Vote Then Read: Volume I
Page 113
Unless, of course, you don’t let me get away.
“Right. Well, I’m fine with you visiting your parents. Just let Percy drop you and BB off, then pick you up, okay?”
“You’re a good man, Chase Hunter. I envy the woman you’ll call your wife someday.”
I envy the man lucky enough to become yours.
20
IVY
Ma was beside herself when I called her this morning to let her know I’d be home for a few days before Christmas. Explaining I’m here on assignment only opened the floodgate of questions, but I told her that contract restraints forbid me to share any details.
Lucky for me, she bought it.
Percy will pick me up in a few minutes and until then, I’m passing the time with Zia since Chase and the rest of the gang have gone on a shopping excursion.
“I still haven’t gained all of my energy back from the treatments I had. Doctors say it can take months afterward for me to feel like the old me,” Zia says as the two of us sit at the kitchen table, sipping tea and eating freshly baked sugar cookies.
“Ma is an oncology nurse and she tells me stories that almost rip my heart out. I love that she’s so strong for her patients. I look up to her.”
Zia places the back of her hand on mine. “Bless your mom for doing what she does. While I was in the hospital, my nurse became my rock. To this day, she is a new best friend, when all of my other so-called friends disappeared when I was diagnosed. She and her husband will be coming over this year to spend Christmas with us. Cancer may have been the thing that connected us, but life works in mysterious ways.”
“You will gain all of your strength back and be up and running, shopping, and whatever else you want to do.”
“Zumba. I want to take Zumba classes.”
We giggle like a couple of schoolgirls.
Percy arrives and Zia walks with me and BB to the car. She wraps her arms around me in a warm hug and says, “Have a fun time with your parents. Since they live in New York, I can plan a date to meet them. Or please, invite them to come back with you and spend Christmas here. We have plenty of room.” She kisses me on the cheek.
“Thank you, Zia. I’ll see you in a couple of days.”
The drive into Brooklyn Heights takes less than an hour. With the holiday quickly approaching and the snow-covered roads, traffic isn’t that bad.
Coming home should be a perfect distraction. I need to keep my distance from Chase, hoping there is no truth to the term ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’.
“Ma, I’m full already. Please, no more pasta.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. You know I feel like I have to feed you whenever you come home,” Ma says, spooning more pasta onto my plate. I swear she makes me gain like twenty pounds every time I come home.
“Feed BB then, not me.”
BB barks and runs underneath the table for shelter. Even she doesn’t want the extra pounds.
Ma sits down onto the seat beside me, elbow on the table, cheek in palm. Her speculative eyes bore into me. “You look different. Content. Like you’re in love.”
What? “No, Ma. No.” I wipe my forehead. “You know I’m never falling in love. People end up getting hurt. I refuse to allow myself to get hurt.”
Stop rambling.
Her eyebrows lift. “Okay, but I think you’re holding back. I know you far too well and that look in your eyes? Well, I’ve never seen that faraway glow before. That’s the glow your father gave me when we first met.”
“Ma, stop.”
“Alright. If you’re sure you’re not in love, maybe you can finally meet that guy I’ve been trying to set you up with? I think he’s home—”
“Ma, I mean it, just stop. I’m not meeting anyone. And for the last time, you’re not setting me up with anyone. I came here to spend time with you and Dad before I have to return to work on Christmas Eve.”
Ma stands, begins to clean up our plates. “What kind of a job has their employees working on Christmas Eve? Are you heading back to California then?”
“When is Dad coming home?” I ask, clearly changing the subject. I don’t want to keep lying to Ma.
“He’ll be home later tonight. He’s been busy ever since they opened that new hospital wing. You’ll likely be fast asleep when he gets home.”
I help Ma clean the dishes, take BB outside, then head up to my room and try to stay up to greet Dad when he walks in. It reminds me of my younger years, when he had late nights at the hospital. I’d wait up, then run downstairs when I heard the sound of the keys jingling in the door.
Funny how coming home allows old habits to creep up as if they never died.
I must have fallen asleep, awoken by the sound of my phone.
Beep.
A text message.
Fake Billionaire Fiancé: I miss…BB.
Me: Then come get her.
Fake Billionaire Fiancé: If I go get her, I’m not letting her go.
Me: She’s off-limits.
Fake Billionaire Fiancé: Pity. I think she’d be happy with me.
Me: What makes you think she’s not happy without you?
Fake Billionaire Fiancé: Correction. She’d be HAPPIER with me.
I ignore the smile that’s found its way on my face, the butterflies doing jumping jacks in my gut. Are we having a conversation about…us?
Me: Maybe you’re right. She’s into you. Her eyes light up when she looks at you.
Fake Billionaire Fiancé: I miss the way she looks at me.
Me: You’ll see her again soon and when you do, I suggest you fess up, tell her how you feel.
Fake Billionaire Fiancé: I’ll be counting down the hours…
21
CHASE
Christmas Eve. Finally.
I’ve been a wreck since Evelyn left, doing all I can to pass the time until she comes back.
I’ve missed her. That smile, her snarky attitude, the way that light perfume she wears ignites my senses.
I know I made a pact to keep this business, but God, how I want her.
However, I dare not tell her how I feel until I’m sure I’ve got a shot. I won’t risk having my heart broken.
Been there. Done that.
Percy pulls up and we all dash out to greet Evelyn and BB. And by all, I mean all—Mom, Dad, Mads, Granny, and Bob. They’ve all missed her, too.
“Evelyn, welcome back,” Granny says. “Maddie and I made some lasagna in an episode of Cook Like a Foodie today. I felt like Martha Stewart.” She pats down her hair and a dusty-rose color brightens her cheeks.
“Oh, I can’t wait to watch it.” Evelyn beams, looking as beautiful as ever.
After they all bombard her with their individual hellos, we gather in the kitchen and eat the lasagna Granny and Maddie lovingly prepared.
I keep my distance from Evelyn, not because I want to, but because no one has really allowed me time to get a word in edgewise.
Bob disappears into the kitchen and comes back with some cake he and Granny made earlier. When he approaches the table, BB darts out in front of him, causing him to trip.
Oh. My. God.
Cake flies onto the table landing, right in the middle. Frosting here, cake crumbles there. It looks like a baking championship gone totally wrong.
We all stare in silence, mouths dropped, at the cake-mess explosion. Then all break out into laughter so strong, we end up crying.
Evelyn wipes the frosting, that made its way onto her face, and blinks one of her eyes. “I think a cake crumb got in my eye.”
Mom rises, the seat scraping the hardwood floor underneath her. “Ooo honey, let me see.”
Evelyn waves her hand and giggles. “Oh no, Zia. It’s fine. I’m pretty certain I got it out.”
Despite the mess, we all enjoy a slice of cake, then help with the cleanup.
Evelyn excuses herself to take a shower and get ready for bed, explaining how eager she is for tomorrow to get here so she can distribute presents she bought fo
r all of us while she was gone.
“Leave BB down here. I’ll bring her up soon after she finishes her dinner and takes a potty break,” I say.
Mom breaks in. “Or, can BB hang out with me tonight? I’ve missed her.”
Evelyn nods. “Of course she can hang out with you. She doesn’t seem to be in a rush to come up with me anyway.”
BB barks, tail wagging, as if she’s in agreement.
While giving Evelyn time to herself I hang out downstairs with Mom, Dad, and Maddie.
“Are you going to tell her tonight?” Mom’s eyes are glazed with curiosity.
I shrug. “Not sure yet.”
Maddie grins, arms propped on the table. “I totally think you should.”
“Shouldn’t you be in bed, waiting for Santa Claus or something?” I reach over and pinch her nose.
“Seriously? I realized Santa’s not real, like four years ago.”
Dad takes a sip of hot cocoa, then says, “But, your brother makes a good point. You should head up to your room and get some sleep. You know you’ll be the first one up tomorrow morning.”
“Can BB sleep with me tonight?”
Mom nods. “Okay, but she’s sleeping next to me tomorrow, if Evelyn says it’s okay.”
BB follows Maddie and they disappear upstairs, and minutes later, I follow suit.
22
IVY
Stepping out of the shower, I dry off, slip on a pair of panties then pull on a T-shirt that barely reaches my knees. Wiping the steam off of the mirror, I glance at my reflection, shaking my head at the person staring back at me.
Ma’s voice pops in my mind, as if she’s my personal conscience: You look different, like you’re in love.
I am.
Chase Hunter is a wonderful man with an equally wonderful family.
This gig would have been so much easier if the guy I was faking it with was rude, bald, and round instead of tall, dark, and yumtastic.
One more day to go, and then the gig is up. I can return to my life in California, single and utterly…Chaseless.
Heading into the small kitchen to make a cup of tea, my eye twitches. It’s still a little irritated from the cake crumbs that somehow flew into it. A soft giggle escapes my lips at the thought of the incident. So. Damn. Hilarious.
Filling up the teakettle, I hear the door open, and as if by default, my heartbeat triples.
“Hey.” Chase leans on the wall in the corner of the kitchen, hands in pockets, his biceps noticeably flexing beneath the sleeves of his T-shirt.
He’s like, Greek God hot.
“Hey,” I reply, breaking eye contact because that’s much easier than staring, salivating over his gorgeousness.
I place the teakettle on the stove, but don’t turn the stove on, distracted by my irritated eye. I blink, rubbing it slightly.
“Your eye okay?”
“I think so. It may be just a little irritated.”
He steps forward. “Let me see.”
“Chase, I’m sure it’s fine.” My voice is shaky.
“Hop onto the counter here and let me take a look at it in the light.”
I hesitate at first, then plop my bottom onto the counter like a good girl.
Stepping closer, he cups my chin, flicking it up so the light hits my eye. He peers inside and softly blows in it.
Chills rush through my veins and heat rushes to my face. I try to play it off, take deep breaths, but I know I’m fooling no one but myself. Oh, how I want this man.
If Chase Hunter moves in any closer, I may just…
“Is that better, Ms. Bloom?”
He moves in closer and I swallow hard, trying to ignore how the trill of his voice when he just muttered Ms. Bloom, sent a surge of heat to my center.
Even though I try not to look at him, my eyes lock on his. “It’s Ivy,” I say, my coy tone light and breathy, and when he licks his lips, I know things are about to heat up.
Cupping my nape with his right hand, Chase traces my bottom lip. “No, it’s Evelyn,” he growls, then settles in between my bare thighs, bracketing my waist, pulling me into him, kissing me once again, deeper and harder than the last time.
My body ignites at the feel of his hardened cock through the fabric of his jeans, fire between the two of us getting more intense. Our kisses are sensual and ravenous, all at once.
My, oh my, how he makes me crazy for him, makes me need him more than any other man has before.
I tug at the hem of his shirt, my hands sliding underneath it; finding the bare skin, the solid muscles on his back as my hands glide up, then down. The feel of his ripped body alone sends me into a frenzy.
Lifting me up, he carries me over to the bed, and we fall into it, our lips and bodies playing a game of sensual tango.
“Rules?” I mumble.
“No more rules, Evelyn Bloom. No. More. Rules.”
Hours of lovemaking have passed and I can feel Chase’s soft breaths as I lay, nestled in his arms, my head on his chest.
“What are we going to do?” I ask.
“About?”
“This. Us. Everything.”
He reaches over to turn on the light on the nightstand, and I blink up, my eyes trying to adjust to the light.
“You mean my parents? The fake engagement?”
I nod.
“Babe, I told them everything when you were at your parents’ house.”
I sit up in the bed. “What? Why?”
He sits up too, his back now against the headboard. “Because I knew when you left, that I was falling in love with you. I didn’t want to risk losing you so I figured the first step was to tell Mom and Dad about my idea, to pretend to be engaged, so I could be named President of the company.”
I stare, mouth dropped, a small hint of a smile curving onto my lips. “And, what did they say?”
He sneers. “Well, believe it or not, they were more surprised than upset. Then Dad told me I was going to be named President regardless of my marital status.”
My eyebrows cock up. “Really?”
He bobs his head. “Then they got sad about you. Said you would have made a fine, real daughter-in-law, even if your accent wasn’t real.”
I chuckle. “Your family is so amazing, Chase.”
He pulls me close, kisses my lips. “You’re amazing and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“What are you saying?” My bottom lip quivers.
“Evelyn Bloom, will you marry me, for real?”
I try to hold back a squeal and tears begin to slowly trickle down my cheek. “Yes! Yes, of course, I’ll marry you for real.”
“I love you, Ms. Bloom.”
“I love you too, Mr. Hunter.”
23
Christmas Day
IVY
Christmas Eve, I went to bed a single woman.
Twenty-four hours later, I’m engaged to Chase Hunter who’s convinced me that we should get married this New Year’s Eve.
Never, did I think falling in love would be this good, and after all the time spent avoiding love, I’m thankful to have found it with Chase. Ma is going to flip out when I tell her. Gabriella, too.
It’s Christmas Day now, and we are all gathered around the living room, waiting for Zia’s guests to arrive before the opening of the gifts commences.
Needless to say, they are all thrilled I said yes—for real.
The doorbell rings and Zia claps, giddy that the friend she met while at the hospital, is joining the Hunter Christmas festivities, along with her husband.
Maddie settles down by the tree, a huge grin plastered on her face. “Finally, I can start opening my gifts.”
Voices, familiar, can be heard off in the distance.
Ma? Dad?
Zia rounds the corner and behind her are my mother and father.
I gasp and practically leap to my feet. “Ma? Dad? What are you two doing here?”
Ma’s face goes blank. “Evelyn? What are you doing here?”
Chase stands, puts his arm around my waist, leans in close, and whispers, “That’s your mom?” He chuckles. “She’s the sweet oncology nurse I told you about.”
Ma approaches us, eyes glittered. “So, I’ve been trying to set you two up for the last six months, and look at this”—her eyes gloss over us, all-knowing, as Chase pulls me in closer to him—“seems as though fate has already stepped in.”
Chase and I explain to Ma and Dad all about MyFakeFiance.com and needless to say, Ma—and Dad—just about die of happiness.
Who would have thought, when I answered an ad to play a fake fiancée, I’d actually end up engaged to him?
Perhaps Holly York has something special—a matchmaking service in disguise.
We’re all gathered around the tree now; Christmas melodies playing softly in the background, as we open our gifts.
I blush, thoughts of the true gift I received this year.
Chase Hunter. My Real Billionaire Fiancé.
Epilogue
MALIBU, CALIFONIA
SIX MONTHS LATER…
CHASE AND IVY (TEXTING)
Evelyn: Honey?
Chase: Yes, babe?
Evelyn: Are you busy?
Chase: Never too busy for my beautiful wife.