One Hot Fake: An Accidental Fake Marriage Romance by Sarah Brooks (free novel reading sites .TXT) 📗

“Congratulations,” Eric calls from his desk. “I heard the good news.”

“Are there no secrets around here?” I ask, but I’m smiling.

I must be the luckiest woman in the whole world. I’m married to the most awesome man, and I’m pregnant with his baby. What more could a woman wish for?

I reply to a few more emails, and I manage to clear my inbox. When Declan arrives, I’m ready and standing outside enjoying the warmth of the sun. I spot Declan’s car a mile away and his smile as soon as I can make out his face through the windscreen.

We must look like two idiots grinning at each other. Declan brings the car to a stop, and I hurry to the passenger side and enter. Declan immediately cups my face and kisses me noisily on the mouth. His manly scent is stronger today, and I make appreciative noises as his spicy, woodsy scent wafts up my nose. Then Declan does the sweetest thing. He snaps open his seatbelt and bends to kiss my stomach, clothes and all.

“Hello, little one,” he says to my stomach. “Your parents can’t wait to meet you, but no rush, take care in there and know that you’re already loved.”

Tears gush out of my eyes. What’s wrong with me? Every little thing today is making me burst into tears.

“Happy tears?” Declan asks as he wipes away my tears with the back of his hand.

“Yes,” I tell him, my voice shaky. “I can’t believe that it’s finally happened.”

“I know, me neither,” Declan says. “I’m going to be a dad,” he shouts, and I laugh.

“People will think you’re crazy,” I tell him happily.

“I don’t care,” Declan says before he coasts the car onto the road.

“Where are we going?” I ask when I notice that we’re headed towards Santa Monica.

“Only the best beachside restaurant,” Declan says.

“Awesome,” I say and settle back into my seat. I muse over how much I’ve changed in the last few months. If you had told me to take off for the day without planning for it, I would have said not. From the space that I’m standing in now, I can look back and see how empty my life had been. It had been all about work and nothing else. Declan came into my life to rescue me from myself. To bring life and love and now, a baby. I’m so happy that for a moment, fear creeps in. Is it possible to feel this happy?

“If you had a choice,” Declan says, cutting into my thoughts. “What would you prefer, a boy or a girl?”

I look at Declan, and the answer comes to me. “I want a little boy who looks just like you,” I tell him.

“That’s funny,” he says. “Because I want a little girl with gorgeous emerald green eyes, rosy skin, and a perfect face.”

I blush. “Thank you.” Declan knows the right things to say to make me feel six feet tall.

I remember my visit with the attorney. With the excitement of the baby, I almost forgot to update him. He listens intently as I break it down for him.

“So, in other words, we have to wait for him to make a move, right?” Declan asks.

“Yes,” I tell him with a sigh. “Let’s not talk about Leonard on such an important day.”

We talk about work, but our conversation meanders back to the baby in my tummy. I’m sure he’s pea-sized, but his size doesn’t matter. He’s still my baby.

“I can smell the ocean,” I say and realize that my sense of smell has grown sharper in the last couple of weeks.

“I hear that pregnant women can smell a fart, miles away, is that true?” Declan says with a straight face.

“That’s gross and beneath you,” I tell him with mock seriousness.

He laughs and reaches across to pinch my nose.

Declan parks the car in his regular parking space behind the Pizza shop. I step out into the warmth of the sun and inhale the scent of seaweed and sand. I follow Declan to the shop’s front entrance and marvel at the vibrant colors of people walking by. People in Santa Monica wear the brightest, most colorful, and prettiest clothes.

“I’ll just pop in for a moment,” he says.

“Sure, no problem,” I say like a woman who doesn’t have a wedding planning business to run.

I exchange greetings with a few of the workers and follow Declan to his office at the back. He gets behind his desk and grabs a document, which he proceeds to sign.

I walk around his office, taking in little touches that could only be Declan. Like the framed pictures on the wall. One is of Ace and his family, which doesn’t surprise me, and the other is of Declan standing with his parents. What strikes me about the last picture is the loving look caught by the camera between Declan and his mother.

I fold my arms across my chest as I stare at it. He’s a man who adores his parents, especially his mother. My mind meanders to the only time we met. We didn’t hit it off, and I didn’t make an effort afterward.

Guilt floods me as I remember how friendly and accommodating Declan has been with my mom and Josh. There and then, I decided to try my damnedest to become friendly with Mrs. Carter.

Maybe she and I could have lunch together. I feel a lot better after I make that decision.

“We can go now,” Declan says, standing up.

He stands behind me and slips his hands around my waist. Heat sizzles over my skin as he kisses my neck softly. “Have I told you I love how you smell?”

“Yes,” I murmur.

His hands slide up to cup my breasts. I arch my chest, inviting him to caress me and rub my ass against his erection. Declan grunts. He flicks his fingers over the taut peaks of my breasts pressing against my blouse.

My breathing goes shallow, and my legs turn to rubber.