Page 95 of Maybe We Can Fake It

And maybe it’s not exactly my dad’s either.

Maybe the only person I can really blame is myself.

And as I’m looking at Brenden now, I realize that if I hadn’t moved back, I never would’ve met him. Andthat, well...

That’s just unacceptable.

So I run my thumb along his cheekbone and tell him the honest truth.

“No. I really don’t.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

BRENDEN

Thisdatehasdonesomething to me. Altered my brain chemistry somehow so that it’s become impossible for menotto be touching Travis. I’ve spent the entire drive back to my house with my hand on his thigh or the back of his neck, my fingertips trailing over the short hairs at his nape like that’s their only purpose in life.

And this isn’t lust. Or maybe it is, but it’s something else too.

It's Travis.

It’s this thing that’s been building between us. Slowly at first, and now rapidly, out of control and impossible to ignore.

Or am I crazy? Am I letting myself get carried away in a silly fantasy where a dream man like this actually wants me? Wants me for more than sex, that is. The way Travis looked at me tonight—the way he touched me and talked to me—made it feel like there’s something real going on here. But I can’t afford to be wrong about this.

My life is great. I have May, I have a career I’m passionate about, I have the town. What happens if I fall for Travis and thenfind out I’m the only one falling? That would probably destroy me.

Going into this fake relationship, we agreed we wouldn’t let it affect our real friendship.

And Travis doesn’t date. He hooks up. That’s not just town gossip. He told me this himself. So how can I expect him to suddenly change who he is for me?

I can’t.

I need to break myself out of whatever magic spell this fancy date night put over me and remember that Travis is only mine for now. He’s not mine to keep.

As we pull into my driveway, we see Elise and Grant’s rental car there, and Travis unsnaps his seatbelt. “I’d better go in with you.”

“Right,” I mutter. “Keeping up the act.”

He frowns, but before I can puzzle out why, he’s out of the truck and coming around to my side. I let him open my door for me and help me out again, because Elise might be watching us out the window. Not because it feels nice.

When we get inside, we find May and her grandparents in the process of cleaning up after a board game. They ask how our dinner was, and I tell them the food was amazing, while Travis brings our leftovers into the kitchen to put away. He comes back and stands close to me, placing his hand over my hip like it’s the most natural thing in the world. Then he thanks Elise and Grant for their generosity.

Grants waves him off. “It was the least we could do.”

“We wanted you two to enjoy yourselves,” Elise adds.

May grins devilishly, her eyes darting between me and Travis. “Yeah. It must have been nice for you guys to get some alone time, right?”

“So nice,” I reply, with a minimal amount of sarcasm that hopefully only she can detect. I still don’t understand why she keeps pushing us together beyond what’s necessary for the lie.

“Well, we’d better get going back to the inn,” Elise says, motioning for Grant to follow her toward the door. “We’ll leave you all to the rest of your night.”

After the goodbyes, May turns to me and Travis and announces that she’s going to her room to read. “I’ll be playing music too,” she adds. “Loudly.”

Next thing I know, she’s run up the stairs, leaving us standing here alone. She must be happy to have her room back.

Travis’s hand is still on my hip, and he keeps his hold of it as he turns to face me. With his other hand, he cards his fingers through the hair at my temple. “I really did enjoy going out with you tonight.”

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