Page 36 of Fake To Forever

We make our way out to the sprawling backyard and the pool, which is bordered by smooth, pale stone tiles, still warm from the day’s sun, and a few strategically placed loungers with plush cushions. A waterfall cascades gently into one end. The sound of the water is soothing, almost hypnotic in a way that reminds me of a fancy resort.

I take a deep breath, trying to let the peaceful atmosphere calm my nerves. The ring on my finger feels heavier than it should, and I keep catching myself glancing at it, as if to reassure myself that it’s really there, that I really agreed to this.

Slowly, I take it off and set it next to a lounger, terrified of losing it in the water. That’s the last thing I need to do. It wouldn’t exactly be something easy that I could explain to Christian either. I’m not sure how much he spent on it, but it looks like it cost a fortune.

Marie catches my eye and gives me a small, reassuring smile.

“This is incredible,” she says. “I can’t believe you get to come here whenever you want.”

“Yeah,” I murmur, my gaze still fixed on the water. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

Even as I say it, there’s a tightness in my chest that the beauty of this place can’t quite ease. I feel like I’m standing on the edge of something much bigger than myself, and I’m not sure if I’m ready to dive in. We walk over to the edge of the pool, and I dip my toes in, letting the cool water ripple around my feet. Glancing over at Marie, I can’t help but laugh, watching as she kicks off her sandals and shorts sliding into the water with a contented sigh.

“Come on,” she urges, splashing at me playfully. “The water’s perfect. You need this.”

She isn’t wrong. I do need this.

I nod, knowing she’s right. I need something to take my mind off everything, if only for a little while. So I slip into the pool beside her. The water envelops me, cool and calming, and I just let myself float, my worries feeling a little lighter in the weightlessness of the water.

“Okay, spill,” Marie says in a firmer tone, a look of seriousness on her face that causes me to frown. “I can see you’re still on edge about something. What’s going on?”

“It’s just… the engagement. I mean, I agreed to it because it’s the practical thing to do, but I haven’t told my family yet. I don’t even know how to begin.”

Marie nods, a sense of understanding lurking within her gaze. “Yeah, that’s a big one. Your mom will be happy, of course, but what about Garrett and your stepdad?”

“That’s what I’m worried about,” I admit, running a hand through the water, watching the ripples spread out and fade. “They’re going to have questions—lots of them. And I don’t know how to explain this to them without… I don’t know, without making it sound like it’s just some sort of arrangement.”

Marie floats beside me, her voice soft and supportive. “You don’t have to explain everything, Haven. Just tell them what’s important—that you’re getting married, and that it’s what you want. The details don’t have to be everyone’s business.”

“Garrett is going to know, Marie. Christian is his best friend, and he hasn’t exactly been in town very long. There’s no way that someone like Christian would run into something so quickly with a woman he barely knows when he has so much going on with this custody issue with his kid. I mean, we could try to say it was a secret relationship to the rest of the world. But do you think that’s really going to work with them? My brother’s a lot of things, but stupid isn’t one of them.”

She’s quiet for a moment as she seems to contemplate everything I’ve told her.

“You’re not wrong… there’s no way your brother is going to believe this.”

“Exactly,” I groan in response. “I’m royally screwed.”

“Not exactly.”

I glance at her, a brow raised in confusion as I try to understand her reasoning. “What do you mean, not exactly?”

She shrugs, a small smile falling across her lips. “You could always say that you met him when you went to the city last year. That you didn’t know that was the guy that your brother was friends with until you met him again after all this time and his son just so happened to go to your daycare center.”

It isn’t the worst idea I’ve heard. And I mean, I did go to the city for three days last year with Marie for some librarian thing. And maybe I can play it off like we hooked up then and lost touch… but is anyone going to believe any of that?

“But what if they don’t believe me? What if they see right through it?” I can’t help but voice the fear that’s been gnawing at me since I made the decision. “I don’t want them to think I’m making a mistake, or that I’m not thinking this through. This isn’t exactly what my mom wants, you know, so I don’t want her to find out I’m just doing this for her. That’ll just make her feel guilty.”

Marie gives me a gentle nudge. “I get that, and I understand wanting to convince your mom that there’s a real kind of love between you and Christian. As for your brother and stepdad, they care about you—they’re going to support you, even if they don’t understand everything right away.”

I nod, trying to let her words sink in, but it’s hard. The truth is I’m not sure if I fully understand everything myself. This engagement—this whole situation—is more complicated than anything I’ve ever dealt with, but as I float in the pool, the sky darkening overhead, I realize that I can’t keep second-guessing myself. I made a decision, and now I have to live with it.

Marie splashes me again, pulling me out of my thoughts. “You’re overthinking this, as usual. Just take it one step at a time, okay? You’ll figure it out.”

“What if I meet my true love?” I ask. “But I’m already married to Christian?”

“That’s never been a major concern for you before,” she points out.

I bite my lip. It’s never been a concern for me before, sure. But now with me facing a chance that it could be, I can’t help but wonder. “I know… but not wanting is much different than not having.”

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