Page 57 of Fake It For Him

An idle thought about seeing it on my bedroom—or kitchen—floor later skated through my mind, but I shut it down fast. This was not the time or the place to be walking around with a tent in my pants, and that was definitely going to happen if I thought about Ella out of that dress.

“Thanks, Mom,” I said, turning my attention back to my still smiling mother. “We’re going to go find our seats before dinner is served and the speeches begin,”

Mom inclined her head and gracefully lifted her hand to point at one of the tables. “You’re right over there. Make sure you get some drinks as well. Dad brought out only the best whiskey and he imported some incredible wines from France and Franschhoek in South Africa. Try them while you can. I plan on keeping them all to myself after the party.” She grinned at Ella. “I’m willing to share with you, though, dear. Go ahead. Have fun.”

Something warm invaded my chest at the sight of the interaction between them. Mom was so welcoming and friendly to Ella that I didn’t feel as much like a pariah as I had these last few years.

After we found our seats, I let go of her hand and straightened up. “Sit tight. I’ll go grab us some drinks. Do you want some of that wine my mom mentioned, or something else?”

“I’m having the wine,” she said immediately. “I’ve never tasted any from South Africa, but I’ve heard it’s amazing. A water too, please. Unless you want to be carrying me out of here later.”

I chuckled. “I’ll carry you any time, but I’ll bring the water. Anything else?”

She smiled and shook her head. “That’s about it for now.”

“I’ll see you soon.” For some reason, I bent over and pressed a soft kiss to her mouth. It wasn’t necessary to sell our relationship, but I did it anyway. Just because I wanted to.

Ella seemed surprised at first, freezing for a moment before she pushed her fingers into the hair at the back of my head and kissed me back. I groaned softly, pulling away before things got too heated. “I’ll be back.”

She smiled. “I know.”

A little hot and bothered, I headed over to the bar, hoping the few minutes I’d have alone would cool me down. My physical attraction to Ella wasn’t fading now that we’d been together a few times. In fact, it only seemed to be getting more intense.

Before I could ponder it too much, I saw Finlay with a beautiful blonde at the bar and it felt like someone dumped a bucket of ice over my head. Well, at least I don’t have to worry about cooling down anymore.

My brother’s eyes narrowed and he even tucked the woman behind him a little. I approached, trying to be the bigger man and act like the guy who deserved to have a girl like Ella as my date. I held out my hand to my brother. “Finlay.”

He didn’t take it, simply shaking his head as he dismissed me from his gaze.

The blonde frowned. “Finn? Who’s this?”

“Calan,” I answered for him, not even extending my hand toward her. If he wouldn’t shake it, he sure as hell wouldn’t want her to. “I’m his brother.”

Finn pulled her in close, like he was trying to protect her, and snapped at me. “Keep your hands and eyes to yourself, asshole.”

He took her hand and led her away from the bar, heading to the one in the parlor instead. I quietly seethed. Holy hell. That really wasn’t necessary.

I got that he was still pissed off, but acting like he needed to protect her was taking things a step too far. What did he think I was going to do? Throw her over my shoulder like some caveman and fuck her against the wall?

Blood simmering, I turned to the bartender when he came up. “I’ll have four shots of tequila, an Isle of Reid 25, and a glass of whatever South African wine you’ve got. Red. Oh, and a bottle of water.”

The man nodded and poured the shots first. I tossed them down one after the other, hoping they’d take the edge off after that exchange with Finn.

My father appeared at my side just as I was setting the last shot glass down. He made a show of looking over all four of the little glasses, then let out a sigh. “Don’t get messy, Calan. Tonight is important to your sister.”

“Yeah, I know.” I brushed him off, picked up the rest of our drinks, and carried them back to the table.

As I sat down, Ella smiled at me like she meant it and was genuinely happy to see me. Even after four shots of tequila, that smile was what finally worked to lure me away from the edge. Who gives a shit what Finn thinks? I didn’t come here for his girl. I’ve already got one of my own.

I still didn’t like the way he’d acted, but I dragged in a deep breath and wrapped my arm around Ella’s shoulders as I settled back in my chair. Not on edge anymore but also wondering just when he was going to stop pretending that I was the worst guy in the whole damn world.

30

ELLA

While family members and friends made beautiful, touching toasts to the couple, I realized Calan was off. He was definitely in a mood.

As people talked, he kept making comments about the speeches and the people in the room. If it wasn’t, “Who the hell are you, anyway?” or “Would it have killed you to write a decent speech?”, it was “You’re not fooling anyone. You’re not her friend. You’re a bitch who’s only stuck around because of her money.”