Fake-Dating The Single Dad (Gems 0f Love Book 3)

by Agnes Canestri

  Nick sighed. Thursdays were always tricky because Ginny had to leave before Jacob and Nick to get ready for her early class. Jacob loved when all three of them arrived at school together.

  Ever since Ginny moved back to the house, Jacob couldn’t get enough of her. It was almost insane. He followed her around like a small puppy, and even at school, he sneaked from the wing where the younger children were supposed to play to the level where Ginny’s classes took place.

  Nick couldn’t blame Jacob. Even after seven months, he was still bewildered to find Ginny beside him when he woke up in the mornings. Nights, he reached out to check if she was there. Despite his best efforts, he still feared that he could lose her again.

  Maybe after today, we can abandon our irrational worry. If she says yes…

  He caressed Jacob’s head as they strolled closer to his group’s lockers and asked in a low voice, “Are you sure you and Marcia did a good job hiding it?”

  Jacob peeked up and winked. “Don’t worry, Dad. It’s inside the sugar rock, like we planned.”

  Ginny’s soft voice startled them. “Oh, here are my two loves. Come, Jacob, hurry up. Your group’s science project presentation is starting in a bit.”

  Jacob sprinted to Ginny and hugged her. “I missed you in the car.”

  Ginny bent down and kissed his forehead. “Me too, muffin. Do you want to give me the box?”

  Alarm flashed in Jacob’s eyes. “No. No, no. Dad can hold it while I take off my jacket.”

  Nick stifled a smile at Ginny’s widening eyes. He stepped over and gave her a quick peck on her neck. “Don’t take it personally. It was a dad-son project, you know.”

  Her sweet, flowery smell flushed his senses, and the urge to snuggle up to that sweet spot behind her ear overcame him.

  Luckily, Ms. Bennett, Jacob’s teacher called to them. “Ginny, Jacob, Mr. Peterson, we’re waiting for you.”

  Nick quickly fetched the carton from Jacob, while Ginny helped the boy change his shoes and hang his coat. He handed the package back to Jacob, and the child rushed to the classroom with a triumphant smile on his lips.

  Ginny arched her brows. “You’re not going to tell me what’s inside? You, Jacob, and Marcia were closed up in the kitchen the whole afternoon. I’m dying to see what you’ve come up with.”

  Nick clicked with his tongue. “Not gonna happen. You need to wait for Jacob’s presentation. You’re officially a Riversmith teacher, so you can’t know the project in advance.”

  Ginny poked him in the ribs, but then snaked her arm around his. “Fine, whatever. Let’s get inside.”

  The kids’ presentations were adorable. It was clear that each of them gave careful thought to their assignment. Loud applause sounded after each demonstration.

  Soon they reached the letter P.

  Ginny squeezed Nick’s hand. “Look, it’s Jacob’s turn.”

  Nick gulped. “I know.”

  His throat dried out, and his heart drummed in his ears. Ginny didn’t know what he’d planned with Jacob. How was she going to react? It had been his son’s idea to use his project to hide the ring.

  Maybe Nick should have made a proposal in private? What if Ginny said no?

  No, why would she refuse? She loved him. Nick knew she did.

  But there was this last remaining grain of insecurity in him, which he had a hard time shaking off. Marriage was something definitive, and what if Ginny got scared of the responsibility it would bring?

  “Jacob Peterson,” Ms. Bennett called, and Nick forced the anxiety swirling around him to hold off.

  Jacob stepped to the low table, on which each project had been placed to show to the other children and parents.

  He flashed a reassuring smile at Nick and Ginny, then pulled out the small hammer and giant transparent stone.

  They’d done a great job with it, for sure. It honestly looked like a gem. How lucky Marcia had found that silicon molding form to use for the sugar.

  Jacob lifted the stone and turned it toward the audience. “My project today is about diamonds. These stones are very beloved by our mothers.”

  A giggle ran through the audience, especially among the women. The fathers hummed with a resigned sigh.

  Jacob flashed a smile and continued. “Maybe not all of you know that these stones are nothing other than the solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic.”

  Ginny leaned to Nick and whispered, “What a curious choice of topic. You have any part in it?”

  Nick feigned an innocent look. “No, no. Jacob wanted it.”

  Ginny shrugged. “Well, in any case, he’s very well prepared. The accuracy and knowledge of the other children pale in comparison to his.”

  Jacob picked up the small hammer and waved it around demonstratively. “So, you may or may not be aware, but diamonds have the highest hardness and thermal conductivity of any natural material.”

  A small girl with braces and a short pony raised her hand.

  “Yes, Prue?” Ms. Bennett asked the child.

  “I just wanted to ask Jacob what happens if he hits the stone with his hammer.”

  Jacob grinned as if he was hoping for this. “Well, shall we try?”

  His friends cheered, and a few parents clapped.

  Ginny chuckled. “What a showman, our little muffin.”

  Nick’s breath hitched. It was going to happen any minute now. He had to be ready.

  Jacob slammed the hammer on the stone, but it didn’t falter.

  The kids gasped, and Nick had to bite his cheeks to keep from laughing. They had practiced for hours to make Jacob’s effort believable. The little sugar rock could crumble all too fast.

  Jacob held up the rock again. “You see, it’s not easy to break a diamond. But do we want to give up just because something is hard to crack? What do you think, Dad?” He winked at Nick.

  Everybody turned to the third row where he and Ginny were sitting.

  Ginny stirred beside Nick, and he could feel her large blue eyes boring into him.

  He would have liked to speak to her, but Jacob gave him his cue. He had to continue with their act. He cleared his throat. “No, Jacob. As my son, you’ve learned that you shouldn’t give up. Just find that crystal plane, the so-called plane of weakness, and hit it there very accurately.”

  “That’s interesting.” Ms. Bennett clapped her hands. “I want to see Jacob try. What about you, kids?”

  Everybody nodded enthusiastically.

  Jacob put the rock on the table, took his time positioning the hammer, and then gave a minimal click on the sugar. A small crack could be heard, and the sugar broke into two giant pieces, revealing a tiny package.

  “Look, there was something in the diamond!” one of the boys exclaimed.

  Jacob grabbed the little bundle and walked to Nick. He placed it into his father’s hands. “This belongs to my dad.”

  Ginny gasped as she eyed the round object in Nick’s palm. The shape was unmistakable through the white wrapping paper.

  Nick watched the gleam of disbelief settle in her blue irises. But there was a flicker of something else. Could it be joy?

  He took the ring out of its cover and held it up to Ginny. He didn’t hear the buzz of the kids and appreciating comments of the parents. He didn’t hear anything except Ginny’s rapid breaths and the thuds in his own chest.

  He licked his lips. “I know it’s quite an unusual way and moment for proposing. But somehow it couldn’t be more fitting. Before you came to my life, I felt like a piece of diamond, hardened and tough from life’s adversities. I thought nobody was ever going to crack me open. Then you came along. Your caring and tender soul managed to find my plane of weakness. And now I’m wide open and here for you to take if you want me. Ginny, do you want to marry me?”

  Jacob bounced from his toes to his heels. “Say yes, Ginny. Say it, say it.”

  Nick threw a glance at him, and his son stopped.

 
; Ginny was still staring at Nick’s hand holding the diamond ring.

  Was it too big or too small, maybe? The owner in the shop assured him that it was a beautiful cut. Would she like it?

  “Ginny?” he prompted her softly.

  The others around them were holding their breaths now, even the kids.

  Ginny’s eyes slowly lifted to Nick’s, and a tear sparkled in the corner of her left eye. “Oh, my heavens, Nick. This… This is unexpected and…” She paused and wiped her cheek.

  Nick sucked in a breath. “An unexpectedly marvelous idea? Or a stunningly terrible one?”

  A smile spread on Ginny’s face. “The first one, of course. Yes, Nick, yes. I want to become your wife. I want us to be officially a family.”

  Nick’s heart leaped, and joy suffused his being. He took Ginny’s hand and slid the ring on her ring finger.

  It was a perfect fit. He would need to thank Marcia for being able to provide a correct estimate of Ginny’s finger size.

  Ginny admired her hand for a second, then she reached out and pulled Nick close. She gave him a short kiss on his lips, but despite its innocent lightness—the only drawback for having proposed in front of a group of underaged kiddos, darn it—it unsettled him with the force of a hurricane. Her sweet taste tingled on his mouth as she pulled back.

  Jacob jumped at them, hugging both of their necks with his tiny arms. “And I’m going to have a little brother or sister now, won’t I?”

  Nick’s brows shot up. “What makes you say this?”

  Jacob moved back with a knowing look in his eyes. “Marcia told me that if Ginny says yes, then I’ll finally get a sibling. Will I, please, Ginny? Will I?”

  Ginny blushed. “Uh, Jacob? We’ll see about that later, okay?”

  “Ugh, baby sisters suck,” said one of Jacob’s friends. “I have one. Make sure they give you a brother, then you can play robots and Lego.”

  Everybody laughed.

  Ms. Bennett stood up and walked back to the front. She cleared her throat. “Wow, this was the most exciting science project presentation I’ve ever participated in. Thank you all, and to you, my dear Ginny and Mr. Peterson, my warmest congratulations.”

  Nick didn’t listen to Ms. Bennett.

  One of his arms was sealed around Ginny, while the other hugged Jacob. His glance bounced between them, a warm feeling swamping his chest.

  He was the luckiest man on Earth. Ginny and Jacob were his life.

  Jacob’s wish popped into Nick’s mind, making his heart twitter. A baby? A child with Ginny? Why not? It would make their family even more complete.

  His fingers pressed on Ginny’s soft skin, and she snapped her head to him.

  “What’s wrong, love?” she asked.

  Nick smiled. “Nothing, everything is perfect. I just can’t wait for the night to arrive, so that we can start on the gift that Jacob so desires.”

  Ginny’s eyes widened, and her rosy cheeks turned crimson. She snuggled herself into his armpit, sniffing at his chest. “Me too.”

  Nick sighed, and bliss danced through him. Maybe it was time that he let his detective take the plunge, too. All the Diamond Hearts in the world had the right to the feeling Nick was having.

  Because this—this was the only thing worth living for.

  * * *

  It doesn’t have to end here..

  Are you curious to see how Nick’s new book is received and how Ginny and him get the greatest present ever?

  Then join my Reader Club and get Fake-dating the Single Dad’s EXTENDED EPILOGUE immediately.

  You’ll also receive a sweet forbidden love

  romance as my welcome gift.

  Go to: agnescanestri.com/diamonds-bonus

  * * *

  Ready to see how Ginny’s little sister, Giada, and Gabriel, her childhood crush and a hot firefighter, turn into more than just friends?

  Then get SAVING THE BROTHER’S BEST FRIEND by clicking here or go to mybook.to/gol4-bm

  Author’s note

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  Thank you very much!

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  Other books by the Author

  Book 1

  LOVING THE BOSS

  It could be her fresh start. If only she can avoid falling for her boss…

  Eleni is in desperate need of a new beginning—preferably one that’s far, far away from her cheating ex. So when she’s offered a dance instructor gig at a remote tropical resort, she jumps at the opportunity. Now all she has to do is ignore her attraction to the resort’s handsome dive instructor, Matteo. After all she’s been through, the last thing she needs is another potential heartache.

  Matteo isn’t looking for love, either. He’s more comfortable in the water than out of it, and finds the depths of the ocean a lot easier to navigate than matters of the heart. Besides, he needs to stay focused if he wants to eventually open his own free diving school. All he’ll have to do now is ignore how Eleni makes his heart flutter with nothing more than a glance in his direction.

  But all their best intentions go out the window when Eleni is transferred to the dive center—and it’s not long before the lines between business and pleasure blur. Can Eleni and Matteo learn to overcome the wounds of the past and heal together, even if their ambitions and desires are oceans apart?

  Get it on Amazon (also in Kindle Unlimited)

  * * *

  Book 2

  GAMBLING WITH THE BILLIONAIRE

  She’s all about passion. He only believes in reason. Their business deal won’t go down without fireworks…

  Billionaire Ryan O'Connor knows the peril of letting his emotions prevail over reason. Returning to his hometown to dismantle a small restaurant is supposed to be about profit, not nostalgia. Until he meets Bianca, that is. Her quirky love for oldies, charming smile and tendency to wear her heart on her sleeve make it increasingly difficult for Ryan to stick to plan.

  Bianca’s motto is to trust her emotions. Following her heart helped her turn a struggling taverna into the coolest jazz restaurant in town. So when her gut suggests a gamble to save her workplace from the tycoon with the reputation of a shark, she takes the plunge. Only she never expected Ryan to be as gallant as her idols of the golden era, nor his eyes to be as dazzling as Dean Martin’s.

  Bianca’s and Ryan’s attraction for each other is undeniable, but falling for each other isn’t on the menu. Can Bianca prove to Ryan that listening to his heart is worth the risk?

  Get it on Amazon (also in Kindle Unlimited)

  * * *

  Book 4

  SAVING THE BROTHER’S BEST FRIEND

  It was just a simple favor between friends. Until it wasn’t…

  Firefighter Gabriel needs money and he needs it fast. His father’s future depends on it. Too bad the only way he can make it happen is to give in to his rich grandmother’s demand to see him married. But since he doesn’t have any prospects for a real bride, a fake fiancé will have to do. And there’s only one woman he’d trust with the job.

  Giada has loved Gabriel for as long as she can remember. To him, she’s just his best friend’s little sister. But even though she knows a fake relationship with him will only lead to heartbreak, there’s no way she can turn him down in his time of need. She’ll just have to figure out how to guard her heart against the one man she wants to give it to the most.

  The plan is in place. To everyone watching, they’re the perfect happy couple. The only problem? Gabriel suddenly realizes he’s no longer just pretending to be in love with Giada. How can he convince her his feelings
are real when he’s been so blind for so long?

  Get it on Amazon (also in Kindle Unlimited)

  * * *

  Book 5

  FALLING FOR THE UNDERCOVER AGENT

  She was just a job. Until she wasn’t …

  Private Investigator Giordano Biagi lives for his work. And he’s been at it long enough to know that maintaining the line between business and pleasure is essential. It’s never been a problem for him, either. Not until he meets her—the fiery, entirely too intriguing woman he’s been hired to investigate. Suddenly he’s having trouble remembering exactly where the line is, and why crossing it would be a bad idea …

  Ruby Terryson is pretty sure she’s dated every liar in the state. Her abysmal luck with men did teach her at least one valuable lesson, though—to always lead with her head and protect her heart. So when Giordano walks into her tattoo salon, to say her guards are up would be an understatement. But the more time she spends with him, the more she starts to wonder if maybe—just maybe—it’s time to take down the walls around her heart once and for all.

  Their entire relationship is built on a lie. There’s no way they can find a happily ever after together once Ruby’s learns the

  truth … is there?

  Get it on Amazon (also in Kindle Unlimited)

  About the Author

  Agnes Canestri writes sweet romance for all ages and is the author of the Gems of Love series. Her home on the internet is https://www.agnescanestri.com.

  Agnes is also a psychologist and passionate to understand what makes people tick especially when it comes to love. She adores capable heroes, witty heroines, and bone-tingling kisses. After living in five different countries, she is now settled in Germany with her Italian husband and two adorable children.