Page 1 of Real Tree / Fake Boyfriend

Chapter 1

Tyler

The clink of silverware on fine crystal glass drew Tyler’s attention away from the perfect bite of food he built on his fork. With the ideal amount of mashed potatoes and stuffing as a base for the turkey, green beans, and cranberry sauce, the bite gleamed with the rich brown gravy as Tyler held it before his mouth.

Walter, his twin sister Hailey’s boyfriend, rose from his seat and turned to face Hailey, a sheen of sweat on his furrowed brow.

Tyler leaned forward to observe what was happening at the other table, where theadultssat because he apparently didn’t count as an adult. The perfect bite he created slipped from the fork and flopped onto his plate, lost forever in a sea of brown food. Gravy drops splashed onto the luxurious placemat, staining the gold embroidered leaves and burgundy fabric.

“Hailey Rose Ashford,” Walter said. He dropped onto one knee as if the entire family wasn’t in the middle of trying to enjoy their dinner. “This Thanksgiving has made me realize how grateful I am to have you. Since we met, you’ve made me smile every day, and I couldn’t imagine my life without you. So, I want to ask you now, in front of your family, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

Hailey’s trembling hands covered her mouth as she nodded an emphaticyes. Tears glistened in her eyes, which darted around the room as if she expected someone to jump out and saygotcha!No one did, of course. The Ashfords werenota pranking family.

Tyler’s mother wore a tight-lipped smile, the closest look to pure approval Tyler had ever seen. He couldn’t see his dad’s face from where he sat but knew Dad had a proud grin plastered on. His older sister, Cecelia, dabbed at her eyes with a cloth napkin, but Tyler couldn’t see a single tear.

“Yes!” Hailey finally managed to breathe out. Her hand shook when she held it out so Walter could slide an unbelievably large diamond ring onto that finger before she hopped up and pulled him into an embrace.

“Gross,” Tyler said, making eye contact with Eliza, his younger cousin. At sixteen, she was seven years younger than he was. Yet, he sat at the kids’ table with her, his niece and nephew, and his cousin’s daughter.

“Mega gross,” Eliza agreed with a scoff. However, Tyler could see how her eyes drifted to his sister’s new finger candy with interest and appreciation…the traitor.

It wasn’t that Tyler disliked Walter. He was fine. For some reason, Hailey adored him, even though he was about as interesting as the color beige and sweat a little too much. Hailey and Walter had been together for three years, and it seemed reasonable that they would take that all-important leap into matrimony. Walter had boring, dishwater blond hair, perfectly straight teeth, and eyes of such an indiscriminate gray color that Tyler sometimes forgot hehadeyes.

Hailey’s hair was the same rich, chestnut brown as Tyler’s, and her bright blue eyes, also the same as his, couldn’t be missed. Walter would look invisible in their engagement pictures.

Tyler’s parents liked Walter. He came from a well-off family, half of whom were in politics and the other halfin finance. They brought the Ashfords out on their yacht one summer. It was a significant offset to listening to Walter discuss the thrills of his stock market job and his interest in antique stamp collecting. While the champagne and cheese on offer was delicious, it hadn’t been good enough to make Walter interesting to Tyler.

“When will you get engaged, Uncle Tyler?” Owen, his seven-year-old nephew, asked. He inherited Cecelia’s knack for being a little shit without meaning to.

Tyler narrowed his eyes at the seven-year-old’s innocent face, he could swear he saw evil looking back. “You just finish those green beans before I tell your mom you fed the rest to the dog.” The boy shook his head and shoveled in a bite of the beans.

Cece told Hailey she should use the same flower guy that she and Brad had used for their wedding. She also knew of a fantastic band that would be perfect. Cece had been married for nine years. She and Brad had gotten hitched right out of high school and started a family with kids only a few years later. Now, they were the face of a local contractor’s business and flipped houses for fun.

Tyler half expected Hailey to tell Cece to fuck off, that it was her wedding, and she would do it how she wanted. But Hailey took in the advice with a broad grin.

It had been five minutes, and Tyler couldn’t quite understand how the whole family had suddenly become wedding planners. They chimed in with poignant advice while Hailey excitedly took it all in.

“You’ll need to start on a guest list to know how much space you need before you decide on a venue. We will not be packed in there like sardines,” Ty’s mother said.

“You have to order your dress as soon as possible. Some can take eighteen months to come in,” their cousin, Bethann, explained pragmatically.

“But you need to maintain your weight if you order now, you can make a few tailored adjustments, but you don’t want to gain weight and have the completely wrong size,” his Aunt Michelle added.

Hailey basked in the attention, and even as the plates cleared, she didn’t move from her seat. Her dainty little hand was perfectly positioned to reflect the chandelier’s light.

Dad, Uncle Gerard, and Brad shook Walter’s hand before they convinced him and Bethann’s husband, Bill, to go out for cigars. His mother hated it when his father smoked, but this was a special occasion, and a good cigar with a glass of his expensive Scotch was warranted.

Tyler sat at the kiddie table, watching as he was forgotten. He took a long sip of Pinot Noir and tried not to sulk.

Tyler was happy for Hailey, but it didn’t go unnoticed howhewas the only adult in the room without a partner. It wasn’t that he was desperate for someone, but with this engagement, the looming loneliness weighed on his shoulders.

After college, he’d been hired by a massive company in their accounting department. Between that and working on a Master’s Degree, there was no time to go out and find someone.

In college, Tyler had been too busy getting the best GPA, the most illustrious internship, and all the qualifications needed for a head start after graduation. There was no time for a relationship then, either. At least, that’s what he wanted to believe.

“Hey,” Hailey said when she sat beside Tyler, which startled him from the sulking.

With some guilt, Tyler realized he hadn’t congratulated Hailey. “Hey.” Tyler tried to seem perky. “Congratulations!” it sounded fake to his ears. Hailey’s raised eyebrows told him she hadn’t missed it.

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