Pretend You Love Me

by Stacia Wolf

  It didn't matter. Let Lucia outshine her. Tonight, she was with Mike, in every meaning of the word.

  In fact, everything looked rosy. Mike and her family seemed to be getting along okay; even Mike and Cal had been grudgingly polite to each other. They'd shared a pleasant meal with her grandparents before they'd hopped into Cal's car.

  Leaning into Mike, she relished the heat that curled through her. “I'm looking forward to the fireworks tonight."

  His brows raised. “Oh? Why is that making me nervous?"

  She laughed. “Relax. Can you think of anything more exciting than making out while the sky's exploding above us?"

  His eyes closed briefly as her words impacted him. Oh, my, when his lips parted like that, all she could think about was tasting them.

  Yes, the sparks she'd felt for the man had definitely burst into full-fledged skyrockets. And judging by the huge smile plastered on his face, he felt the same way.

  She'd loved spending time with him the last twenty-four hours. She'd forgotten what a great sense of humor Mike possessed. The last six months, she'd kept him so off-balance with her outrageous flirtations that he'd always been a bit defensive around her. Now both of them could relax and be themselves. And Cassie discovered that he fascinated her no end, with his openness and his tender heart.

  Despite his protests that she'd become bored with him, she couldn't think of anything more exciting than waking up next to him, like she'd done that morning. He'd still been asleep, and she'd laid there, curled up next to him, just watching him breathe. Her heart thumped madly at the feel of her breast crushed into his side and of his arm curved possessively about her, holding her firmly in place even while he slept.

  Then his eyes had opened, and she'd sunk into the depths of them, the deep chocolate color mesmerizing her. He'd smiled, that sexy, hungry smile that told her exactly what he was thinking of.

  "What the—?"

  Mike's stunned voice jerked Cassie back to the present. They'd gone around the hill and were approaching her preferred viewing spot only to find that the majority of it was cordoned off with bright, colorful streamers.

  Balloon bouquets decorated the space, their white, green and silver colors matching the flower-covered trellis that marked the entrance. Even at this distance, she could feel the display's effect on her own heart.

  A man, decked out in a black tuxedo, stood next to a table. The small glass table held a vase filled with vibrant wildflowers and two silver candlesticks. A bottle of champagne chilled in a silver bucket, and a tray held hors d-oeuvres.

  It was a lovers’ dream. Someone wanted the object of his affection to know without a doubt how much they were adored. To drag all of this down to the park, to get permission to put on such a display, then to wait patiently for their intended paramour to arrive took a lot of guts.

  Cassie's eyes traveled to the tuxedoed man. He looked very familiar, she realized. His stance, the tilt of his head, he resembled...

  Dad!

  Her heart missed a beat and her feet stumbled to a halt as she realized that it was indeed her father, intensely handsome in black tails and bow tie, who looked at them with hope and trepidation. He held a single white daisy in his hand.

  Daisies. Her mother's favorite flower. Her heart began to pound. Jake planned on proposing to Lucia again. And even knowing she'd probably turn him down, he'd planned a very spectacular, extremely public way in which to do so. Only a callous heart wouldn't be moved by such a sight.

  Cassie's gaze flew to her mother, who stood a few feet away, one hand pressed to her chest, the other clinging to Cal's arm for support. Her eyes never left Jake.

  Cassie's breath caught. Far from being chilled or annoyed by Jake's romantic display, her mother's face gave it all away; her features radiated love and adoration. Her emerald green eyes shimmered with tears, and her trembling lips parted.

  Cassie stared from one parent to another. Even from a distance Jake radiated tenderness, and Lucia gave every sign of being a woman in love. She'd never seen such raw emotion on their faces. All her life, they'd been so guarded around each other, even during the brief periods they'd been together. But now, her father's surprise declaration caught Lucia with her guard down. All her feelings were on display for the world to see.

  Following her brother and mother, Cassie gripped Mike's hand, needing his support to counteract her rubbery knees. Only vaguely aware of the crowd of people gathering, she couldn't take her eyes off of her dad, standing there with such hope in his eyes.

  Cal led Lucia to Jake, who held out his hand to her. She placed her trembling fingers in his, and he led her through the trellis. A few feet from the table, he stopped and removed something from the tuxedo pocket, then knelt down on one knee. Lucia's sob was swallowed by the crowd's collective sigh.

  Cassie felt hot tears streaming down her own face. Mike's arms encircled her and she thankfully leaned her head back against his solid chest. After all these years, her parents might finally come together. The aching bubble growing in her chest threatened to burst, and she welcomed it.

  After all the private proposals Jake had subjected their mother to, a public one seemed to be what she wanted. Had she been holding out all these years for him to shout his love from a rooftop? Was that all it took?

  Holding her breath, Cassie strained to hear her father's words. She and Mike halted right outside the trellis. Cal joined them, and she reached out and grabbed his hand. He squeezed hers tightly, his eyes never wavering from their parents.

  Jake took Lucia's hand in his own. His face tilted up to hers, and his voice sounded raspy as he said, “Lucia Delistraty, I've loved you for as long as I can remember. You're the sun and moon, the reason I wake up in the morning."

  Lucia sobbed, and Jake kissed her hand. “I've never loved anyone but you. Will you—"

  At his words, Lucia's face hardened and before he could finish his thought, she snatched her hand back from him. Her lips twisted in anger.

  "I don't have to listen to your lies, Jake. If I let you, you'd make a mockery of marriage.” She twisted away and rushed out of the ropes. Cassie reached for her, but she jerked away.

  Were those tears of despair coursing down her mother's face?

  With a sigh, Jake stood up. Although he tried to hide it, Cassie could tell he was shattered inside.

  "Well, that's my final answer, I guess. I've been a fool, holding out for her for all these years. It's time for me to call it quits and move on."

  "Dad,” Cal said.

  He held up his hand. “No, son, there's nothing you can say that I haven't thought of myself. Your mom obviously wants nothing to do with me, and I need to get that through my thick skull and let her go."

  He brushed past them; Cassie didn't try to stop him. Hot tears scalded her cheeks. But her mother's anguish and her father's shattered look wouldn't let her wallow in her weakness. She pushed away from Mike, stroking her fingers across his chest, reluctantly leaving the shelter of his arms.

  "Do you think Mom headed to the car?” she asked Cal.

  "Hell, I don't know. Leave her alone and let them cool off. Let's clean up this mess for them, then get out of here."

  "No,” she said. “We've tiptoed around their relationship for too long. I've never understood why they're not together. Have you even seen two people more in love than they were tonight?” She lifted her chin as her resolve strengthened. “We've left them alone for years, and it's accomplished nothing. I want to know the truth. I think we deserve it, and I'm going to get it now."

  "Cassie, wait.” Mike held onto her hand, refusing to let go when she tugged at it. “Cal's right, let them work this out. I know how Jake feels, and frankly, he's probably better off without your mother. This is probably for the best."

  "What's that supposed to mean?” She knew her anger spilled over into the tone of her voice, but she didn't care.

  "Mean?” Mike look confused. “It means that your mom's not exactly the most faithful or stable wo
man in the world.” When her blood pressure rose and it obviously showed on her face, he added, “Now, Cass, that's not a criticism, just a statement. I know what it feels like to be cheated on, so I know how your dad feels. People like your mom, they don't quite get it."

  "Get what?” Cassie couldn't believe the garbage coming out of his mouth. “People like my mom don't get what?"

  "I don't want to start a fight. But if you haven't been cheated on, then you don't know how much it hurts. Your mom, well, I think she'd always be the cheater, not the cheatee. I know it's hard for you to understand—"

  If he'd physically slapped her, it wouldn't have stung as much. “I don't understand? I think that walking in on my ex doing one of his clients gives me some understanding, don't you?” She let her words sizzle in the air for a moment before giving in to her urge to get away from Mike and his ‘exclusive club’ attitude, of which, unfortunately, she happened to be a card-carrying member. Add to that his criticism of her mom, and Mike suddenly looked like ‘jack-ass’ should be tattooed on his forehead.

  Turning on her heel, pointedly ignoring Mike and not daring to look at her brother, Cassie stalked away.

  Of all the moronic, pig-headed idiots! Was she the only one who'd recognized that look of betrayal in her mother's eyes?

  Her dad was the love of Lucia's life. Cassie was pretty sure of that now.

  The fact that her mom thought he dad hadn't been faithful was something she would get to the bottom of, or die trying.

  * * * *

  Mike raked his hand through his hair, heaving fresh air into his tortured chest. What a mess he'd gotten himself in with his big mouth. She'd never told him, but he'd sensed an air of pain about her. Why hadn't he put two and two together?

  Cal picked the flowers off the table, dumped them on the ground and put the empty vase into a box. “You really are an ass, you know that? Where the hell do you get off talking about Mom like that?"

  Fighting for calm, he untied the balloons and handed them to some kids walking by. Taking his action as a cue, other kids ran to the balloons anchoring the corners in an adolescent feeding frenzy. One looked for permission, and Mike nodded as he put the candlesticks next to the vase.

  "I'm sorry, but I lived next door to you guys, remember? I saw those guys coming and going all the time. I never saw your dad with anyone else."

  Cal's eyes iced over. “You know how many guys we found in our mother's bed? Do you have any idea what we really went through?"

  Mike opened his mouth to reply, then decided to take the higher road. “I don't have a clue."

  "None, Mike.” Cal shoved the two glasses into the box. “Those guys might have come over, but none of them ever spent the night. And to my knowledge, my mom never spent the night away from home. She may dress a little over-the-top sometimes, and sure, she can act a bit nutty, but that doesn't make her a whore. And it sure as hell doesn't give you the right to imply that she is one."

  "Does Cassie know this?” It might change her image of her mother. Hell, it changed his idea of who Lucia was.

  Cal shrugged. “We never discussed our parents’ relationship or Mom's dating habits.” He folded a chair and laid in on the ground, then added the other one.

  Mike didn't care for Cal's cold shoulder, but he had one more question. “Did you know that Cassie's husband cheated on her?"

  Jerking off the tablecloth, Cal glared at Mike. “It didn't take a genius to figure out that battered look in her eyes. No, she didn't tell me, but I knew."

  "Then why didn't you say something?"

  Cal's gaze turned hot. “It was none of your damned business."

  Mike rubbed his fingers on his knotted forehead, hoping to stop the frenzied thoughts in his mind. Cal's over-the-top attitude really grated on him, but nothing would be solved if he reacted the way he wanted to and punched his best friend in the face. Instead, he'd concentrate on the woman he loved.

  "I'm going to go find Cassie.” Turning away in disgust, he scanned the crowd for the fastest way back to the car.

  "Mike.” Cal's clipped tones ground him to a stop. Turning around, he met his bitter gaze.

  "Your screwing around with her isn't going to help her find happiness. You still don't see the real Cassie, and because of that, you can't appreciate her for what she really is. You see her as this flighty, unreliable woman, and all she can see is that guy she kissed eleven years ago. How fair is that line-up?” Cal turned away, tearing down the streamers, every movement showing barely contained anger.

  Mike couldn't take any more. With a muttered curse, he strode off. He didn't need Cal's garbage. No, he needed to find Cass.

  * * * *

  "Mom."

  Lucia sat on the grass by Cal's car, wiping tears away with the hem of her blouse. Trust her mother to wear waterproof mascara. Cassie probably resembled a raccoon.

  She sat down on the curb by Lucia, studying her. Of course she'd seen her upset before, but somehow this seemed different. Today, she seemed fragile and uncertain. Even at her flightiest, Lucia had always been strong and determined. Now, for the first time, Cassie saw her in a different light, as a lonely, uncertain, middle-aged woman.

  She put her arm around her mom, realizing as if for the first time how tiny Lucia really was. It added to Lucia's delicate air, making Cassie feel as if her mom could shatter at any moment.

  "Are you okay?” she asked.

  Lucia nodded. “I'll be fine. I just didn't expect it, that's all. He usually only does this on April Fool's Day, just like everything between us is a big joke."

  "But isn't that the anniversary of your first date?"

  Lucia snorted, an unladylike sound coming from her mother. “That's just an excuse so Jake can make light of marriage. But when he did this today—well, it was like all my fantasies had come true and he really meant it this time."

  Cassie leaned back, staring at her mother. “How could you not take Dad seriously? He's proposed to you every year. He came to see you every Sunday. He sent you cards and flowers on Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and Christmas. How could you think he wasn't serious?"

  "Cassandra, please. He did all of that for you and Cal, not me. I'm the mother of his children, so he felt obligated. That's not love. That's not what I wanted from him."

  "Mom, I'll give you that maybe when we were kids, he might have been motivated by us to do some of the things he did. But we haven't been kids for eleven years. Why didn't he stop then?"

  "I don't know.” Lucia sniffled and wiped her face on her shirt. Definitely unladylike, and very unlike Lucia, who, even though she operated by unconventional methods, always maintained perfect manners. “Habit, perhaps?"

  "Or maybe love,” Cassie said. Her mother stiffened.

  "He never loved me, Cassandra. He felt obligated because I was pregnant with you and your brother, but he never loved me."

  "Mom! Of course Dad loves you. Didn't you see it in his eyes today?"

  Lucia shook her head, and her face became hidden in her blond tangle of hair. “I don't know what I saw today, but I do know he never loved me."

  Cassie could feel the pain raging through her mother in her voice. “Why do you believe that? What proof do you have?"

  Lucia stood, one hand slicking her hair away from her face. “Because the night we made love, the night we conceived you, he went and slept with someone else. He slept with Annalise Thompkins."

  That name sounded familiar. Cassie hopped up. “Do you mean Mike's aunt?” Jessie's sister? It couldn't be!

  Lucia nodded, her eyes hardening with bitterness. “Yes, I do. She took great pleasure in telling me about it."

  "Mom, that can't be true!"

  Lucia's mouth twisted in sourness. “She bragged about it to me. Told me she'd finally gotten her man. She'd been dating him for quite a while, she told me. When he started spending time with me, I didn't know he was her boyfriend. So, Cassandra, now you know the truth. I never married your dad because he betrayed me."

 
Cassie couldn't believe it. Her father, who'd been faithful to his mother for all these years, cheated on her the first time they were together? No, it couldn't be.

  "You never talked to him about it, confronted him with it?"

  "I asked him, when I was pregnant with you, if he'd ever been with anyone else, and he lied, Cassandra. He said no.” Fresh tears shimmered in her eyes. “I gave him the chance to come clean, and he never did."

  Lucia lifted her chin. “Go back to Mike. Enjoy the fireworks. I'll call for a taxi and catch the ferry back to Bainbridge Island."

  She walked away, leaving Cassie stunned. Trembling, she fumbled for her cell phone and punched in Cal's number. When it went immediately to voice mail, she called Mike. She was still angry with the man, but she needed his help.

  When he answered she said, “Mike, is Cal with you?"

  "No, he isn't. Are you all right?"

  She paused for a moment, enjoying the warmth his concern caused. “I'm fine, but I need to find Dad. And Mike, this is going to sound strange, but have you ever heard anything about an affair between my dad and your Aunt Annalise?"

  "What? No. Where did you hear something like that?"

  Cassie quickly explained, asking, “Do you know why she'd make up something like that?"

  "No,” Mike said, and Cassie thought she heard sharp anger in his words. “But I'm starting to think my mom might have a clue."

  * * * *

  "Mom.” Mike stood inside his parents’ kitchen, not wanting to be there, not wanting to confront his mother, but knowing he had to. If she'd done what he'd begun to suspect she had, then he needed to know it. And he needed to know why.

  "Mike.” Spinning away from the sink, Jessie's face showed both pleasure and confusion. “Your dad's not here. We didn't think we'd see you today, since you're spending it...” Studying Mike's face, she frowned. “What's wrong?"

  "You tell me, Mom. Why does Cassie's mom believe that Jake slept with Aunt Annalise?"

  His mother's face paled and she gripped the countertop behind her. “What?"