The Billionaire's Fake Marriage: A Single Dad Next Door Romance

by Sarah J. Brooks

“Samantha … and I,” he paused. “There is nothing there, Christy. I’m not sure why you think there is, but I’m pretty damn sure there isn’t.”

  “You should try telling her that.”

  Alex’s eyes locked on mine. “I think I will.”

  His words shocked me. I looked at him, unsure of how to respond for a few seconds. “So … there really is nothing going on between you two?”

  “Um, yeah. Why would you think otherwise?”

  Well, because she made it seem like there was. And because it didn’t seem like he was interested in me anymore. Yesterday he had gone out of his way to see me, but this morning … I mentally shook myself. It doesn’t matter.

  “Just the impression I was given,” I finally said, remembering I should at least give him an answer to his question. I pushed myself out of the water. “Anyway, I won’t get in your way any longer. I’m sure you have a lot to do. Thank you for the water.”

  I climbed out of the pool and headed for my towel. I wrapped it around myself and scooped up the water bottle and book beside it.

  “Are you going to join us for dinner?” he asked.

  “Probably not. You never did tell me if Samantha would be there.”

  Without another word, I walked away. I didn’t want to talk about it anymore. I didn’t care if he said they weren’t together. Okay, well, I cared a little, and I was damn happy about it, but that didn’t mean I was going to sit in the same room with her after she’d threatened me the way she had today.

  As I left, Alex didn’t say a thing. I think he just watched me. I didn’t dare turn to see if he was looking at me. I thought we were going to work things out, I thought. I thought when he invited me to dinner, he was actually trying.

  Turns out I was wrong. It stung, but I told myself I didn’t care. And if I kept telling myself that enough, then it would be fine.

  Alex

  I watched her walk away, and I knew again I should have done something. I’m better off just leaving it alone. She was a young woman. Hell, she was barely an adult. Christ. And here I found her attractive.

  No, not attractive. I found her hot. I wanted to fuck her.

  Goose bumps covered my skin as I thought about it. I knew it was wrong.

  “There you are!”

  I turned to see Josh, and he gave me a wide smile. “I’ve been looking all over for you. I need you to look over this price estimate and sign off on it. Jeff said you might be too busy for that, though.” His grin widened. Clearly, the guys had been talking.

  I held out my hand for the paper and took it from him the second I could. I looked it up and down as I took the pen from him without a glance. “Did he now?”

  “Yeah. Something about a pretty girl.”

  I didn’t say anything. I thought about that pretty girl, my heart sinking to my feet. I hated that she was so young. Maybe that’s why she keeps storming away. Maybe she wasn’t mature enough.

  I signed the paperwork without really looking at it. I had faith in my workers. That was what years of working together did to someone. I looked up as I handed him the papers.

  “Well?” he asked, ignoring the papers.

  “Well what?”

  “Where is she?”

  “She’s back in her room. Yes, she’s pretty but …” I trailed off, not sure I wanted Josh to know the truth.

  “What is it?” Josh’s head tilted to the left.

  “She’s … younger than me.”

  There was silence for a few seconds. Josh stared at me. “Is she over 18?”

  “Yes!” If she weren’t, there wouldn’t even be any question about it. She would be a minor, and I’d have sent her marching and been done with it. I wasn’t a creep.

  “Then what is the issue?”

  “I—” I paused. I didn’t want to admit the truth. I thought about the first time we’d had dinner together. About how much I enjoyed her company.

  My friend grinned. “As long as you two can consent to having a good time, that’s all that matters. Don’t you get sick of always going for older women anyway? Maybe the younger ones know a thing or two us old guys haven’t heard of yet.” The grin widened even more.

  I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my lips. “Thanks.”

  He made a good point. I was going to go give it a shot—and we were going to have a good time. I needed to stop worrying so fucking much.

  Christy

  Nat hadn’t been back to my room at all. She must be having fun, I thought. I wasn’t sure if I was jealous or sad about what happened today.

  “I was supposed to come out here and have a nice time,” I muttered. Frustration had been building and building practically since I’d been here.

  Knock. Knock. Knock.

  I frowned as I walked toward the door and grabbed the handle. I pulled it open, expecting to see my best friend.

  Nope.

  Alex stood there. “Hi.” He gave me a weak smile and his eyes met mine. “I was a dick. I’m sorry.”

  I stared at him with wide eyes. “Y-you’re sorry?” Out of all the things Alex could have done, I didn’t expect him to say he was sorry for anything.

  “Yeah, I’m sorry. I’d like to make it up to you. Will you give me a chance?”

  “Yes,” I agreed, mostly because I wanted to know what he had in mind. I stepped out of the doorway and opened the door a little wider, motioning for him to come in. Alex stepped inside.

  “Do you have anything warm with you?”

  “Yes, why?”

  “Put it on; I want to show you something.”

  My brow furrowed with confusion, but I did as I was told. I walked over to my suitcase and unzipped it, grabbing my warm sweatshirt. I pulled it over my head and turned to Alex. “Are you going to give me a hint as to what is going on?”

  “Nope.” A smile touched his lips as he motioned toward the door and headed for it. I followed.

  We made our way outside and stopped. I stared at the big green thing. I’m pretty sure it was farm equipment of some kind. What the fuck is that? I didn’t say it out loud, though.

  “Have you ever been for a ride on a tractor before?”

  “No, I can’t say I have.”

  “Well, I guess there is a first time for everything, and I look forward to being your first.” His eyes sparkled. “Come on; it’s fun. Trust me. I’ve got a plan.”

  A plan? “Should I be scared?” I asked as we headed toward the thing. It was a good two feet off the ground, and I had no clue how he was expecting me to get up there.

  Alex laughed softly and shook his head. He climbed up into the tractor and then turned to me, holding out his hand. “I’m guessing you don’t want me to pick you up, so this will be the best bet. Put your foot on that bolt there.” He pointed to it. I nodded, doing as I was told. “Now grab my hand.”

  I looked up at him as I did so, and he pulled. My heart skipped a beat.

  Without any issue, I was lifted into the air, and I stepped onto the tractor. “Wow,” I whispered as I looked around. I was so high up.

  Alex pulled my hand, closing the distance between us in a fraction of a second. His eyes locked on mine. I looked down quickly, avoiding eye contact. We’re so close. What was he expecting from me? Don’t get me wrong; it wasn’t my first time being close to a guy. It had been a while, but that wasn’t it. It was Alex. I knew he was older than I was, but I didn’t want to care. What would dad say? What would my family say if they ever found out?

  “Christy, I’m not going to kiss you.”

  His words shocked me. My head snapped toward him, and I opened my mouth to question him, but nothing came out. Instead, Alex spoke. “Don’t get me wrong; I’d like to, but I’m not going to kiss you. Not yet. Not until the end of the night. Then … then I’m going to ask for so much more than just a kiss, but if you don’t want to …. I won’t pressure you.”

  I stared at Alex, processing his words and trying to figure out what I was supposed to say. “You’re very f
orward.”

  “I don’t want to waste any more time with misunderstandings. We’ve already lost two days.”

  Alex pulled away from me and sat down in the driver’s seat. I took that as my cue to sit down in the other seat beside him. It wasn’t much, but it was reasonably comfy. I watched as he started the tractor, and we started to move slowly. I stared out the window, feeling taller than I ever had in a car. It didn’t move fast, but when we headed for the field, my heart skipped a beat.

  “You’re going home in a couple days,” he said after a little while.

  “Yes.”

  I was looking forward to it less than an hour ago, and now I wasn’t so sure. Damn it. I had no clue what I wanted. I wanted to have fun with Alex, but I didn’t want to leave knowing we’d never see each other again. I didn’t want him just to be a memory from when I was young. I didn’t believe in hooking up. I believed in dating to find someone you love.

  “Are you looking forward to it?”

  “I’m not sure.” I bit my lip. I glanced over at him, watching as he stared out the windshield. “Will you take Samantha out when I’m gone?” Yes, I let my jealousy slip through.

  “No.”

  “You won’t?” I didn’t even try to hide the surprise.

  “She’s not my type.”

  “Did you tell her that? She seems to be under the impression she’s going to get you no matter what you try to do.”

  “I guess I’ll have to cross that bridge when I come to it.” He shrugged, appearing not to care. He turned the tractor as if he knew exactly where he was going. I looked out the window, taking in the scenery around me.

  The grass was tall except where we were running it over. The setting sun colored the sky in shades of pink, orange, and yellow along with the blue that was always there. It all looked like something out of the movies I used to watch growing up. I wish they were real. I always had, and my deep dark secret as a grown ass woman was I still did.

  “It’s beautiful here,” I said.

  “Not as beautiful as you,” he responded without missing a beat.

  I turned to him, a grin spreading over my face. I knew he was probably trying to be romantic, but it made me laugh more than anything.

  “Smooth.” I inclined my head to him, giving him props.

  “I have my skills.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “What are they?”

  “Well, I could tell you or, if you’d rather, I can just show you after dinner.”

  My pulse raced at the thought. I felt lust tug at me. “I’ll put some thought into that.” Yes. Yes. Yes, please!

  Even last night in the pool, I hadn’t seen this side of Alex. He was much more forward than I thought he would be. Not that I minded, but it was a big change. Speaking of dinner …

  “Aren’t we missing dinner?”

  “Yes. I’m sure your friend isn’t happy about it.”

  “Natasha? I think she’s a little busy to mind me too much. She’s having quite the time with your friend.”

  “I could say the same for him. I’ve never seen him make so much time for a girl before.”

  I paused, thinking about that. So that means …. “He normally makes time for girls?”

  Alex turned to look at me. Even in the setting sun, I could still see the expression he made. He looked … sad? “Of course he does. We don’t have a policy against … anything like that.”

  “Oh.” I couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed. So this is normal for you? I wanted to ask, but I knew I wouldn’t like the answer.

  “Christy, I don’t do relationships. I should have told you that upfront, and I had planned to last night, but I’d gotten that call, and I had to leave and then …” he trailed off.

  “At least you’re honest about it.”

  I tried not to sound as upset as I felt. Then why did you even bring me on this stupid date? You should have said something beforehand. I knew it shouldn’t be a big deal; I mean, I shouldn’t be expecting a relationship—but it just felt like he’d misled me in some way.

  “Is that an issue?” Alex asked.

  “No. I didn’t expect anything from you to begin with.” I should have felt bad for saying it, but I didn’t. I mean, I hadn’t expected anything from him.

  “Good. I’m glad we have that figured out.”

  Alex

  Why did this girl have to be so fucking confusing?

  I was trying to take her out on a nice date. Wasn’t that enough? She said it was fine, but I could tell by the tone of voice it wasn’t. It would be easier if she had just been honest. I could have offered to take her back to her room, and we’d be done with it. At least this way I have a chance to show her a good time.

  After all, that’s what this ranch is about. People being able to have a good time.

  I stopped and turned the tractor off. I knew it wasn’t the same as picking a girl up in an Audi or something, but I thought it would at least be unique, and I thought Christy would like that more than anything. Plus, it’s probably six times the price as one of those stupid cars that do nothing but look pretty.

  I turned to Christy and reached behind her, grabbing some blankets and handing her one. “It will start to cool down soon.”

  “Thanks.”

  She took it from me and wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling it tight as she looked around. I reached for the bag behind my seat and pulled it out. The scent of food engulfed me, and I sucked in a deep breath. If nothing else, I’m going to give her one damn memorable date. Something she’d be able to think about for years to come.

  Christy

  “It’s nothing fancy,” he said as he passed me a plastic container of food and I opened it. “Stuffed chicken, mashed potato salad, and some bread.” He reached into the bag and pulled out another container, this one with some rolls in it.

  “Wow.” I had to admit I’d never been to dinner like this before. The blanket wrapped around me was already warming my body as he handed me a fork. “Thank you.”

  “I wasn’t going to make you eat with your hands.” He smiled.

  “I mean for everything. Thank you for tonight. For bringing me out here and for dinner.” I knew he had his reasons, he made that clear, but it was still nice. And at least he was trying. I wasn’t into the whole ‘let’s meet up and hang out at my place’ thing. I still liked having a real first date. This isn’t a date, I reminded myself.

  I felt the disappointment the second I thought it, but I tried to push it away. Don’t ruin it. Have fun. I took a bite of my chicken, and flavor exploded in my mouth. I let out a noise of approval as I nodded, looking at Alex. Once I chewed and swallowed, I spoke, “This is amazing.”

  “Your friend made it.”

  “She did?” I wasn’t surprised she made something that tasted this good. “So, she is really into your friend. Is he going to break her heart?”

  “I think Jeff is just as into Natasha as Natasha is into him. I think they will both leave with broken hearts unless they are crazy enough to keep trying this. Which it sounds to me like he wants to do. He’s already talking about video chats and driving down to see her.”

  My heart skipped. Hope filled my chest. Hope for my friend. I knew how long it had been since she had been with someone, and it had been even longer since she’d been with someone who made her happy.

  “I didn’t like her last boyfriend,” I said. I took another bite, chewed, and swallowed. “He never treated her like she deserved and always wanted to make her pay for dates. He never even tried to take her somewhere nice. He just wanted … to sleep with her.” And she had known it too, but she had wanted to have a boyfriend for Christmas so badly she’d put up with it.

  “So … all you care about is that he treats your friend right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Not that he is older than her?”

  I shrugged. “Why would I care if he’s a little older than her? All that really matters is he cares about her and treats her right. And that th
ey have the same goals, or at least they have the same understanding of the relationship.”

  I took a bite of the chicken and turned to see Alex staring at me, fork halfway to his mouth. I waited to see if he was going to move. He didn’t. He just stared at me with wide eyes.

  I felt my cheeks get warm. “What do you think about it?” Did I say something wrong? Maybe he thought they shouldn’t be together and was hoping I would be on his side. If that was the case, he wasn’t going to be so lucky.

  Alex cleared his throat and put his fork down. “You’re very smart.”

  “T-thank you,” I stammered.

  We finished our meal without another word, then Alex suggested we go for a walk and I agreed. It was almost dark by then, and the mosquitos were out. Thankfully, Alex had come prepared.

  “Close your eyes.”

  I did as I was told and kept my lips as closed as well. I smelt it before I felt it. Insect repellent. It only lasted a couple of seconds before I heard the noise turn away from me. I opened my eyes and saw Alex spraying himself quickly, then he tossed the can into the grass and held his hand out to me. My heart stuttered.

  I reached out and took it with a smile. We fell into pace with each other as I looked around. “It’s gorgeous out here.”

  “That’s why I bought it.”

  “Wait … you own this ranch?” I hadn’t realized he was the owner.

  “Yeah.”

  I stumbled, shocked. He said it so casually, like it wasn’t a big deal to own a ranch. “All of it?”

  “Yes.”

  “You own it? It’s yours?”

  “Yeah. I mean, I still have a few months left on the mortgage, but once the anniversary comes up, I can pay it all off and be done with it.”

  I stared in shock, still processing the fact he owned the land we were walking on. “What made you decide to buy it?”

  Alex shrugged. “It was something my grandma always talked about doing. We were going to do it together when I was little, and then she passed away when I was a teen, and I don’t know … I guess it just kinda stuck with me as something I wanted to do. When I had the money, I started looking around, and I found this. Then, I went to the bank.”