Pretend for Me (9 page)

“I think I need more practice.”

Andy chuckled. The backs of his finger stroked her
cheek. Biting her lip she stared up into his eyes. What was he thinking?

“I’m more than willing to give you more practice.”

What did his words mean?

Before she got chance to ask the sound of her father
clearing his throat interrupted them. “If you’re quite finished making a
spectacle of yourself on my front lawn, your room is ready for you.”

She felt her cheeks blaze with embarrassment. Her
whole family had been watching them make out.

“He’s gone,” Andy said, stroking her cheek.

“Thank God. I don’t think I can face him.”

“You were kissed by your boyfriend, Sara. Don’t panic
about it.”

“How did you handle the interrogation?” she asked,
taking the bag that held her laptop.

He shrugged. “They think I’m after your money.”

She cursed. “I’m so sorry.” Sara saw Dylan watching
them from the doorway.

“Don’t be. They have no idea that I only found out
about the money today.”

“None of the money is mine. I just happened to be born
with it. I find it more of a burden than a relief. All my brothers think the
men in my life want me for my money—”

“What about Dylan? They don’t appear to have an issue
with him.” He interrupted her. She glanced behind her to see her ex still standing
in the doorway.

Closing her eyes in annoyance she turned back to Andy
before opening them again. “He’s got money.” She fiddled with her hands.

“He’s loaded like you and your family, right?”

“It doesn’t mean anything.”

Andy cupped her cheek and tilted her head back. “I
don’t care about the money. I never have and never will. I’m happy with what
I’ve got, and I don’t need more to make me happy.”

“I know.” His touch meant everything to her. The way
his finger stroked her skin where he touched made it hard for her to breathe
around the excitement.

“He wants you back.”

She shook her head in denial.

“No, listen to me. He wants you back. He’s already
tried to bribe me and has mentioned bribing your other men to get what he
wants. I need to make sure you don’t want anything to do with him.”

“I don’t.” Her anger grew at the audacity of her ex.
How dare he try to manipulate Andy?

“Good.”

They began moving toward the door.
“And,
Sara.”
She stopped to look at him. “That kiss wasn’t for their benefit.”

He moved past her through the door leaving her
shocked. The kiss had been fantastic. The best kiss of her life. She needed to
make notes on how it felt to finally have him kiss her. Running up to the house
she led the way to her bedroom on the third floor.

“Where will I be sleeping?” he asked.

“Mom hasn’t told me where you’ll be sleeping, so I
figure you get to stay with me,” she said. She dropped her bag filled with her
work on the bed and rummaged around for her tatty notebook.

“Actually, Mr. Green, your room is right across the
hall there. I won’t have any funny business going on in my house,” Harmony
said.

Sara rolled her eyes and glared at her mother.
“Mom, seriously?
I’m not a teenager anymore. You’ve got to
stop.”

“I don’t care, Sara. This is my house.”

“Certainly, Mrs.
Carroll.
Please, call me Andy.” He left Sara’s bags on the
floor then went to his own room.

“You’re being
mean
on
purpose.” Sara opened her notebook. Grabbing the first pen she found, she started
writing notes.

“No, your father wouldn’t like that
going
on with his daughter.”

“But he’ll allow his sons? I can’t believe you’re
forcing him into a different room. I bet Bethany and Danny
are
sharing a room.”

Her mother sat next to her on the bed. “They’re going
to get married, Sara. They can share a room. I don’t see an engagement ring on
your finger.”

Huffing, she finished writing down her notes on the
feel of Andy’s tongue plunging into her mouth and how it felt to be possessed
by him. He’d surpassed all of her expectations in that department.

“Are you writing another book?” Harmony asked.

“The writing never stops.” Sara closed her book then
placed it back in her bag.

Her mother reached out and stroked her hair. “You may
not know it, but we’re so proud of you.”

“I know Dad doesn’t want me writing.”

“So? Your father didn’t want me to call Danny by his
name. He wanted me to call him Daniel. Sometimes, people, including parents,
need to learn they don’t always get what they want.”
 
Harmony grabbed the brush from the side of
the bed.

“Mom, I’m not a kid anymore.”

“Sara, you’re never too young to have your hair
brushed. You’re my youngest daughter, and you’ll settle your mother’s nerves
before we go downstairs.” Harmony stood behind her and began brushing the
length of her hair.

She saw her bedroom door was closed.

“I see the writing makes you happy.”

“It does. I know you hate to hear it, but moving away
was the best decision I ever made. I’m happy, and being with Andy makes me
happy.”

Silence met her answer.

“I want to know the truth about this boy, Sara.”

“Mom, he’s not a boy.” She let out a sigh. “What truth
are you hoping to find, and why are you constantly saying my name?” she asked.
Her lips still tingled from his kiss.

“Is it real, or are you just making an excuse not to
be partnered up with Dylan?”

Sara let out a sigh. Their relationship
was
pretend even though she wished Andy was
really hers.

“I like him, Mom. He’s been very good to me, and
what’s between us is real.”

Harmony grabbed her shoulders and gave them a
reassuring squeeze. “That’s all I need to hear. You’re the baby of the family,
Sara. I know you hate it, but it’s the truth. Your brothers, sister, and your
father and I, are going to make sure you’re protected. Don’t be late for
dinner.”

“Mom,” Sara said before her mother left.

“What, honey?”

“Don’t push him away. He means a lot to me. Please,
talk to Dad. I don’t want to lose him.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

Her mother kissed her head before disappearing out of
her room. The door to her room was left open. Running her fingers through her
hair, she tried her hardest to gather her thoughts. Being the youngest in the
family was a burden.

Andy stood in the doorway with his arms folded.

“I thought you’d have gone downstairs,” she said,
picking up her case and putting it on her desk. Sara pulled out her laptop
getting everything set up.

“You looked like you needed to talk.” He walked in
closing the door behind him. She sighed and sat on the end of her bed.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Being here doesn’t
feel right. My family is so protective of me. I shouldn’t have included you in
this. It was a favor I should have never asked for.” She leaned against his
shoulder feeling the weight of the world on hers.

Andy held her close as she let the consequences of
what she’d done unfold in her mind.

“We’re good friends. You’re family are protective of
you, and I can see why. You trust easily, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere
else right now than with you.”

She ran a hand over her face wishing she could voice
her feelings properly. Being a romance writer didn’t make her perfect with her
words.

The sound of laughter from downstairs put a stop to anything
she would have said.

Chapter Eight

Andy followed her downstairs. The morning had passed
without any more exciting events. There was a barbeque scheduled for the
afternoon, and it looked like the women were going to be trekking into town for
some dress fitting. For the first time in his life Andy wanted to join the
women shopping. He hated shopping and only went with Sara when he had to.

He stood in the doorway watching as Sara was being
escorted farther and farther away from him. She looked at him with the apology
in her eyes that she couldn’t voice with her lips. Shaking his head, he made to
follow her only to be stopped by Danny.

“You’re not joining the women, are you? We’re going to
have a beer and get the grill set up.” Danny’s hand rested on his shoulder.

“I’m sure the two lovebirds can be prized apart,”
Martin said.

Sara ran up the steps and threw her arms around him.
He held her close not wanting her to let go. She kissed his lips. The kiss
threw him completely off guard. “I’ll be back soon,” she said, breaking away
from his lips. “Ignore them, no matter what they say.”

He watched her climb into the back of the car and pull
out of the driveway.

“They’ll be gone for a good few hours. It gives us men
time to catch up and do what needs to be done,” Jake said.

Following behind the men, Andy couldn’t help but feel
out of place. Sara was nothing like her family. Would he feel this way if he
didn’t have feelings for Sara?

Martin stood at the barbeque while Danny and James
were handling the table with the food. He stood by Martin and handed him the
coals.

“So, Andy, tell us about your folks,” Martin said.

“There’s not much to tell.”

“Everyone has stories to tell, son.”

Licking his lips he saw all of the men working but knew
they were probably listening to the conversation. “My parents are dead. They
had me later on in life.”

 
“Sorry to hear
that. They were good though? Married?”

He chuckled. “Yeah, they were married straight out of
high-school. My father said he couldn’t bear the thought of my mother loving
another man. He did the only thing he could do and that was to put a ring on
her finger.” Andy smiled remembering the loving warmth of his family.

“I know that feeling all too well.” Martin tapped him
on the shoulder. “Go and get us the meat out of the fridge.”

He left the men to grab the raw meat. A piece of paper
caught his eye on the counter.

When Sara had said they were overprotective she hadn’t
been kidding. There on the kitchen counter was a check made out to him for an exorbitant
amount of money. He didn’t even bother picking the piece of paper up. Did Sara
have any idea what her family put the men through?

They were so going to have a laugh over this in the
next few months.

Carrying the meat out, he placed it in the cool box away
from the sunlight.

He saw Danny go back inside. Through the window he
watched as the older brother picked up the check.

Whistling he walked down the steps to the edge of the
garden. He saw a waterfall and took time to admire it. Several pairs of hands
were in cement molds. Leaning down he saw Sara’s name on one of them.

“The kids wanted this feature. Sara was the youngest,”
Martin said, standing beside him.

“Her hands are so tiny.”

“She was six when they did them. Wow, over twenty
years ago. I can still remember her running about this lawn. Her red hair
trailed behind her. She refused to get it cut.”

Andy listened to Martin talk as he looked at the
handprints. Thinking about a tiny red haired Sara with her fiery spirit put a
smile on his face. He knew her children would be the same. His thoughts brought
him up short.
Children?

“You left this on the counter,” Martin said.

The older man presented him with the check he’d seen
on the counter.

“I didn’t leave it, sir.”

“Why? Every other man has left her alone,” Martin
asked.

“You’ve got the wrong idea about me. I’m not here for
Sara’s money. I’m here for her. You can keep offering me money, but I won’t
take it. I’m not like most men.”

He brushed past the man and made his way back to his
room. Sara really hadn’t been kidding about her family. If this is what every
date had to look forward to then he wasn’t surprised by her single status. For
a Friday afternoon he’d been bribed and challenged not to mention the kiss he’d
shared with Sara.

Running his fingers through his hair he tried to put
the feel of her out of his mind. He couldn’t do it. That kiss had opened
something inside him that he couldn’t simply shut off just because he wanted
to.

His feelings for her were growing.

The sound of his cell phone ringing filled the
silence. He saw Travis’s name on the caller ID.

“Hi,” he said when he clicked the accept call button.

“I thought I’d find out how dated bliss was.”