Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
I’m overcome again by the urge to spill it all and tell Mia. Jake’s legal guys are convinced it doesn’t matter if Peter can prove we were just getting married for the contract. But the secret matters for Jake’s contract, and I know he’d still do everything he could to protect the secret if the situation was reversed. Even if this secret feels like it’s tearing both of us apart, bit by bit.
“Okay,” Mia says slowly, noticing the look on my face and thinking it has something to do with what she said. “Wedpocolypse is out. You’re right. That one has a little too much doomsday scenario, ‘we’re all gonna have to learn to eat a little bit of human to survive if we want to make it through this,’ kind of a vibe.”
“You said you had ideas?” I prompt carefully.
“I have spent weeks brainstorming perfect couples games. Since you two are so lovey-dovey, I made sure to include a few raunchy ones. You’re welcome, no need to thank me.”
I’ve opened my mouth to respond, but she shuts me up with a raised hand.
“I’ve got so many good ideas,” she continues. “Lover’s limbo, belly hockey, oh, and I came up with this great idea I’m calling ‘manhunt, but with stripping.”
I stare. “I’m glad you’re an amazing chef because if your job was coming up with names for things…”
Mia waves me off. “It’s going to be so fun I could pee myself!”
I grin. “That’s what you do when something is too fun? Pee yourself in solidarity?”
She rolls her eyes. “It’s just a common expression. I think.”
“It does sound fun,” I agree. “I really appreciate how much of the planning you’re handling. I know you’re busy at Taste, so I really, really owe you for this.”
“I’m your maid of honor. I’m happy to have something like this to plan. It’s like a dry run for the big day.” She balls her fists, shaking them excitedly, and stands. “Can’t believe my best friend is marrying the guy we all definitely never suspected she was banging in ‘secret’ for two years!”
“Right,” I say, putting on a smile.
“Okay. Well, I’m going to get out of here. I’ll call Mikey and tell him to tell his kid to leave practice early and help you with this leak. Can’t have our darling bride-to-be stressing. It’ll ruin your hair on the wedding day!”
“Ruin my hair on…” I trail off, shaking my head. “Thanks, Mia. But you really don’t have to do that.”
“Too late,” she says, pulling out her phone and widening her eyes. “She’s already…” her fingers move. “Doing it!”
She backs out the door and leaves me alone in the lobby.
I sit back in the chair. If I didn’t know better, I’d say Mia has acted suspiciously. The Mia I know would be excited for me to get married. It’s not that, exactly. There’s just something subtle about the way she’s acting that doesn’t feel right, and I can’t put my finger on it.
I get up and grab a mob to clean up the water that has dripped all over the floor.
Jake comes back from his latest away game this weekend. Then they’ve got the whole week off for the team’s bye. I’m excited to see him just as much as the thought makes my stomach feel like it’s in knots. We’ve been butting heads over my plans to do wedding games. While I understand where he’s coming from, I don’t think I know how to handle this any other way. It’s what my mom would do. She always turned every good thing into a celebration–a reason for Frosty Harbor to come together and bond.
Even if it will be hard for us, I know it’s the right thing to do for the town. I also understand Jake’s arguments to the counter. We’re just deepening the lie with this event. We’re putting more stress on ourselves. We’re going to look like even bigger assholes when we have to finally come clean to everybody in the end if they know we did something like this, too.
But I haven’t told him that I also wanted to do this as a kind of dry run. If we can’t survive a week of fun and games with ourselves as the centers of attention, we’ll never make it through an entire fake wedding. Does it hurt that the town will also love the games and activities? Nope.
I think me and Jake both need a reality check. And… Cynical or not, I need time to find out if we can do this. I still have three months until I need to get married for the contract. If Jake wants to back out, then, well, maybe I’d have time to find another fake husband.
I run my hands down my face. I feel like such an asshole for even thinking like that, but I’d be lying if I said things between us have been good the last three months. Maybe if we could just go live on a deserted island with us and Walker, things would still be good. Instead, he’s squeezing in time to see us during a busy NHL season that started shortly after our trip to Manhattan. I’ve felt like the past three months have been a reminder of why we never jumped from casually hooking up to dating in the first place, even if I don’t like admitting it.