled.

Even though the timing of our relationship was messed up and convoluted, it didn’t matter to me, as long as I had this wonderful girl with me.

“You don’t mind that we’ve done everything ass-backward and out of order?” I asked, walking her back to our bedroom.

“Not at all. We were sort of semi-married before we had sex for the first time. Some people would consider that the height of propriety.”

“I’m pretty sure I fell in love with you when I watched your eyes light up while describing our wedding,” I said, untucking her shirt so that I could run my hands up her back.

“I’m pretty sure I fell in love with you the first time you kidnapped me.” Her hands gripped my shoulders, pulling me down so that she could kiss the nook between my neck and shoulder.

Slipping each other’s clothing off was a slow, seductive ritual that I was so grateful to experience almost every day. Sometimes more frequently. We were always ravenous for each other.

No matter how connected we were, and how much we talked, our bodies always needed a deeper connection. It seemed to keep our minds perfectly in tune, no matter what was going on with our busy lives.

Epilogue Two

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