Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 98321 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98321 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
“Your face?” I squinted, like I hadn’t really considered the fact that he was the best-looking guy I’d ever known. “I suppose it’s passably attractive. I’ve never really looked that close.”
He laughed, shaking his head. “Fine, be that way. I will donate my passable looks to your turkey-baster baby.”
“You will?” My heart started to race.
“Why not?” He shrugged, as if he was agreeing to go out for pizza with me. “I’m not sure we’re going to fool anybody, but what the hell? I’ve got nothing to lose. I do want to be a dad, and I’m not getting any younger. And fake-marrying you sounds better than real-marrying anyone else—as long as it’s temporary.”
“I suppose that’s the best proposal I’m going to get, huh?” I looked at the ring on my finger. “Well, Ricky, I guess you’ve got yourself a Lucy.”
“You did what?” My younger sister Ellie nearly went off the back of the treadmill next to me at the gym. She had to grab the rails to keep on the belt.
“I asked Enzo Moretti to be the father of my baby, and in return, I offered to marry him.”
“Bianca, what the hell?” Ellie’s feet scrambled beneath her to regain her balance. “Why would you do that? It sounds psychotic.”
“It’s not psychotic. It’s very logical, in fact.” I bumped up my speed from a power walk to a light jog. “It’s going to get both of us exactly what we want with the added bonus of being a temporary situation.”
“Temporary? Uh, last I checked, a baby is forever.”
I laughed. “I know the baby is forever, but the marriage won’t be. It’s just a marriage of convenience. Happens all the time in books.”
“Yeah, but this isn’t a book, Tiny—it’s real life. What you’re talking about sounds insane! A fake wedding?”
“Shhhh!” I scolded, looking around to make sure no one had heard. It was nine a.m. on Sunday, so the gym wasn’t too crowded since most people were still at church. I’d gone to Mass the previous afternoon with my family before dinner. I couldn’t afford to play hooky since I was asking God for a pretty big favor in the next few months—possibly a near-miracle, if my fertility specialist was right. “The wedding won’t be fake. Just our feelings.”
“So why even bother with a real marriage?”
“Well, we talked about that, and we agreed that we really do have to get married in order for this to work. His dad has to be convinced it’s legit. Also, I’d like it to be legal for the baby’s sake.”
She shook her head. “This is nuts.”
“But it’s happening.”
Ellie let that sink in as she increased the incline on her treadmill. She was three years younger than me, and we shared our mother’s auburn hair and light eyes, although she kept her hair more strawberry blond and was a good three inches taller than my five-foot-one. In contrast, our younger brother JJ was tall like our dad, and he’d inherited our father’s dark hair and olive skin too. Ellie and I used to complain every summer that he was able to get a beautiful golden tan while she and I burned horribly if we didn’t wear long sleeves and bucket hats at the beach.
“So what are you going to tell Mom and Dad?” she asked. “It’s not like you can pretend you’ve been dating him all this time.”
“No,” I agreed. “That’s why I’m not wearing the ring yet.”
Ellie had to grab the rails again. “He already gave you a ring?”
“Yes.” I had to chuckle. “Things progressed quickly last night. And that’s what I’m going to tell the family. We ran into each other at DiFiore’s after Dad’s birthday dinner. We talked for hours. We fell madly in love.”
Ellie shook her head. “No one will believe it.”
“Listen, I need your support on this,” I pleaded. “You have to back me up, Ellie—or I agree, it won’t work.”
“But—”
“I was there for you when you came out to Mom and Dad and told them about Sierra,” I reminded her.
“That’s different,” she argued. “I am actually a lesbian. Sierra and I are genuinely in love. You’re asking me to back you up in a lie.”
“Right. Sorry,” I said, feeling shitty. “I just really want you on my side.”
“I am on your side.” She exhaled loudly. “I’m not sure it’s the best way to go about having a baby, but if you’re determined to do it, I’ll support you. What do I have to do?”
I flashed her a grateful smile. “Just be publicly happy for me. Shut down any doubts anyone raises that this isn’t the real thing. Be amazed that it happened and yet totally convinced this is fate.”
“That’s a tall order. You couldn’t stand Enzo Moretti when you were young.”
“Honestly, there are some things about him that still drive me nuts,” I confessed. “But I don’t need to love him for this. In fact, it works better if I don’t.”