by Elise Faber
A.K.A. it wouldn’t work, and she was going to get crushed.
“Doesn’t explain Mr. JaimeTheVet,” Cora pointed out.
Kate knew that. “I just . . . panicked and blurted I was engaged. My mom got excited. Like really excited and I . . . fuck, I couldn’t take it back in that moment,” she said. “I wanted her to be happy, and I know it’s ridiculous because I’m a grown woman, but I just didn’t want her to be disappointed in me.”
Like they had been when she’d upended her family’s lives.
“I don’t think your parents could ever be disappointed in you, Katie,” Heidi said, pulling her out of the memory. “They brag to my parents all the time, and I swear if I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a hundred times, ‘why can’t you be in a normal career like Kate?’” Her tone mimicked her mother’s. “‘She actually sees her family and doesn’t spend all her time in the lab—’”
“A lab from which you just quit working,” Kate pointed out.
Silence. Eyes going wide.
Then Cora blinked and said, “Nice try, Katie. But we’ll stay on the fake engagement topic for the moment.” She pointed at Heidi. “You, we’ll get to later.”
Kels lifted her fist for Cora to bump. “This is why we’ve been friends since elementary school.” Her gaze fixed onto Kate’s. “So, how long is this fake engagement going to go on?”
Kate winced. “Um . . .”
Kels groaned. “Oh no. Tell me he isn’t a jerk.”
“No!” She sat up. “No,” she repeated. “He’s actually really great. I like him so much. He’s sweet and good with my family.” A smile curved her lips. “He seems determined to take care of me and—”
“Are you paying him?” Kels asked, cold infiltrating her tone.
“She’s not,” Heidi said. “And I had a full background check run on him. His vet practice is successful, and his family is loaded—even more so than Kate’s after her mom’s magical aging serum.”
Cora tapped her forehead. “The reason I don’t have fine lines.”
“Background ch—” Kate began.
“Not the point,” Kels said to Cora, ignoring Kate. “So, nothing criminal in his background and he’s not looking for money. Why is he pretending to be engaged when most guys would run screaming the other direction?”
Three pairs of eyes turned her way, and Kate felt a rush of defensiveness. She wanted to snap out a response.
But, how could she?
She’d thought the same at first, wondered what possible motivation a man like that would want with a woman like her, especially when it came to something as intense and complicated as an engagement, fake or not.
Still, Kate couldn’t lie.
That her friends thought that too stung a bit.
“He”—Cora gasped, and then they all turned to see Jaime standing in the doorway—“was half in love with Kate from the moment he first saw her smiling in a picture on his friend’s feed. He spent the last months trying to build a slow communication with her so he wouldn’t be a fucking creep who slid into her DMs like he just wanted to get into her pants. He tumbled the rest of the way into love with her when he saw how much she loved her family, when he got to see how strongly she cared and took care of those around her. He plummeted deeper as he got to know her heart, her humor, her strength.” Jaime pushed off the frame, crossed over to her, cupped her cheek lightly. “But he fell deeply, irrevocably in love when she cracked the door enough that she let him take care of her in return.”
Her heart was pounding a million miles per hour.
Her lungs seemed to have stopped working.
Her skin prickled, her lips tingled, her fingers had gone numb.
Hell, her whole body had gone numb with the exception of where he held her face, the slight roughness of his calloused palm against her skin. “I know it’s too soon,” he said. “But it’s how I feel here.” He took her hand, placed it against his chest so she could feel his heart thundering beneath. “And it’s how I feel here.” He let go, tapped his temple, one half of his mouth curving. “Which is why we’re going to have a really long fake engagement. Long enough for you to decide that you want to be engaged to me for real. And then”—his voice dropped—“then I’ll get you that diamond Ann was talking about, okay?”
She was mute.
Stunned and warmed through. Pulse still thundering, but her heart open and full to the brim.
He slanted his lips over hers, not skimping on the tongue, not hesitating to tug her close and send her pulse skittering to even higher rates. Then he stepped back, nudged her onto the couch when she wobbled, and brushed the back of his knuckles down her cheek, over her throat. “Now,” he said, straightening, his voice pitched to the whole room. “I apologize for intruding on Girl’s Night twice in a row. I left my keys to the clinic here last night, and I won’t have any staff there early tomorrow to let me in. Will someone lock up behind me?” He unleashed his sexy JaimeTheVet smile before turning for the door. “I knocked earlier, but I think you were having too much fun to hear.” A glance back. “Or to realize that the last woman in hadn’t locked up.”
His eyes cut to Kate’s, and he winked.
Then he was gone, the sound of the front door closing gunshot loud in the quiet space.
Quiet until they heard a car engine start up.
Quiet until they heard it pull away.
Kate turned dumbfounded eyes to her friends. “Did he say that he loved me?”
Heidi nodded, mute for perhaps the first time in all of the time that Kate had known her.
Cora’s head bobbed. “He did say it,” she murmured. “And he said it incredibly well.” Her stare was glazed, locked on the spot where Jaime had disappeared.
Kels was the first to recover, perhaps because she had her own extremely gorgeous man.
Her own.
Which implied that Kate had her own.
And . . . she supposed she did. She’d cracked the door. He’d come in, and he wasn’t a jerk or an asshole, hadn’t been terrified and run off screaming like his hair was on fire.
He’d stayed.
He’d said . . . God, he’d said so many wonderful things.
“I’m sorry,” Kels said, coming over to her. “I made a snap judgment before finding out the facts.”
Kate smiled at her friend. “You were just trying to protect me.”
“I hurt your feelings.” Kels shook her head. “I saw it in your eyes. That wasn’t fair of me.” She squeezed Kate’s knee. “You’re my friend, and I love you. I don’t want to see you hurt. But that . . .” Another squeeze. “That, honey, is something that only comes around once per life. Don’t let it scare you. Grab on to it. Make it yours and hold it tight.”
“But it’s so soon,” she whispered.
“Yeah.” Kels stood up and poured Kate another glass of wine. “But sometimes you just know.”
“Plus, he seemed inclined on an extended engagement.” Cora’s lips twitched.
“An extended engagement between the sheets.” Heidi grinned, waggled her brows.
They all groaned.
Kels put the drink into Kate’s hand, nudged it toward her mouth. “Drink that and keep his words close. You guys have found each other. Now you can take the time to walk the path together.”
Heidi frowned. “What path?”
Kels rolled her eyes. “You’re hopeless, you know that, right?”
A shrug. “I know that the man just passed his first test.”
“True,” Cora said when Kels disappeared into the hall, saying she was going to lock the front door. “But also, I know that it’s now your turn on the hot seat. What did Kate mean about you leaving the lab?”
Heidi groaned. “No, I’m not ready. Bug that one”—she nodded at Kate—“some more about the vet. Or what Jaime meant about interrupting a second Girl’s Night.” Her eyes narrowed. “Are you cheating on us, Katie girl?”
Kate took a sip, smiled sanguinely. “Distractions don’t work wi
th us.” Another sip. “But because you asked, the first Girl’s Night he interrupted was helping me babysit Lacy. He has magical baby skills.”
“Hot damn. Walk that path, Katie. Don’t deviate,” Cora said, clamping her hands over her heart.
Kels came back in and picked up her glass. “Don’t get distracted.” She turned to Heidi. “Drink that wine and prepare to spill your guts.”
Another groan.
But Heidi knew she wasn’t going to get off the hook.
She spilled about her job. And after that, Cora complained about her brothers—she had six of them. Yes, six. They were protective and overbearing in a way that almost made Kate’s mom seem like a pussy cat. Their dad had died shortly after Cora was born, and they’d made it their personal responsibility to protect Cor from anything and everything that might bring her harm.
And they thought there were a lot of things that could bring her harm.
But Cor loved the big lugs, and so the complaining came from a place as much of love as of annoyance.
Sooner or later they needed to realize that Cora was a grown woman with needs, one of which included a need to not be alone for the rest of her life. Oh, and another need, an important one, was hot sex, not that she let her brothers in on that sentiment.
Regardless, it was nice to get the heavy out the way then to just sit with her friends and tease and laugh and drink too much as the conversation drifted to reality TV and what they were getting each other for Christmas.
Tradition said they got each other a white elephant gift, along with something they really wanted.
All small things—their budget for both together was forty dollars.
But it made for a fun tradition of getting together on Boxing Day and exchanging gifts.
“Only four more days until presents!” she said with a nod at her tree in the corner of the room several hours later as she shepherded them out the front door.
“Meanie!” Heidi said and stuck her tongue out. “You know I don’t have any patience when it comes to surprises.”
“Technically, it’s only three days since it’s after midnight,” Kels said, wavering slightly as she made her way into Tanner’s arms.
“I stand by my meanie statement,” Heidi said.
Cora giggled but didn’t say anything, just headed down the stairs and for Tanner’s car.
Kate smothered a grin and kept walking her friends out. Tanner had knocked on the door after Kelsey had called him not too long before for a ride home—since they were all lightweights and three bottles of wine between them had certainly put them well beyond their limits for operating motor vehicles.
Hell, they could barely operate a doorknob.
A fact that Tanner had busted a gut over after how long it had taken the three of them to figure out the lock and turn the handle.
Three because Kate had eventually nudged her friends to the side and opened the door herself.
She’d always been a little better at holding her alcohol than her friends—something that had been helped even more recently because she and Kelsey had been practicing of late with prickly pear margaritas from their favorite Mexican restaurant.
Anyway, she digressed, but—shrug—that was the lovely, pleasant, fuzzy-headed side effect of the booze talking.
Which was probably going to make for a painful morning.
At least for her head.
Her heart, on the other hand, was full. There was champagne in her veins, bubbling and filling her with so much joy that she couldn’t wait to see Jaime again.
She’d texted him already, telling him to come back, to come and kiss her goodnight—cough, because she wouldn’t mind more than a kiss—but it was late, and he hadn’t texted back, so he was probably already in bed.
Which made sense. She had the rest of the week off, but he had to work a full day tomorrow—well, later that day—and then another half-day on Christmas Eve. He didn’t exactly have the luxury of a midnight-post-Girl’s-Night messing around session. Even if she definitely wanted a repeat of the previous evening.
A repeat with the cherry on top. And maybe some chocolate sauce.
And whipped cream.
Mmm.
Just not on her sheets.
Grinning, she checked her cell again, saw that he still hadn’t texted back. But that was okay.
He had a life.
Of course, now she wanted that life to be firmly intertwined with hers.
Because, God, what he’d said that night. Unabashedly and without compunction right in front of her friends. Her heart swelled because it meant so freaking much to her and her carefully protected heart. It meant . . . everything.
Her eyes burned and she knew she wouldn’t be able to resist the urge for one more text before she let sleep take her over.
Just nudging that door open a little wider.
Heidi stumbled, and Kate pushed her sappy thoughts away, focused on getting her goofy ass friends safely into Tanner’s car.
“Have fun with the drunk patrol,” she said, herding Heidi to his car.
Tanner stopped, glanced from Kelsey to Kate to Cora to Heidi, and though he didn’t groan out loud, Kate still saw it cross his face.
“You love me when I’m drunk,” Kelsey stage whispered. “It means you’re guaranteed to get lucky.”
Heidi pretended to gag. “Just drop me off before you start taking his clothes off, okay?”
“No guarantees,” Kelsey sing-songed.
Heidi fake gagged again.
At least, Kate hoped it was fake.
Tanner was apparently on the same train of thought. “So long as that wasn’t a real pretend puke—” He shook his head. “That doesn’t make sense. The point is . . . just no puking in the car. Deal?”
“Deal,” Cora said and patted his cheek before sitting down and fumbling with her seat belt.
Tanner’s eyes rolled to the sky, but he reached over and buckled her in.
“Heidi?” he asked.
“No puking,” Heidi said with a nod that made her look like a bobblehead. “Got it.”
“I love you, baby!” Kels slurred, leaning heavily against him and throwing her arms around his neck. He stumbled a step, shook his head again, and finished buckling Cora in.
Then he turned to Kelsey and held her close.
Aw.
He rubbed his nose against hers, said, albeit quieter than Kels’s blurt, “I love you, too.”
Double aw.
Aware she was staring with more than a little jealousy, Kate forced herself to look away.
She snagged Heidi’s arm, led her around to the other side of the car, and got her buckled in. “Night, bestie,” she said, hugging her quickly. “Thanks for being a good friend.”
“Hey!” Cora said, pouting.
Kate sighed then unable to stifle her giggle at the comical appearance of her friend’s mock-glower. “Goodnight, other bestie. I love you.”
Cora blew her a kiss. “Love you, too.”
There was a tap on her shoulder, and Kate sighed again, thinking she was about to declare her third bestie of the evening.
Instead, Kels hugged her tight. “Love you.”
She squeezed her friend back. “I love you.”
A grin and before she could say goodnight, Kelsey gripped her shoulders and stared deeply into her eyes, looking suddenly lucid for all she’d been a slurring, stumbling female just seconds before. “Take the chance, Katie. Leap even though you’re terrified.”
Kate’s heart stuttered. Her throat went tight.
But she found the strength to say, “I think I will, Kels. I think I have to.”
A confident smile from her friend.
“Yes, babe. You do.”
“Not to break up the tender moment,” Tanner said gently, though his eyes were soft. “But I’d better get Goofy and Goofier home while my seats are still safe.”
Kate snorted and stepped back so he could urge Kels into the seat, buckle the belt. “Good luck with that,
” she teased. “But I think your race against the clock is going to be getting Kels home before she falls asleep.”
“Good thing I like her unconscious,” he teased.
Another snort, this time paired with Kelsey’s outraged gasp. Of course, her outrage was diminished by the amusement dancing across her eyes. “I promise I won’t fall asleep this time.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Tanner grumbled. “I’ve heard it all before.”
But his gaze was warm, and he wrapped his jacket around Kels before carefully shutting the door. Then he turned to Kate, met her stare, and said, “For the record, I second her statement.” He brushed his fingers over her jaw and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Do it, Kate. Leap and trust that he’ll catch you.”
“You haven’t met him,” she whispered.
“But Kels has,” he said. “And she’s the smartest person I’ve ever met.” He stepped back, glanced through the window, and smiled ruefully at his woman who was already passed out asleep in the passenger’s seat. “I’d bet on her logic, any day of the week.”
Kate just nodded.
Because she agreed with him.
Kelsey’s logic. Heidi’s fire and spunk. Cora’s sweet steadfastness.
And her.
Her giving. Her taking. Her caring. Her . . . love for the man who’d bared his heart, who’d shown up for her when she needed, and who’d lain the groundwork for a trust they could continue to build over time.
She waved as Tanner drove away.
Then she threw the door wide open.
Forget inches.
She was dealing in feet.
Nineteen
Jaime
This was probably a mistake.
But . . . she’d texted him that her friends had left, that she wanted him to come over, and though he’d already been in bed, Jaime found that sleep wouldn’t pull him under.
Not when his woman wanted him.
His. Woman.
The last time he’d thought that had been during his days with Lori the previous year, but even then, the days, the time he’d spent with his ex, had never been like this.
