Page 19 of Single Dad’s Fake Bride (Billionaire Baby Daddies #7)

HARRISON

T he phone rang at eleven fifty-seven, three minutes before my scheduled lunch break. I'd been reviewing enrollment projections with Mrs. Fletcher, the school secretary who'd been patient enough to walk me through decades of institutional knowledge I was scrambling to absorb.

"Harrison Vale," I answered, gesturing for Mrs. Fletcher to stay seated. We weren't finished discussing the spring fundraising calendar.

"Theodore Blackwood here." The executor's voice carried the clipped authority I'd grown to dread. "We need to talk. The board has issued new requirements regarding your engagement announcement."

I set down my pen and focused completely on the call. "What kind of requirements?"

"They're demanding documentation within seven days. A copy of the marriage license, formal identification of the bride, verification of her background and current employment status."

My chest tightened. "The will doesn't specify?—"

"The will specifies a legitimate marriage.

The board has the right to investigate whether you're attempting to circumvent the spirit of those terms." Theodore's tone remained professional, but I caught the warning underneath.

"They're prepared to challenge the inheritance if they suspect fraud or manipulation. "

Mrs. Fletcher looked up from the fundraising materials, her expression concerned. I turned toward the window, lowering my voice.

"How much time do I have?"

"Seven days for preliminary documentation.

If they're satisfied with what you provide, the marriage must still occur within the original timeline.

" Blackwood paused. "Harrison, I feel obligated to tell you—the board is actively looking for reasons to disqualify you. They're not going to make this easy."

I thanked him and hung up, staring at the phone for a moment before turning back to Mrs. Fletcher.

"Bad news?" she asked.

"Complicated news." I rubbed my temples, feeling the familiar tension headache building. "Where were we with the spring auction planning?"

She gave me a look that suggested she knew I was deflecting, but she opened her folder again. "Parent volunteers. We'll need at least twelve committee chairs, and historically, the Vale family has provided significant auction items."

The mention of family made my stomach clench.

I'd been learning the administrative side of running Hawthorne for three weeks now, working alongside Mrs. Fletcher and the other senior staff members who'd kept the school functioning during the transition.

It was harder than I'd expected—not the work itself, but the constant awareness that I was risking everything on a gamble that might not pay off.

My previous employer had made it clear that my project management position wouldn't be held indefinitely.

I had maybe another month before they hired my replacement permanently.

If the board succeeded in blocking my inheritance, I'd be unemployed, Eloise would lose her place at Hawthorne, and I'd have destroyed my stable life for nothing.

The office door rattled under sharp knocking, then opened without waiting for permission. Margot strode in wearing her trademark black suit and an expression that promised trouble.

"We need to talk," she announced, not bothering to acknowledge Mrs. Fletcher.

"I'm in a meeting," I said evenly.

"No, you're pretending to play headmaster while this whole family falls apart." Margot's voice rose as she spoke. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

Mrs. Fletcher gathered her papers discreetly. "I'll come back later, Mr. Vale."

"Thank you," I said, waiting until she'd closed the door behind her before turning back to my sister. "What do you want, Margot?"

"I want to know who she is." Margot moved closer to my desk, and I couldn't stop picturing her long, manicured fingernails as talons like the way animators portrayed evil women in children's cartoons.

"This mysterious fiancée of yours. Because I've asked around, Harrison, and nobody has any idea who you're supposedly marrying. "

"My personal life isn't your concern."

"Your personal life becomes my concern when it affects the family name." She leaned forward, palms flat on my desk. "Do you understand what people are saying? They think you're desperate enough to marry anyone willing to sign a contract. They're calling it pathetic."

I kept my voice level despite the anger building in my chest. "People can think whatever they want."

"This is our father's legacy you're playing games with." Margot's face flushed red. "Hawthorne Academy isn't some toy you can use to prove a point. It's a hundred-year-old institution that deserves better than your reckless experimentation."

"I'm not experimenting. I'm learning."

"You're failing." She straightened up, smoothing her jacket with sharp movements.

"You have no idea what you're doing, no understanding of educational leadership, no respect for the traditions that made this place special.

And now you're going to tie yourself to some nobody just so you can play hero. "

The word "nobody" hit me wrong. I stood up slowly, using the movement to control my temper.

"Be very careful how you finish that thought," I said quietly.

"Or what? You'll defend your convenient bride's honor?" Margot laughed, but it sounded bitter. "This is exactly the kind of impulsive decision-making that proves you shouldn't be here. You're going to regret this, Harrison. Both the marriage and thinking you can run this school."

The door buzzer interrupted before I could respond. I glanced at the security monitor and saw Sadie standing in the hallway, holding two coffee cups and checking her watch. We'd planned to have lunch together, a normal part of our carefully constructed public relationship.

"Expecting someone?" Margot asked, following my gaze to the screen.

I pressed the button to unlock the door. "My fiancée."

Sadie stepped into the office with a smile that faltered when she saw Margot. She wore a navy blue dress that brought out her eyes, her hair pulled back in the neat bun she favored during school hours. She looked professional and competent and completely unprepared for my sister's scrutiny.

"I brought coffee," Sadie said, lifting the cups slightly. "But I can come back if you're busy."

"Not busy," I said, moving toward her. "Just finishing a conversation."

Margot turned to face Sadie fully, and I watched my sister's expression shift into the cold assessment she used in boardrooms. She took in Sadie's simple dress, her minimal jewelry, her obvious uncertainty about walking into a tense situation.

"So you're the mystery woman," Margot said. "How convenient that you happened to fall in love with Harrison right when he needed a wife."

Sadie's posture straightened. "Excuse me?"

"My sister was just leaving," I said, stepping between them.

"I wasn't finished talking." Margot's voice carried the authority she'd inherited from our father. "I want to know what Harrison is paying you for this charade."

"Margot." The warning in my voice was clear.

"It's a reasonable question," she continued, ignoring me completely. "How much is my brother offering you to pretend to love him? Because that's what this is, isn't it? A business arrangement disguised as romance."

Sadie set the coffee cups on the nearest table and faced Margot directly. "I don't know what kind of relationship you have with your brother, but it doesn't give you the right to insult either of us."

"I'm trying to protect him from making the biggest mistake of his life." Margot crossed her arms coolly while she pursed her lips.

"By attacking someone you've never met?"

Margot's eyes narrowed. "I know enough. You've no reason to be interested in Harrison except for what he can give you."

"That's enough," I said, but Sadie held up a hand to stop me.

"You're right," she said calmly. "I don't have family money or social connections. But I also don't need your approval to marry Harrison, and I don't owe you explanations about our relationship."

Margot stared at her for a moment, clearly surprised by the pushback. Then she turned back to me.

"This is what you're choosing? This is worth destroying our family over?" She flailed her arms out wildly and I almost snorted in laughter.

"This family destroyed itself long before I got engaged," I said. "You and Caroline made sure of that when you decided to contest the will."

"We're trying to save the school from your incompetence."

"You're trying to take control of something that was never meant to be yours."

Margot's face went white with rage. She grabbed her purse from where she'd dropped it near the door and headed for the exit.

"You're going to regret this," she said without turning around. "Both of you."

The door slammed behind her, leaving Sadie and me alone in the suddenly quiet office.

I could feel my hands shaking, the familiar anxiety spiral beginning to build in my chest. The confrontation, the board's demands, the pressure of learning to run a school while my entire future hung in the balance—it all crashed together at once.

"Harrison?" Sadie's voice sounded distant. "Are you okay?"

I tried to answer, but my throat felt tight. The coffee cups sat forgotten on the table. Margot's words echoed in my head—reckless, selfish, going to regret this. Maybe she was right. Maybe I was dragging Sadie into a disaster that would hurt everyone involved.

"I can't—" I started, then stopped. My chest felt constricted, like I couldn't get enough air.

Sadie moved closer, her expression concerned. "Hey. Look at me."

I tried to focus on her face, but the anxiety was building too fast. My hands trembled as I reached for one of the coffee cups, needing something to do with the nervous energy.

"Harrison," Sadie said again, and then suddenly, she was right in front of me, her hands on my shoulders.

Before I could process what was happening, she rose up on her toes and kissed me.

The kiss was soft and unexpected, lasting maybe three seconds before we both jerked apart. Sadie's face went red immediately, her eyes wide with shock at her own actions.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I just—you looked like you were about to have a panic attack, and I thought?—"

"It's okay." My voice came out a little shaky, but the anxiety spiral had stopped completely, replaced by something entirely different. "We're engaged. People expect that kind of thing."

"Right." She stepped back, wrapping her arms around herself. "Of course. It was just… for show."

"Just for show," I agreed, though neither of us sounded convinced.

We stood there for a moment, the air between us charged with something neither of us wanted to name. Sadie's lips were still slightly parted, and I could smell her perfume, something light and floral that I was beginning to associate with safety.

"I should get back to class," she said finally, backing toward the door. "The coffee is probably getting cold."

"Sadie—"

"I'll see you later," she said, already turning the handle. "At home. I mean, at your house. For dinner. With Eloise."

She was gone before I could say anything else, leaving me alone in the office with two cups of cooling coffee and the lingering scent of her perfume.

I pressed my fingers to my lips, still stunned by the kiss and the realization that she'd made the first move. My chest felt light for the first time in weeks, despite everything else falling apart around us.