Page 99 of The Fake Husband Deal

“Oh yes, you can. There are no ceremonies in this house. We’re all family here.”

“Oh, go on then.”

Noah and I exchanged a smile as he knocked his knee against mine.

Mom and Noah’s parents found some common ground in the shortage of daughters in the family. For a moment, I thought Adam would speak up and mention Victoria. After all, she would officially be part of the family soon, but he remained silent.

Noah’s grandmother, who only joined in the conversation in small bursts, turned to my mom. “Mathilda, what do you think of these two getting married? We didn’t even know they were dating. I may be too old for the modern world, but that isn’t normal.”

Mom stiffened a little. She’d been around us a little longer than Noah’s parents, so I understood their reluctance to understand or accept our marriage.

“Mãe, it’s not the day to ask these questions,” Carla said.

Mom waved her off and smiled, “I think you’re right, Jacinta. I was quite upset when I found out. I get more upset now because I’ve come to know Noah quite well and love him like myown son. I wish I’d had the chance to be there for their special day.”

Noah grabbed my hand under the table. I squeezed it to reassure him we were good.

“Can we not talk about this? It happened, and there’s nothing we can do about it,” Noah said.

“You could get married again,” Lex said. “Or renew your vows or whatever people do when they’re already married.”

“Or you could shut up,” Noah threw a piece of bread at his brother.

“Noah. Behave.” Carla said. “Now, who wants chocolate mousse for dessert?”

“Me!” Noah, Lex, Adam, and River said at the same time.

By the time we finished dessert, there was nothing left.

Carla couldn’t have looked more pleased at the justified success of her meal.

I knew Mom would come out of her shell eventually, and it happened during coffee when Carla shared her homemade cookies. The sign of acceptance made her open up, and before I knew it, the women were sharing stories.

“Hey, why don’t you show me your room?” I whispered in Noah’s ear.

“Because my parents say I’m not allowed to have boys in there,” he whispered.

“Noah, why don’t you show Lior your school trophies?” Carla asked. “Did you know he was great at sports? Well, maybe not soccer. He never liked playing sports that involved his feet. We always wondered if he’d ever pick one and go professional, but he just couldn’t make up his mind.”

I grabbed his hand. “It sounds like we’ve just got permission.”

Noah took me upstairs, and as soon as the door closed behind us, he pushed me against the wall and fused his mouth to mine.

“Hmm, you taste like chocolate mousse and coffee,” he said.

“I thought I was here to see your trophies.”

“You’ve seen my biggest trophy already. The others don’t compare.”

I took him to the bed and had him straddle me. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d made out with another boy in their childhood bedroom. I must have been seventeen at the time. When I went to college, I engaged in a mix of hookups and more serious relationships.

“If we stay here any longer, you’re going to have to give me your jersey so everyone knows I belong to you,” I teased.

He took my hand and rolled my wedding ring around my finger. “This is what tells people you’re mine.”

We made out a little longer. It was becoming harder to tell when we were acting about our relationship. It was even harder to tell if Noah felt the same as I did or if he was just a very good actor.

When Lex suggested we remarry to have a party with the family, I didn’t recoil or feel like I was being pushed against a wall. The opposite, actually.