Page 5 of A Match Made In Evan
“Tell them he’s out of the country,” she shrugs.
“Well, thatwouldhave been the smarter option, but I panicked and said I’d talk to him when I saw him tonight.”
Mia snorts. “Have all the years watching me do improv taught you nothing?”
“Uh, excuse me? I used ‘yes, and’, which iswhyI’m in this situation now.”
My daughter chortles and even though I’m back to being frustrated at the whole problem she’s created, her joy is infectious. “Ask Evan, then,” she suggests simply and flops back onto the couch, rolling her wrist at me. “You’re always telling me that you guys used to get into all sorts of mischief at my age. This can be like reliving your glory days, just on a bigger scale.” Her eyes light up and she sits up straighter. “Actually, that’s pretty genius. Because nobody knows you better than Evan, and I already think of him as my backup dad anyway…”
“Gee,” I feign insult and lean forward on the kitchen counter on my elbows, propping my head on my hands, “thanks. Good to know you have a backup parent in mind.”
“Oh, please. He’s my Godfather. You literally named him in your will as the person I’ll go to if you die before I’m eighteen.”
“It sounds really morbid when you put it that way.”
“Itisreally morbid,” she acknowledges. “But, come on, admit it: Evan’s the best choice for this.”
She makes very valid points. Ev and I have known each other since we were little kids. I know everything about him and he, in turn, knows everything about me. Faking an engagement to him will be ridiculously easy. Hell, I don’t even mind the idea of kissing him if it comes down to it. I mean, it would be weird because he’s my best friend, but not because he’s a guy. Not thatI think Bronwyn Michaels is going to sit behind her desk and force us to kiss.Thatwould be weird.
With our dinner simmering on the stove, I pull my phone from my pocket, acknowledging, “Fine. You’re right. Now, make yourself useful and stir the risotto while I arrange to meet up with your backup dad.”
Chapter Two
Evan
“Ican’t believe you’re actually going through with this for me,” James says as he opens his front door.
I roll my eyes. “You’re my best friend. Besides, you said it’s to help Mia. What kind of Godfather would I be if I said no? It’s not like we’re committing fraud by telling some snobby old bird that we love each other.”
Hell, it’s not even a lie. I do love my best friend, just not in a romantic way. People have legitimately gotten married under less auspicious circumstances, and all we’re doing is pretending to be engaged for a quick school interview.
“Oh!” I add, pulling a ring box from my pocket, “Here.” I shove it towards my best friend, who looks delightfully bewildered. “I thought this might help sell it.” I waggle my left finger wherea particularly bawdy silver ring, studded with cubic zirconia diamantes, is taking up prime real estate. “I’ve got one, too.”
James is looking at the matching ring in the box with palpable scepticism. “These are very…”
“Shiny?” I offer.
“Cheap.”
I gasp and press my ring-clad hand to my chest dramatically. “I’ll have you know; I spent fifty on the pair of them.”
“You were robbed.”
“I was on a time-crunch.”
“Evvy!” Mia appears from around the corner and flings herself at me. I catch her and squeeze her tightly. She’s the only person who gets away with destroying my already short-enough name. It was adorable when she was a toddler, and it’s still sweet now.
“Hey, princess,” I greet her, then set her back on her feet. She looks so adult in her school uniform that a pang of something undefinable goes through my chest. She’s a young woman now, not a little kid. Not that I’ll ever treat her as anything less than my favourite little buddy. “You know, if you wanted me to be your dad, you just had to ask. We didn’t have to go through this whole charade.”
James rolls his eyes. “Ev…” he says warningly.
“Jay…” I turn it back on him.
Mia giggles and gives me another squeeze. “You guys have got this in the bag,” she declares. “You already argue like an old married couple.”
“We’re not old, Mimi,” I huff. “We’re not even twenty years older than you.”
She scrunches her nose. “Thanks for reminding me what Dad got up to in his teens.”
