Page 38 of Festive Faking
Stunned, I blinked at him.
What did that even mean? We had an expiration date. In three days, we’d board a plane back to LA and this charade would come to an end.
“Got it?” he pressed, tone harsher than I’d ever heard.
I managed a weak nod in response.
“Good.” His lungs expanded as he took a deep breath. “Was that what you wanted to talk to me about?”
“Huh?” My head was spinning with how quickly Mac had shifted from a shoulder to cry on—literally—to demanding that he remain my fake boyfriend when I tried to let him off the hook.
“Earlier, when you came over to steal me away from Skylar for a word,” he prompted.
“No, actually. I guess some people are headed to the bar tonight. My friend, Harper, asked if we might want to join.”
A corner of his lips quirked up. “You asking me out on a date?”
“What? No. I mean, technically, we’d be going together. And yes, people think we’re dating, but it’s not—”
“Sounds like a date to me.” He flashed me a smug smirk.
My eyes rolled so hard I caught a peek of my brain. “Whatever. We don’t have to go.”
He placed a hand on his chest. “What kind of man would I be to turn down a date with the prettiest girl in town?”
I knew he was messing with me, but it didn’t stop the flush from creeping up my neck and onto my cheeks at the compliment.
“Now that that’s settled, I’ve gotta get back to my coloring. It’s very serious business, you know.” With that, he returned to the table Skylar occupied, dropping onto that too-small chair without complaint and gratefully accepting a crayon she held out to him.
Leaning against a wall, I watched the pair of them.
Someday, he was going to make a great dad. The thought that some other woman would get to witness it as that child’s mother, as Mac’s partner, had jealousy burning hot through my veins.
Because whoever she was, I knew she wouldn’t be me.
Chapter 15
Mac
My eyes kept driftingtoward Aspen as a line of kids hugged me around the knees on their way out the door, the event having come to an end.
I made sure my smile never slipped, but I was still rattled from earlier when she’d burst into tears.
It’d come out of nowhere. One minute, she was chatting it up with my new bestie, Skylar, and the next, she was sobbing in my arms. Then she sent me into a full-blown panic when she said she wanted to pull the plug on our week together, determined to tell her family the truth about us.
I was trying to get closer, and she was pushing me away.
Why couldn’t I let this go? Walk away and move on?
Because she’s special, and you know it. You’ve never met anyone like her, and if you let her go, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.
It wasn’t only Aspen I was afraid of losing. It was this town, this community. They’d welcomed me, a complete stranger, with open arms. In only a few days, I felt a sense of belonging here.
“Well, this is certainly a surprise! What are you doing here?” Daisy’s delighted voice caught my attention, and my gaze swung toward the door of the diner to find Jett Sullivan had walked in.
He kissed his wife on the cheek before his piercing blue stare honed in on me. “Bottle of your fancy scotch arrived. Figured we could sample it while you and I have a chat.”
While I was glad the rush order I’d placed for a bottle of Macallan had made it in time, dread rolled down my spine at the idea of a heart-to-heart with Aspen’s father. Hell, spending any time alone with the man was enough to give me nightmares. He’d been indifferent at best since my arrival, and I could tell he didn’t think I was good enough for his daughter.
