The Proposal (Faking It Book 1)

by Lila Kane

  Michael takes the glass from me gently, having to pry my fingers loose at the bottom. “Where did you go?”

  “I lived with a friend for a few weeks and then in my car for a while and—”

  “You were homeless?” Michael asks, shock in his voice.

  “I thought you knew,” I say calmly. “I mean, you did a background check, right? I guess I—I don’t know if you can tell that kind of stuff from a—a background check because I had to be really discreet until I turned eighteen. But—”

  “I’m not judging you,” Michael says, taking my hand. “And no. I didn’t know. I didn’t read any of the info on you or look at the background check.”

  I blink. “What? I thought…”

  “Derek did but he told me there wasn’t anything concerning and so I said I didn’t want to see. I wanted everything I learn about you to come from you.”

  I launch myself into his arms, nearly making him spill my wine. “Thank you,” I whisper.

  “For what?”

  “For letting me tell you my secrets instead of reading about them on some paper. And for being here with me now.”

  He runs his fingers through my hair, and kisses me gently on the mouth. “Of course.”

  “I feel like an idiot,” I whisper.

  He leans back. “Why?”

  “I think I was more in love with the idea of having someone in my life—a family—than I was with Chet.”

  “You’re not an idiot.”

  “I almost married someone I didn’t love—then I would’ve ended up in the same position as my mom.”

  Michael sets the wine aside and cups my cheeks between both hands. “Did he hurt you? If he ever laid a hand on you or—”

  “No. No, Michael. That’s not what I meant. I should have phrased that better. I just meant I would have ended up in a marriage that was unhealthy and made me unhappy.”

  “Are you sure?” Michael asks. “Because you can tell me. I promise—”

  “Michael.” I pull his hands from my cheeks. “I swear he didn’t hurt me. Not like that.”

  His jaw clenches. “He hurt you. That’s already bad enough. I wish…” He sighs. “I wish I could take all the pain away for you.”

  “You’re already doing a good job.”

  His eyes lock on mine. “Really?”

  “Really. I know this isn’t forever, and I know there are a lot of other things involved, but I’m happy. Right now, here with you, I’m happy.”

  There’s a sea of conflict in his eyes. I can’t tell if it’s because I said it wasn’t forever or because he doesn’t believe I’m truly happy.

  I squeeze his hand. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes.”

  “You look like you’re not telling me something.”

  His face relaxes into a smile. “This is a lot to process. But it helps me understand why family is so important to you.”

  “It is. I want to have a family someday and I want to be healthy enough to be in a place where I won’t make the same mistakes with my kids.” The words churn over and over in my head, but I can’t seem to say them out loud.

  Do you want kids?

  But it’s too crazy to even think. Michael and I are just learning about each other, just getting settled with each other. We’re dating. That’s all. And who knows what will happen when the year is up? Bringing up kids seems like rushing something that shouldn’t be rushed.

  I lean forward and kiss him. “How about we leave our mess here and go for a walk before it gets too dark? Relax a little. And then…” I grin. “I think I saw a hot tub somewhere.”

  His eyes heat. “Yes.”

  I laugh. “That was easy.”

  “I can be easy,” he says with a grin. “With you, it doesn’t take much. I’m at your beck and call.”

  “Then I say you take me for a walk and then find some champagne before we get into the hot tub.”

  “Your wish is my command.”

  He stands and helps me to my feet. The moment of seriousness is over, and it makes me feel relieved. But now that I’ve told him about my past, about my worries, I’m hoping Michael will open up with me about his.

  24

  I tell myself to keep ignoring what I’m not telling her. After all, we’ve only just started us. And it’s never been an issue in any other relationship before because I never had a serious relationship with someone before.

  This is new territory for me.

  Once we get back from our weekend getaway, things are going too smoothly for me to rock the boat anyway.

  Several weeks later, I’m working late to catch up. It’s hard to be here when I just want to be home with Brianna. Even the idea of it makes me smile. Home. Brianna.

  The words have become synonymous. Brianna is home for me, and it amazes me now that I can’t imagine it any other way.

  My phone buzzes and Ms. Brown’s voice comes over the intercom. “Derek is here to see you.”

  “Send him in.”

  I swivel to the window, taking in the dark clouds that billow over the city. The fall nights are getting cooler. Those nights make me want to get home earlier and earlier to curl up with Brianna by the fire with wine and a good meal.

  “Daydreaming?” Derek asks from behind me.

  I smile but don’t turn. “What are you going to say if I say yes?”

  “That maybe you need a little more daydreaming in your life. A little break from mental stress.”

  This time I swivel back to face him. He’s dressed in a charcoal suit and holding a manila envelope.

  I angle my head at him. “What you’re saying is, you have bad news.”

  Derek takes the seat across from me. He sets the envelope on the desk but doesn’t open it. “It’s not bad news. It’s an update. And I hesitated about bringing it in because I don’t want to ruin what you’ve got going.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Your agreement with Brianna.”

  My voice lowers an octave, going serious in an instant. “What do you mean?”

  Derek continues in a calm voice. “I mean, I see that you’re happy. And despite my reservations with the whole agreement, Brianna seems good for you. I don’t want to bring negativity into it.”

  I relax just slightly. I’d instantly thought he had something negative to say about Brianna, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. I cross my arms. “Tell me.”

  “Her ex-fiancé is still lurking around. He was spotted outside your apartment, outside her old job, and on the side of the road while she was at lunch with her friend a few days ago.” Derek gestures to the envelope. “It’s all in the pictures.”

  My jaw clenches. “He’s following her.”

  “He’s following both of you.”

  I think of Brianna at home by herself, with that sick asshole probably outside of the building waiting for her. Watching her.

  “What the hell does he want?” I ask, shoving back from my desk. “Hasn’t he already done enough?”

  “I’m giving you the facts. Not much else to do at this point.”

  “Not much else to do?” I shake my head. “We get him out of her life. We confront him, and if he doesn’t back off, then—”

  “I wouldn’t recommend that.”

  “Why the fuck not? He’s not allowed to just stalk people—”

  “He hasn’t hurt her, hasn’t even spoken with her. He could reasonably say he was at the same place the same time she was. But Brianna doesn’t even know. Confronting him will just escalate the situation.”

  “Maybe it needs to be escalated,” I growl. “So he doesn’t think it’s okay to come anywhere near her. She’s already gone through enough—”

  My phone buzzes again and I jam my finger on the button. “What?”

  Ms. Brown’s voice comes through, almost apologetic. “Sorry, sir. But Miss Stevens is here.”

  I blow out a breath. “Thank you.” I look at Derek. “She doesn’t need to know about this.”

  Derek grabs
the envelope with a nod. “Of course not.”

  I meet Brianna at the door, irritated and relieved to see her at the same time. “Did you come here alone?”

  “Of course—hi, Derek.”

  He smiles at her. “Miss Stevens.”

  “Please call me Brianna.”

  He nods agreeably.

  “Did you have Brian drive you over?” I ask, taking Brianna’s hand.

  “No. I drove. What’s wrong?” She glances from me to Derek. “Did something happen?”

  I send Derek a warning look, and then try to set aside my irritation. It’s not her fault Chet’s still slinking around, and if I act suspicious, she’ll figure something out.

  “Nothing happened,” I explain, trying to sound reasonable. “Derek said there was an accident on the way and I was hoping you didn’t get caught in it.”

  She smiles and then kisses my cheek. “Oh. That’s nice of you to think of me. The drive was uneventful.”

  “Glad to hear it.”

  Derek lifts his eyebrows at me, then nods to the door. “I have a meeting to get to, but I’ll give you a call later.”

  I wave him off, already distracted by Brianna. Once he’s out the door, I grip her chin gently. “What was that?”

  She blinks up at me. “What?”

  “That kiss. A little chaste for my taste.”

  “But Derek—”

  “Trust me. He’s seen it all.”

  Her lips curve, making me forget all about my conversation with Derek. She’s so damned sexy, I can’t keep my thoughts straight.

  She lifts on her toes and wraps her arms around my neck. Her mouth slides across mine before her tongue dips inside. She releases a long, slow breath, her breasts pressing against my chest. Even that small action makes me hard as a rock.

  “That’s better,” I murmur.

  She smiles. “You’re not afraid of public displays of affection?”

  “No. I mean, yeah, I am usually.” I narrow my eyes at her, almost like she’s trying to trick me. “It’s different with you.”

  “Different? What do you mean?”

  “It’s…” Everything in my life has changed since Brianna came around. I don’t mind being affectionate with her in public because this is real. Odd as it sounds, even with our arrangement, there’s something deep and true about our relationship.

  I grin at her. “You know, I have a really hard time articulating things around you. Must be because you’re so sexy—it distracts me.”

  She takes a step back, and even though she’s smiling, there’s question in her eyes. “Are you sure everything is okay?”

  “Yes. I’m glad you came. Work was getting dull.”

  “Well, I came for an actual reason,” she says with a smirk. “Not just to entertain you.”

  She starts to turn, but I grab her waist. “Where are you going?”

  “I was going to sit on the couch.”

  I walk to the couch and pull her onto my lap. The best way to continue to distract myself from Chet is to keep Brianna close. Not only because she takes my mind off of more serious things, but because I don’t want Chet anywhere near her.

  “Why did you come?” I ask.

  “Partly because I wanted to see you,” she says. “You told me I could drop by anytime.”

  “And I meant it. You’re always welcome. I’m glad you came.”

  “Me too.”

  “What’s the other reason?”

  “Your sister called me.”

  “She called me too.”

  She shifts on my lap, brushing the tops of my thighs and nearly driving me crazy. Maybe I should have brought her home before having this conversation.

  “Did she talk to you about the website?” Brianna asks.

  “Yes. She said she called you first, then called me to make sure I persuade you to do the project because you’re amazing.”

  Brianna laughs. “That’s not what she said.”

  “No, I believe her exact words were, ‘If Brianna doesn’t do this project, I’ll hate her forever. She has to do it because she’s the best and my business needs the best.’”

  “Seriously? Intense.”

  I give her a quick kiss on the lips. “That’s Liv. She’s young and impulsive, but she’s got a good head for business.”

  “Well, look what family she’s part of.” Brianna considers this. “How do you feel about her business?”

  “We’ve talked. I gave her some advice. I think it’ll be work—hard work—but I also think it’ll be successful if she takes all the right steps. Hiring you is a right step.”

  Her eyes lock on mine. “You really think so?”

  “I know so.”

  I can see how much the words mean to her, and feel how much they do when her mouth fuses to mine. My mind nearly blanks, shocked into submission by her kiss and the feel of her body on mine.

  “Damn,” I murmur when she pulls away. “We need to get home now.”

  She laughs and tries to get up, but I hold her tight.

  “One more thing,” I say. She settles on my lap again. “I was thinking you could work here.”

  “Here? Like, in your office?”

  I nod. “Sure. You can use the table, or we can find you your own office.”

  “Why?”

  I don’t even blink when I answer. “Because it’s closer to Liv in case she needs to come consult with you and because I like having you close. Besides, you come by almost every day for lunch and then meet me after work. It’ll be easier this way.”

  “That’s true.” She taps her fingers against her lips. “I never really thought about that.”

  “One day, your company will be big enough you’ll have to have employees and an office and all of that.” I grin at her. “This will just get you ready.”

  “I like the sound of that.”

  This time I let her stand, and swat her on the ass when she does. She yelps and turns to me, indignation on her lips.

  “Don’t say a word,” I tell her, “or I’m going to take you right here on the couch.”

  “I’d rather you take me on the couch at home, and maybe in the shower.”

  “Or both,” I answer, grabbing her hand. “I think I’m done with work for today.”

  She laughs as I tug her out of the office and to the elevator. I’ll focus on Brianna tonight and deal with Chet later.

  25

  Liv beams. “It’s perfect. Really. Like a work of art.”

  I wring my hands, still nervous even though she’s been complimenting the site for ten minutes. “Are you sure? I mean—test it out for a few days or a few weeks—that way you’ll know if it’s still what you want.”

  Liv takes her eyes from the computer and smiles at me. “Brianna. It is what I want. It’s quirky and fun, but professional and easy to navigate. You did exactly what I want.”

  She surprises me by giving me a hug. I hold on tight, my heart clutching. Liv is the closest thing to a sister I’ve ever had. She calls me every week, not only to check in on the website, but to see how I am. To tell me she’s never seen Michael so happy. To see if I want to go to lunch or go shopping.

  We’ve become closer than I ever thought we could.

  She checks her watch. “Michael will be home soon. I should probably get going.”

  “He usually works late on Fridays to catch up. Since he doesn’t work on Saturdays anymore—”

  “I know!” Liv grins. “Isn’t that great? Mom and I have been trying to get him to take full weekends off for years. Then you come along and he stops almost right away.”

  I open my mouth to answer, but she’s already gathering her purse and heading to the elevator.

  “I’m just going to get out of your way,” Liv says, waving. “You have a good weekend and I’ll be in touch next week.”

  I rush after her. “Let me know if there are any glitches. I’ll be around the whole weekend—”

  “It’s fine. I’ll call you next week.” She gives me anoth
er quick hug, but when the elevator dings, she winces. “Damn.”

  “What? What’s wrong?”

  She points to the elevator. “Too late.”

  When the doors open to reveal Michael, she shrugs her shoulders and says to him, “Sorry, sorry. We were just finishing up. I was just on my way out.”

  Michael tugs the end of her ponytail. “Didn’t give away any secrets, did you?”

  “Nope.” Liv hugs me again. “See you next week.”

  When she gets in the elevator, I turn to Michael as he sets a bag on the floor. “Secrets? There are secrets? Is that why you’re home early?”

  He doesn’t answer, only pulls me against him and kisses me so long and hard I nearly melt. My whole body is throbbing with need for him, enough to distract me from why he’s here so early.

  “That was a nice welcome,” I say, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Aren’t I supposed to be the one welcoming you like that?”

  “Not tonight.” He reaches for the bag at his feet and pulls out a bouquet of flowers. “These are for you.”

  My mouth drops open. Flowers? “But…why?”

  He angles his head at me. “Why did I bring you flowers?”

  “Yes. I mean—thank you.” I realize he’s still holding them out to me and I’m just staring at him like an idiot. I take the flowers, cradling them in my arms. “I’m sorry. Thank you. I should have said that first.”

  Michael grips my chin gently. “You act like no one’s given you flowers before.”

  “I…” I don’t want to admit it, but no one has. I had a nice boyfriend in college who would bring me drawings he did all the time though, which was just as sweet. It’s not like I haven’t had people treat me well. I guess I was just with Chet so long, I forgot what gestures like this were.

  Or what they meant.

  “Seriously?” Michael asks, his jaw clenching. “That asshole didn’t even give you flowers?”