Page 29 of The Bad Boy's Fake Wife

“I’ll call the hotel if I need anything,” Emma calls back, and she’s out.

To her credit, Emma’s work is amazing. Her dialogue flows effortlessly, her characters feel real, and the tension in her plot keeps me hooked. One scene in particular—a quiet moment between her protagonists, filled with unspoken emotions—stays with me long after I’ve read it. It’s the best she’s ever written, and I can see the improvement in her storytelling by the way the scenes just seem to blend into each other. It feels almost sinful to catch a glimpse of this writing before it’s a published book.

I make barely any corrections or criticism. It’s truly nearly flawless, and I feel my head expanding with questions, wondering what will happen next and how the mystery will unfold. She has me hooked already, and I think of multiple theories for how the story will continue.

Emma walks in, beaming, a flyer in her hand that she waves in my direction. She’s bursting with energy from her walk, and I can tell how in tune with nature she is. I hope she doesn’t forget to get her daily sunlight at home, with how she always seems busy with work these days.

“Jonathan, you have to see this!” Emma rushes over with the flyer. All I can tell at first is how colorful it is.

“Don’t you want to know what I think of your story first?” I ask, finding it amusing that she seems more excited about a piece of paper than what I think of her work.

“No—I mean, yes. But I don’t want to hear it now,” she declares. “Look at the flyer, Jonathan! It’s for a fair.”

I do look, and she’s right. The colorful words say it themselves. It advertises themed rides, food, and carnival games.

“Oh, you don’t understand, I found this flyer lying on the ground,” Emma rambles on. “I picked it up, and lo and behold, the date for the fair is today.”

“It’s for today?” I repeat with a frown as I begin to see where this is going.

Emma nods. “Just this evening. Of course, there’s still plenty of time for you to take that power nap of yours, and then we can visit! It’ll be the perfect ending to this vacation of ours.”

She doesn’t call it a honeymoon, but she’s right—this does feel more like a vacation than anything else.

“Did you ask the locals about this? Because I’ve never heard of it, and even the front desk didn’t mention it.” I’m concerned, or maybe a little bit paranoid. I’ve watched enough movies about carnivals and fun fairs to know that’s where creepy stuff happens.

Emma rolls her eyes. “Oh, it’ll be fine, and I did ask Andy at the front desk about it. She mentioned going there with her fiancé later on, so I asked if we could tag along.”

“Yay, more people,” I grumble, but she ignores me.

“Anyway, I figured since they have a better lay of the land, it’ll reduce the chances of us getting lost. Plus, the fair is an annual thing, so they can walk us through the best rides and what food to eat and ignore. Going with her means we’ll be able to get the most out of it,” Emma says wistfully. “Please, let’s go. It’s only for a few hours, and we’re leaving tomorrow anyway.”

I groan dramatically, rubbing a hand down my face. “You’re really not going to let this go, are you?” And I can’t say no to those eyes, no matter how much I want to.

Besides, it does sound like fun to go to the fair. Just a little more fun before I get back to work won’t hurt.

I give her a winning smile and say, “What time is this fair of yours?”

Chapter 13

Emma

Thefairisevenbigger in person than it seemed on paper, bursting with the smell of popcorn and glazed donuts. I take in a deep breath and smile widely at the rides before us, anticipating getting on them and going for a spin.

“So, where do we start?” Jonathan asks no one in particular.

“There are so many good rides,” James, Andy’s fiancé, says. “I suggest we don’t eat anything for now if we’re going on the huge rides like the Ferris wheel.”

Andy shivers at his words. “I will not be going on the death wheel.”

“The death wheel?” I ask, chuckling. I haven’t been on a Ferris wheel since I was a child, but I don’t remember it being that bad.

James nods. “She’s terrified of that ride, but you guys need to try it. Don’t be intimidated by it. It’s not half as bad as it looks.”

Andy and James lead us toward the Ferris wheel, then leave for the bumpy rides that Andy insists are the best. Although James looks mildly annoyed, I can tell he loves her a lot by the way he looks at her. Andy knows it, too.

I find myself watching them, wondering what people see when they look at Jonathan and me. Do they see a couple in love, just like Andy and James? Or do they see the cracks, the way I hesitate, the way he keeps his distance? A part of me hopes they see something real, even if I know it’s all just pretend. And I find myself aching for that love and companionship with someone. Andy and James have left already, their hands clasped together sweetly. I yearn for something like that, but all I have is a fake marriage with an expiration date and a book that desperately needs to be written.

“Emma, aren’t you coming?” Jonathan asks, looking back at me with a frown. He’s already halfway to the Ferris wheel, and I jog up to catch up with him.

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