Fake Summer Wife

Claudia

* Six Years Later *

It was almost impossible to comprehend how much my life had changed over the past several years. Not a day went by that I wasn’t incredibly grateful to my somewhat shy self for stepping up.

Somehow I had managed to turn my much bolder “Claudia the waitress” persona into a part of my everyday self. Which enabled me to go on a date with Vaughan, pretending to be his wife. Which led to networking with the city’s elite, garnering tons of clients, and to promotions at lightning speed.

Not to mention, an engagement party disguised as a birthday soirée and the perfect romantic relaxed wedding. Sure, we had done some things in an unusual way. But it was our way, and that’s all that mattered.

Tiptoeing towards the bright yellow bedroom, the door was wide open so I could peer through and see Vaughan sitting on the floor supervising while Nora stacked her blocks into a rather precarious tower. She was already wearing her purple flowered nightgown but didn’t look the slightest bit sleepy.

“Remember, sweetie,” Vaughan said softly, “all of the weight pushes down. So if you’re going to go up, the base has to be stronger.”

“Oh. Yeah.” She added reinforcements around the bottom, then spread out the base slightly so that her tower stopped wobbling.

Only my husband could teach a four-year-old basic construction techniques and make it seem like they were just playing with blocks.

“Hey, baby,” he said to me as he saw me in the doorway. “Why don’t you go run a bath, and I’ll put somebody—” he jerked his thumb right at Nora’s tummy until she giggled, “to bed.”

I swooped in to pick Nora up, bouncing little kisses all over her face until she was laughing hysterically. “Good night, sweet pea,” I said, handing her to Vaughan.

“Night, Mommy.”

I went back to our room, curling up with a cup of peppermint tea and the latest spy thriller that I had just begun. Vaughan often asked me why I read such things, worried that it was a sign that I needed more excitement in my life.

But with all my secret identities – glamorous corporate wife, PR writer, loving mother – I certainly had as much excitement in our lives as I’d ever wanted. Which is to say, as little as possible.

Although I couldn’t hear the words of the story Nora was being read, I could hear Vaughan’s deep voice rumble when he played the part of the big bad wolf.

“Hey, baby, why aren’t you in the bath yet?”

My head jumped up and I almost dropped my e-reader, realizing that I had drifted so far into the story that I’d lost track of time. Setting it aside, I patted the spot beside me on the bed.

“I’m really into this book,” I said. “Plus, we’re going to have to be careful when we take baths together for the next little while.”

“Why?”

Staring into those brilliant green eyes, I had to choke back tears, knowing what his reaction was going to be.

“Baby, what’s wrong?”

“You like them seriously hot. I can’t take long, super hot baths or go in hot tubs for the next nine months,” I said, nodding slowly as I stared at him.

Vaughan froze, not even blinking for three straight seconds. Then he lunged, grabbing me, wrapping me in his arms as he showered me with kisses.

“Another baby?”

“Yes,” I managed to choke through my tears.

“I love you,” he said, over and over. “I’m so excited. I love you.”

“And I love you,” I said. “You’re ready for another round of midnight feedings and endless diapers?”

Vaughan pulled away to clasp our hands between us. “It wasn’t nearly as terrible as people warned us.”

“That’s likely because you hired help immediately,” I laughed.

Vaughan had been so concerned that I would be overworked and stressed that the second we found out I was pregnant for the first time, he hired