Fake Love

by Jillian Dodd

  But it is the time. Time for this family to heal.

  “AJ, I gave you a whole lot of free advice this weekend. Could you just give me a minute?” I ask, hands raised. “Then, you can go back to planning your elopement. In fact, I’ll sweeten the deal. You don’t need to book a flight. You can take my plane to wherever you want to go.”

  “Are you trying to bribe me?”

  “It’s pretty obvious all you want to do is make Lakelyn happy. I respect that. The offer is there because I feel bad that your wedding plans fell apart.”

  “Fine.” He hangs up his phone and slides it into his pocket.

  “In your heart, do you really think Lakelyn wants to walk away from all this?” I indicate everything with a sweep of an arm. All the planning. All the decor. All her dreams.

  “I don’t know. In the moment? When she’s crying hysterically and pissed off at her dad? Yeah, she wants to flip him off with both hands and drive the hell away.” He lets out a sigh. “Later though? I think she might regret it. We’re here, and it’s hours before the wedding. We have guests coming. People have traveled here just for the wedding. And it will break her mother’s heart.”

  “She’ll feel bad about it.”

  He nods. “Eventually, I think so. She won’t want to hear that right now though.”

  “Understood. Do me a favor. Bring her out on the front porch in about ten minutes. Tell her there’s something she’ll want to see.”

  “What is it?”

  “I’m not completely sure yet,” I admit, “but I think it’ll make her happy. Maybe make the whole family happy.”

  As I’m jogging back toward the house, he calls out, “Why are you going to all this trouble?”

  “Didn’t I already tell you? This is what I do. I go the extra mile!”

  I go into the house and talk Vale into coming outside.

  “Why are we out here?” she asks. Everything about her body language screams how upset she is. She has her arms wrapped around herself and her shoulders hunched.

  “Do you trust me?” I take her chin and tip her head upward, so she can look me in the eye.

  “I don’t know. I still don’t understand why you said what you did when I called after the new year. Why you didn’t confront me that night and let me explain.”

  “I was hurt,” I tell her. “Just like you are now. And I said some things I regret. How about we handle one problem at a time?”

  “What are you two doing out here?” Mr. Martin’s voice rings out. “I figured you’d have hit the road by now.”

  “Is this why you brought me out here?” Vale hisses at me. “I take it back. I don’t trust you.”

  “Vale, there’s something between you and your father that’s gone unsaid for too long.”

  “What would that be? He’s never exactly held back his opinions. No matter how much they hurt me.”

  I look toward her dad and say, “If you don’t tell her, I will.”

  “What are you talking about?” he asks.

  “Tell her how you really feel. Tell her about the book,” I urge.

  He glances away, but I march straight up to him and get in his face. “Tell her about it. Now. Or you’re going to lose half your family today. And those who don’t leave will lose all respect for you. You’re in what I would call a lose-lose situation here. Swallow your pride and tell her the truth.”

  “What book?” Vale asks out of curiosity, but then she crosses her arms again. “Honestly, it doesn’t matter. Being out here is pointless, Carter. Nothing is going to change. My father will always hate me.”

  Mr. Martin winces, and I know she’s hurt him. I know he doesn’t hate her. And it kills him for her to think that he does. I definitely know now where Vale got her stubbornness from.

  “Tell her about the book,” I say one more time. “You’ll be glad you did.”

  His mouth moves, but nothing comes out.

  Which leaves me no choice. “Vale, your father has kept a scrapbook with pictures of probably every modeling job you’ve ever done. It’s in his study. I know he’s proud of you even if he won’t admit it.”

  I’m a little worried that Mr. Martin might kill me, but the look on Vale’s face makes whatever consequences there might be totally worth it.

  It’s like watching the dawn break over the horizon after a long, stormy night.

  All this time.

  Carter

  “Dad? Is that true? You’ve kept a book?” she asks him in disbelief.

  “Well, yeah. It’s nothing big. Some clippings from some of your jobs, is all.” He takes off his hat, smacking it against his thigh.

  “It is a big deal, Vale,” I counter. “It’s years’ worth of photos. All of them.”

  “Why did you do that?” she whispers to her dad.

  “Well …”

  “I thought you hated what I did. I thought you were ashamed of me. I thought you’d tried to forget about me.”

  “I might’ve said a lot of things I wish I hadn’t,” he answers sincerely.

  “So, you don’t hate what I do?” Vale asks.

  “I hate that you left home, Vale. That’s what I have always hated. But as for being ashamed of you?” He shakes his head. “Never. You forged your own path. You’re successful. I’m proud of what you have accomplished.”

  She can’t hold back the tears. “How? Why? When did you change your mind about all this?”

  He lets out a long sigh. One he’s probably been holding back for some time. And hopefully a cleansing one.

  “You’ll understand someday, maybe, when you have children of your own,” he says. “You say and do things for their own good because you want to protect them. I worked hard all these years, building something, but I didn’t do it for me. I did it for you all because I wanted you to be taken care of. I didn’t want you to have to work as hard as I had to. There were a lot of lean years there in the beginning. I wanted better than that for you.” He looks up at the sky, the way a man does when there’s something on his face he doesn’t want anyone to see. “And then you just turned your back on it. On me. On your family. You didn’t want what I had worked hard to give you. It felt like a slap in the face.”

  “That’s not how it was from my perspective, Dad. Do you want to know how hard it was for me? How I felt?”

  He nods. And I’m slightly relieved.

  I was hoping they might hug and make up at this point, but Vale isn’t done with him yet. Probably from the hurt she’s held in for so long.

  “You try to control everything. You wanted to control how I lived my life. What I did. Where I worked. Even now, my coming home after all these years, all you can say to me is that I need to come home and settle down. Would you want anyone, even your father, ordering you around? Telling you what you have to do? Especially when you know that person has no idea what you want. Mostly because he won’t freaking listen to you.”

  “I do know actually,” Mr. Martin states.

  “What do you mean?” Vale asks.

  “I know what it feels like to have your old man boss you around.” He lets out a seemingly surprised chuckle.

  “I can’t believe you think this is funny,” she says, getting pissed again.

  “I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing at me because I’m an idiot. I just realized that I put you through what my dad had put me through. He wanted me to stay on the farm. Wanted me to continue running it. To not expand our holdings. He thought it meant the farm wasn’t good enough for me. That he wasn’t good enough.”

  “Was that how you felt?” she asks.

  “Of course not. I respected him. I just … wanted to build something of my own. And I did.”

  “I wanted something of my own too. And I got it, Dad. Just like you did. I love my life. My career. I don’t need you to be happy about it, but I do need you to respect it. And when you said what you did, it hurt. Still, after all this time.”

  “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I never mean to hurt you,” he say
s, getting misty-eyed.

  When he holds out his arms to her, she walks straight into them. And even though we’ve been here for a couple of days, I feel like she’s just finally come home.

  I don’t want to interrupt, but at the same time, we have another pressing matter, so I clear my throat and ask the million-dollar question, “Does this mean you’re planning on staying for the wedding, Vale?”

  “Of course.” She brushes away her tears. “I have to go apologize to Lakelyn for causing all this drama.”

  “No need,” Lakelyn says. “AJ insisted I come out here but wouldn’t tell me why. I figured I could give Dad a piece of my mind, if nothing else.”

  “Oh? You think I need a piece of your mind?” He raises a bushy eyebrow at Lakelyn.

  “Since it sometimes seems like you’ve both lost yours? Yeah,” she fires back. But she gives both Vale and her father a grin before throwing her arms around them.

  “We cool?” Vale asks her.

  “We’re cool.” Lakelyn grins back. “And if it’s okay with you all, I’d really like to marry AJ today.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Blink of an eye.

  Carter

  Everything from that point on moves quickly. Soon, we’re all showered, shaved, and dressed. The photographer takes a few shots of the groom and his groomsmen before we head down to where we’re to begin the wedding processional.

  I line up next to Vale’s grandma, who studies me closely.

  “That isn’t Trent’s suit. You don’t have the same body type, but it’s tailored to perfection. How did they manage to get one so quickly?” Grandma asks, looking me up and down.

  “I was lucky I brought a black suit with me. You look lovely, by the way. Your dress is beautiful.”

  “Sweet-talker,” she says with a smirk, but she clearly loves it.

  I escort her down the aisle and then take my place in the gazebo next to AJ.

  I hear Jake gulp as he waves his daughter down the aisle.

  I can understand why he’s worried. I can’t forget the image of her dolls flying out of the wagon.

  As it turns out, there was nothing to fear. Sophie does a repeat of her performance for me last night. Her head is held high, and she walks slowly, so everyone can admire her dress.

  By the time she’s finished, her happy smile has turned to consternation.

  She lets go of the wagon handle and marches toward me. “Say I look beautiful,” she demands.

  “The flower girl looks so lovely,” I stage whisper with astonishment, just like I did when she was practicing. “What a beautiful dress. I’m so glad she walked slow enough so that I could see it. And her shoes just sparkle.”

  She gives me a practically regal head nod as I notice the bridal party holding back their laughter. The kid just totally stole the show.

  But then Vale walks through the wooden doors. I didn’t see her before when we lined up. She stayed with Lakelyn, who didn’t want AJ to see her in her dress until she walked down the aisle.

  The bridesmaids are all wearing flowing dresses in a soft pink, but Vale’s dress is different. It’s a dark rose color, and it’s more fitted, showing off her gorgeous figure.

  I’ve seen her on catwalks. I’ve watched her stroll confidently into parties and high-profile events. I’ve seen her lying in my bed the morning after. But I’ve never seen her look quite as beautiful as she does right now. Or honestly, as happy.

  And when she looks straight into my eyes, I swear, just like the first time we met, I forget how to breathe.

  Could have been us.

  Vale

  I’m happy that I’m here. Happy I’m home. Happy my father and I came to some sort of an agreement.

  But when Carter’s eyes meet mine as I step into the gazebo, I feel even happier.

  And I can’t help but think, This could have been us.

  It’s funny how, sometimes, you get in your own way.

  I realize that I am quick to react. I reacted poorly when my dad tried to talk to me about going to LA. When I wouldn’t listen to anything he said because my mind was made up, he got defensive. Hurt even. Which made me get that whole I’ll show you attitude.

  I did the same thing to Carter in a way. I was mad when he told me he wasn’t sure he’d make it to my party. Hurt even. And I kissed someone else instead. To prove a point somehow. Another I’ll show you moment.

  I didn’t want to kiss that guy. I wanted to be kissing Carter. And I should have told him how I felt about it. I should have told him that I loved him.

  How I think he’s the most perfect man I’ve ever met. Well, maybe not perfect. But perfect for me.

  I think about the misconceptions I had about my mother’s life. About my parents’ relationship. I saw what I wanted to see.

  He holds my gaze, his eyes speaking to me in a way that indicates he feels the same way.

  I just don’t know where we go from here.

  And part of me is afraid to try. Afraid to consider the fact that he actually wanted to marry me. That he was going to propose. And that I would have said yes.

  Because deep down, I do want to share my life with him. I just don’t want to lose myself in the process. And if I didn’t know it before this weekend, I certainly know now that Carter Crawford is a really, really good man.

  Maybe too good for me.

  When the wedding march starts playing and the doors open again, he breaks our gaze, turning his head away.

  The second I see Lakelyn and my father together, tears spring to my eyes. Her dress is perfect for her. A beautiful creamy lace dress covered in rhinestones over a pale pink underlay. She has a crown of flowers on her head and a long veil draping down her back. But it’s the absolute joy radiating from her face that gets me the most. And the way she looks at AJ, like he’s the only person in the room.

  AJ is struggling to hold back his emotion and not winning. He might be a beast on the football field, but he’s a big softy when it comes to my sister.

  And it’s that sort of love. That kind of adoration. That I want.

  I want to know what it feels like to have my father give me away to the man I love. I want to watch emotion wash over his face when he sees me.

  I just have to figure out how to have that and not lose myself in the process.

  So much love.

  Carter

  AJ and Lakelyn have written their own vows, combining traditional ones with their own words of love.

  I know they are just words. The kind that couples have been repeating to others for centuries.

  There is so much love in them. So much hope.

  Lakelyn’s eyes shine with tears, but she hasn’t stopped smiling yet. Not even for a second.

  I’ve watched my siblings, my clients, and my friends get married. But it wasn’t until Vale walked toward me, even only as a bridesmaid, that I finally grasped the utter magnitude of the moment.

  Because when the right girl is walking toward you, wearing a wedding dress, you know that your life, your future, is wrapped up in her.

  It’s hard to keep my thoughts from wandering toward what I wanted. What I envisioned. Especially with Vale standing across from me with my ring on her finger.

  “You may now kiss the bride,” the officiant says.

  When AJ bends down to kiss Lakelyn, their guests clap and cheer.

  “Time to party!” Blake announces, earning him a laugh from those around him.

  We wait until Lakelyn and AJ are down the aisle before meeting in front of the minister. Vale takes my arm.

  “You’re beautiful,” I murmur, lifting her hand to my lips and kissing it before tucking it in the crook of my arm.

  “And you’re the hero,” she whispers. “This wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for you.”

  “I don’t know about that.”

  We start down the aisle, smiling for the photographer.

  “I do. This could’ve ended in disaster, but you brought us back together.”


  Once we’re at the end of the aisle, we stop and turn to each other.

  “You have a good family. Tough. Complicated. But they’re good people, and they love you.” And so do I, I want to add, but I can’t bring myself to do it. There’s still that last scrap of pride holding me back.

  She kisses me softly, tenderly, and leaves behind an ache in my heart.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Wrong about him.

  Vale

  “Can I have this dance?”

  I turn away from the bar to find my father holding his hand out to me. He looks dashing in his tuxedo—a far cry from his usual chambray shirt and jeans.

  Funny. Before this afternoon, I would’ve accepted his invitation for appearances only.

  Now, I’m actually happy he’s leading me out onto the dance floor.

  “It’s turned out to be a beautiful wedding. A beautiful day,” I say, looking around us.

  All the guests are having a great time—laughing, dancing, eating, drinking. Love is most definitely in the air.

  “And I nearly ruined it,” Dad says.

  “We both lost our tempers. On more than one occasion over the years.”

  “You know I’m not a man who shares his feelings easily. I’m not one of these, you know, touchy-feely men. But I still should have been upfront with you. I should have told you how it made me feel when you were so determined to leave. It wasn’t until you brought up my father today that I really understood.” He pauses for a moment before continuing, “Having you back for a couple of days isn’t good enough. As soon as you showed up, everything felt right again. I didn’t know until you got here that something had been missing. Sure, I missed you. I know your mother missed you. But actually having you here? Now I know how much it hurts when you’re gone.”

  “Oh, Daddy.” I brush away a tear.

  “I suppose today was my last-ditch attempt at trying to get you to stay. You’ll find as kids grow up and get minds of their own, you get tired of arguing and reasoning with them. And at some point, you snap and realize you sound like a parent. I should have told you my concerns.” He is silent for a moment. “And sometimes, it’s a lot easier to be mad than, uh, sort through your feelings.”