This is just for show.
I’m going to marry her.
Why?
It’s what my father wants. The answer whispered across his mind but it didn’t seem real or right. It felt like lies, even to him. He wasn’t doing this for his family, or was he?
****
Caleb’s kisses were becoming addicting.
Lauren needed to have time away to regain her composure and not to see more into their time together than was needed. Sure, it was a good time they had together, but it was going to be over. They weren’t compatible. There was still another round in his parents’ game and she wasn’t an idiot. She had no doubt his parents had been concocting that game for years to make sure their kids had found the right person to be with.
She unscrewed the cap on the bottle of water and took large gulps, swallowing it all down.
Get your head in the game, Lauren.
“You did well out there,” William said.
She jumped. So lost in her thoughts, she hadn’t heard anyone enter the kitchen.
“You and Cassie, you did amazing.”
“That’s because regardless of Caleb’s opinion, he’s wrong. I love Cassie. I’ve loved her from the first moment I met her. When I first met her brother, I did everything I could think of to convince him I was a good guy, you know. A nice guy.”
“You’re still not a nice guy?”
“Oh, I am. Believe me, I do everything I can for Cassie. She has a hard time of it at work. I know losing patients puts a lot of stress on her. She’s amazing. When it comes to her brother, though, she advised that I treat him like the dick he is. She said he wouldn’t come around until he was ready. I’m still waiting but rather than trying to get him to like me, I just ignore him and give as good as I’m given.”
“It doesn’t exactly sound ideal.”
“It’s not. Not even close.” He laughed. “But that’s family, which I hear you’re going to be joining soon. Timothy told Cassie about your and Caleb’s engagement.”
“Pardon me?” She had to have heard wrong.
“You and Caleb are engaged to be married. You’re going to be a Turner. Don’t worry, Cassie won’t treat you like a gold digger. We can see you love Caleb very much.”
She wasn’t even going to think about his last comments. No, it wasn’t possible. There was no freaking way she was engaged to Caleb.
He hadn’t told her about any kind of fake engagement.
Shit.
Fuck.
Finishing her water, she kept a smile on her face as she entered the living room once again.
She grabbed Caleb’s hand. “I just need a word with Caleb. Excuse us.”
She was tempted to take him outside, but instead, she opted for the safety of their bedroom. Just when she thought he was a genuine guy and she’d gotten him all wrong, he had to go and prove her mistaken. Engaged?
“What’s going on?” he asked.
She didn’t speak or give him any reason as to why she was dragging him away from his family.
Inside, she was fuming. He’d told his family they were engaged to be married. Freaking engaged, and that was news to her. Big fucking news.
She didn’t like to curse but around Caleb, he seemed to be bringing out the worst of her. Slamming the door closed, she turned on him and glared. “Are you freaking kidding me right now?”
“I have no idea what I’m supposed to have done.”
“Engaged? When were you going to tell me about that little snippet of information, huh?” she asked. “This is supposed to be one weekend. Now we’re engaged?”
“And who the hell told you that?”
“William!”
“As if you’re going to listen to him.”
“I know you’ve got some serious issue with your sister’s husband and I get it. You’re protective but he got the information from Cassie, who got it from your father. Now tell me why he would think we’re engaged?” She glared at him, waiting for an answer.
“I told him.”
“Why?”
“It was what he wanted to hear.”
“Caleb, these lies, they’re building. They’re escalating. Don’t you see that?”
“I see it, but so what?”
“So what? This is your life. Your family’s life. My life. This was supposed to be one weekend with the occasional visit while I was at your place and now it’s becoming something more. It’s becoming a relationship and they’re going to expect so much more that we can’t give. They’ll want kids and they’ll want a marriage.” All she could see was her life playing out as one big lie, and here she was thinking how nice he was. The cocky asshole had to go and make this even harder for her.
“And you know what, I’ll give it to them. You’re not with anyone else so you can help me.”
“Ugh! You are so frustrating.”
“You think I don’t see what is going on here. You happen to like my family, so what’s the big deal?”