Page 106 of Empty Net

She sniffs and shrugs, trying to play it cool. “Yeah, I guess.”

But I can see in her eyes she’s just as amazed as I am. We stand there quietly in the early March morning. The sun is covered by clouds, fog swirling around the trees, and water rushes down the cliffside across from us. It’s beautiful, one of the prettiest sights I’ve ever taken in. Yet somehow, none of it compares to the woman standing beside me.

I rake my gaze over her, taking in every inch, from her dark hair that’s sticking out chaotically from under her hat to her azure eyes that are brimming with tears, over her pert nose and those damn pink lips of hers that say the damnedest things.

I love you.

The three words filter through my mind in the same way they have been for the last few weeks. I don’t know exactly when it happened, but it was probably on one of those evenings whenwe were snuggled together on her couch as she tucked her feet beneath my leg and read to me from the other end until we both drifted off to sleep.

I’ve done the dumbest thing I could think of doing. I’ve fallen for my fake fiancée.

With any luck, she’ll fall for me too.

“I’m going to order the biggest, juiciest chicken sandwich ever.”

“I thought you were getting a burger, cheese fries, and chicken strips.”

“Oooh, you’re right. A burger does sound good.” She taps her chin. “Maybe I should get both. Or wait! You get one, I get the other. Then we can split it. Yeah, let’s do that.”

I laugh. “Do I get a say in this?”

“Nope.” She bumps her shoulder against mine, then twines our fingers together.

I fully believe her, and the craziest part is I’d do whatever she asks.

Our trek back down to the truck is much easier, Lilah only stopping three times instead of ten. She seems much happier than on our hike up, and I’m unsure if that’s because of the gorgeous waterfall or if she’s just that excited for food. Either way, I love every moment of it.

When we finally get to the truck, Lilah runs ahead, the bouncing pom on her beanie just too damn cute for words.

“Come on! Feed me!” she calls, waving me over.

I chuckle the whole way there. “You act like you didn’t eat a stack of pancakes and hash brownsandsteal half of my bacon for breakfast.”

“Hey, this is your fault. You’re the one who kept me up late last night, burning extra calories.”

“I didn’t see you complaining while my head was between your legs.”

She bites at her bottom lip. “No, I most certainly was not complaining about that.”

I toss the backpack into the truck bed, then pull open the door for her. She stands there, looking at the truck like it’s the most offensive thing in the world.

“Would you like a lift?” I ask with a chuckle.

She nods. “My legs are noodles, and my feet are killing me.”

I lift her effortlessly, placing her on the passenger seat before dragging my hands down her legs and untying her boots, which look brand new. I wonder if she bought them just for this.

“Ahhh,” she says as I pull the first one off. She tugs off her adorable hat, shaking out her hair. It’s a total mess from the friction, but she still looks perfect. “That feelsmuchbetter.”

“You should have told me you weren’t a hiker. I could have planned something else.”

She shrugs. “You were so excited about it.”

“Yeah, but I want you to enjoy our dates too, you know.”

“I do. I like doinganythingwith you. Even if it is hiking.”

I don’t know why her words make my chest feel heavy, but they do. Maybe it’s because I know she doesn’t mean them in the way I hope she does. Or maybe it’s because I’m kind of mad at myself for getting into this situation to begin with. I knew going in that I was lonely, that I was open to something more, but I swore I wouldn’t let this turn into something bigger than what it was.

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