Page 21 of Pretend Wife (Angels of the Secret Order #4)

SIXTEEN

Danielle

Hayden

My finger hovered over the collection of pictures. A part of me couldn’t wait to see them, but another part was hesitant.

Ever since we’d gotten back from the Blakes’ beach house, things had been… weird. Okay, they hadn’t been weird at all. They’d been totally normal and frustratingly lonely. I missed Hayden, or at least the part he’d played while we were staying with his family.

Now that we didn’t have an audience, the doting-husband side of him had dissolved like smoke. Even now I wasn’t sure if he was texting me because he cared or if it was a show for Allison and Maggie. I could never figure out what he was really thinking.

“Danielle?” Maggie asked. “You okay? ”

I forced a smile. “I’m fine. Just unreasonably nervous about seeing the wedding pictures.”

Maggie’s face lit up. “You have pictures?”

It took maybe three whole seconds for her and Allison to press in on either side of me, their eyes glued to the screen of my phone.

“Why are you nervous?” Maggie asked. “I highly doubt it’s possible you looked anything less than stunning.”

“It’s not that. I’m just…” I wasn’t sure how to explain my fears. I wasn’t even sure what I was afraid of seeing exactly.

“Do you want us to give you some privacy?” Allison asked gently. I knew they would too, even though I could see their excitement sparkling in their eyes and weaving through their auras in bright bursts of orange.

“No. I just need to rip the Band-Aid off.”

I tapped the attachment, and the first picture filled the screen. It was of the two of us standing in front of the sanctuary window. Hayden stood behind me, his arms wrapped around my waist. We were both smiling at the camera, looking happy but also formal.

I swiped through a bunch more pictures—us holding hands at the altar, sliding rings on each other’s fingers, our tiny and uneven wedding party—before coming to a sudden halt.

The picture on my screen was of us facing each other.

Hayden’s hands were on my hips, and there was an air of possession in the way he held me.

But that wasn’t what made my breath catch.

It was the way we stared at each other, like the rest of the world didn’t matter.

Like it could burst into flames around us and we wouldn’t notice.

“Holy shit,” Maggie breathed in my ear.

“What?” I asked, unable to tear my gaze away from the image.

“He really loves you.”

She was wrong. Hayden had made it clear he didn’t love me nine months ago when he replaced me like it was easy. But he’d certainly perfected the look I’d seen Nate give Sierra and Sam give Piper. The one that said they’d burn the world if that’s what it took to keep their wives safe.

“Of course he loves her,” Allison said. “You were at the same beach house as I was last weekend, right?”

My chest ached at her words. It was all a show, one that had ended as soon as we’d returned to Boston.

With shaky fingers, I moved on to the next photo.

It was a solo picture of me. My hands were resting on the windowsill behind me, the snowy grounds creating a lovely backdrop.

The pose showcased the dress, which I still considered my best work, beautifully.

There was a faint blush to my cheeks, and my eyes glimmered like I had a secret.

I remembered taking this one—the way I could feel Hayden’s eyes burning into me and his comment that he wished he’d be taking the dress off me that night.

“You look so beautiful,” Allison said with a wistful note. “I wish I could have seen it in real life.”

“I’m sorry we didn’t invite you.”

“It’s okay,” Maggie said. “We get it. I’ll never let him live it down, but I understand why he wanted something small and private.”

I glanced over at her. “You do?”

“We all grew up in the spotlight. Money has a way of making complete strangers care about every little thing that happens to you. I walked away when I married Scott, told Dad I didn’t want a penny, and the world quickly forgot about me.

But Hayden’s the heir, and according to everyone who isn’t his sibling, he’s handsome too.

Everyone’s always cared what he was doing.

The only way he was going to get any privacy for his wedding was to keep it a secret. ”

“Oh.” I had blamed our small wedding solely on it being fake, but maybe that wasn’t the only reason Hayden hadn’t invited his family.

We scrolled through the rest of the photos, staring at every immortalized moment of the wedding. It was strange seeing it from the outside. It all looked so real. It was a bit like watching someone else’s life instead of my own.

After Maggie and Allison had oohed and aahed over every picture, I sent Hayden a quick thank-you and tucked my phone back into my purse, promising myself that I was going to enjoy the rest of my afternoon without thinking about my fake husband and how all this was ending in less than nine months.

I was woken up Monday morning by the sound of my phone ringing. My heart sped up at the sight of Sam’s name on the screen. Sam was less averse to using a phone than Nate, but he still didn’t usually call just to chat.

“Hey, is everything okay?” I asked.

“You tell me. What the fuck were you doing with Hayden Blake last night, wearing a wedding ring?”

Last night Hayden had taken me out to dinner for Valentine’s Day. And I’d obviously underestimated how fast news traveled if my brother had already heard about it.

“I fail to see how that is any of your business,” I said calmly.

“Tell me you didn’t get married.”

“You want me to lie to you?”

“Dammit, Danielle. Does Micah know?”

“I didn’t want to bother Micah. It’s temporary and on paper only. We’ll go back to our own lives in the fall.”

“I don’t trust him.”

“Why? Sierra’s been working with him for years. He’s friends with Piper’s brother. It’s not like he’s a stranger.”

I moved into the empty kitchen, propping the phone between my ear and shoulder while I made myself tea.

“He’s high-profile. People are going to be watching every move you make.”

“So what? Are you worried I’m going to accidentally tell the world I’m an angel? Give me some credit. I’ve managed to keep that secret from Hayden, and I’ve been living with him for weeks.”

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

“You’re living with him,” Sam said finally.

“Yes. That’s what married people generally do. ”

“And you didn’t think that was something you should have told us about?”

“No, I didn’t. You are not my father, Sam. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, but I’m not a child and it’s not your job to take care of me.”

There was another heavy pause before Sam said, “If he hurts you, he’s dead.”

I didn’t even get a chance to respond to that before he hung up.

The next call came in the afternoon.

“Are you also calling to complain that I dared to make a decision for myself without asking your permission?” I asked, not bothering with hellos.

“Is he blackmailing you?” Nate asked, ignoring my comment.

I was honestly a little insulted. “You actually think a human could blackmail me?” A grand prince of Hell on the other hand…

“Just answer the question.”

“No, he’s not blackmailing me.”

“You’ll let me know if I need to threaten him with bodily harm, right?”

“I think that’s his job now. He’s the one who’s my husband.”

“Is it real?”

I stared down at the rings on my finger. There were moments when it felt real, but feelings weren’t facts. “No. I’m just helping him out with something.”

“You got an escape plan?”

“Yeah. You don’t have to worry. ”

“Well, tell me if anything changes. The offer to remind him why he should fear God still stands.”

“Thanks.” I was only half being sarcastic. A part of me really did appreciate the offer. It showed that he cared, and knowing my brother had my back was actually pretty comforting. And also made me feel incredibly guilty.

I didn’t deserve my brothers’ loyalty. Not after the deal I’d made with Beelzebub two years ago.

I was getting ready for my night shift at the hospital when my phone buzzed on my nightstand. After my conversations with Sam and Nate earlier, I was kind of expecting my sisters-in-law to reach out.

But it wasn’t Sierra or Piper. Chills ran down my back and my limbs locked at the name on my screen.

Z

Are the rumors true?

I stared at the message for so long the screen went black. I hadn’t heard from him since Hayden had finished recovering from the car accident. Despite the deal we had, he hadn’t asked me to heal anyone since. Could he really be referring to the same rumors that had my brothers calling me today?

The phone lit up again with another message.

Z

I’ll find out either way, but it’ll go better for everyone involved if you answer my question.

With shaky fingers, I typed back.

Me

Which rumors?

Z

Are you or are you not married to Hayden Blake?

I am.

And how much does your dear husband know about you, little angel?

I didn’t tell him that I’m an angel. He doesn’t know anything about that part of my life.

Good. Now you’re going to leave him.

No.

I didn’t think before hitting Send. I couldn’t leave Hayden, not just because of Miles and the inheritance but because I couldn’t stand the idea of letting Hayden down. Even if he’d let me down once upon a time.

Z

No?

Me

I’m not leaving.

You’re not in a position to be making those kinds of claims. Keep your celestial agenda away from the Blake family. Or should I pay your brothers a visit?

I don’t have an agenda. He asked me to marry him temporarily for business reasons, and I said yes. I haven’t told him anything about angels or demons. I haven’t broken our deal.

Yet.

But I was becoming more and more sure that I would.

For whatever reason, Beelzebub had an interest in Hayden and likely the entire Blake family.

Eventually the house of cards I’d been building since that day in the emergency room was going to fall.

And when it did, I was going to lose Hayden and my family and possibly my halo or life.

The only thing I could really hope for now was a way to minimize the damage to everyone else when that house did collapse.

My being the only one who got buried was as close to a win as I was going to get.

My phone buzzed again.

Z

I don’t offer second chances. You screw up, even by accident, and you’ll be visiting your nieces and nephew in Hell.