The Faker: A Marriage of Convenience Hockey Romance (Boston Hawks Hockey) by Gina Azzi (ink ebook reader .TXT) 📗

I slip my hand in my pocket.

“You nervous?” Easton asks.

“No. I just, I’m ready.”

“To get married?” Skepticism is still heavy in Panda’s voice. For years, Panda, Easton, and I were the Hawks who shut down clubs and got lost inside of women whose names we couldn’t recall the next morning. Then, Easton went to rehab and started dating Claire. Now, I’m getting married. By the confusion in Panda’s tone, I can tell he’s trying to keep up with the sudden changes and figure out who the hell is going to wingman him now.

I turn toward him but James, the other Hawks defenseman and one of my oldest friends, says, “When you know, you know. And when that happens, you don’t want to waste one more second without your woman tucked under your arm.”

I shoot him a grateful smile, happy he decided to come today. James’s wife passed about a year ago and I can’t imagine how difficult it is for him to attend weddings and recall his own trip down the aisle. I was nothing short of grateful when he walked into Easton’s Beacon Hill brownstone with a grin on his face, dressed in a sharp suit, holding a flower box with a boutonniere inside.

“Okay, boys,” Noah announces. “It’s time for us to head to City Hall. Let’s get Big Daddy hitched!”

Easton whistles loudly, James claps, and even Panda grins at me.

Emotions I’m unprepared for wash over me. I remind myself that this isn’t real, that Rielle isn’t my forever woman, that today is a means to an end.

But as I follow my friends out to the parking lot, I can’t ignore the excitement that thrums in my veins, the expectation that hums in my temples, or the happiness that grips my heart.

Today, I marry Rielle Carter.

8

Rielle

My wedding dress is stunning. It’s exquisite. It’s exactly what I would have chosen if I was marrying for love, for real, and by the tears in Claire’s eyes, she knows it too.

“You look breathtaking, Rielle,” Indy whispers, tucking some flowers into my hair.

The stylists have all left, the penthouse is in disarray, and Claire and I polished off a bottle of champagne. Right now, it’s just the three of us, and the last year with all of its ups and downs, laughter and tears, triumphs and failures, slams into me as I meet their eyes in the reflection of the mirror. My friendships with these two women have been the one constant I counted on for the past year.

Now, today, I’ll be adding Torsten to that number. For two years, at least.

My stomach sours when I think of our expiration date.

“What’s wrong?” Claire frowns.

I shake my head, shake away the thoughts that don’t matter because today is my wedding day. “Nothing.” My hands smooth over my hair one last time. It’s been curled into big waves that cascade over my shoulders. The front pieces have been pulled back and blue hydrangeas hold it all together.

“Something blue,” Indy explains when my fingers delicately trace a petal.

I smile. “Do you guys think this is too much?” I tilt my head, studying my curve-hugging dress. The top is all lace, with capped sleeves and scalloped edges that dip low in the front. A huge lace band binds my waist before fanning out into delicate tulle that falls straight to the floor. I lift the skirt to peek at my heels, incredible Manolo Blahnik white satin pumps with a peep toe. A wedding gift from my besties.

Indy shakes her head as Claire nods. We all burst out laughing.

“It’s definitely too much for City Hall,” Claire explains, waving her arms up and down the length of my body. “You’re going to draw a lot of attention and turn a lot of heads. Just the way we like it!”

I laugh, nodding in agreement.

“But,” Indy adds, “we still thought it would be fun to go all out and have a real wedding day.”

“It is,” I agree, turning toward her. “Everything happened so quickly with Torsten, so unexpectedly. I can’t believe the team flies to Tampa tomorrow.” I shrug. “It’s kind of nice to get caught up in it all. The past year has been hell for me and this all seems like a too-good-to-be-true dream.”

“But you’re okay with it?” Claire asks, her blue eyes assessing as they search mine. “Because I know you feel like you have to do this but you really don’t.”

Indy wrings her hands. “Claire and I were talking and—”

I shake my head, cutting her off. “I love you both, very much, for looking out for me the way you have. It means more to me than you will ever know just that you would offer to bail me out financially. But I’ve seen more friendships and relationships ruined by money than anything else.”

Indy frowns. She knows very little about my family, and Claire, only a tiny bit more. But there once was a time when Dad and Jerry Jensen were like brothers, their relationship thicker than blood. Until a deal went wrong, fortunes were lost, and their friendship was destroyed. I didn’t know any of these details when I accepted Jerry’s offer to help me with college. Up until that point, he’d been like an uncle to me. Sure, things seemed a little strained when Dad and Jerry were in the same room but I figured it was because of a stressful deal they were working on. Not because they carried blame and contempt for each other. Once I accepted the loan, Jerry hiked up the interest rate to ensure a Carter would be forever in his debt. In a way, he burned my last bridge home. But today is my wedding day and there’s no room for Dad or Jerry in my thoughts.

“I made a deal with Torsten, and I’m going to stick to it. Besides”—I give a little twirl, my dress flaring perfectly—“if this is how it’s kicking off, with all this glamour