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CHAPTER EIGHT

Carter

“Uncle Carter, look at Darling!”

Hallie holds up the pig she won an argument with Olivia about naming. He’s officially Darling Maxwell Stanton now.

Just a few months ago my house was empty other than me. Today, it’s full of people. There’s a pink two-tier cake in my dining room, my wife-to-be is getting ready in my bedroom and I have a pet pig wearing a tuxedo.

“What the hell, man?” Bash speaks out of the corner of his mouth, his smile still in place. “We need to alk-tay right ow-nay.”

I roll my eyes at his pig latin. My teammates were understandably shocked when I announced after practice yesterday that I was getting married today. I told them Suki and I had a secret whirlwind courtship. Knowing how opposed I am to even being in a relationship, Bash is convinced I’m being framed or something.

“Carter, the photographer needs you.” Suki’s friend Dex, our volunteer wedding planner, is a dead ringer for the actor Tom Holland. “She wants some photos of just you and then just you and the girls.”

I hold back a shitty comment about hating photos, nodding instead. Suki’s friends are taking this wedding way too seriously. In the back of my mind, I’m wondering if she might have a thing for me that they know about. If they think there’s any chance we’ll actually fall for each other, they couldn’t be more wrong.

I hate everything about this. The stuffy tux, the fussing...the damned bills. This rush wedding for show is costing me a mint. I’m also missing the Penn State football game.

The one thing I don’t hate is how happy the girls are. I’ve never seen them as excited as they were when Suki and I told them we were getting married. Olivia was confused at first. Since she’s old enough to see that we have no chemistry and never spend time alone together. But even she’s on board now, looking older than her age in her pale-pink dress, her hair styled in waves around her shoulders.

She latched onto Suki’s friends immediately--especially Mara. Olivia and Hallie were deadlocked in a fight about the pig’s name. I told them when we brought him home that he belonged equally to all three of them even though Olivia picked him out. Charlotte suggested we name him Bacon but didn’t care when everyone dismissed the idea.

It was Mara who told Olivia it would be cool for her to let the youngest sister name their pet, and Olivia immediately agreed.

“Hey.” Bash grabs my arm as I start to walk away.

I turn and look at him. “I’m good, man. I swear. I’m the one who asked her to marry me.”

“Yeah, but there’s legal stuff, and--”

He’s worried I don’t have a prenup. Little does he know the amount of back-and-forth between Dex and Michelle over the contract Suki and I signed spelling out the terms of this union.

“It’s taken care of. I promise.”

He shakes his head. “You’re insane. But don’t say I didn’t try to talk some sense into you.”

“I have to go get pictures done.”

I walk away, knowing he’s right. This is insane. But Chad has me backed into a corner, and this could be my only hope of keeping custody of the girls. Aunt Rosie is coming this weekend, when I have a rare Friday and Saturday night off, to stay with the girls so Suki and I can have a quick “honeymoon.”

That’ll be awkward as fuck, but I guess we should complete the charade.

The photographer poses me and the girls in front of the fireplace, the pig squealing in Charlotte’s arms like he’s being tortured.

“Charlotte, ditch the pig,” I say.

“No, he’s part of our family.”

The photographer snaps a photo I’ll definitely look pissed off in. We only have around a dozen guests and all of them are staring at us right now.

“Do you want me to hold him?” Leo offers.

“No,” Hallie answers. “I’ll take him. He loves me. He’s my darling.”

I swear the pig has put on five pounds already, and we just got him a few days ago. With her little hands, she can barely hold him. She wraps her arms around his midsection, his squeals getting louder as his legs hang down.

“Give me the damn pig,” I say wearily.

She passes him to me and I cradle him, trying to smile as the pig snorts and roots its nose around on my face. Bash and Leo are standing near the photographer, both taking their own photos. Fuckers.

Dex claps his hands. “Okay, we’ll have to finish up photos later. It’s time to move into our positions for the ceremony.”

My blood pressure ticks upward as I go to the small X Dex made for me with painter’s tape. My living room is large, but it still feels like a tight fit for a dozen guests, me, Bash and Leo, the girls, the pig and the flower arch thing.

I tug on the collar of my dress shirt. At least Bash and Leo are standing up here with me, both of them in suits because there wasn’t enough time for them to get fitted for tuxes.

I go to so many charity dinners that I own a tux. Fortunately, it still fits well even though I’ve been stepping up my arm and shoulder workouts this season.

My dress shoes feel tight and I’m sweating. The string quartet Dex hired starts up and I square my shoulders. I have to make it look like I actually want to be here right now, even though I wanted to exchange vows at the courthouse and be done with it.

Our handful of guests stand as Suki walks down the stairs. Once she turns the corner, I get my first look at her since yesterday. She’s on her friend Harry’s arm, her expression a perfect mixture of nervous and serene.

I, on the other hand, turn anything but serene, like a switch was just flipped inside me. She’s wearing a long, sleeveless, off-white dress with pearls sewn into the bodice and skirt in intricate, swirling designs. It hugs every one of her curves I’ve never paid attention to until this moment.

She’s not just beautiful--she’s stunning. Her hair is styled simply in a thick knot at her neck, a delicate tiara atop her head. Though her everyday look is very little makeup, today she looks like she belongs in a fashion magazine, the green in her eyes highlighted by her dramatic eye makeup.

My pulse is pounding like it does in anticipation of a high-stakes game. This isn’t real, but it’s still fucking with my head. That’s my future wife walking toward me.

Harry smiles at me when they reach the end of their short walk. Suki passes Mara her small bouquet of flowers and I catch a glimpse of the back of her dress, which is open all the way to the top of her waist. Fuck me, even her back is sexy.

She reaches for me and I take her much smaller hands in mine.

Our officiant starts the ceremony and I hear his words, but they don’t really sink in. I can’t look at or think about anything but Suki right now. She’s glowing. I feel an urge to reach over and cup the back of her bare neck and pull her closer.

That’s crazy. I’m just caught up in the moment. I have to stay focused.

Dex wrote our short, to-the-point vows. I look into her eyes as I recite mine, the depth of promising to love and honor one woman forever hitting me even though I’m not really doing it.

I’m not made that way. My dad broke his promises to my mom and I saw what it did to her. I won’t do that to anyone, ever.

Suki does her vows perfectly, even promising to love and be there for the girls forever. I feel her sincerity. We talked about things alone last night and she asked for my promise that even when we end this fake marriage, she can still have a close relationship with the girls.

My sister’s death was a brutal twist of fate. I’m so damn lucky the nanny agency happened to send me someone who genuinely cares about my nieces.

Surprisingly, Charlotte is the only one of the girls who gets emotional during the ceremony. She wipes a tear from the corner of her eye and the gravity of all this sets in.

I’m not a bachelor anymore. I can’t fuck around with women I meet on the road and party with my single teammates. Even though Suki and I won’t be together forever, the girls and I will. I’m as close as I’ll ever get to being a dad--to three girls. Boys, I can handle, but girls?

As they grow into adolescence without their mom around, the roller coaster ride we’re all on will probably get more intense.

Bash pokes me as the officiant says, “You may kiss your bride,” while giving me a look that conveys it’s not the first time he’s said it.

I put my game face on, grinning at Suki as I gently cup her cheek and lean in to kiss her. Her lips are soft and she tastes like mint. I put my free hand on her hip and squeeze gently, eliciting a little moan from her.

Damn. Is she inexperienced? Or just nervous? I like the way she lets me lead, her eyes wide when I pull back slightly. In another time and place, I’d want to do more than just kiss her right now.

“Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. and Mrs. Carter Stanton,” the officiant announces proudly.

Everyone claps. Well, everyone besides Darling, who’s squealing bloody murder.

Coach Turner held him for the ceremony, and he’s eager to get rid of him. Once he’s back on the ground, Darling waddles over to the girls, his nose to the ground.

Bash hugs Suki and smiles broadly at her. “I don’t know what you see in him, but welcome to the family.”

She glances at me and smiles. “Thank you.”

The photographer takes more photos of me and Suki, and then a bunch more of us with the girls. It’s going to be weird seeing these photos later, with Suki and I giving each other tender looks even though we hardly know each other.

I feel a stab of guilt every time someone congratulates us. Suki seems genuinely happy. Her friends are thrilled. What if she’s catching feelings? If she falls for me, she’s going to end up heartbroken. If there’s anything I can do to prevent that, I will.

“Hey, can we talk alone?” I ask her.

She furrows her brow. “Right now?”

“Right now.”

Leo laughs from nearby and comes over to her, putting an arm around her shoulders. “Don’t worry, he just wants to consummate this thing. Won’t take him more than a minute, minute and a half tops, from what I’ve heard.”

I scowl, not in the mood for his antics. Suki excuses herself and follows me upstairs to my bedroom. Once we’re inside with the door closed behind us, I tear off the annoying as fuck bow tie and unbutton the top button on my shirt.

Able to breathe again, I sit down on the edge of the bed, unsure how to approach this conversation.

“So how are you feeling?” I ask tentatively.

She sighs softly, sitting down on the leather chair in the corner. “Glad the hard part’s behind us. What about you? You seem extra broody.”

I bristle. “I’m not broody.”

“You’re literally brooding right this second.”

“How am I brooding?”

“Your expression, your tone...it’s a whole vibe, and the vibe is broody.”

Dammit. I just signed up to have a woman giving me her commentary about me all the time.

I decide to just be straight with her. “Okay, look. You seemed really happy during the ceremony and I just want to make sure we’re still on the same page.”

She hikes up her brows. “The same page?”

“I’m not going to fall in love with you.”

Her immediate laugh is full-throated and it lasts longer than it should. I seethe inside over her amusement at what I just said.

“Don’t worry about that,” she finally says, wiping a corner of her eye.

I sit up straight, unbuttoning a cuff of my shirt. “I’m trying to be a good guy, Suki. I don’t want you to end up...hurt and disappointed.”

She huffs out a single note of unamused laughter. “Thanks, but I’d rather walk naked down on the side of a busy highway than be in another relationship. I’m doing this for the girls and the money. Full stop.”

“You don’t have to be so dramatic. I’m not that bad.”

“It’s not about you. I know you aren’t used to hearing that.”

I keep my cool as I unbutton my other cuff and roll up the sleeve of my shirt. “I just wanted to be a clear communicator. Your friends are all really happy for you and I thought you might be having some feelings.”

Another laugh. Honestly, I’m offended by the laughing at this point. “Oh, I’m having some feelings, all right. But not like you’re thinking. And my friends are happy for me because of the money. They know this is all fake and they’re just playing their parts.”

“You told them?”

She wrinkles her nose, confused. “Yeah, I had to. They wouldn’t have believed I was marrying you because I just wanted to.”

I stand up, a muscle in my jaw ticcing with annoyance. “I’m done with this conversation. I’m going back downstairs.”

“Okay, I’ll be down soon. I’m going to change out of this dress. I don’t want to get food on it because I’m planning to sell it.”

I guess that’s that. I’ll admit to some brooding as I leave the room. Apparently, my flicker of attraction toward her was a one-sided thing. It’s for the best. This fake marriage is going to be complicated enough without feelings for each other in the mix.