The Fake Engagement

She smiled.

He sounded nervous.

“How long has it truly been since you last saw your parents?”

“Not that long, okay?”

“Fine.” She held her hands up in surrender. “Maybe we should talk about something else.”

“Great. Let’s talk about the merger of … er…”

“Mr. Aguire?”

“Yes, him.”

With the way his nerves were fried right at that moment, Eliza didn’t think talking about anything work-related was a good idea.

“I think we should just enjoy the peace and quiet as we drive to your parents’ place.”

“It’s a long drive,” he said.

She reached forward and turned the radio on. A song she didn’t recognize blasted out of the speakers, but it was better than silence, and better than talking with her boss about their fake engagement.

****

He hadn’t told the truth.

With each mile they got closer to his parents’ house, his nerves picked up. Preston had gotten the call that morning to tell him his old room was ready for the two of them. He attempted to make one last-ditch attempt to get it changed, but they told him they were forward thinkers and they didn’t mind him bringing his fiancée to see them. They knew all about new love and all of that.

He and Eliza were going to have to share a bed.

Fuck.

This wasn’t exactly going according to plan. Now he couldn’t be sure if bringing Eliza was the best. He was sure his sister had done all of this on purpose. Would a fiancé truly not tell her about his life? About his siblings? What was too much to share? He knew everything there was to know about Trudy, Roger, Kian, and Andrew. He was close to all of them, in his way.

None of them had wanted to live the city life, only him. For the longest time, he’d always wanted to make his own way, to find the path that best suited him, while his siblings had always been happy in Westcliffe Heights. Not him.

He wanted to prove to himself that he could make it without his parents’ name, and he had, to a certain extent.

“We’re nearly there,” Eliza said.

They’d made a couple of stops along the way to use the bathroom and to get food. For the most part, they sat in silence.

The big sign welcoming them to Westcliffe Heights made his stomach turn.

This was it. There was no turning back after this.

Eliza leaned forward. It was getting dark, and it was hot as well. He’d turned the AC up to help make things comfortable for them.

After the sign, they had to drive for a mile and a half to reach the start of town. There was a small collection of houses, recently built, and the road took them through town. Nothing had changed.

“Wow, your name is on everything,” Eliza said.

Not his. Boone, his father’s. The hardware store, the diner, even the pharmacy, but it helped that he’d been the one to keep it funded through the bad times.

His car was gaining attention, but he ignored it.

“Some of the people are waving,” she said, glancing behind her.

“I know.”

“You’re not waving back?”

“I will.” He followed the road out of town, turning off on the left, and began the travel toward his parents’ place.

The houses got larger the further he went until he came to a stop outside one of the biggest Westcliffe Heights had to offer. His father had helped to build this one from the ground up, for his mother.

As he parked the car, his heart rate picked up.

“Okay, this is … wow,” she said.

“This is my family home.” He turned off the ignition. “We’ve got about twenty seconds before they’re all here.”

“Mr. Boone, I mean Preston, it’s eight at night.”

“So, believe me when I say they are all going to want to meet you. There’s something else as well…” He couldn’t bring himself to say it. She’d be pissed, no doubt about it. Staring into her blue eyes, he contemplated telling her about the bedroom arrangements, but he just knew deep down that whatever he said wasn’t going to come with happiness, and before she met his parents, he wasn’t going to cause an argument.

“They’re coming,” he said.

She had pretty eyes. Had he noticed that before?

He unbuckled his seatbelt, sliding it back and opening his door. Being the gentleman he was, he quickly rounded the car as Eliza was getting out. Taking the door in his grip, he held out his hand.

She placed hers in his, and there was that electric shock again. He didn’t back away but held her hand firmly within his as the pack of hungry wolves descended upon them. There was nothing wrong. They could get through this.

His mother was the first to get to him.

Preston had no choice but to break his hold on Eliza as his mom threw herself at him.

“It’s so good to finally see you. I cannot believe you insisted on driving all the way out here. We know what kind of a long drive it is. We would have come to you. Now, do I get to look at her?” Marsha asked.