[Anthology] A Clean Fake Marriage Romance Collection

by Victorine E. Lieske

  She slid a ring on his finger, her hands shaking, and her voice barely above a whisper as she told him how the ring was a symbol of her love.

  Jimmy cleared his throat. “Madison, do you take Jared to be your husband, to live together in the covenant of marriage? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?”

  Madison stared at Jared’s strong jaw line, chiseled features, and his steel grey eyes. Her heart pounded in her chest. “I do.”

  Jimmy’s voice faded into the background as he spoke the same words to Jared. She stood, waiting breathlessly for Jared to speak. She knew the wedding wasn’t real. But she waited for it anyway. When he squeezed her hand and said in a clear, strong voice, “I do,” it shattered her heart. How she wished he really did.

  Chapter 22

  Jared took Madison’s hand and pulled her close, breathing in the smell of her light floral perfume. The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows. They began to sway to the music. Patricia and Zachary shared the dance floor with them.

  The song was popular and sappy, probably one he’d agreed to while not paying attention. The singer crooned about love lasting forever, and he glanced down at Madison. Her face masked her thoughts.

  “What are you thinking about, Mrs. Jameson?” He meant it to be a joke, lighthearted and teasing, however his voice deepened, and it came out more serious than he’d intended.

  Her eyes focused on him. “Don’t call me that,” she snapped. Her lips pressed together in a thin line.

  “Sorry. I was just joking.”

  “It’s not funny.”

  He exhaled slowly. The day had been like a rollercoaster. With her mother showing up uninvited, making a big scene, and Veronica’s ugliness, it hadn’t started out too well. Then things had gotten better as they made it through the ceremony. When Jimmy said, “You may kiss the bride,” he’d given her the kiss of a lifetime. She’d smiled at him afterward, but it hadn’t reached her eyes.

  She’d seemed happier when she tossed the bouquet, giggling while Carrie tackled Patricia’s friends in order to catch it. Through dinner she’d been quiet, more sullen. But when they cut the cake, she’d hammed it up, smearing frosting on his face and getting cake up his nose, her laughter pealing through the air.

  Now, she was angry again. If he lived to be a hundred, he’d never understand women.

  Her eyes softened. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be short with you. You’ve been wonderful today. Thank you for helping me deal with my mother.”

  He squeezed her hand. “I can’t believe she showed up.”

  “Veronica tracked her down, I’m sure. Promised her who-knows-what to come crash the wedding.”

  “I think that’s the last we’ll see of Veronica.” Jared laughed as the image of her sprawled out on the floor after shattering the coffee table flitted through his mind.

  Madison smiled. “Yeah, I hope so. Maybe the embarrassment of it all will force her to leave town.”

  “Wouldn’t that be nice?”

  They danced in silence for the last part of the song, and she seemed to be in a better mood. As soon as the dance ended, Jimmy waved Madison over. She crossed the yard, and Jared searched for an excuse he could use to see her after today.

  MADISON FOLLOWED JIMMY down the garden path, to the gazebo. The small pond bubbled, and the bright orange fish darted around under the water. Even though the gazebo had twinkle lights, it wasn’t dark enough yet to see them very well.

  She glanced around to make sure they were alone. “What is it, Jimmy?”

  He cleared his throat and tugged at his collar. “I just wanted to talk to you for a minute.”

  “Sure. What’s up?”

  Jimmy studied her face. “I know this is fake, but you and Jared, you’re pretty serious, aren’t you? I mean, you love him, right?”

  Pain stabbed at her chest. Were her feelings that transparent? But nothing was going on between them, no matter how deep her feelings ran. “We’re not a couple, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “You’re not? But you look like you’re more than friends.”

  Frustration welled in her. “What’s this about, Jimmy? I should be getting back...”

  A bead of sweat formed on his brow, and he swiped at it. “It’s just that, well, I did something.”

  Why was he so nervous? She glared at him. “What do you mean, you did something? What did you do?”

  He shifted his weight and wouldn’t look her in the eye.

  “Jimmy?” Her voice rose. “What did you do?”

  The buzz of the cicadas and crickets seemed to catch his attention, because he looked everywhere except at her. “It wasn’t my idea.”

  “What wasn’t your idea?” If he didn’t tell her soon, she would have to beat it out of him.

  “Irene said you were in love. And when I saw you—”

  “Wait, Irene? When did you talk to Irene?”

  His gaze fell to his feet as he shuffled them some more. “She called me.”

  “When?” Her heart pounded, and she had to resist the urge to shake him. This was not good.

  “Last week.”

  “Why? What did she want?”

  He bit his lip. “She found out, okay? She told me she knew about the fake wedding, and that I was an actor.”

  Panic rose in her, and her throat closed. “What?” she choked. “She couldn’t have.”

  He glanced around, then met her gaze. “She did. She said they all know. Every single one of them.”

  Oh, no. This was bad. This was really, really bad. “I don’t understand. Why did they let us go through with the charade? To make fools of us? Why would they do that?”

  Jimmy grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look at him. “Madison, stop. It’s okay. They understand why you were pretending. They think you and Jared really are in love, but they know Jared has commitment issues, so they...”

  She stared at him, waiting for him to finish. “So they what?”

  Jimmy swallowed, making his Adams apple bob. “They wanted me to go online and get ordained as a minister, so the marriage would be real.”

  As his words sank in, the garden began to swirl around them. Jimmy’s face blurred. He grabbed her once again, but everything went black.

  Time stopped for a moment, then someone patted her cheeks. Cicadas roared around her. “Madison, you okay?”

  She blinked, and Jimmy’s face came into focus. “What happened?”

  “You fainted. I...I’m so sorry.”

  Jimmy looked like he was going to pass out himself. She was about to tell him so, when she remembered what he’d said. Jared’s family knew about the fake engagement. And they had schemed with Jimmy to...no. He couldn’t have. Could he?

  Madison scrambled to her feet. “Jimmy, did you?” Her voice barely came out above a whisper. “Did you go online?”

  His eyes widened, and he appeared to be having trouble breathing. “Yeah.” He nodded.

  She placed her hands on his cheeks. “Are you saying I’m really married to Jared?”

  He nodded again.

  Warmth radiated over her, and she threw her arms around him, letting out a squeal. “I can’t believe it! I’m married to Jared!”

  Jimmy stepped back. “You’re not angry?”

  “Angry? I’m so happy, I could kiss you.” She hugged him once more before picking up her skirts and rushing toward the garden gate, her shoes clicking along the stone path. She couldn’t wait to tell—

  “Wait, is Jared going to be happy about this?”

  The question stopped her in her tracks. Would he? Would Jared feel the same about being married as she did? Her thoughts flew back to the vows he spoke. Did he mean them? What if he didn’t feel the same?

  She turned to Jimmy. “I don’t know.”

  Jimmy stepped off the gazebo and closed the distance between them. “Irene thi
nks he loves you.”

  A cold rock formed in her belly. Her stomach lurched. “What if Irene is wrong?”

  “I see the way he looks at you.”

  Hysteria swept through her, and her voice rose in pitch again. “We are acting, Jimmy. He’s supposed to look at his bride that way!”

  Jimmy held out his hands. “Calm down. I’m sorry. I can’t undo it. But if it’s not what he wants, you can get an annulment.”

  “Annulment?” The word tasted bitter on her tongue.

  “Yeah. It’s no big deal. You sign some papers, and it’s like the wedding never happened.”

  The breeze suddenly felt cold, and Madison hugged herself. “All right.”

  “But you may want to wait to tell him until after I’ve left.” Jimmy rocked back on his heels. “That dude’s got some muscles.”

  Madison nodded, not really paying attention. “Okay.”

  She wandered back up the path, latched the gate, and crossed the yard. Jared caught her arm. “Where have you been? People are asking for you.”

  “I was just talking to Jimmy.”

  “Irene has some kind of announcement. Come on.” He pulled her toward the dance floor, where Irene and Maxwell stood with a microphone, like they were about to sing a duet.

  The crowd gathered around them, and Irene turned the mic on. “I apologize for this small interruption, but we’ve got a surprise for the two couples.”

  Maxwell took the mic. “I know things have been crazy, and the happy couples haven’t had time to plan proper honeymoons, so Irene and I have done the planning for them. Our gift to Patricia and Zachary is a trip to romantic Puerto Rico!” He pulled out a pair of plane tickets while Patricia squealed with delight, jumping and hugging her groom.

  “And we are sending Jared and Madison on a romantic trip to Hawaii!”

  Madison’s knees went weak, and Jared caught her before she fell in a heap on the grass. Maxwell handed Jared the tickets as the family members cheered. Shelly beamed.

  Irene took the microphone. “While we dance and continue our celebration, we’ll let the happy couples take off.” Everyone cheered again, while Maxwell jumped off the stage and put his arm around Jared.

  “We’ve packed your luggage, and it’s already in the car.” He checked his watch. “You’d better change quickly, the plane boards in a couple of hours.”

  Madison couldn’t breathe. How was Jared going to react to this? Being forced to go on a fake honeymoon with her? Well, technically it was a real honeymoon, but he didn’t know it. In fact, she was going to have to tell him before they left. It wasn’t fair to keep it from him.

  Jared took her arm and pulled her toward the house. She peered at him, trying to decide if he was upset or not.

  As soon as they were in the guest bedroom, Jared turned to her, the corners of his mouth tugging down. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

  Was he upset? She couldn’t tell. He looked more worried than anything. “That’s okay,” she said, her heart in her throat.

  Relief flooded his face. “You don’t mind?”

  She smiled. “Hmm, spend time vacationing in Hawaii, or go back to my small apartment, broke and looking for a new job?” She tapped her chin with her finger and looked up at the ceiling. “I don’t know. I just can’t decide.”

  He laughed, a rare occurrence for him. “Okay. Hawaii it is.”

  While he changed in the bathroom, she slipped out of her dress and into a casual skirt and top. Her nerves jangled, twisting her stomach into a giant knot. She had to tell him before they left. Right?

  Jared came out of the bathroom wearing a pair of tan slacks and a short-sleeved button-down shirt. He could have been on the cover of J Crew. “Shelly looked really good.”

  “I know, I swear she’s improving. Has anyone said anything?”

  He shook his head. “No.”

  “Well, I hope she’s on the mend.” Madison bit her lip. “Before we go, I need to tell you something.”

  He raised his eyebrow at her. “Yes?”

  Sweat trickled down her back, and she squirmed. What was she going to say? “There’s this thing that happened.” She made the mistake of looking into his eyes, and the bottom dropped out of her stomach. “You see, I guess Irene did something.”

  Jared glanced at his watch. “We’d better go. You can tell me in the car.” He grabbed her arm and hustled her down the stairs and out the door.

  Madison sighed. Yeah, right, like she could really tell him in the car. That way, if the shock of the news made him jerk the wheel, at least they’d be able to honeymoon together in the hospital.

  The news could wait until they were standing in line at the airport.

  Chapter 23

  Jared heaved the bags of luggage up on the short platform. The woman behind the counter adorned the handles with the white airport stickers. Madison fidgeted with her purse strap. Jared didn’t blame her for being nervous. She was taking a trip to Hawaii with someone she’d only met a couple weeks ago. But he was determined to be the perfect gentleman. She needn’t worry. He’d get two separate rooms at the hotel, to make her feel at ease.

  This would be perfect. Give them time to get to know each other better, while having the stress of family out of the way. They didn’t have to act like a couple anymore. And this would give him the perfect chance to see if Madison had any real feelings for him.

  “You’re all checked in, sir.” The woman handed them their boarding passes. “Gate 13, Terminal B. You’d better hurry. You don’t have much time.”

  Jared took Madison’s hand and led her down the walkway.

  “I really should tell you something before we get on the plane.” Madison stepped out of the flow of traffic and pulled him over to the wall. “It’s important.”

  He searched her eyes. “What is it? Do you get air sick?”

  She shook her head. “No, nothing like that. It’s about Irene...and Jimmy.”

  Confusion set in. What was she mumbling about Irene and Jimmy? Didn’t she know the plane was about to leave? They had to get on, or they’d miss their flight. “Can it hold for a few minutes, while we run to catch our plane?”

  She shook her head, and blinked like she was going to cry.

  Good heavens. Were her hormones going to be on overdrive this whole trip? He took her hands in his. “Okay, then, tell me.”

  She drew in a ragged breath, then let it out. Agonizing seconds ticked by. He tried not to look at the clock on the wall. She frowned. “I don’t know how to say this.”

  “Quickly?”

  Her face told him that wasn’t going to happen. “Irene has this thing. A suspicion or something. She thinks she knows things. Then she acts accordingly.”

  She kept talking but her words made no sense. Why couldn’t she tell him this after they boarded the plane? They still needed to get through security. He waited another minute for her to get to the point, but when she still hadn’t told him, he held up his hand. “Stop. Can you tell me while we wait in line up there?”

  She blinked, nodded, and then exhaled. “Fine. I’ll tell you later.”

  “Great.” He grabbed her hand and tugged her down the path to security.

  MADISON OPENED HER eyes to sunlight, filtering through the window of her hotel room. Compared to the guest bed at Jared’s house, this bed was hard and uncomfortable. Or maybe it was the fact that even though they were married, Jared was sleeping in the other room. She sighed.

  She’d tried to tell him, but he hadn’t been listening. He’d been too worried about catching the plane. They’d rushed to security, only to be held up by a little old man taking his time waving his wand over people. He must have been a hundred years old. She wasn’t sure what he’d do if anyone pushed their way through. Throw his wand at them?

  And then once they were on the flight, there hadn’t been enough privacy. Their connecting flight had been delayed in California, but they had ended up dozing in uncomfortable airport chairs while they waited. By the
time they finally arrived in Honolulu it was the next evening, and they’d been exhausted. When they checked into the hotel, Jared had explained to the man behind the counter they needed two rooms.

  He drew his eyebrows together and spoke in broken English. “But you have honeymoon suite, yes?”

  Jared nodded. “Yes, but we’d like to change that to two rooms.”

  The man’s gaze bounced between the two of them. “Ah, I see. First quarrel. I give you lover’s spat special. Two rooms, one door connecting them.” He wiggled his eyebrows up and down.

  Jared smiled. “Fine.”

  As soon as they’d gotten into their rooms, she’d changed and plopped down on the bed, asleep in a few seconds. Now she lay staring at the ceiling, wondering what she was going to do. How strange to think she and Jared were married, and he was in the other room without a clue. A stab of guilt shot through her. She couldn’t put it off any longer. She had to tell Jared today. But what if he got mad when he found out the truth?

  She rolled out of bed, padded over to the bathroom, and turned on the hot shower. It didn’t matter if he got angry. They were married, and she couldn’t keep the truth from him. That would be wrong.

  The shower invigorated her, made her feel alive and excited to spend the day with Jared. She pushed the thought of telling him away. She’d gauge his mood and tell him when she felt it most appropriate.

  As she was fixing her hair, a knock came on the door that adjoined their two rooms. Madison opened it. Jared leaned against the door frame in a casual manner, his arms folded, looking like he’d stepped out of a cologne advertisement. She took a whiff. Yep. Definitely an expensive cologne advertisement.

  His muscles bulged under his light button-down shirt, and she had to raise her eyes to his face to keep from staring. His cool grey eyes caught her gaze, and she struggled to breathe. Dang, she had married well.