We work in companionable silence, Colt following my directions without complaint. It strikes me how natural this feels, him in my space, helping me pack for our life together. Even if it is temporary.
"Two weeks," he says suddenly, folding a sweater with surprising care. "We're getting married in two weeks."
"Cold feet already?" I try to make it sound like a joke, but genuine worry slips through.
"Never." He meets my eyes. "Just making it real in my head. In two weeks, you'll be Savannah Reeves."
The name sends an unexpected jolt through me. Savannah Reeves. It sounds right in ways I can't explain.
"Just on paper," I remind us both. "Just for six months."
He nods, returning to his folding. "Right. Six months."
The doubt creeps in then, quiet but insistent. After last night, after the way he looked at me this morning, after the ease with which we fit into each other's lives. Can we really walk away when the six months are up?
What if this fake relationship starts feeling more real than any "real" one I've had before?
What if I don't want to let go when the time comes?
I push the thoughts away, focusing on the task at hand. One day at a time. That's all we can manage right now. One day of pretending until pretending becomes something else entirely.
Something I'm not ready to name, but can feel taking root inside me with every passing hour.
CHAPTER EIGHT
COLT
TWO WEEKS LATER
"Hold still," Jax orders, reaching to straighten my tie for the fourth time. "You look like you're about to bolt."
"I'm fine." I bat his hands away, pacing the small antechamber of the courthouse. "Just want to get this over with."
Ridge snorts from his position against the wall. "Great attitude for your wedding day, brother."
"It's not a real wedding," I remind them both, though the words taste false on my tongue. "Just a business arrangement."
"Right." Jax exchanges a knowing look with Ridge. "That's why you wrote actual vows instead of using the standard courthouse script."
I ignore him, checking my watch again. Five minutes until the simple ceremony begins. Two weeks since Savannah moved into my house. Two weeks of waking up with her in my arms, cooking breakfast together, falling into bed each night like we can't get enough of each other.
Two weeks of trying to remember this isn't real, even as it begins feeling more real than anything I've experienced before.
"You okay?" Ridge asks, uncharacteristically perceptive. "You've been off all morning."
"Savannah's been acting strange," I admit, keeping my voice low though we're alone. "Last few days, something's wrong, but she won't tell me what."
"Cold feet, maybe?" Jax suggests. "This is happening fast, even for a fake relationship."
"It's not cold feet." I'm certain of this. "It's something else. She gets this look sometimes. Like she's about to say something important, then changes her mind."
My brothers exchange another glance, some silent communication passing between them that I can't decipher.
"What?" I demand.
"Nothing." Jax claps my shoulder. "Just never seen you this worked up over a woman before."
Because I've never felt this way before. The thought ambushes me, undeniable in its truth. What started as a practical arrangement has morphed into something else entirely. Something that makes my chest tight when she smiles at me across the kitchen. Something that wakes me early just to watch her sleep.
