“But you see, we’re not—”
Gray picked up my hand and casually kissed my fingertips. I couldn’t have been more confused. He leaned forward and whispered in my ear, “Please play along.” He sat back and smiled. “Age is just a number, right?”
Rowan took up a folder from his desk and fanned himself. “Who gives a damn about age when you have this much chemistry? So, how did you two meet?”
I nudged Gray in the side. He wanted to pretend, then let him come up with the answers. “Go ahead,sweetheart. Please tell him how we met.”
“But you tell the story so much better, sugar pie.”
Sugar pie? Oh shit. Why did I think I could win at whatever game he was playing?
“You sure you want me to tell the story?” I raised my brow, challenging him.
“Uh, umm, we met through one of my sons,” Gray said.
Well, if that wasn’t the truth.
“Ah, best friend’s dad. How lovely. So tell me about your plans. Have you selected a venue yet, and how many people are we talking?”
“So originally I wanted a beach wedding, but since I’ve seen the ranch, I think it’ll be romantic…”
I delved into the plans I’d come up with for the wedding while Gray held my hand and, for some unfathomable reason, acted like a loving fiancé. He rubbed his thumb against my knuckles, which distracted me to no end. If Rowan heard me stutter, he pretended he didn’t notice. His playful manner aside, once we started talking business, he listened in a professional manner.
I chatted about the color palette, guest list, the type of flowers, centerpieces, and the rustic theme that would fit in beautifully with the ranch. I went on about the food, the music, and even described my outfit choice.
“You’d like to get married in a wedding dress?” Rowan crowed with delight. “I loooooove it. I always say that femme and fabulous is a plus, and I can see you rocking a wedding dress.”
My face flamed, and I kept my head still, though I wanted to peek at Gray to see his reaction. I’d gotten so into the discussion that I’d slipped and told him my fantasy attire instead of the real one. The wedding dress wasn’t for the entire ceremony. Just for walking down the aisle. I always loved seeing a bride glide down the aisle, wearing a fabulous white dress, and I wanted that. But for the reception, I would change into a tux.
“I-I-I-”
“I think you’ll look amazing in a dress, sweetheart,” Gray said. He rubbed my nails between his fingertips. “What about your nails? They’d look lovely, similar in style to Rowan’s. What do you think, Rowan? Doesn’t my love have the most beautiful hands?”
Me? Beautiful hands? Was he making fun of me because of what I’d said about the dress? I tried to tug my hand away, but he held on to me tightly.
“I didn’t mean it about the dress,” I said. “No need to make fun of me wearing nails.” No matter how much I liked them. When Carter wasn’t around, I wore press-on ones, so they were easy to remove, and he would never know.
“Well, I’m serious about both,” Gray said. “You heard what Rowan said. You’d look lovely wearing a dress, and I mean that.”
I braved looking at him. Despite the whole ruse of him pretending we were engaged, he seemed serious. His gaze was soft and warm.
“You’re a lucky guy to have someone like Gray who accepts your desires, Ozzie,” Rowan said. “If you want to wear a dress, I say wear a dress. Life’s too short to live uncomfortably in someone else’s skin. The only life you can live is yours.”
I nodded, too stunned at the turn of the conversation to say anything.
“What do you think of the plans?” Gray asked Rowan.
“I must admit Ozzie has definitely done his research, and he knows his stuff. I don’t see why he shouldn’t be able to pull this off. Would I advise it? Definitely not, but take a shot at it, and I’m always here if you decide to let someone else handle it for you.”
“Thank you. It means so much to me to hear you say that.”
“And I mean every word of it too.” He rose, and Gray did as well. “I’ll send you an invoice and even give you a discount for being my first client.”
Gray reached out a hand and helped me to my feet. I couldn’t shake his hand off without it looking suspicious after I went along with his lie, so I stopped resisting. Rowan walked us to the front door.
“I’m new to town and don’t know many people yet. Thank you for my first session. Even if you aren’t using my service, I hope we can be friends.” He winked at me. “And for my sake, I hope that there are more studly men in this town, like your Gray.”
“Of course.” I flashed him a smile. Oh boy, how would he feel when he found out we had lied to him? Better to set this nonsense straight now. “Actually, Rowan, there’s something—”
