Page 64 of Fake Out Hearts

“Positive. But thanks for the offer. Maybe we’ll finish this up tomorrow? We’ll be in town for a few days.”

“Yeah, sure. Thank you for the help.”

“Of course. Anytime.” He hugs me again, then lets Mom do the same.

“Love you guys.”

“We love you too, sweetie. Have a good night,” Mom says and leads Dad back upstairs. Milo bounds after them, leaving Becca and I alone. When she hears the door at the top of the stairs click closed, she turns to me with tears in her eyes.

“I can’t believe you did this for me,” she whispers.

“Well, it was kind of a dungeon down here before, and I know it’s important for you to be able to see yourself while you’re practicing, so it just made sense.”

Becca laughs and hugs me. “You’re underselling yourself. Thank you. This means a lot.”

“Anything for my wife. But look, I made some more room for you too,” I say, gesturing at where the bench press used to be. There were already hardwood floors underneath that section of the gym, so Dad and I pulled up the mats that were there to give Becca a larger dancing area. “We’re going to install the lighting above that area.”

“Thank you. I can’t say it enough.” She takes a little tour of the practice space we’re making for her and does a spin in the mirrors. I don’t know how she does it, but she makes something even that basic look elegant and effortless. “Sorry. I’m just imagining the lighting here.”

“No need to apologize. Soak it up,” I say with a grin. “The spotlight is yours, princess. Even my parents think so.”

“Really?”

“Oh, god, yeah. My mom and dad are terrible at keeping their thoughts to themselves. They both love you. My mom wouldn’t have taken you out shopping with her if she didn’t. That’s an Anne Camden rite of passage.”

She blushes, despite the beaming smile that appears on her face. “Well, I hope I passed.”

“With flying colors.”

“I hope so. I really do. I mean, I know all of this is fake, but I still want them to like me.”

I know she didn’t mean for it to, but that stings. Because she’s right. Itissupposed to be fake, and temporary. As much as I keep trying to avoid it, it seems like I can’t stop bumping up against this elephant in the room.

“I still haven’t told them,” I admit, and Becca watches me carefully.

“I understand. It’s not like it would be the easiest conversation in the world.”

“No, it wouldn’t be. I think they’d understand. Hell, they’d probably even be supportive.”

“Then why don’t you just tell them?”

I hesitate, looking Becca in the eyes. The truth is simple, but I’m not sure sharing it is the right idea, especially as we keep teetering on the edge between real and fake. I don’t want to complicate things any more than they already are, but I owe her the truth.

“Honestly, I don’t want my parents to judge you for a choice that I made,” I finally say, and Becca seems to tense. “I really don’t think they will, but I can’t be sure. And I don’t want to expose you to that when you already have so much else going on.”

Becca shrugs. “I get it. You’re rich and famous, so if I were them, I’d be kind of paranoid about that too. I just hope that when we eventually get divorced, they won’t hate me like they seem to hate your ex,” she says, and my heart sinks both because I’m not looking forward to that day, and because she’d even think to compare herself to my ex.

I take her by the wrist, gently but assertively, and lock eyes with her. She tries to look away, but I squeeze her hand, bringing her gaze back to mine. “Listen to me. You arenothinglike her. Do you understand?” I feel her pulse quicken in my grip, and she licks her lower lip before she nods.

And I have to remind myself, for at least the tenth time today, that this is all fake.

Because it’s starting to feel more and more like it isn’t.

Chapter 20

Becca

Over the next few days, I spend more time with Theo’s parents than I think I’ve ever spent with my mom. Not that that’s saying much. Anne and I go shopping—mostly to help stock Theo’s empty fridge—while Theo and John continue working on the improvements to the home gym. We catch an Aces game while they’re in town too.

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