Dirk mutters a curse under his breath.
For once, the two of us are on the same page, because those are my sentiments exactly.
Dirk stalks off. I stand still for a minute.
What do I do now? I sort of want to walk out on Collin, but this fake marriage is also saving me from Nelson. And it’s not Collin’s fault I got caught up in my feelings. Well, it’s a little his fault.
Collin catches my eye. He smiles, and it looks so genuine. A dull ache ripples through my heart. I want to believe that itisgenuine. I want to trust Collin and dismiss his dad’s comments as lies. But what if there’s some truth in them? What if I’m setting myself up to get cut down by another man?
I take a deep breath. I try to shake the thought off. I need to bottle up my feelings and get back to a place where I’m usingCollin as my own means to an end. That’s what I wanted. It’s what’s best for me. A fake marriage will buy me some time where Nelson is concerned.
Collin grabs for my hand, and I let him take it as the judge pushes open the door and beckons us inside.
“Are we ready?” she asks, coming to stand in front of her chair.
Collin and I take our spots.
He must see some of my uncertainty in my expression, because he frowns. “You okay?”
“Fine.” I glance away. “We’re ready,” I say to the judge.
She starts to talk, going over how the ceremony will proceed, but I’m not processing any of it. All I can think is that I’m about to get married. To a man whom I have real feelings for.
But now I’m not so sure I want those feelings.
30
Fake Married
Collin
Noli is freaking out. I can tell. First of all, her breathing is about as steady as Cynthia’s was when she was seconds away from birthing baby Henry. Second of all, her skin has gone from its usual glowy bronze color to pasty white. She’s the exact color of her wedding dress.
The judge has her back to us and is flipping through her binder, making sure she has her script ready. We’re actually doing this.
That is, if my bride doesn’t pass out first.
I reach for both her hands and turn her so she’s facing me. Fortunately, our families have fallen back and taken their places in the chairs a good ten feet away.
“Noli,” I whisper.
“Hmm?” She blinks, not meeting my eye.
“What’s going on?”
She gulps and shakes her head. “Nothing. I’m fine. It’s fine.”
“Look at me.” I use my most even, in-control voice, and her gaze snaps to mine. I smile down at her. “I’m excited to marry you.”
The blue of her eyes turns stormy, and I’m so confused. I thought we were on the same page.
“What did my dad want?” I ask. When she doesn’t respond, I add, “We don’t have to do this.”
“I said it’s fine.” Her voice has a rough edge.
O-kay.
“Okay. Shall we begin?” The judge turns to us with a smile.
