Pretend Daddy: A Fake Marriage Romance

by Amy Brent

  “Of course, I would. I know what today is for you and Lily. I made it a point to keep my phone on me in case you needed moral support.”

  A stretch of silence followed.

  “Are you okay, Gage?”

  “It’s not easy coming here,” I said gruffly. I reached up to rub away the tears in my eyes. “It’s not easy watching my child talking to her mother’s tombstone because she doesn’t feel like I’ll understand.”

  “There are things that you won’t understand,” Amber replied gently. “Young girls need mothers to navigate through all these confusing changes. It’s completely natural. I promise.”

  “I just wish that she would trust me more, is all. I don’t want to lose my grip on what is going on with my own kid.”

  “I’d tell you if she said something troubling to me, Gage. There isn’t anything going on that you should be worried about. I swear to you.”

  “Thank you,” I said. “What are you doing right now?”

  “I am reading over some sort of law my father is proposing in congress. He wanted a second opinion.”

  “And tomorrow?”

  “What about tomorrow?” she asked.

  “Just tell Ethan that I booked us to go somewhere magical in Florida,” I said as Lily came down the hill. Her knees were muddy and wet. “That’s if you want to join Lily and me. I think it would be good for us to get away, but also the kids, too.”

  “Are you asking me to go on a vacation with you?” Amber asked.

  I could hear the smile in her voice as she asked the question. “Yes, I am. Just don’t give the surprise away. I haven’t told Lily yet.”

  “You’re a wonderful man, Gage Devlin. I’m lucky to have you.”

  We exchanged goodbyes before Lily hopped back up into the truck. I handed her a rag to wipe her knees down before I slipped out as well. The air felt warm, warmer than anywhere else. Mud squished beneath my boots as I crossed over the pathway to the small and modest gravestone that I knew by heart. Lily’s flowers, delicate pink roses, were propped up against the smooth stone.

  I crouched down to place my hand on the stone, absorbing the warmth that I felt there. Peace settled over me then as I gazed down at the squishy ground with the sun bearing down on the back of my neck.

  “You know that I will always love you,” I whispered, smoothing away the bit of dirt that Lily had left behind. “I will love you until the day die, but you already know that I have to move on. You told me to move on, but I just want you to know that I’ll be here every single year to tell you everything. Nothing will ever change what we had.”

  I pressed a kiss to my fingertips before placing them on the gravestone. My knees ached when I stood to gaze down at the truck where Lily was waiting. The past few months had gone by fast. With each passing moment I spent with Amber, the more I felt that connection grow between us. I was falling in love with her outside of the excitement of it all. There was no doubt in my head that life without Amber wouldn’t be possible. I needed her. Lily even needed her. The two had grown incredibly close. I still couldn’t forget that look in Amber’s eyes when Ethan had curled up next to me on the couch for the first time.

  Our lives were intertwined together now. I had planned the trip to Florida to get some much-needed private time, but I felt complete with Amber and Ethan. The hole in my heart was no longer bottomless. It was capped with Amber, even though it would be a hole for the rest of my life. I loved Marcie with every inch of me. I’d give my life to have her back here, but this was the reality I lived in.

  Deep down, I knew the longer we carried this on, the worse it would get. The media still swarmed around Beau Roselynn, and Amber as well. Nothing would be easy if we told the truth.

  I walked back down the hill with the sun on my back. There would come a time when it wouldn’t be a secret anymore, and I hoped that during that time, Amber would be right next to me. I couldn’t see my life without her or Ethan in it now. It was impossible.

  Chapter 20

  Amber

  The sound of waves crashing down on the beach stirred me from a pleasant dream of the night before. Gage’s impromptu and spontaneous trip to Florida to visit Disney World had been just what Ethan and I needed. We needed a break from all the chaos of cameras that followed us around between Colorado Springs and Bozeman. What is Congressman Beau Roselynn’s daughter doing these days?

  I giggled inwardly at the headline that flashed through my head. I was frolicking in the seawater with Gage. That’s what I had been doing the night before after the kids finally tuckered themselves out from the airplane trip to Florida. Gage and I had made love on the hot sandy beach with a towel covering us in case anyone walked by.

  No one cared about the Roselynn name here in Florida. No one wondered about the older man walking alongside me. We were just two people blending in a crowd of happy families. I loved the idea of it.

  The sound of Lily and Ethan’s excited voices in the next room drew me out of bed. The two of them had been a bundle of nonstop energy since finding out that Gage had planned a trip to Disney World for them. They had fought off sleep for hours the night before, and judging from the sound of their voices, it was going to take a lot for them to get through breakfast.

  I pushed the bedroom doors open to find Lily and Ethan bouncing around a breakfast cart while Gage paid the server. The smell of pancakes and coffee filled the large living room of the suite Gage had insisted on when we first arrived at the hotel. I pressed a kiss to Ethan’s head before taking a seat at the dining room table next to Gage.

  “Come eat,” Gage said, waving the two kids over. “You have to some nourishment before we spend the entire day running around.”

  “I want to see Cinderella,” Lily said. She took a seat reluctantly next to Gage as he handed her a plate of pancakes with melted butter and syrup. “I’m not even that hungry, Dad. Can’t we wait until lunch time?”

  I sliced up Ethan’s pancakes. “We need to eat first. We won’t have any energy to enjoy the rides if we don’t have some breakfast.”

  “I want to see Spiderman!” Ethan exclaimed through a mouthful of pancakes. “Can we see him?”

  “I’m sure that Spiderman will be around somewhere,” Gage replied, nodding. He looked over at me with a smile as he lifted his cup of coffee to his lips.

  I felt the brush of his hand on my knee, resting there warmly before squeezing fondly. I relaxed into the shielded touch with a smile of my own. These were the times that I truly enjoyed spending with Gage. We were intertwined in each other’s lives in every way imaginable. Our kids loved one another. Everything felt magical, perfect.

  Except for reality.

  Gage had yet to bring up the topic of telling my parents, and nor did I want to. I wanted this safe and secure bubble to last before it was popped open with everyone’s opinions. I knew why Gage held back. He valued my father’s friendship. His contracts with my father also complicated the future of our relationship even more.

  I was lucky that my father hadn’t even questioned the real reason for this trip to Florida. He trusted Gage without question, and the guilt of that ate at the both of us.

  Still, I couldn’t picture my life without Gage in it. He was every bit the man I desired and wanted. How could anyone ever turn away from that? It wasn’t possible. I couldn’t let go, even if my life depended on it. The past few months had been amazing between us. The time we had spent together, with the kids and in private, only solidified to me that we were making the right decision by sticking together.

  Damn the consequences. I was going to be with Gage Devlin at the end of the fucking day, no matter what anyone else said. We were meant to be together. I had felt it back in high school, that undeniable tug of connection.

  The rest of the morning and afternoon blurred by in an exciting haze of rides and various Disney characters. My feet were sore by the time Gage and I managed to carry the exhausted kids back to the hotel suite after eating dinner. I pulled Ethan’s shoes
off before tucking him into the small twin sized bed next to Lily’s. His eyes fluttered closed without protest, curling up beneath the pillow to suck at his thumb with an exhausted sigh.

  Gage kissed Lily good night before following me out to the bedroom. He closed the door with a relieved sigh of his own before turning to look at me with hungry eyes.

  “Would it be so bad to have another round tonight?” he asked.

  Despite how much my legs ached from constantly walking after the kids, I felt that flicker of desire start all over again. I smiled at him when he leaned in to give me a dizzying kiss.

  “I wouldn’t complain,” I said. “Maybe after a hot bubble bath? My legs and feet are killing me from all this walking today.”

  The corners of Gage’s lips turned up into a mischievous smile. “Bubble bath it is, my dear. I can handle a bath with you.”

  He pulled me in the direction of the master suite bathroom. He poured a hefty amount of soap bubbles into the tub as he filled it with hot water. I stripped out of my clothes eagerly, without waiting for the tub to finish filling up. Gage chuckled deeply when I let out a moan of relief.

  “It was a lot of walking today,” he said. “I don’t know how the kids managed to keep going until we dragged them away for dinner.”

  “I don’t know, either,” I replied, my eyes slipping closed in pleasure from the heat of the water. “I’m surprised that Ethan didn’t have one breakdown today. He was pretty excited for most of the day.”

  The sound of Gage’s belt buckle hitting the tile floor brought a new sensation of heat spiraling through me. Surrounded by a mountain of bubbles that smelled of vanilla, I looked up as Gage lowered himself into the water directly across from me. Our naked legs brushed beneath the bubbles and water. I shivered in response to it as he pulled me into the strong circle his arms and legs.

  “Have you enjoyed your trip so far?” Gage asked.

  His hands rubbed at my shoulders sensually. I let my head fall back against his shoulder in pleasure as those fingers began to work their own magic on the aches in my muscles.

  “I’ve loved it so far,” I moaned softly. “It’s been amazing. Thank you, Gage. This was a wonderful surprise for everyone involved.”

  “I’m glad you’re enjoying it. We all needed a break from the cold in Montana.”

  “No kidding. I love snow, but I’m ready to move somewhere else.” I nuzzled up against Gage with a sigh. “Maybe here? I could get used to waking up to the Florida sunshine every morning.”

  “I could get used to that,” he agreed, hands slipping down past my collarbones to cup my breasts. “It’d be a nice place to live. Right on the beach. Go for a stroll every morning. Enjoy the water.”

  I bit my lip meekly when one of those fingers pinched my nipple teasingly. A thick haze of lust came over me then when those devious fingers slipped past my navel to cup my center gently in the hot water. My hips jerked in response when they started to rub gently.

  “Gage,” I choked out, grasping his knees to hold myself still. “The kids.”

  “They aren’t going to come walking in,” he assured, pressing a kiss to the side of my neck. “They’re fast asleep. I haven’t heard a peep out of them.”

  “We’re violating our own rule here. Remember?”

  Gage’s teeth nibbled at the side of my neck. “The kids are asleep, Amber. That rule only applies if they are awake.”

  A finger slipped inside of me and began to move. I could feel Gage’s erection, hard and hot, pressing up against my back. Sweat dripped down my forehead. I had no idea if it was from the heat of the water, or from an entirely different heat that Gage was stoking inside of me.

  “I think we make a good team together,” he said. “Don’t you?”

  I licked my lips at that. “I think so. Ethan really looks up to you now.”

  “I’m happy that he trusts me. Do you ever think about having more kids?”

  “More kids?”

  I opened my eyes at the question. Twisting around, I looked up at Gage to find that his eyes were smoldering for an entirely different reason. They were filled with warmth and compassion. And love. My heart raced as I turned myself around fully to face him.

  “Are you asking what I’m thinking you’re asking?” I asked.

  Gage smirked in amusement. “What do you think I’m asking?”

  “That you’re thinking about more kids?” I suggested, and when he nodded, I continued on with one eye trained on him cautiously. “With me? Are you suggesting that?”

  “I am,” he said. “Why not? Our kids love each other. We make a good team.”

  “What about everything else?”

  “We’ll figure that out when the time comes,” Gage said, pressing a finger to my lips. “Let’s focus on what we have right now. Nothing else, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  Our lips met in a heated kiss. Our slick bodies pressed up against one another’s. Water tumbled over the rim of the bath tub when I grasped the edges to lower myself onto him. A groan escaped Gage’s mouth as his hands reached for my hips to guide the pace. He reached around me to turn the water off before sitting up to kiss me again.

  The combination of the hot water and the sensation of Gage throbbing inside of me was nearly too much. I teetered on the edge of a peak. Water spilled out again from the side of the tub as our hips ground together urgently. My fingers dug into Gage’s shoulders as that delicious heat spilled over me again. I couldn’t hold on any longer when his thumb pressed up against the center of me, pushing me over that edge finally.

  Gage stiffened underneath me a moment later. I felt him spill before sinking back against the tub in relief. We sat there for a long time in lukewarm water with scattered soap bubbles all around us. My body thrummed pleasantly in the aftermath. No more aches and pains.

  “Everyone should have this,” I mumbled, resting my head against his drenched shoulder. “It’s a great pain reliever. I don’t feel my legs anymore.”

  Gage chuckled breathlessly. His heart raced beneath my ear when I rested my head there.

  “That’s a new million-dollar idea,” he said. “Sex to cure your aches and pains. I don’t know how the rest of the world doesn’t know that already.” He smoothed back my damp hair before pressing a kiss to my temple. “We should get this mess cleaned up before we tucker out. I don’t want one of the kids slipping in here.”

  Sleep tugged at my brain while we took a few spare towels to wipe up the puddles of water. I kissed Gage goodnight, reluctant to go to a separate room. I longed to fall asleep with the circle of his arms around me protectively, but neither one of us wanted to risk the kids coming into our rooms to find us in bed together. We didn’t know how we were going to address them, but keeping quiet seemed to be the best option we had.

  The next morning, a whole new ache took over. My lower stomach felt bloated, ill, and crampy. A dull headache throbbed in my temples, too. I shooed Gage and the kids away to enjoy their morning while I took some Tylenol in hopes that all of it would go away. I drifted off into an exhausted sleep on the small couch overlooking the beach, but I woke hours later to the sound of the hotel phone ringing.

  Half-asleep, I reached for the phone on the small coffee table next to the couch.

  “Hello?” I answered.

  “So, it is true, then.”

  The sound of Scott’s voice sent daggers through the sleepy haze in my mind. I sat up quickly, heart pounding.

  “Scott?”

  “Yes,” he said coolly. “It’s me. Enjoying that Florida sunshine?”

  He knew where I was. The thought terrified me beyond reason. I clutched the phone tightly as I checked to make sure that the door was locked. We hadn’t even bothered with security before coming down here because we were a thousand miles away from familiar cities and faces.

  I swallowed thickly. “How did you know that I’m here?”

  “A PI that I hired. I wanted to inform you first that I’m disputing the terms o
f our divorce.”

  A sinking sensation filled me. “Why?”

  “You see, I’ve done some digging on your whereabouts these past few months.” Shit. My heart pounded furiously in my chest at the smugness in Scott’s voice. “And I know everything, Amber. I know all about your little fling with Gage Devlin.”

  Tears filled my eyes. Deny it, Amber. Deny it. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Scott.”

  “Deny it all you want,” he said, chuckling coldly. “You don’t have to be honest with me, but I know the truth. I have photos here that my PI will leak to the press.”

  “You’re lying,” I said, panicked. “You have nothing.”