McKenna patted her knee. “Thanks for doing this. If Michael pulls it off, it will be really good for Sam and me to have you two there.” She let out a shaky breath as she stared at her hands. “I guess it would be better to learn that we aren’t meant for each other now. Instead of five years down the road to finally decide we shouldn’t be married and have to start over.”
Anna’s heart hurt for her best friend. She didn’t know what to say, so she just smiled over at her. “It will get better, Kenna. And if it doesn’t, Michael and I will be here to help you through it.”
Exactly twelve hours later, Anna found herself standing at the airport, staring at the jumbo screens in front of her. Lists of current and upcoming flights scrolled past her. Michael had been able to convince the resort to book them last minute and found their seats on the same flights as McKenna and Sam. Anna felt as if her life had done an about-face.
Butterflies were flitting around her stomach as she tried to calm her nerves. She’d never flown before. Ever. Thankfully, she’d gotten her passport a year ago when Patrick had convinced her that a spontaneous trip to Australia was a good idea. But, at the last minute, he decided to take his assistant, Shelly, leaving Anna behind. It was a business trip, right? Besides, the thought of flying terrified her.
If only she’d known that was the trip that would change everything for her and Patrick. Suddenly, Shelly went on every business trip and was at every late-night “meeting”.
Anna groaned as she turned away from the screens. What an idiot she’d been. Believing that all those late-night meetings were really about the advancement of his advertising company and not the advancement of his relationship with Shelly. How had she been so naive? She was too trusting. That is what she should learn from this.
“Get a grip,” she muttered under her breath as she pushed her hair from her face. She wasn’t going to let his memory affect her anymore. Besides, she had to worry about flying across the ocean right now. She needed all her wits about her.
“Oh, no. Anna Banana’s muttering under her breath again.”
Michael’s voice made her heart speed up. She whipped around to see him grinning down at her. His bright blue eyes danced as he wiggled his eyebrows.
She shoved his shoulder. “Why did you do that? You scared me.”
Michael feigned pain as he clutched his shoulder. “Man, since when did you get strong?”
Anna glanced down at her arm. “Since I started watching all those karate movies.”
Michael held up his hands. “Remind me not to tick you off.”
Anna pointed her finger at him. “That’s probably a good plan.”
He chuckled as he wrapped his fingers around the handle of his suitcase and motioned for her to follow him. Anna grabbed her own luggage, and quickened her pace to keep up.
“So, what does Anna Banana have to be angry about?” He glanced over at her. His normal flirtatious disposition had turned serious.
Anna kept pace with him. Was he serious? What that a rhetorical question? She shook her head. There was no reason to confirm that she was the geeky girl who couldn’t even keep a boyfriend, much less a husband. “You don’t want to know.”
Michael stopped. Anna turned to see him staring down at her. “Excuse me, Mrs. Jones. You’re my wife. I care about what you have to say.”
Anna swallowed. How many times had she written Mrs. Jones on her notebook through middle school? Hearing the words leave Michael’s lips caused her heart to pick up speed.
“M-Mrs. Jones?”
“Yeah. We’re faking a marriage? Might as well start now. So we’re used to it. I’m not sure what kind of detectives they have at the resort, or what they’d do if they found out we weren’t married. I figured we should start pretending now.”
Anna slammed her lips shut and nodded. Of course. They were faking that they were married. She needed to get used to that. It would save her major embarrassment later. Michael started walking again, so she followed behind him.
“About that. What exactly are we going to have to do? Maybe we should set some boundaries.” She moved to pull out a pad of paper and a pen.
Michael groaned. “Boundaries? You know I can’t work under those.” He stopped, and suddenly he wrapped his arm around her waist.
Anna’s heart picked up speed as he pulled her closer to him. He swept her to the side and dipped her back. Anna squeaked as she clung to his shoulders. “What are you doing?” she asked.
When she glanced up at him, his blue eyes sparkled. Suddenly, all the feelings that she’d had for so long came rushing to the surface. This was Michael she was looking at. The guy who had stayed up late with her when McKenna had already fallen asleep, giving her advice on all her crushes. The guy who took a black eye from Jordan in ninth grade when he’d made advances toward her.
His playful smile twitched on his lips as he brought her closer to him. He made things so easy. When she was with him, her stressful past didn’t matter. Everything would be okay. And caring about him felt like something she was born to do.
When his gaze met hers, his flirtatious expression grew serious. Suddenly, she was righted, and he was clearing his throat.
“Sorry. See? Even talking about boundaries makes me want to break them.” He shot her an uneasy smile.
Anna swallowed as she nodded—maybe a bit too vigorously. “I totally get it.”
“Excuse me? Is this guy bothering you, ma’am?”
Anna turned to see a beefy security guard studying her. He swept his gaze over to Michael, narrowing his eyes.
“Um. . .” She turned and raised her eyebrows at Michael who shot her an expectant look. She contemplated playing this up. But, getting Michael put in airport jail probably wasn’t the best way to start out Operation Fix McKenna and Sam’s Marriage. She laughed and shook her head. “No, officer. He’s not.”
The guard moved his hand to his baton. “Are you sure?”
Anna nodded. “He’s just goofing around. I’m okay. I know him. He’s. . . my husband.” Those words felt strange and right at the same time.
The guard’s gaze slipped to her left hand that was wrapped around the shoulder of her purse. Realizing that she had no ring there, she laughed it off. “Silly me. I accidentally flushed it. . . down the toilet?” Why was she still talking? She should stop. Right now.
Michael matched her laugh as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her next to him. Anna tried to ignore just how good she fit against his body. Or how amazing he smelled.
“Silly, Mrs. Jones. She’s such a klutz sometimes.”
They both fake laughed until they were out of earshot of the guard. When she glanced back to see him making his way through the crowd, she wiggled from Michael’s grasp. Being this close to him was heightening her senses. She needed to keep as emotionally distant from him as she could. There was no way she would allow herself to have deep feelings for Michael Jones. Not after McKenna’s wedding.
“You’re welcome,” she said as she adjusted her purse and glanced up at him.
Michael’s half-smile was still lingering on his lips. “For what?”
“Saving you from airport jail.”
Michael laughed as he motioned toward the airline attendant who was just finishing up with a couple who were both wearing Hawaiian shirts and straw hats.
“They would never have put me in jail,” he said.
Anna dropped her jaw. He was that sure of himself that he thought he could talk his way out of any situation? Well, she could feel a challenge coming on. “You, mister, are much more suspicious looking than I am,” she said as she followed him.
Michael laughed. This time, it was his deep and whole-hearted laugh. “Remember when someone TP’d the stadium right before homecoming?”
Anna nodded. The whole school had been on activity lockdown until someone confessed. She stopped as she reached out and grabbed Michael’s arm. “That was you?”
“Yep,” he said, emphasizing the p. “And
when they found out, I used the Jones’ charm and got out of it.” He winked at her as he shrugged.
Anna wanted to protest, but she couldn’t deny that Michael had that sort of charisma. The kind that seemed to convince you to do things. Like kiss him. She cleared her throat and turned her attention toward the agent who was waving them up.
Thankful for the distraction, Anna followed Michael as he stepped up to the agent and gave her one of his signature smiles.
“Good morning,” she said, glancing up at him through her eyelashes.
Anna wanted to roll her eyes. Everywhere Michael went, girls fawned over him. So instead of listening to their conversation, Anna turned and focused on the cardboard cutout behind her. She didn’t want to admit to herself just how much it hurt her to hear him laughing and flirting with the agent. It just reminded her of how much of an idiot she was.
Michael didn’t care about her. She was just his kid sister’s best friend that he palled around with. And she certainly wasn’t his wife. This was fake. It all was.
If only she could convince her pounding heart that it wasn’t real, then she’d be set. And perhaps, have a chance at surviving this week.
Chapter Four
Michael
Michael studied the counter in front of Teresa, the passenger service agent, who was checking them in. She kept glancing up at him and smiling. Any other time, he would have enjoyed the attention she gave him. But after his a-little-too-intimate moment with Anna just minutes ago, it didn’t feel right.
The feelings that stirred in his stomach had him worried. How was he supposed to pretend to be married to a girl he’d crushed on for this long? This was a mistake.
But there was nothing he could do. Not with the press hot on his story. Thankfully, Christopher hadn’t tried to contact him again. Not since he’d stammered a few incoherent things and hung up. But it was only a matter of time before he was contacted by another reporter.
If only Daisy had cell service, he just might be able to clear this all up. But every time he called, it went straight to voicemail. Leaving the country seemed like the only rational idea. He’d face it all when he got back.
He gritted his teeth as he stared at Teresa who was saying something about how much she loved hockey. Anna seemed surprisingly quiet next to him. He wanted to look back at her. But he needed to process his thoughts without the distraction of her intoxicating smile. She was even more beautiful since the last time he’d seen her. Flirting with her was coming a bit too naturally to him. He needed to keep his distance from her.
“They’re here!” Anna exclaimed as she made her way to McKenna and Sam who both had strained expressions as they approached.
“Sorry we’re late. Sam forgot his passport, so we had to go back.” She sighed as she forced a smile. “We were almost here and had to turn around.”
“I told you that the cab could have just dropped you off and taken me home,” Sam responded, glancing over at her.
“That’s not what this trip is about. It’s about us doing things together. Besides, I reminded you a bunch of times, and you told me that you had it handled. I just don’t know if I can trust you when you say you’ll do something and then don’t,” McKenna said, her tone strained.
Sam sighed. “I said I was sorry I forgot my passport. I really thought I had put it in my luggage.”
“You should always check,” McKenna blurted out, drawing the attention of the other people milling around.
“Kenna, it’s okay. You’re here, and they are checking us in. It’s not like the plane left without us,” Michael said, stepping away from Teresa and resting his hand on McKenna’s shoulder.
McKenna stared at him with her signature look of death. He met it head-on with the same amount of intensity. There was no way his little sister was going intimidate him. It was almost comical that she thought she could. After a few seconds, she took a deep breath and turned to Sam.
“Sorry. I’m just stressed. Michael’s right. We’re here. Let’s just get on the plane and get to the resort.”
Michael patted her shoulder. “That’s what I’m talking about. Now, the lovely Teresa needs your passport,” he said as he grinned at Teresa, and then turned around to nod at them.
When his gaze landed on Anna, he paused. Her lips had tightened as if he’d said something wrong. But what could he have done? He’d been talking to Teresa the last ten minutes, and Anna couldn’t possibly be mad that he was talking to the woman who was checking them in.
Instead of dissecting her expression. Michael busied himself getting the boarding passes dispersed to the four of them.
Fifteen minutes later, they were dropping off their luggage to a bulky security guard who took them and threw their suitcases on the conveyor behind him with a grunt. Then they got in the security checkpoint line behind a family with five kids.
McKenna had her arms folded and was staring outside. The sun was just beginning to peak out from above the horizon. The sky was streaked with purples and oranges. It was beautiful. But from McKenna’s tight lips and her drawn-together brows, the beauty of the outside was not what she was thinking about.
Sam had a similar look, but instead of glancing out toward the sky, he was staring at his phone. His finger would occasionally scroll the screen. This didn’t look like the lovebirds they had been two years ago. What had happened to them?
Michael shook his head. He knew what happened. Marriage. Responsibility. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen this. A few good friends had had this same fate. Further proof that marriage was the last thing he needed.
At least with Anna, he didn’t have to worry about disappointing anyone. It was actually a relief. Having a fake relationship was better than the efforts a real one took. And from his past experience, he tended to do stupid things when he was tied down. Stupid, foot-in-mouth things. Just ask Daisy.
He leaned over and wrapped his arm around Anna’s shoulders. She tightened at first but then relaxed. “Anna Short, I’m so excited to have you along with me. With Ms. McKenna being such a stick in the mud and Mr. Sam turning into a phone zombie”—he stabbed his thumb in their direction—“it’s a relief I have someone here who’ll laugh at my jokes.”
McKenna turned and shot him another murderous look. Michael laughed and waved her away. “Come on, Kenna. Lighten up.”
She glared at him but then reached in her purse to pull out her phone. Michael glanced down at Anna who was watching McKenna. She had a concerned look on her face.
“It’s okay. Don’t worry. We’ll fix this,” he said, leaning down and whispering in Anna’s ear. A coconut smell surrounded him. Her shampoo smelled fantastic. He fought the urge to take in a deep breath.
Anna glanced up, putting her face inches from his. “You think so?” she asked with her eyes wide.
Michael drew back. He didn’t like how his body responded to her close proximity. It was definitely something he should not be feeling. Not for his little sister’s friend. And not for someone he was supposed to pretend was his wife. “I know so. With both of our amazing minds put together, how can we not fix this?”
Anna chewed her lip as she stared just beyond his shoulder. “Well, I guess. We do make a pretty good team.”
Michael tightened his grip on her shoulder and drew her closer but then instantly knew that was a mistake. What started out as a playful physical touch, shot zaps of electricity through-out his body.
Out of instinct, he dropped his arm, but then he ran his hand through his hair. He didn’t want her to think that touching her was affecting him, so Michael just laughed it off.
He wasn’t supposed to have anything but platonic feelings for her. It’s was just taking more time than he’d expected for him to be able to forget their kiss. That was all.
He didn’t need to live in limbo like this. Not knowing how he really felt about Anna. He had come to a good place where they were just friends. Why couldn’t he get his mind to remember that?
“Pretty good? We
make an amazing team. Remember the elaborate heists we used to plan to steal cookies from the kitchen?” Michael asked, turning to look at her.
Anna glanced over at him. “For some strange reason, I have a feeling that faking a broken ankle, and me climbing on your back won’t solve their marriage issues.”
The memory of the stunts they pulled as kids rushed back to him, causing Michael to smile. He’d be lying if he said that he didn’t enjoy the fact that even though it had been a couple of years since they’d seen each other, he knew everything about Anna, and she knew everything about him. Like all the weird first date stuff was over with.
Michael’s stomach twisted. He wished Anna actually did know everything, but there were a few things he just couldn’t share. She didn’t know about his strange engagement to Daisy, or the fact that he was trying to run away from his mistakes. And he could never tell her. She couldn’t know how terribly he failed at yet another relationship in his life.
The impromptu kiss at McKenna’s wedding had been his fault. He’d just gotten dumped by Francisca, the team’s masseuse, and he was feeling really depressed. Anna had taken the time to talk to him, telling him that perhaps, he depended a bit too much on what women thought of him.
Michael had tried to laugh it off. He couldn’t help the fact that he was a lover of women. Anna had turned serious and said if he didn’t get his head on straight, he just might run off every girl who would ever give him a chance.
A few drinks later, Anna got closer to him, and he couldn’t help himself—he kissed her. Something he’d wanted to do for so long and, yet, never allowed himself to admit. It was incredible. Firework inducing.
But as soon as he pressed his lips against hers, he’d known it was a mistake. If he really cared for her as much as he thought, he would stay away from her. After all, every relationship he’d entered into had failed. And he couldn’t fail Anna.
Marrying an Athlete (A Fake Marriage Series Book 2) Page 3