My Big Fat Fake Wedding - Lauren Landish Page 0,56
remember what love feels like and let this go.
“Courtney, I can’t really explain it, but it’s real. There was just this moment when I looked in her eyes and I saw . . . I saw the two paths my life could take. On one hand, I could keep going the way I have been, and in some ways, it looked good. I was happy, carefree, and adventurous. But then, I saw this other path with Violet. A houseful of kids, a dad bod, the picket fence, the whole nine. And I could see that life without her was empty. I picked her, knowing it would be messy and hard and that people would doubt us. But it just happened. We fell. Hard.”
It’s bullshit, but at the same time, as the words tumble out of my mouth, I find myself liking what I’m saying. Having a few kids and a home with a woman like Violet . . . okay, I could do without the beer gut, but the rest doesn’t sound half bad.
Shit, maybe my parents were right . . . just a tiny little bit. Not that I’d admit it to them, ever.
Maybe after this pretend relationship is over and Violet and I have had our respectable breakup, I should think about actually settling down. This could be like a trial run to see if I’m cut out for that lifestyle. The thought surprises me but might be worth a bit of consideration.
I’m about to continue when there’s a knock on my door, and I look up to see Violet opening it slowly, Archie peeking over her shoulder. “Hey, honey,” she says with the practiced ease we worked on over the weekend. “Is this a bad time?”
“Not at all, babe,” I reply, getting up and going over to the door. I pull her in close, my hands clasping around her waist before I kiss her hard. This is one part I don’t mind at all. Violet’s lips are delicious, and as she moans against me, I reach down to cup her ass, squeezing lightly and causing her to whimper into my mouth.
“Honey . . . we have an audience.” Violet gasps as she pulls back, blushing even as she scolds me.
“I don’t mind one damn bit,” Archie answers for himself, hip-bumping his way past us and into my office. He sits down in the chair next to Courtney. “By all means, feel free to carry on.” He waves his hand like he’s the queen, encouraging us to kiss again. I wink at him and press one more chaste kiss to Vi’s lips as Archie grins evilly.
He looks to Courtney, whispering conspiratorially. “Ain’t love grand?” Her brows shoot together and he laughs. “You should see your face. Speaking of face, I can see the resemblance. You must be Courtney, the sister? I’m Archie Hornee, the one tasked with keeping Violet in line—no easy task, mind you.” He shoots Violet a glare, but it seems to be in jest.
Courtney looks gobsmacked. Whether it’s by Violet’s appearance in the office, our steamy kiss hello, or Archie’s over-the-top comfort with basically everything and everyone, I don’t know.
I take advantage of her momentary silence and look Violet up and down, virtually salivating. She’s stunning, her work pants sexy but professional, her blouse hugging her curves perfectly. And now . . . she’s all mine. Or at least, I get to pretend she is.
“Courtney, I’ll have to cut this short,” I comment over my shoulder as I stare into Violet’s eyes and feel my head start to spin. “But I’ll see you at the meeting today?”
“Meeting?” Violet asks, and I nod. “I didn’t know you had a meeting. Is this a bad time?”
“Sorry, babe. I was so caught up in . . . well, you, that I forgot about the weekly Monday meeting,” I tell her, linking my arms around her waist to keep us as close as possible. I stare into her eyes deeply, wondering what’s going through her head, what she thinks of my office, and what she thinks of me.
There’s a small piece of me that worried she would freak out once we separated this morning to go to our respective offices. But if she did, she’s got the part of dutiful fiancée down pat now, and she looks lovingly back at me as if she missed me in the few hours we’ve been apart. I realize with a start that I did miss her.