Page 31 of The Bad Boy's Fake Wife

He tilts his head to the side. “What if we talk about something else? Why are you afraid of heights?”

His question takes me off guard. Jonathan notices my reaction, so now he knows that this fear is just as deep as it seems.

I sigh. “I don’t just have a fear of heights. It’s deeper and more complicated than that. And it’s stupid, too.” I pause, taking a deep breath. “When I was really young, Reed and I went to the park to play. It was just kids there, no adults to supervise. Reed dared me to climb on top of the monkey bars and I did, but then he ran off to a friend’s house nearby. We usually went there after playing.

“Anyway, he forgot about me entirely, and I couldn’t get down from the monkey bars by myself. The longer I stayed up there, the bigger the distance felt between me and the ground. I felt this sort of gripping fear that didn’t let go, and it wasn’t until late in the night that our friend’s parents realized I wasn’t with Reed. They started searching for me, and surprisingly, they didn’t check the park first.”

“It’s silly.” I laugh, but there are tears in my eyes. “But the fear stuck to me, and it took so long for them to come get me that my legs almost didn’t work due to how paralyzed with fear I was. It was a quiet neighborhood, so people didn’t frequent the park enough to see me earlier.”

“It’s not silly,” Jonathan says as he draws soothing circles on my hand. “That would be terrifying for a child.”

I shrug. “It still is. I thought they’d all forgotten me. My parents were at home, so they had no idea I never made it to my friend’s house. Reed was too young to be in charge of his younger sister. My friend’s parents were too busy with their lives to notice my absence. I’ve had abandonment issues since then, and I always linked those feelings to height, be it literal or metaphorical. I felt invisible, like I was nothing. That’s one of the reasons why I wanted to become a big-name author…but you know how that’s going.” I chuckle.

Jonathan nods. “I know you have a bestselling book in your future. Emma, your writing is incredible—your characters feel real and the emotions jump off the page. This is your best work yet. And I think the general public will love it, too.”

I look up at him, wide-eyed. “Really?”

He nods, smiling. “And the male protagonist? He sounds a lot like me.”

“How so?” I ask, wondering how he caught on to their parallels. I hadn’t planned on writing the main character based on him, but it just happened to work out that way.

Jonathan pretends to think, his brows furrowed. “Well for one, he sounds really handsome.”

I roll my eyes and smack the side of his arm. “Nobody said you were handsome, you just have an ego the size of a football field.”

Jonathan scoffs. “Anyone can tell you how good-looking I am,” he jokes. “And soon enough, you’ll come to realize it, too.”

The funny thing is, I already know that he’s handsome. I can’t get our kiss out of my mind, and how tingly and giddy I felt after it. I can tell I’m starting to get attached to him, and I can’t help it. And maybe I don’t even hate him as much as I used to.

“Oh! We’re moving!” Jonathan says, and true to his words, the wheel starts descending slowly. I’d completely forgotten that we were stuck at the top of a Ferris wheel, and my heart feels so much lighter.

Is this what love feels like? I used to think love was meant for other people—people who weren’t afraid of getting left behind. But sitting here, feeling Jonathan’s hand in mine, I wonder if I’ve been wrong all along.

Jonathan guides me out of the Ferris wheel, and just then Andy and James rush to us, all concern. I haven’t even begun to process the fact that things between Jonathan and me are feeling like they’ll be permanently altered from how they used to be.

“Whoa, are you two okay? It’s the death wheel, I tell you! The death wheel!” Andy fusses over me.

I give her a reassuring smile. “I’m okay, I had Jonathan with me. I have no idea what would have happened if I’d been alone up there.”

Jonathan smiles down at me. “I told you I won’t let go of you.” His hand finds mine and he holds on to it, just like he did during the ride.

Andy coos at us. “You two are so cute! It’s hard to believe that only two days ago, you were practically begging me to find you a different room just to get away from him.”

I smile fondly at that, surprised at how a little trip to a small island could change so much. Who would have thought I’d be falling in love with Jonathan? Because that feels like exactly what’s happening.

Chapter 14

Jonathan

“I’llsleeponthecouch,” Emma insists. “You can have the bed. You’re tired and you have work tomorrow. I can’t imagine working after a long flight back.”

I shake my head. “I can’t do that to you. I’ll sleep on the couch. You can stay on the bed.”

But I can tell from the set of her jaw that she’s determined, and she doesn’t plan on giving up easy.

Emma grabs one of the pillows and a blanket, already preparing to sleep on the couch. “I don’t mean to hurt your feelings, but the couch and I have a deep understanding after last night, and it’s more inviting than the bed. Trust me on this.”

I follow her as she walks out of the room. “Come on, we both know you’re spouting bull. Just sleep on the bed; it’s only one night. Anyway, it won’t be much of a hassle for me to sleep on the couch again.”

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