Fake Marriage Box Set

“Oh, a few meetings, the inevitable paperwork, then practice, of course, and then I get to come home,” he said. “It’s an off week, so there isn’t any game going on. I’ll be out of there relatively early.”

“Awesome,” I said, taking a bite of my pancake.

I was really glad we were able to have a normal conversation after the night before. When I went to bed, I was panicked, feeling terrible that I’d allowed myself to go to a place with Luke that I never should have. However, after several minutes of beating myself up, I decided to chalk the kiss up to a one-time mistake. There was no way that he was actually into me; we were two very different people. In reality, it had to

have been the atmosphere, the wine, and the familiarity on both of our parts. Neither of us was used to having another person in our living space, and it was definitely reminiscent of being married. I was sure that he had felt that too.

The best thing that we could do would be to put the whole thing behind us. We needed to work on our friendship, understand each other, know each other’s secrets, and begin to trust each other in a way that was familiar to a married couple, but in our own minds, nothing but platonic. The awkwardness had to subside, otherwise we were in for a world of hurt when the court officials finally showed up. They would definitely think something was up if Luke and I couldn’t even have a normal conversation without it feeling pushed or unfamiliar, and that was what I was really there for: to prepare us so that at the end of all of this, Luke would get to have a permanent, shared custody arrangement of sweet little Jake. I was not there to pick up men or make a real relationship out of anything, no matter what unspoken passion was between us.

When breakfast was done, he thanked me profusely and headed off to take a quick shower because he was already running late. He was going to have to build a breakfast time into his schedule so he wasn’t racing out the door at the last second every day. I could hear the shower running in the background, and I forced myself to focus on cleaning up from breakfast so that I wouldn’t let my mind wander to his sexy and strong body under the hot steamy streams of water. I grabbed a to-go mug from the cabinet and poured the rest of the coffee into it, fixing it the same way that he had just fixed his first cup.

When Luke was done with the shower, he emerged, dressed and ready for a full day at work. He looked good in his coaching polo, khakis, and baseball hat, and I couldn’t help but blush at how cute he looked. He began gathering his things, putting them into his Kansas State backpack and zipping it up tightly. He looked more like a student than the football coach. I walked around the counter once he had his backpack over his shoulder and his keys in his hand. Smiling, I handed him the mug of coffee I had fixed for him. He took the cup from me and gave me the biggest, cheesiest grin. Before I realized it, he had pursed his lips together and bent over toward me, ready to give me a big old kiss right on the lips. I looked around, unsure of what to do and chuckled, watching his eyes begin to flutter under their lids.

When Luke was about halfway to me, his lips still fully puckered, he stopped, slowly opening his eyes and blinking them at me. He had the most adorably embarrassed look on his face, and I closed my lips together trying not to laugh. I patted him on the chest as he stood back up and looked down at the ground, an obvious blush falling over his cheeks. I had never seen him embarrassed before, and I couldn’t help but think it was really charming and raw, something I was starting to enjoy seeing in him. Normally, Luke was a straight shooter, his personality sarcastic but mature, but I knew there was more to him than just that. He had spent all this time perfecting the, ‘I don’t care,’ look, but now he was starting to let a little more of himself shine through.

“Sorry,” he grumbled. “Muscle-memory must have kicked in.”

He shrugged at me apologetically and laughed, pulling his bag up further on his shoulder. I walked back over and smiled condescendingly, reaching up and kissing him on the cheek. He shook his head, and turned, his cheeks growing red once again. I could definitely get used to joking around with this man.

“Have a good day at work, honey,” I said, sarcastically, with a giggle.

“You too, dear,” he yelled back, before closing the front door behind him.

I shook my head and laughed, glad I had chosen to start my day on a good note instead of an awkward and sour one. Our kiss the night before could have done a lot of damage to us both, and more importantly, our goals, but I knew that I couldn’t let that happen, no matter how much I didn’t regret getting kissed like that. I spent the day getting things ready for Jake’s arrival, excited to see his little face again. When I got back to the guest bedroom where Jake would be staying, I looked around the room, grimacing at how sterile it looked, with just a full-sized bed, dresser, and some unassuming art on the walls. The room did not scream child in the least, and I knew that I couldn’t let Jake come to his dad’s house for the first time to be greeted with that. He had to be excited when he got here, not that he wouldn’t already be excited at the fact that he was going to get to spend the weekend with his father. Still, the boy needed a proper bedroom that was his, and the guest room was as far from that as it could get.

That was it; I couldn’t just sit around and let that happen: I had to get to decorating and creating a really welcoming and comfortable space for Jake. I decided that I was going to go out shopping and pick up a few things that would make him more comfortable. Since I didn’t have a job, I was pretty much free to work on the project all day, and I was glad that my crafting ability was finally being put to good use. Not only would I get to get him some stuff, but I would get to decorate his room a bit for his arrival. This was going to be his first night at his father’s house, and it had to be absolutely spectacular. It was hard to believe that Jake had never been in his father’s new place, but I knew Sarah, and it was quite obvious that she wouldn’t let that happen if she could possibly avoid it.

I wanted Jake to finally start feeling as special as the people who loved him thought he was. He had been through a lot over the last couple of years, and now he was getting the opportunity to be by his father’s side. That being said, I knew it was difficult on children when they moved to a new place, so I was going to do my best to make it easier on him. Besides, I needed to stay busy, and I figured that if I didn’t have a lot of idle time, I wouldn’t think about that kiss from the night before. Well, at least not as much.

This was going to be an amazing day, and no matter how many times I told myself it wasn’t right, I was also going to replay every touch of Luke’s lips against mine.

Chapter Twenty-One

Luke

I generally loved Fridays at work because there were no meetings, everyone was in a good mood, and most kids didn’t take Friday classes. But that Friday was extra special. I went through the entire day whistling, smiling, and laughing with my colleagues. I got a few strange looks since I was not really the kind of guy you would find in such a good mood, but there was no taking this away from me. This was the day I got to pick up Jake and bring him back to my place for the first time. I was a bit nervous about not having much at the house for him yet, but Quinn told me she would do the best she could to make the place welcoming for him when he got there.

I watched the clock the entire day, waiting for five p.m. to roll around. I was more than anxious to get things going, knowing there was always a chance that Sarah would pull one of her stunts and ruin the whole thing. During practice, I got really involved, laughing and joking with the guys, and showing them firsthand how plays were run. They definitely seemed to enjoy beating up on the coach for once, instead of him always beating up on them. When practice was over, I threw my gear in my bag and jogged out to my truck, not wanting anyone to stop me. I drove carefully to Sarah’s house right down the street and walked up the very familiar walk to the front door and knocked.

I stood there, nervously awaiting Jake, shoving my hands into my pockets to control my nervous hands. I could hear Jake’s laughter through the door, and it made me smile, until Sarah’s shrill voice drowned it out. I knocked again, thinking maybe they didn’t hear me the first time. What in the world was taking her so long to answer the door? It wasn’t like she was trying to be sneaky; I could hear them, and the car was parked right in front of the house. I took a deep breath and leaned to the side, trying to look through the window, but the curtains were too thick to see anything. Finally, as I raised my hand to knock again, the door flew open, and Sarah was standing there looking completely frazzled.

“I heard you the first time,” she exploded, standing in my way. “You are such a piece of shit.”

“What now, Sarah?” I rolled my eyes.

“You are such a terrible person for stealing my babysitter right out from under me,” she huffed angrily. “I needed her. And if you think for one second your stupid little fake marriage is going to hold up against the court officials, you are sorely mistaken. I’ve already told them to keep their eyes wide open because you’re such a lying piece of shit.”

“Oh yeah? And how did that go?”

“They didn’t respond,” she grumbled. “But they got the message loud and clear, and I can’t wait until you’re caught red-handed.”

“That’s nice, Sarah,” I said, looking past her. “It’s good to see that you have found yourself a hobby to keep busy while you are supposed to be taking care of Jake. It’s probably a good thing you don’t have a babysitter; you are actually being forced to be a mother.”

“Screw you,” she said, as I pushed past her.

“No thanks,” I replied, walking into the foyer and looking around for my little man.

I peeked into the dining room and walked through to the kitchen, but Jake wasn’t anywhere to be seen. His tablet was lying on the table, and there were loads of dirty dishes and laundry everywhere. It was apparent she had lost her touch as a mother and housekeeper. I shook my head and walked into the living room, lighting up immediately when I saw Jake standing at the edge of the couch, a backpack with a fur foot sticking out of the zipper sitting next to him on the floor. He looked up from the television and his eyes grew bright as soon as he saw me. I bent down on one knee as he plowed into me, his arms wrapping around my neck.