Page 10 of Her Inconvenient Wedding Date

“Call me Sir Wild. I was known to do a wild thing or two in my younger days.”

“How wild are we talking about?”

“When I was two, I went down the tallest slide at the park, head first, and ended up with four stitches right here.” I tilt my head in her direction and point to an area around my hairline. “Then when I was thirteen, I crashed into the same slide on my skateboard and had to get a few more stitches on my backside. I’ll spare you the visual for that one.”

Nodding quickly, she says, “I’ll take your word for it.”

“So, I’m all for wild ideas. We only have one life to live. Might as well make the most of the time that God’s given us.”

Her brows quirk as she regards me. “You know something? You’re full of surprises. Or maybe I didn’t know the real you before today.”

“This works out perfectly then. What better way to get to know someone than to marry them, right?”

“You can’t be serious.”

“When am I not serious?” I joke, using her trademark line. My tone is lighthearted, but I decide to switch gears. This is abig deal to Lily and not something to joke about, even though humor is what I fall back on when I’m nervous. And boy, am I nervous. I think I’m about to make the biggest decision of my life. But then I take one look at Lily’s downcast face and all my nerves fade away.

Lily’s not the only one being surprised today. I feel like I’m discovering bits and pieces of her that she usually keeps hidden. Like a blooming onion appetizer that’s served in restaurants, this woman has so many layers to peel back. Underneath her stylish clothes and pretty hair and makeup, she has a soft and delicate heart. Having her reveal her insecurities to me makes me want to go into caveman mode—to grunt and brandish my club—so I can protect her. But since we’re living in civilized times, I’ll be a gentleman and give her a proper offer. Because spending time with her is as satisfying as eating that deep-fried, savory goodness, and I only want more.

“However way you want to do it, Lil, I’m game. I will marry you.”

The next few seconds pass by in silence as Lily’s deep brown eyes stare up at me. I can almost see the wheels turning in her head as she considers the ramifications of my words. Her expression is more thoughtful now, as if she’s working out the details in her mind. Whatever said details are, I’m eager to find out.

She gives me a questioning glance and asks, “Why do you want to help me, Hunter? I haven’t exactly gone out of my way to be nice to you. I’m not always patient or friendly when you try to talk to me. I know you’re a good guy, but this goes beyond a regular act of kindness—way beyond. Why in the world would you agree to do this?”

Her confusion throws me for a loop. Does Lily honestly not know how I feel about her? Even though I haven’texpressed my interest out loud, I thought she’d have gotten a clue by now based on how often I visit her cubicle. Apparently, my unspoken rizz has been loudly ineffective. Since she doesn’t realize how much I like her, I give her a platonic answer. “You know the second greatest commandment. I’m trying to love my neighbor as myself.”

Her eyes brighten. “That’s how I feel about helping my sister. I know she’d do this for me if we were in each other’s place. Loving someone isn’t only about how they make you feel but also how you makethemfeel. True love involves sacrifice, right? I may make a stink when Jasmine borrows my clothes without asking, but I’d do anything for her. I literally prayed for a sibling, and God gave her to me. She’s one of the best gifts I could’ve asked for.”

If I thought I couldn’t like Lily more, I was wrong. Hearing her talk like this shows me how big her heart is. “You’re an amazing sister, you know that? My sisters could take a lesson from you. I’m pretty sure neither one of them would marry a stranger for my sake.”

“You’re not a stranger. I’ve known you for a year and I’ve seen your presentations at work—the thought you put into your color schemes is quite impressive. And we agree on the most important thing, that TP should hang over, not under.”

“For sure.” I chuckle along with her. “It’s a deal then. All we need to do now is to talk about logistics.”

“Logistics—right.” She looks off into the distance for a moment, then turns back to me. “How about this? We can pretend to be engaged, and I’ll introduce you to my family. I’ll talk my mom into letting Jasmine set a wedding date so she can book the venue and send out invitations. Then we can amicably break up before the wedding, so you won’t have to meet my extended family. Does that sound okay with you?”

Okay? An amicable breakup is an oxymoron if I’ve everheard of one. I want to shake my head so vigorously my contacts might fall out, but I nod instead. I’m grateful for this opportunity to be Lily’s fiancé, even if it’s pretend. Because once she gets a taste of what it’s like to be in a relationship with me, she’ll wish it were real.

At least that’s my plan. I don’t have any experience being engaged, but I am a professional when it comes to crushing on Lily Lam. You could call me the unofficial president of her fan club.

A fan club of only one, I hope.

“That sounds fine,” I readily agree. “A pretend engagement shouldn’t be hard to pull off. We already see each other five days out of the week. This will be an extension of our relationship outside of the office.”

“Exactly. We technically already have a meet-cute to tell people about.”

“A meet what?”

“A meet-cute. The scene when a couple first meets that’s usually cute, hence the name, or it can be funny or awkward. I guess for us it would be more of the latter.”

I cringe, wishing I could redo our first meeting. “Oh yeah, that was completely my fault.”

“Your fault? No way. It was so rude of the new intern to stuff a bagel in your mouth. You turned as red as a tomato, especially your ears. I actually thought about doing the Heimlich on you.”

“You did?”

“Of course. Death by bagel does kind of have a nice ring to it, but it would be a horrible way to go.”

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