Fake Marriage Box Set

“Fine,” she seethed.

“If we could just get all this in writing and signed by all parties involved, I think we can call this case settled,” Jake said, standing. “Agreed?” he asked, making eye contact with everyone in the room.

“Yep,” Tessa said with a smile.

The dean stepped out and returned a few minutes later with the documents that reinstated Tessa as well as my resignation effective at the end of the year.

We walked out of the building, and I felt great. Tessa was grinning ear to ear, her arm around my waist as we strolled down the sidewalk that was packed full of students and faculty.

“Thank you, Jake. You’re my hero,” she teased.

“No problem. I’m glad to have helped, and I’m especially glad you got this big oaf to lighten up and have some fun,” he replied. He looked at me. “So, is it back to consulting or you going to look for another teaching job?”

“Consulting,” I answered, without hesitating. “My taste for teaching has been tainted for now. Maybe down the road, but I would prefer to avoid people like the dean for a nice long while.”

“Sounds good. Are we still on for dinner tonight?” Jake asked.

“Yep, my place, I’m cooking.”

We dropped Jake off at his car and Tessa and I headed back to my place. I had plans for her and that tight skirt. My naughty teacher fantasy was about to be fulfilled whether Tessa knew it or not.

Epilogue

Tessa

I was having a struggle fighting my nerves, after working towards this moment for four long years. There had been many hurdles and more than one occasion when I thought I couldn’t do it, but here I was—ready to graduate in front of my family, friends, and fiancé.

I sat on the stage, looking out at the audience. I couldn’t make out Ian’s face, but I knew he was out there somewhere. I was sweating like a pig in the horrible gown, but it was fine with me. I had chosen a little black dress to wear under my graduation gown, which made it a little cooler, but I was still hot. Whose bright idea was it to have a May graduation outside in southern Florida?

My heart raced as the announcer said a last name that started with an L. My turn was coming. I was about a minute away from getting the bachelor’s degree I had worked so hard for. Only a few short months ago I had thought it would never happen. Thankfully, Jake had saved the day, and I was about to make my mom very proud.

“Tessa McShane!”

I could hear my mom’s voice cut through all the rest. I knew I was beaming. Dean Scribbs was standing on the other side of stage, forced to shake my hand as I received my diploma. I grinned and winked at her. She fumed, and it was the most satisfying moment of my life. My fellow students cheered for me just as I had cheered for them. None of them cared about the scandal. In fact, more than one of my friends from school congratulated me on my engagement and wished me well. Ian was a very good-looking man, and I was only slightly jealous that so many girls were hot for him.

As I reached for the diploma, the beautiful sapphire in my engagement ring caught the light. My mind flashed back to the moment he proposed. It was Christmas morning. I assumed I was getting jewelry, but never imagined it would be an engagement ring. I walked across the stage feeling as if I were floating. My life had come full circle, with Ian at the center of my world. Our marriage would happen in the fall, one year from the time we met.

Once the ceremony was over, I made my way over to the area where Ian and my mom would be waiting. When I saw his head, higher than the rest, I quickly made a beeline for him, anxious to be near him.

“You did it, babe!” Ian said, scooping me up in his arms and spinning me around.

I laughed. “Yes, I did. Did you see the dean’s face?

” I giggled.

He nodded. “I did. I am so proud of you.”

“Me too,” my mom chimed in. “I would still like to give that woman a piece of my mind. How dare she try to insinuate my little girl was anything but a fine young lady? She probably needs to get laid,” she muttered.

“Mom!” I said, shocked by her crass words. It was very unlike my mother to talk in such a way, but the past six months had changed her as well. She was currently dating a man who seemed to make her very happy. I had yet to meet him, but I had Googled the hell out of him, and he appeared to be on the up and up.

When I had to tell my mom what had happened with my expulsion, I thought for sure she would have grounded me or forbid me to see Ian again. I figured if he was standing in front of her, she would remember her manners and be nice. Ian and I had flown out for Thanksgiving and told her the sordid story. She wasn’t happy and threatened to call the dean and give her a piece of her mind. As far as Ian and I were concerned, my mom had already suspected we were more than teacher and assistant. I should have known I could never fool her.

I took Ian to visit Talia’s grave. I had been hesitant, but once we got to the cemetery, it felt right. I was happy to share that part of my life with him and be able to lean on him.

In the weeks after the scandal broke, Jennie’s role in the whole thing had been further explained. It was far worse than simply seeing us in the window. While we both suspected she had a crush on Ian, neither of us was prepared to hear she had been stalking him. Jake had demanded a copy of the report that had been filed with the dean. When it was revealed that Jennie had seen us through Ian’s living room window when we were holed up during the hurricane, all hell broke loose. Jake threatened to sue the school for withholding the information on Ian’s behalf, citing a whole slew of laws that were broken.

The police were called, and now Ian and I both had a restraining order against the young woman. She had been expelled from the school once the extent of her stalking had been revealed. The girl was not quite right and apparently had a history of stalking boys at her high school. It still gave me goosebumps to know she had watched us have sex on the couch that night. From the moment we learned about her peeping, we always made sure the blinds were closed and the doors were locked. Even then, I could never fully shake the feeling we were being watched.