Page 32 of Fake Out Hearts

“I wanted you to be comfortable,” I tell her with a shrug as I wheel her bags to my car and open the trunk to load them. “I’m sure you’ve been busy with getting ready for the move, so I figured you could use a break. By the way, the rest of your stuff arrived last night, so you’ll just have to figure out where you want to put everything.”

“Oh, perfect. Did it all get there in one piece?”

“As far as I can tell, yeah, but I didn’t look too closely. Didn’t want to be nosy.” I wink at her as I finish storing her bags, then lead her to the passenger side to open the door.

“Wow.” She grins as she climbs in. “I don’t think Shawn opened a door for me once the entire time we were together.”

I bite back a scowl, a fresh burst of anger at Kaplan rising inside me. I hate the way he lowered her expectations of what she deserves from the world and the people in her life.

Resting my hand on the frame of the car, I drop my head a little as I hold the door open, catching her gaze. “He wasn’t good enough for you.”

Something soft and vulnerable flashes across her face, and she nods. She glances around at the leather seats of my car, then back up at me.

“Well, thank you for picking me up. I don’t think he ever did anything like this either. I would’ve driven my car out here, but…” She grimaces. “Well, it’s a bit of a beater, and I wasn’t sure it would make the drive. I left it with Peyton for now, but I’ll see about getting it shipped out to Denver soon.”

“That won’t be necessary,” I say, making a snap decision.

She frowns. “It seems like it is. I know there’s public transportation here, but I’m guessing I’ll need a car. You can’t drive me around all the time.”

I chuckle. “No, I guess I can’t. But if you’re worried about your car breaking down, I’d rather have you in something safer. I’ll buy you a new one.”

Becca stares at me, her eyes widening. Her mouth opens and closes several times before any words come out. “You’ll what?”

“I’ll buy you a new car.”

“Theo.” She swallows, shaking her head. “I can’t accept that. Marrying me for citizenship is one thing, but buying me a brand new car? I really, really appreciate it, and it’s amazingly nice of you to offer, but—”

“No buts.” I shake my head firmly, crouching down by the open door of the car so that she won’t have to crane her neck to hold my gaze. “You’re my wife now, and my wife deserves the best. And you don’t have to thank me for anything.”

“Are you sure?” She tugs her bottom lip between her teeth, a tiny line appearing between her eyebrows. “You’ve already helped me so much. I don’t want to take advantage of your generosity.”

“You’re not.” I rest a hand on her knee, giving a little squeeze. “I’m doing all of this because Iwantto. I want to help you.” I lower my voice a little, letting her hear the truth in my words. “This whole marriage thing might be fake, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to take care of you while you’re my wife. That part is real. Okay?”

Becca nods, her eyes glistening as she blinks rapidly. “Okay,” she whispers. “Thank you, Theo.”

I grin, then check to make sure all her limbs are in the car before I close the door and walk around to the driver’s side. I climb in and start the car before glancing over at her.

“Oh, we need to make a stop on the way back to my place. Is that alright?”

“Sure. What are we stopping for?”

I glance at the plain golden band on her ring finger. “We’ve got to get you a proper ring, princess.”

Her gaze follows mine, and her jaw falls open a little. “Oh! Theo, that’s really not necessary.”

“I know it isn’t, but remember what I told you? I’m doing this because I want to. If you’re going to be my wife, I want you tolikethe ring I put on your finger. Don’t forget, you’ll be wearing it for a couple of years, so it might as well be one that you choose and that makes you feel amazing to wear.”

Becca laughs incredulously and leans back against her seat. “I keep thinking I’m in a dream I’m about to wake up from.”

“Nope. This is real life,” I assure her, pulling away from the curb. “We already have an appointment at a jeweler, so let’s get going before we’re late.”

I navigate us away from the pickup area to head into downtown Denver, where Rockset Jewelry waits. The airport is about forty minutes away from downtown with traffic, so it takes a good while to get where we’re going, and Becca doesn’t say much during the drive.

“Everything okay?” I ask as I parallel park on the street.

“Yeah, just taking in all the sights. I’ve never been to Denver before. It’s beautiful.”

“It really is. Oh, and I probably should’ve warned you about the elevation.”

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