Page 20 of Fake It Till We Fall
“Whoa.” Ethan was the first to speak. “Wait, so you mean…”
I nodded.
“You agreed to it?” Brody asked. “Just like that?”
“Of course,” I told him. “It’s for Willa. And you know I’d do?—”
“Anything for that girl,” Reid finished for me.
It was then that I dared to look at him. Out of all my brothers, I was most worried about what Reid would say. All those years ago, they’d all been there when Harper left and took my heart with her, but it was Reid who’d picked up the pieces of what was left. He was the one who sat with me on those dark nights when I wasn’t sure there was a reason to keep on living. He’d seen firsthand exactly how wrecked I’d been.
I held his gaze for a few minutes before nodding. “Yes,” I said. “I’d do anything for her. That hasn’t changed.”
“So, wait…” Preston leaned forward. “This is just like what Reid and Avery did then?”
“No.”
“Not at all.”
Reid and I spoke at the same time.
Brody laughed. “And how is it different?”
“Avery was a stranger, and she needed my help to keep the inn.”
I grunted and shook my head. “And this is temporary,” I said. “Only for the holidays. Harper just wants Willa to have a merry Christmas while she…well, she wants to make her grandmother happy. Besides,” I added, “I have no plans of ending up with Harper when this is over.”
“Right,” Ethan said slowly. “I’m pretty sure that Reid didn’t have any plans on ending up with Avery either.”
“The real difference here is that you and Harper have already been down this road.” Reid’s jaw twitched; I could tell he had a lot more to say. “And I remember what happened?—”
“It won’t happen again,” I said sharply, giving him a warning look. “Listen, at the end of the day, I told you all as a courtesy because I don’t want to lie to you.” I didn’t have to look at Reid to know he’d rolled his eyes. “This is happening, and for Willa’s sake, I’m trusting you all to keep it a secret.”
“I’m telling Delaney.”
“Obviously,” I said to Ethan. “And Avery, of course.” I nodded to Reid.
“What about Lauren?” Brody asked.
“Are you dating Lauren?”
We all waited to see what he’d say. The two of them had been dancing around each other for years. But neither of them seemed to be able to get out of their own way.
“You know I’m not,” he said. “In fact, she recently told me she’s going to start seriously looking for a partner.”
It was my turn to be surprised. But as much as I wanted to dig into that, there was no time. I lifted my beer and drained the glass before setting it on the table. “I want to hear more about that, but right now I’ve gotta go.”
“You’ve got a hot date, do you?”
“As a matter of fact.” I stood and shoved the chair back under the table, unable to keep the grin off my face. “I do.” I waved at the guys, doing my best to avoid looking Reid in the eyes. But I didn’t miss the way he muttered under his breath as I walked away.
Harper
Creekside was beautiful.White tablecloths, candles flickering in low glass holders, soft music drifting from a hidden speaker. The nicest restaurant in town, it was the kind of place people went for anniversaries, special celebrations, Valentine’s Day, and even proposals.
And it was awful. Not the food. The steak was delicious. Perfectly cooked. And Grayson looked unfairly good, sitting across the table from me in a dark button-up, with the sleeves rolled up on his forearms like some kind of cruel reminder of how strong he’d gotten in the years since I’d last seen him.
The problem with the date was…me. Well, us. From the moment he’d picked me up, things had been awkward and stiff between us, as if we didn’t know how to act around each other.
