The Matchmaker's Fake Marriage (Sweet Fake Marriage Romance Book 4)

by Bree Livingston

  Justine seemed to wilt. “I’m sorry. I was really hoping to help get you the wedding of your dreams.”

  The woman was pushy and nosy and might have been infatuated with him, but Gus had to give it to her. She was actually a good person. Someone who was surrounded by love all day, every day.

  “Justine,” Gus said. “You have my word that Peyton will get the wedding of her dreams. The courthouse wedding was for us. A ceremony will give us the opportunity to share it.”

  Peyton smiled up at him. “Exactly.”

  Justine took Peyton’s hand. “I hope you’ll invite me. I’d love to see you two tie the knot publicly. And I’ll let Gwen know. I’m sure she’d still be glad to have you wear one of her designs.”

  Peyton squeezed her hand. “Thank you. That’s really sweet of you, and I see no reason not to invite you.”

  Her gaze darted from Peyton to Gus and back. “I wouldn’t be so crazy about it if I didn’t see just how much you two love each other. It’s just so obvious.”

  Gus’s heart skipped a beat. If Justine only knew it was all a lie. Peyton’s dedication to rescuing him made her a fantastic actor. She was just good at pretending. Truthfully, he’d almost let himself believe they could be more. It had been foolish to think that way.

  “Well, I guess that’s newlyweds, right?” he said.

  “Okay, I’ll let you two roam. See you back on the bus. I’ll leave you alone for the rest of the tour as well so you can enjoy each other and the sights.” Justine released Peyton’s hand and walked away.

  Peyton sighed. “You know, she’s kind of a pest, but I like her. I don’t think she tries to be obnoxious. It’s just her profession.”

  “Yeah, I think so too. She really was willing to go above and beyond.”

  “Yeah, a dress from Gwen? There are women who would kill to get one of her dresses. I can’t believe I’ve been offered one for free.”

  “That was nice. Maybe you can take her up on it when you get married one day.” He smiled.

  Peyton gave him a strange look. One he couldn’t pin down. “Yeah, one day.” Her lips quirked up in a thin line. “How about we see some sights in the meantime?”

  Gus linked his fingers in hers, and they strode back to the group to join in, but Gus’s mind was a million miles away. No, that wasn’t true. His mind was back at the restaurant with Peyton calling him best friend.

  Why had he ever bought into Ty’s idea that things had changed? It had only made things worse. Maybe when they got back to New York, he’d get her settled and take a business trip, something, anything, to give himself some space from her until he could handle being around her again.

  Chapter 21

  Alone on the bungalow patio, Peyton propped her feet on the ottoman. There was no doubt in her mind that she could live here happily forever. She wished Gus was hanging out with her, but almost as soon as they returned from the tour, he’d been called away by Ty for an emergency, which meant her hopes of getting him alone were dashed.

  The tour of the island had been wonderful, minus all the questions and the push to get married at the resort. That had been crazy. And every time she thought she’d have a second alone with Gus, someone would interrupt. The universe must’ve been laughing at her. It was so frustrating.

  How was she ever going to tell him how she felt if she could never get him alone? Plus, she’d stupidly called him her best friend at the restaurant, but he was…only he was more than that now. Even if she did tell him how she felt, would he believe her? After continuing to put him in the friend zone?

  Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out. Putting it to her ear, she said, “Hey, Tracey.”

  “Merry Christmas…belated.”

  Peyton chuckled. “Merry Christmas. How was yours?”

  “It was so great. Family, food, and fun. We played games and hung out at my grandparent’s house. How about you? Did you really spend Christmas alone?”

  “Uh, no. Gus showed up unexpectedly and invited me to come with him to the resort he opened. I’ve been in Hawaii, and let me tell you, it’s amazing.”

  Tracey gasped. “Lucky girl. That’s awesome. He really is a sweet guy. I can’t believe you haven’t ever wanted to date him.”

  “Well, he wanted to be friends, so I never let myself see him as more than a friend.” A weird sound came from the sliding glass doors, and Peyton glanced over her shoulder. When she didn’t see anything, she focused on the beach in the distance again.

  “The tone in your voice says something’s changed.”

  Peyton groaned. “It has.”

  “Something with Gus?”

  “I’m so in love with him it hurts, but I haven’t had a chance to tell him yet. I don’t want to blurt it out in front of everyone. I want it to be private and romantic, and I want him to love me back.”

  “Wow. That’s a huge deal. Are you sure that’s how you feel? I mean, you just broke up with Frank. Granted, he was a real loser, but still.”

  “I wasn’t in love with Frank. I was in love with the idea of being in love. I love Gus. I love how he holds my hand, how he tucks my hair behind my ear, the way he looks at me. Can you believe he remembered that I wanted a beach wedding?” He’d listened, and it wasn’t even about his wedding. He’d cared enough about her to put those little details to memory. It had solidified how she felt about him.

  “Well, everyone knew that.”

  “But he remembered that I wanted an organza dress because I wanted it to float on the breeze.” Something no other guy would have ever remembered.

  “Okay, I’ll give it to you. That’s sweet. And to be honest, you haven’t ever sounded this way before.”

  “Because I’ve never felt this before. I love…I love being with him. I don’t know if I’ll be able to ever love anyone the way I love him. I’m just afraid. What if he doesn’t love me? What if he just wants to be friends?”

  “That’s a risk you’ll have to take, and honestly, he’s worth the risk. He’s been your friend for years, but maybe he’s thought the same thing. That you didn’t want anything more than friendship. Maybe your wires were crossed or something.”

  “Yeah, maybe.” Peyton paused. “I’m going to be his personal assistant in New York. I think I’m going to wait until we get there and get settled, and then I’ll tell him how I feel.”

  “Wait. You’re moving to New York? Really?”

  Peyton smiled. “Yeah, he’s even offered to let me stay at his apartment while we look for mine.”

  “That’s great. You’ll be so good at that.”

  “I think so too. Plus, Gus needs someone to make sure he’s taking care of himself. When he gets wrapped up in projects, he neglects himself.”

  “Well, what better way to show him that you guys can be more than friends than by being around him all the time.”

  Peyton nodded. “That’s what I’m thinking. I don’t want him to think that it’s the romance of the resort affecting my feelings. It’s not. I truly love him. He’s gracious, sweet, kind, and caring.” She gasped. “Oh, and he rescued a surfer a few days ago. Got banged up pretty bad in the process. It was terrifying and amazing all at once. I knew right then that I couldn’t live without him.”

  “That’s crazy. The surfer’s okay, right?”

  “Yeah, both he and Gus are okay. It was totally nuts, but it just highlighted why I love him.”

  “Oh, I’m happy for you.”

  “Well, don’t get too happy. I haven’t told him how I feel yet. He may not feel the same way, and then I’ll be nursing the worst broken heart yet.” Peyton’s phone chimed as a second call came in. She pulled it away from her ear to check the caller ID and then put it back. “Oh, hey, that’s my sister. Can I call you later?”

  “Sure. But you better call me back if you decide to tell him. I want details!”

  “Okay. Bye.” Peyton chuckled and switched calls. “Hey, Lori, what’s up? Is everything okay?”

  “Actually, I think t
hings are perfect.” The chipper in her voice could mow down a tree.

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Yes! Mom and I have decided to throw you a wedding when you get back. We figured since we didn’t get to see you two exchange vows, it would be nice to have a little ceremony.”

  Peyton sucked in a sharp breath. “Oh, uh, no, that’s not necessary. We’re happy with the courthouse wedding we had. That’s all we need.”

  Lori scoffed. “Peyton, I know you. You’ve always wanted to get married on the beach with family and friends. We may not be able to give you the beach, but we can give you friends and family.”

  Oh crud. What was she going to do? She needed to talk to Gus. What if it got out that they weren’t really married before the article came out? With Lori, it was a possibility. Not that she tried to be a big mouth, she just…couldn’t keep a secret. What would Justine write if she knew they’d lied to her repeatedly over the course of a week? Peyton felt so trapped.

  “Come on, Peyton, just say yes. We’ll go dress shopping and find something simple. We have a church. I’ve already got a cake ordered, and mom is getting a guest list together. With it being short notice, it’ll just be immediate family and friends in Juneau, so it won’t even be that big.” Lori was downright pleading.

  What choice did Peyton have but to go along with it? If nothing else, they could get it annulled when they got to New York. Only they’d have to for real. A part of her cringed at the idea. She didn’t want to do that. She loved the idea of being married to Gus.

  “I should talk to Gus first. I mean, it would be his wedding too.”

  “It’s going to be small, and I’m keeping him in mind too. I’ve known him as long as you have, remember?”

  Peyton took a deep breath. What could she say? Other than the flat truth, but she couldn’t risk telling her sister. Hopefully, Gus wouldn’t be too upset. If he was, Peyton would call her family and take full responsibility for everything. “Sure, Lori, that sounds great. What day are you guys planning it for?”

  “Oh, we figured it would take a couple days at least to find a dress, so we went with the next Saturday after you get back into town. That makes it so we aren’t crazy rushed.”

  “Uh, it’s crazy rushed, Lori.”

  “You’re already married. What’s the big deal?”

  Peyton palmed her forehead and tried to steady her racing heart. “Nothing. I’m just overwhelmed; that’s all. I’m really grateful you guys are going to so much trouble.”

  “You’re my sister, and you’ve found a great guy who cares about you. We need to celebrate it. Just think of it as our Christmas present to you.”

  “Thanks.”

  Lori sighed. “Okay, I need to go. There’s lots to do, but don’t worry about a thing. Mom and I have got this.”

  “Okay, talk to you later.”

  “Wait! I almost forgot. Pastor Remy wants to see the license. I’m telling you, the man is paranoid, but what can you do? No, preacher, you can’t see the license? Anyway, just make sure you have that. I don’t want to get all this together and not have a wedding.”

  Crud. Double crud. It was a truck full of crud. “Uh, sure, we’ll have it.”

  “Okay, great. This is going to be awesome. You’ll see.” Lori paused. “Okay, for reals this time, talk to ya later.”

  Peyton nodded as her thoughts went wild. “Okay,” she whispered as she ended the call.

  Oh, what was she going to do? They needed a marriage license. To get their stories straight. To figure out how they were going to fix it after, even though she didn’t really want to fix it. She wanted to be married to him.

  What would Gus think? Was he going to flip? Whatever the reaction, she needed to go tell him now in case he wanted to call the whole thing off and come clean. Oh, man, had she known how crazy her little white lie would grow, she would have stayed in the bathroom that first day.

  Peyton pushed out of the chair and took off to find Gus. On the way, she checked what it would take to get a marriage license and nearly swallowed her tongue. They’d have to wait three full days before they could get it.

  Twenty minutes later, she saw Gus and Ty on the beach. It looked like they were in a serious discussion, but she had to talk to him. It wasn’t something that would wait, especially if he wanted her to call her family and come clean. The sooner the better would be the strategy at that point.

  “Gus!” Peyton called as she ran toward them. “Gus!” She slowed to a stop and said, “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

  “What’s wrong?” Gus asked.

  “I’ll let you two talk,” Ty said as he started to walk away.

  “No!” She held up her hand. “We might need your help.”

  “Okay.” Ty stopped. “What’s going on?”

  Peyton wrung her hands. “My mom and sister are throwing us a wedding when we get back to Juneau. They’ve set it up for the Saturday after we get back. In a church.”

  Gus’s eyes widened. “What?”

  “I didn’t know what to do. We’re trying to keep this quiet until after the article. And I didn’t get a chance to tell my mom before Lori started blabbing. I didn’t want it getting out that we lied beforehand, so I didn’t tell Lori the truth. She must have called Mom right back after the three of us talked, and now I have no way of contacting my parents at sea.”

  The color drained from his face. Oh, she’d made such a huge mistake. “A wedding? In a church? In Juneau? Are you serious?”

  “Yeah. And we need to have a marriage license for the minister who’s performing the ceremony.”

  He raked his hand through his hair. “We need to come clean now. There is no way I can go through with something like that.”

  Ty held up his hands. “Whoa. Slow down. What were you going to do when you were finished with the pretend marriage?”

  “We were going to quietly separate and tell people we split after realizing we had rushed things,” Peyton said.

  Ty nodded and tapped his chin with his finger. “Look, nothing’s changed, except now it won’t be a lie. You’ll actually split and get it annulled. People do it all the time. You two are best friends. It’s not like this is the worst thing you’ve gone through together. At least you like each other, which is more than most people can say after waking up in Vegas and finding out they’re hitched.” Of course, Ty wouldn’t offer a real solution. He was all for them being together; otherwise, he’d have never congratulated them in front of all the guests.

  Peyton touched Gus’s arm. “I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. I didn’t know I’d cause so many problems.” A tear ran down her cheek, and she wiped it away. “I didn’t think it through, and it’s just like me, right? To make a mess of your life, and now, here I am, crying and making it about me. I just…I’m so so sorry.” And she was. She was so grieved that she’d put him in this horrible position. When Justine was asking about his bachelor status, she should have let him handle it.

  He pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. “It’s okay. Ty’s right. Nothing has changed. We’ll just do like we planned and get it annulled once the article comes out. Once it’s all over, I’ll reimburse your family for all the wedding expenses. Not that it will make up for everything we’re putting them through. I just hope they forgive us.”

  And now he was being sweet. It made it even worse. He should be yelling at her at the top of his lungs and swearing never to speak to her again.

  She pulled back. “You’re not furious with me? Because, really, Gus, it’s okay to be furious with me. You should be, and it’s justified. I royally messed up.”

  “No, I’m not. I know you care about me, and you were trying to help out. Everything’s going to be okay. I promise. We’ll go to Juneau, get the license, and play along until we get to New York. I’m sure it’ll be a simple untying of the knot.” Gus looked at Ty. “Want to be my best man?”

  Ty grinned. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  “We need to be a
t the courthouse in Juneau the second it’s open for business,” Peyton said. “There’s a three-full-day waiting period.”

  “Oh man, okay. As soon as the last guest leaves, I’ll make sure the plane is ready. I’ll get us a room at a nearby hotel,” Gus said to Ty.

  Ty nodded. “Okay, that sounds good.”

  “Okay.” Gus took a deep breath. “I need to get tuxes for us too.”

  Peyton shook her head. “No, I’d really prefer the slacks and untucked button-up, if you don’t mind. It should make it a little easier.”

  “I’m okay not wearing a stuffy tie.” He smiled and brushed her hair over her shoulder.

  “At least there’s that.” She smiled. Like that was some prize. Hey, you’re getting married, but you only have to wear slacks and a button-up. Lame.

  Ty’s phone rang, and he stepped away.

  Peyton took Gus’s hands in hers. “Are you sure you’re okay? You can yell at me or whatever you want to do. I can take it.”

  “I’m fine. Nothing’s changed, really. The only thing that’ll be different is that we’ll actually be married. Are you okay with that? I mean, it won’t be awkward for you, will it?”

  Why would it be awkward? Unless…unless it was like she feared, and he just thought of her as a friend. “No, it won’t be awkward.”

  “Good. I’ll find out when the article is coming out, and we’ll have everything in place to have it annulled as quickly as possible. That way we aren’t stuck together. At least, not because of a piece of paper.” He laughed.

  Stuck together? He felt stuck to her? Suddenly, her heart was shattering. She loved him more than anything in the world, and he didn’t feel the same way. How on earth was she going to handle being with him in New York? Could she do it?

  Peyton chuckled, trying to keep the grief welling inside of her from spilling out. “Yeah, that would be great.”

  Ty came back, slipping his phone in his pocket. “Before you ask, everything’s okay. I’ve got New Year’s Eve plans.” He smiled.