Page 34 of The Bad Boy's Fake Wife

“I’m sorry, what were you saying?” I ask before sipping my coffee. Mia knew to visit me with her signature coffee, and I’ll be cooperative as long as there’s still coffee in my cup.

But it seems Mia isn’t satisfied.

She rolls her eyes. “I asked you how the honeymoon went, and then you spaced out like a total zombie. Did Jonathan do something to you during the trip? If he hurt you, just tell me. I’m ready to punch him in the guts.”

I shake my head. “As much as the thought of Jonathan’s guts being punched makes me happy, I can’t accept that. He did nothing wrong, and the trip was fine.”

“Fine,” Mia repeats, and I nod. “I came all the way here, brought you coffee, and all you have to tell me is that it was fine? I can’t accept that.”

I shrug. “It had its ups and downs, but in the end, it was fine.”

“Emma,” Mia says in a warning tone. “Darling, if you don’t tell me what happened, I might have to punchyouin the guts.”

I gulp at the thought. I know Mia can throw a mean punch. “I don’t like that idea.”

“Then you better start talking, girl.” Mia reclines against a pillow and waits for me to speak.

I let out a sigh. “It was truly a lot.”

And then I tell her everything, from the first night we spent together with me in bed and him on the couch, to our kiss the very next day after his protectiveness on the beach, to when the Ferris wheel stopped, and the moment just this morning, when I woke up tangled in his arms. Mia, to her credit, doesn’t interrupt. She just nods and lets me talk everything out.

“And that’s how the honeymoon went. And between you and me, I think I’m developing feelings for him,” I conclude. “It feels weird…isn’t it weird that I have feelings for Jonathan?”

Mia blows out a breath. “Weird? I’d say it’s about time!” she exclaims, her smile widening.

“What are you talking about?” I ask.

She’s grinning so widely that I worry her mouth will get stuck in that expression. Mia says, “I mean, you guys always had this…tension that seemed to never go away. At first I thought you guys really hated each other, but I think you were just confused.”

“Confused,” I repeat, and she nods.

“You guys have been deeply in love for a while now, and I always thought it was stupid that neither of you were smart enough to even realize it.” Mia gives me this all-knowing look, and I just stare at her dubiously.

I scoff. “I don’t believe you one bit. It can’t have been like this for so long. I only just started feeling it.”

Mia shrugs, a glint in her eyes, like she’s amused by my denial but too polite to push further. A flicker of doubt stirs in my chest—what if she’s right? What if I’ve been blind to something that’s been there all along? What’s more confusing is that her words have a hint of truth to them that I can’t dismiss entirely.

“Anyway, that doesn’t matter,” I say. “What matters now is that I have feelings for him, and I have no idea what to do.”

Mia stares at me like I’m stupid. “At your age, you really don’t know how to confess your feelings for a man? Go talk to him and see if anything can come out of this. Don’t be such a sissy and hide your feelings like you’ve done for half of your life.”

“Does anyone even use the word ‘sissy’ anymore?” I ask.

“Not the point I’m trying to make,” Mia insists.

“And I haven’t been in love with him all my life. I already told you that, okay? You need to drop it.”

Mia rolls her eyes, but she surrenders, putting her hands up in the air. “You don’t want to hear the truth? Fine by me. But you should tell him how you feel. I don’t know how to explain it, but I think this is the right time.”

“You really think so?” I ask, wide-eyed. Suddenly, I feel like a teenager with her first crush. I suppose I’ll dress up to impress him. But this situation is more complicated, because he’s my husband. My fake husband, but we’re still married.

“Oh, and Reed totally owes me a hundred dollars,” Mia mutters to herself.

I gasp in disbelief. “Don’t tell me you guys bet on me!”

Mia wiggles her brows at me, smirking as she leans in slightly, clearly enjoying my reaction. I cross my arms, narrowing my eyes at her playful expression. “Nothing too harmful. Reed thought you guys would jump each other’s bones during the honeymoon, and I said it’ll happen after. I know you, so I knew you’d wait for the emotional connection and all that drama.”

I want to be mad at her, but I can’t even afford to. Coffee makes me feel too good to hate on the one who brought me said coffee.

---