Total pages in book: 55
Estimated words: 53238 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 266(@200wpm)___ 213(@250wpm)___ 177(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53238 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 266(@200wpm)___ 213(@250wpm)___ 177(@300wpm)
This whole fake relationship thing is playing with my head. I remind myself I’m only Carter’s “beautiful wife” to help him get custody of the girls.
“So Carter, how many times have you been married?” my dad asks, his tone less than friendly.
“Just this time.”
“Did you get my daughter pregnant?”
“Dad!” I snap, mortified.
“Mrs. Brennan, your olive dip is absolutely divine,” Harry says smoothly. “I’d love to get the recipe from you.”
Carter puts a hand on my knee beneath the table, silently reassuring me. I knew this day wouldn’t be perfect, but I thought my dad had more tact than this. Asking if I’m pregnant at the Thanksgiving table? My mom is going to give him hell later.
“Want some turkey, Darling?” Charlotte leans over to haul the twenty-five-plus pound pig onto her lap.
Carter frowns. “Hey, Char, I don’t--”
Darling gets his front two feet onto the table, scrambling out of Charlotte’s hold. It feels like I’m in slow motion as I lunge at him. He tramples my beautiful floral centerpieces on his way down the dining table, knocking over water goblets and stepping in the gravy.
He’s going for the giant bowl of garlic mashed potatoes at the end of the table, and when he gets there, he dives in with his whole face, snorting as he inhales the food.
Everyone scoots their chairs back from the table, watching Darling in stunned silence. I exchange a horrified look with Harry.
Carter goes to that end of the table and wraps his arms around Darling’s midsection, picking him up and carrying him away. Darling looks back at all of us, his snout covered with mashed potatoes. It almost looks like he’s smiling.
Hallie is the first to laugh. The other two girls look at me, trying to decide if it’s okay to laugh. When I look at Harry, he’s smiling.
“I’ll go see what else we can whip up,” he says, getting up from the table.
Charlotte gives me a remorseful look. “I’m sorry, Suki. That was my fault.”
I laugh because what else can I do? Once my family sees me laughing, they join in. Other than my dad, who still looks pissed off.
“Girls, why don’t we work together and get this mess cleaned up?” Sean says, rising from his chair.
When Carter comes into the kitchen a few minutes later, he’s taken his sweater off and rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt. He sees me holding a pan of sweet potato casserole with a pig footprint in it and takes it, moving it onto the island.
“Darling is in our shower,” he says. “I put some blankets in there. Hopefully he won’t ruin anything.”
Bash comes up and puts a hand on my shoulder and a hand on Carter’s. “I wasn’t hungry anyway. You want me to see if I can find an open carryout place?”
Carter nods. “That’d be good, thanks.”
Bash walks away and I step closer to Carter, whispering, “I’m sorry about my dad.”
He opens his arms and wraps me in a hug, kissing the top of my head. “We’ll get through it.”
Fake relationship. Not his real feelings. I have to remind myself yet again because he smells really good and I didn’t realize just how much I needed a hug right now.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Suki
FOUR WEEKS LATER
“So while both the Yeti and the Stanley are both excellent cups for hot and cold drinks, I believe the clear winner after my tests is the Yeti.”
Dex grins widely and claps as Olivia finishes practicing the speech he helped her write and coached her on performing. Mara, Harry and I all join in on the applause.
Olivia meets my gaze and smiles. In just a few days, Dex took her from overwhelmed and nervous to poised and confident.
“I’ll be tossing my Stanley when I get home,” Dex says proudly. “Can you believe this girl? She needs to be on the speech team.”
“That was amazing,” I tell Olivia, hugging her. “You’ll have to do it again for Carter.”
It’s Christmas Eve, and my friends have come over to hang out with me and the girls while Carter does some last-minute shopping. Harry brought homemade cinnamon rolls, so we’re all sugared up. Darling is curled up, sleeping at Harry’s feet like he knows who made the sticky-sweet treat he loved so much.
“Are you guys ready to make some gingerbread houses?” I ask.
The girls have been excited about this for days, so they’re the first to arrive in the dining room and sit down.
I tried to plan a fun day since this is their first Christmas without their mom. This afternoon we’re going to a family skate at Carter’s team arena, then to a downtown Christmas market.
I already have a lasagna in the refrigerator for dinner and we’re making ice cream sundaes and watching Christmas movies after that.
I’m gathering the last of the gingerbread supplies in the kitchen when Mara touches my arm.