Page 64 of A Montana Fake Marriage

Blood chilling, Sammie shivered. There was no use denying it. She was sure the answer was written all over her face. Lacey nodded more to herself than anything else.

“Well, if you want to talk about it, I’m here. Bartenders are notoriously good listeners.”

“You’re not a bartender,” Sammie pointed out with a mutter.

“I am today.” Lacey winked and flitted off to check on one of her tables.

Sammie followed her with her eyes, hating that she was right about the financial stuff. Must be a common thing to fight about in a marriage. She hadn’t seen much of that going on with her parents, but then again, her father might have set a precedence for how they were going to handle their family’s wealth.

At this point, Sammie just felt cold. Maybe she was in shock.

Her heart felt dull and heavy like a stone dug up from the earth. No longer was she bright and excited for the future. No longer could she tell herself that her life was going to be something dreams were made of.

And she only had herself to blame.

She lost track of time sitting at that bar. The evening crowd came and went. Sammie was surprised that no one sent her away for not buying anything. She threw down a twenty when shefinally forced herself to leave. Tonight, she wouldn’t hide away at Hallie’s. She could only hope that Caleb was asleep when she arrived. At least then he couldn’t get mad at her—or be worried for her.

The house was quiet and dark when she arrived. She slipped off her shoes by the front entrance and, quietly as she could, locked the front door. It appeared that everyone who lived here was already asleep. There was a faint smell of supper—a meal she’d skipped for a second time.

What had Caleb told his family when they inevitably asked where she was? Would he tell them the truth? Or would he lie to cover for her? At this point, it probably didn’t matter. The rift between them was strong enough, his family probably already knew that they weren’t going to last.

Her stomach roiled at the thought of facing them for breakfast in the morning. She’d never disappointed anyone but her father. What would it be like to stand before the Reese family and tell them that she simply couldn’t hack being married to the best man she’d ever met?

Sammie reached the top of the stairs. There was only one light on up here, and it was coming from the room she shared with Caleb. The door was open a crack with that golden hue slipping through.

Thunderous beats of her heart rocked her, nearly knocking her off her feet. He’d waited for her. Did that mean he wanted more? Was he waiting to tell her he was wrong, and he would do anything to keep her?

Would Caleb fight for what they had?

She couldn’t dare hope, and yet that was exactly what she was doing.

If Caleb asked her to stay—if he asked her to work things through so they could both find happiness, she’d do it. She didn’t know what that would entail, but she thought she loved him enough to make that promise to herself.

She pushed the door open to find Caleb seated on the edge of the bed. His body was hunched forward, his elbows on his knees and his hands in his disheveled hair. Already clad in pajamas, Caleb looked every bit as exhausted as she felt.

A floorboard beneath her foot creaked, startling him from his position. His head snapped up, and all at once the world fell away from her.

He didn’t have to utter a word for her to know what was about to happen. Caleb’s eyes were dark, empty. No longer did they hold that ember of hope she’d fed off of for so many months. Never had he looked so guarded.

Had she truly done that to him?

Caleb got to his feet. He smiled at her as he pulled a pillow and a blanket from his side. Her eyes darted to the offensive items before lifting once more to his face. That smile was hollow. Caleb looked like a ghost of his former self. It was near impossible to relate the man she knew with the man who stood before her.

He reached for her when he got close—as if he planned on touching her face, but then his hand dropped to his side, and a muscle in his jaw feathered. “I think I realized where we went wrong.”

That roaring pulse in her ears made it difficult to hear what he was saying. The way her heart screamed at her to throw herself into his arms and apologize only made this whole situation worse. But she remained frozen, waiting.

“We should have never stayed in the same room. It was asking for trouble to believe we could spend this much time together and not get attached.”

She wanted to call him a liar. She wanted to scream at him that he was wrong—because they’d spent a lot of time together in college. Sure, they hadn’t been roommates, but that shouldn’t make much of a difference.

But she couldn’t find the strength to say a single word.

All she could do was stare at him as he tore her heart to pieces.

“I’m going to sleep in Mack’s room. I already moved the cot in there. He’s aware that we’re dealing with some stuff…” His voice trailed off, and he looked away—probably because a tear had escaped down her cheek.

She brushed at it with a sharp movement and nodded. “Okay.” The word was barely a whisper.

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