The Matchmaker's Fake Marriage

by Bree Livingston

  A large horn sounded in the background. “Oh,” her mom said. “I need to go find your father. Love and kisses to you both!”

  “Wait! Mom!” Peyton needed to tell the truth.

  “We’ll see you and Gus at home. Tell him I’m expecting a hug when I see him. Love you, sweetheart!”

  Before Peyton could reply, the phone went dead. She hung her head. Oh, this was going to be awful. How was she going to tell her parents she wasn’t married? How was she going to tell Gus her mom and dad thought they were married? She groaned as she dropped her head into her hand and tried to figure out a way that wouldn’t give him a heart attack.

  The doors behind her opened and shut. “Hey,” Ty said. “How’s our boy doing?”

  She glanced over her shoulder and smiled. “He’s okay. Wiped out, but waking him every two hours will do that.”

  “I don’t think he realized how banged up he was with all that adrenaline pumping through his veins. He probably could’ve lifted a car,” he said as he took a seat in the chair next to her.

  “You should have seen him. He didn’t even hesitate before diving into that water.”

  “Gus is a good guy. I knew that the moment I met him. He wasn’t like the other people I was hanging around. He genuinely cares about people.” He paused. “I got really sick right after we met.”

  “You did?”

  “Yeah, I was diagnosed with Lupus. It’s a crazy disease, and most of my friends just dumped me. Not Gus. He’d check on me. Go to doctor appointments with me when I couldn’t drive myself.”

  That sounded exactly like Gus. “He’s always been sweet like that. Always caring. He’s got the biggest, kindest heart of anyone I’ve ever met.”

  “Yeah, me too.”

  Peyton shot Ty a glance. “I think I have feelings for him.” Did she just say that out loud? How did she cram them back in? Maybe Ty didn’t hear her.

  “Really?”

  So much for that. “I know it’s crazy, but I think so.” She looked over her shoulder again, making sure Gus was still sleeping. “I’ve always thought of him as my best friend, but something’s happened this week.”

  “What happened?”

  “I don’t know. Ever since I opened the door to my apartment, something’s been different. And being here with him…” She liked being married to him. Fake married to him was better than any dream she’d ever had about being married. Real married had to be even better.

  Ty nodded and steepled his fingers in front of his mouth.

  “I kissed him, aside from opening night when you told us to for the crowd.” She squeezed her eyes shut and waited for Ty’s response. When he didn’t say anything, her eyes popped open, and she looked at him. “Well?”

  He shrugged. “I’ve always thought you guys were good for each other.”

  Her jaw dropped. “Really?”

  “Yeah, but you know Gus. He’s so stubborn.”

  “The fact that he’s lying on a couch in the living room is a testament to that.” She chuckled. “I just…I’m afraid to mess things up. I couldn’t handle losing him. I’d rather have him as my best friend than not have him at all.” She paused, debating whether to tell him about Gus wanting to be friends. Well, if she was spilling her guts, she may as well spill it all. “Besides, he said he only wanted to be friends.”

  Ty’s eyebrows knitted together. “He did?”

  She nodded. “In high school, he kissed me and then told me that afterward. That’s why I’ve never given it any thought.”

  “I see.”

  “Please, Ty, don’t tell him I told you that. I mean, I know you’re friends, but I don’t know if he’s ever told anyone that. We never spoke of it again.”

  He shook his head. “You have my word. I won’t say anything.”

  “Thanks.” She chewed her lip, trying to sort through her thoughts and feelings. “Maybe you could talk to him for me. Find out what he’s thinking.”

  “I don’t think that would work. I think you should take the next few days and show him how you feel. Maybe that would work.”

  Peyton nodded. “I kissed him. Isn’t that enough to show him I want more?”

  “Would that be enough for you?”

  Gus had kissed her back, and yet, she was still wondering how he felt about her. “No, I’d want more than that.”

  Or maybe she was being too hasty and she should wait until she really knew how she felt. What if she did something and hurt Gus? “I think… I think I’m unsure. Why don’t we talk after Gus is better? Maybe give me some time to really think it through, you know?”

  Ty nodded. “Probably wise. Yesterday was a pretty emotional day. Almost losing someone has a way of coloring our feelings. Maybe give it a day or two.”

  “Yeah,” she said and nodded. “I did almost lose him.”

  “Maybe once he feels better, you can see where you are, and if you still want my help, I’m in.” Ty smiled.

  “Thanks, I appreciate that. Sometimes I don’t think things through, and I don’t want to hurt Gus. He means too much to me.” There was so much truth in that statement. All of her relationships were a testament to that.

  Gus meant the world to her. She really did believe she was falling for him, but Ty brought up a good point. She didn’t want to be second-guessing herself or hurt Gus. Once Gus was feeling better and she had a chance to really think about what she wanted, maybe she’d find a way to show him how she felt. Until then, she’d take care of him like he took care of her. And this time, she’d make sure he got all of her attention.

  Chapter 18

  “I don’t want to wake up,” Gus said as Peyton gently called his name. He knew she was following doctor’s orders, but it seemed as though the second he was in a deep sleep, she was waking him up again.

  “I know, but you have to.”

  Groaning, he opened his eyes and found her sitting beside him…on the bed? “How did I get here?” He had no recollection of anything, and he was trying so hard to remember that his head hurt a little.

  “Hours ago. You woke up around seven this morning, complaining that your back hurt. Ty was here, and he helped me get you in bed.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  She smiled. “For heroically risking your life and saving someone else’s?”

  “But you were supposed to be having fun.” Gus pushed himself into a sitting position. His muscles and back still ached. “I didn’t think I’d be so sore.” He let his gaze roam around the room. The shades were pulled, but he could tell it was dark. “What time is it?”

  “About one in the morning.”

  His jaw dropped. “I slept the day away?” That’s not what he wanted. He only had so much time with her. How was he supposed to show her how much he loved her if he was bedbound?

  Peyton cupped his cheek. “Yeah, so? You were tired.”

  He sighed. “That’s not how I wanted to spend my day. We only have a couple of days left.”

  “Well, can’t really plan on being all superhero-y,” she said and dropped her hand.

  Laughing, he rolled his eyes. “Stop that. I’m not super or a hero or any of that.” That those two words would ever be associated with him was crazy. He’d seen someone in trouble, and that was it.

  “Fine.” Her smile was so bright he didn’t need the lamp. “Are you hungry? Ty had the kitchen bring over some sandwich stuff in case you were.”

  His stomach rumbled loudly.

  “I’ll take that as a yes,” she said through a giggle.

  He felt disgusting, and since he knew he hadn’t taken a shower since he’d pulled the surfer out of the ocean, there was no doubt he needed to clean up. “I need a shower first.” He tapped Peyton on the leg, letting her know he wanted up.

  She stood and waited for him. “You sure you can handle that?”

  He pushed off the bed and moaned. Muscles he didn’t know he had ached. His joints popped and creaked. “Wow. I feel…terrible.”

  “But good enough to show
er?”

  “I think a hot shower is just what I need.”

  Slowly, he rolled his shoulder. The cut wasn’t horrible, but it smarted. “Ouch.”

  “You need to keep that out of the water. I can rewrap it when you get out.”

  “Okay.” He pressed his hands against his lower back and leaned back, stretching. “Ohhh, suddenly I feel much older.” When he straightened, he wobbled.

  Peyton put her arm around his waist to steady him. “I’m beginning to think I need to veto that shower.”

  “You can’t veto my shower.”

  “As your duly elected caretaker, I most certainly can veto a shower.” She smiled as she looked up at him.

  He tapped her on the nose. “I’ll be fine.”

  “You want your usual? Black forest, cheese, mayo, and mustard?”

  “That sounds great.”

  He slipped from her grip, grabbed his clothes, and went to the bathroom. Setting the clothes down, he turned the water on, and while he waited for it to heat, he slowly stripped. His body felt like it had been pounded with a tenderizer. When the water was hot, he stepped in and braced his hands against the wall, making sure to keep the cut on his shoulder out of the water. The longer the water rolled over him, the better he felt. His stomach grumbled louder and louder until he shut the water off and dressed.

  He shuffled out of the bathroom and into the kitchen. “Hey.”

  Peyton shot him a glance over her shoulder. “Hey, you look tired, but also like you might feel better.”

  “You would be correct. Tired, but I definitely feel better.” He stopped next to her and leaned his hip against the counter. “Thank you for watching over me.”

  “It was a pretty easy job.” She tugged on the hem of his shirt. “Come on, the sandwiches are done. I made sure the tomatoes weren’t even in the same galaxy as your sandwich.” She picked one of the plates holding two sandwiches and handed it to him.

  “Whoever it was that declared them a fruit clearly never tried them.”

  She popped a tomato slice into her mouth. “Mmmmm.” With her hand over her mouth, she laughed and picked up her plate.

  He shivered. “Evil not-fruit,” he said as he followed her to the couch. “I don’t know how you can eat those.” He took a giant bite as he sat down and moaned. “I think shoe leather would have tasted good.”

  “Uh, thanks?”

  “No, that’s not…”

  She laughed. “I know.”

  “I’m injured. You shouldn’t pick on me.”

  Peyton shook her head. “Whatever.”

  Gus tilted his head. It suddenly dawned on him that she was eating too. “Have you not eaten?”

  “I had a snack earlier, but I wanted to wait to eat with you.”

  “What if I hadn’t eaten?”

  She shrugged. “I’m not starving. Hence the half-sandwich.” She set her sandwich down. “I need to tell you something, and I hope I don’t upset you too much. Lori told Mom we’re married. We were on a three-way call, so I wasn’t able to explain what was going on.”

  His jaw dropped. “What? Oh, this is getting worse by the second. They’re going to hate me.”

  “They could never hate you, and seeing as how it was my idea, it’s me they’ll hate.”

  “What are we going to do?”

  She sighed. “Same thing as before, I guess. Wait for the article to come out and then quietly announce that we’re separated. That we jumped into things. I mean, with my track record, it won’t take that much convincing…at least for my family.”

  “I don’t like lying to your mom and dad.”

  “I don’t either. There’s no way to get ahold of my mom while they’re on the cruise. We won’t see her until she gets back on New Year’s Day.” She paused. “We get them alone as soon as they get back and tell them. We’ll just make sure Lori isn’t around. I won’t be the reason you get a bad review your opening week, and neither will she. We’ll just play along in front of my sister, and everything will be fine.”

  “Okay.” Fine is not how he felt. Something in his gut said things were only going to get worse, but at the same time, he didn’t want to have the resort suffer because he’d been too afraid to admit he was single. If he’d come clean right that second, it would have been no big deal, but now? It felt like it was too little, too late.

  He gulped down the rest of his food and set the plate on the coffee table. “I’m stuffed.” He scooted down on the couch and yawned. “Stuffed and tired.”

  Peyton swallowed the last of her sandwich and leaned back. “Go back to bed.”

  “I’m comfortable at the moment, and moving is not necessary.”

  “You’re going to have to move. I need to redo the bandage on your cut.” Peyton picked up their plates as she stood. “I’ll be right back.”

  When she returned, she was holding a small kit, and she perched on the edge of the couch. “You’ll need to take your shirt off again.”

  Putting it on had been a challenge, but he complied and worked the shirt over his head so she could reach the cut. He thought he heard a small gasp from Peyton, but he was so tired that it was possible he was imagining it.

  “Well, no stitches are busted, but I do need to clean around it.”

  “That sounds a lot like, ‘Hey, I’m about to cause you pain.’”

  She chuckled. “It might sting, but you don’t want it to get infected, do you?”

  “I guess not.” He could smell the alcohol before she said another word.

  “Okay, brace yourself.”

  The second the cold stuff touched his skin, it was all he could do to sit still. Sucking in a sharp breath, he clenched his teeth and grimaced. Once she was done, he let out the breath he was holding and braced his hand on the edge of the sofa. “Wow. Even expecting it, that was unexpected.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said as she taped another bandage over his wound. “There. All done.”

  He slowly pulled his shirt back on and eased himself back against the couch. “I really didn’t think it would hurt that much.” He yawned, despite the wake-up he’d just had.

  Peyton put the kit up and touched his arm. “You should go back to bed.”

  “I will. In a minute.”

  “Do you want to watch a movie or something?” she asked.

  He didn’t know what he wanted to do. An entire day had disappeared. Instead of showing her how much he loved her, he’d been asleep. But what else was there to do at one in the morning? “Sure.”

  “I was in the middle of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Want to finish watching that with me?”

  With a chuckle, he said, “That’s an old one.”

  “But good.” She pressed the button, tapped the screen, and then shut the lights off with the remote. “These are so handy.”

  “I thought they were pretty cool too.”

  Peyton snuggled against him, and he put his arm around her shoulder. “I think this is one of my favorite things to do. You, me, and a movie,” she said.

  He had to admit it was his favorite too. Well, anytime he was with her was his favorite thing. “No popcorn?”

  “Well, of course, that would be nice, but even as is, it’s still great.” She yawned and rubbed her eyes. “I think your tired is spreading.”

  Gus pulled her legs over his lap and hugged her to him. “Get some sleep.”

  “I need to set my alarm,” she said through another yawn.

  “I’ll set it.” Nope. He was fine. His head didn’t hurt, and his vision was clear. There was no reason either of them had to wake up in two hours. He wasn’t even going to bother with his iPad tonight. It was nice just to sit and hold her.

  She took a deep breath and relaxed against him. “Okay.”

  Pulling the blanket over her, he laid his head against the back of the couch and closed his eyes. He rubbed his hand up and down her arm and hugged her. Man, he loved her.

  All day she’d watched over him, waking him every two hours and making sure
he was okay. She said she felt like she wasn’t bringing anything to the relationship, but she didn’t realize how many times she’d come to his rescue.

  Back when he was working on the code for the software, he’d sometimes go two or three days without eating. She’d call, stop him from working, and order him food. They’d be talking, and a pizza guy would just show up. How could she not realize how much she’d done for him? What had he really done for her? Calling a guy a jerk because he dumped her, well, that was calling a spade a spade. Yeah, he held her when she cried, but he loved holding her. It wasn’t anything hard or taxing.

  His thoughts drifted from one thing to another until his eyelids grew heavy. The next thing he knew, soft hands were holding his face, and Peyton was calling his name. His eyes fluttered open, and he blinked.

  Peyton wrapped her arms around his neck in a death grip. “Oh my goodness. I couldn’t get you to wake up. You didn’t set the alarm.” She leaned back, and her eyes glistened. “What were you thinking, not setting the alarm?”

  “Whoa!” he said softly, taking her hands from around his neck and holding them in his. “I didn’t set the alarm because my head didn’t hurt, and my vision was clear. We were both tired, and I didn’t want to get to sleep only to be woken up two hours later.”

  She pulled loose and hugged him around the neck again. “Gus, you have no idea what you mean to me. If I lost you, I don’t know what I’d do.” She leaned back again, took his face in her hands, and stared into his eyes. “You’re sure your vision is fine?”

  “I see a perfectly clear, beautiful woman sitting in front of me.”

  Again, she hugged him and pressed her face into his neck. “Would you just hold me for a little while? You scared me to death.”

  He wrapped his arms around her. “I’ll hold you as long as you want me to.”

  What was strange was that he thought he heard her say, “Forever would be just perfect,” but he knew that was wishful thinking. And he wasn’t about to tell her he was hearing things. Not with her as panicked as she was.

  For the next half-hour, Gus held her, her breath tickling his skin. Talk about something that was perfect. No TV, no music, nothing but the two of them, and he couldn’t think of a better way to spend his time. This was what he wanted all the time. He wanted her all the time. He just needed to figure out a way to make it happen.