“You want me to be honest? I think the idea’s crazy,” Wade says, interrupting my thoughts. “But Drew and Fable have done so much for me over the years. I almost feel like I owe them. I mean, how bad can it be, letting photographers see us together for a few nights in a row? We can hold hands, shoot each other longing looks, and hopefully that’ll end all the Drew-with-the-nanny speculation that’s currently going on.”
“Do you really think it’s going to help?” He frowns at me, and I continue. “Us pretending we’re a couple. I mean, can we make the two of us together seem believable?”
Wade shrugs those impossibly broad shoulders of his. “It can’t hurt to give it a try. Unless you have a problem with spending time with me.”
“I don’t have a problem spending time with you,” I say hurriedly, making him smile.
But I can’t smile in return. My mind is a whirl of emotions. This is crazy. Insane. I shouldn’t agree. I barely know this guy. Truly, I barely know the people asking me to do this either. What if Drew and Fable are a bunch of weird psychos who get their kicks torturing other people just for their amusement?
It could happen. Run with me here.
“So. Are you in?” Wade asks, his deep, rumbly voice breaking through my thoughts.
How have I never noticed just how sexy his voice is before?
“Are you?” I ask with a raised brow.
Another shrug. “Yeah. I think I am.”
“Before I commit, I need to know a few things about you first.” I grab a patio chair and sit down, then wave at him to do the same.
He chooses the one directly across from me, of course. Settling that big body of his into the chair, his thighs spread wide in that typical guy way, he studies me. “What do you want to know?”
“Where are you from?”
“I grew up in Chico. Went to college there too.”
“Ah.” I nod. “Brothers or sisters?”
“None. Only child.” His mouth goes thin. “Single mom.”
Aw. “I’m sure she’s really proud of you and all that you’ve accomplished,” I say softly.
“She is. That’s why I’m working so damn hard to stay on the team. I don’t want to disappoint her.”
“But I thought you were already on the team?” I’m so confused.
“I am, but they can still cut me. If I’m still there after the last preseason game, I’m pretty much in.”
I’m sort of clueless when it comes to sports. I’ve never had an athletic boyfriend before. I was always drawn more to the soulful musician types. The tall, lanky boys who wrote bad poetry and thought they could change the world with a song.
Yeah. Wade Knox is nothing like those types of guys.
“Oh. Well, I’m sure you’ll remain on the team.” I sound confident, but really, I have no clue. “What was your major in college?”
“Finance. I wanted to make sure I knew how to properly manage money and investments, especially if I was going into the NFL.”
Well, I have to admire his drive. He’s planning his future and not just counting on football, which is smart.
“Gotcha,” I say with a nod. Gotcha? Really? I sound ridiculous. “And your best friend is Fable’s brother?”
“Yep. Owen Maguire. He just got drafted by the Broncos.”
My mouth drops open, but then I snap it shut. I somehow forgot Fable told me about her brother, the newly drafted Denver Bronco. Seriously, what is up with all of these football players? It’s downright surreal. “Are you serious?”
“Uh huh. He’s a great player. He’s the one who wanted to get picked up by the Niners so he can stay close to his family.” Guilt crosses his face but it’s gone in an instant. “Instead, I’m the one who’s with the Niners and playing with his brother-in-law.”
He feels bad about that, I can tell. And it’s kind of sweet.
“Is the job interview finished?” Wade asks amusedly.
I smile. “I think so.”
“Am I worthy?”
I tap my index finger against my chin as I watch him. “Still contemplating.”
“Well, while you’re contemplating, it’s my turn to ask you a few questions.” He clears his throat as he leans forward, his hands linked in front of him. He looks very serious, like he really is about to interview me. “Where did you grow up?”
“Texas. Here in California. Everywhere.”
Wade raises a brow. “You traveled a lot?”
“Sort of.” I don’t want to tell him too much. I don’t want the poor little rich girl judgment. Not that I think Wade would be judgey, but I don’t know. People treat you differently when they realize you come from wealth.
“Brothers or sisters?” He’s totally copying my earlier line of questions.
“An older brother. Gabe. My parents are still together, but we think they hate each other.”
“That sucks,” he murmurs with a slight shake of his head. “You’re nineteen, right?”
“Yes.” Unease trickles down my spine. What else could he ask me? I have a few secrets, and I’m not big on revealing them, especially to a stranger. Even Drew and Fable don’t know everything about me. How I ended up with this job is kind of embarrassing.
As in, everyone was doing me a favor.
“Do you go to college?”
I look away from him, my brain scrambling to come up with an excuse. “I’m saving up for college right now. I can’t really afford it.” I meet his gaze once more, trying to appear confident. More like I didn’t go, I lied to my parents that I was, and that lie ruined everything.
And there’s no one else I can blame but myself.
“I understand that. Luckily enough, I got a football scholarship.”
“You must be really good.”
Yet another shrug. “I’m all right.”
He’s so modest too. This guy is almost too good to be true.
“We should do this. We should help them,” I tell him before I chicken out. “We’ve got nothing to lose. How hard can it be?”
“So I guess I passed the test?” He smiles and the sight of it makes my heart race.
He is really too good-looking. I don’t know how I’m going to spend time with him and act like a normal human being. Of course, maybe it’s good that I won’t act normal. I’ll be a starry-eyed dork instead. Maybe that’ll be more convincing.
“Did I pass your test?” I ask him.
The appreciative glow in his eyes as he studies me is obvious. And it makes me warm. “Oh yeah.”
“Okay then.” I take a deep breath and stand, resting my hands on my hips. “Let’s go inside and tell them we’re going to go through with this.”
I seriously cannot believe we’re going to do this.
Wade and I have spent the last week going over stuff, collaborating our stories, making up our newly formed, shared background. Well, more like Fable and I have been putting this stuff together while Drew and Wade are at intensive practices, and then I share the info with Wade via text or when he comes over to the house. For days now Fable and I have been spending time with the kids and creating my make-believe relationship with Wade. In the evening, I talk with Wade, letting him know what we’ve come up with. He just nods and agrees, never protesting, but never offering his opinion either.
I think he’s distracted by practice, by the upcoming game. It’s the last preseason game and he’s playing. Deep down, I think he’s petrified he’ll get kicked off the team. This is the final make-or-break moment for him, and he’s nervous. Edgy. So I do my best to talk to him and soothe his jangled nerves.