Holiday Hoax: A Fake Marriage Billionaire Romance (The Cartwright Family Book 1)
Holiday Hoax: Chapter 13

Nerves skyrocket in my gut. I add a stack of pancakes to a plate and set it in front of Sebastian, along with the homemade sugar-free syrup I figured out how to make.

He glances at it, then back at me with a worried look on his face.

‘It’s safe. Nothing’s going to happen, Sebastian. I promise there’s no sugar in it,’ I repeat.

‘But they’re fluffy,’ he comments, his face scrunched as he stares at the food.

‘Yeah, I know,’ I say with pride.

‘How’s that possible? I’ve tried to make these things before. They never look like this. They’re always dense. And they always taste like crap. These look like real pancakes.’

I pretend to zip my lips and toss the key. ‘My secret. Well, Isabella, Emma, and my secret, right, girls?’

They giggle, then Isabella excitedly orders, ‘Try it, Uncle Sebastian! Try it! They’re really good.’

‘I already ate one too,’ Emma chirps.

He smiles at his nieces. His dimple pops out, and my heart swoons a bit. Sebastian Cartwright is always eye candy, but watching him interact with his family shows me another side of him. And I like who he is around them.

Well, when he’s not getting angry or hurt by what they tell me.

I refocus on the pancakes, and the nervous rumbling in my gut continues to grow. I want him to like them as much as I wanted him to like my cupcakes. But now, knowing Sebastian’s health history and why he is how he is, something makes me really want him to like these. It doesn’t seem fair that he has to worry so much and not enjoy food like the rest of his family does. And maybe he’s a bit overboard, but I can’t blame him for not wanting to risk his health.

Perhaps I shouldn’t be doing anything nice for him after what happened last night. Especially since I woke up with his body wrapped around mine. Against my better judgment, I almost stayed there.

Almost.

But my resolve to not let Sebastian use me won. I quietly snuck out, knowing if I stayed, there was a good chance of something happening when he woke up. It wasn’t easy to turn him down last night, but he made it clear sex doesn’t mean anything to him. The last thing I need is to get caught up in an affair with Sebastian Cartwright, just to get tossed aside. I already know that come January 2nd, he’ll be done with me.

Still, I couldn’t resist attempting to figure out how to make him his favorite breakfast when I heard he loves pancakes but never eats them anymore. It seemed cruel, so I set out on a mission.

Now, it’s the moment of truth.

Sebastian takes his fork and knife in his hands, cuts the stack of pancakes, and pours the syrup over it. Then he takes a bite.

Time stands still as he chews. My chest tightens, and I don’t even realize I’m holding my breath.

He finally looks at me, announcing, ‘These are incredible.’

‘Yay.’ I clap.

The girls jump up and down, shrieking.

I laugh, telling them, ‘We did it.’

‘Seriously, how did you make these?’ Sebastian inquires and shoves more into his mouth.

‘As I said, it’s my secret,’ I chirp, then go back to the counter and start to clean up the mess. The counter’s a disaster zone, and not like when I bake. I usually clean up as I do each step, but Isabella and Emma had a blast helping me. I didn’t want to interrupt their fun.

‘I know the secret,’ Isabella taunts and sits down next to Sebastian.

He leans into her, demanding, ‘Tell me what it is.’

She shakes her head. ‘Nope. Georgia told us we had to take it to our graves.’

‘Are we dying soon?’ Emma asks.

‘No, of course not,’ I say, horrified at the thought.

She giggles. ‘Okay. That’s good. Isabella, let’s go play dolls.’

‘All right.’ Isabella jumps up, and she and Emma run out of the room.

‘Are you going to eat?’ Sebastian asks.

‘I already did,’ I inform him.

‘Did you eat these?’ he asks.

I shake my head. ‘No, I just had some eggs and bacon.’

‘You didn’t try these?’

‘Well, I sampled them while cooking them. So I guess I have had pancakes this morning.’

‘They really are great. Thanks,’ he restates. Zings fill me until they get replaced with nerves. He asks, ‘Where’s your ring?’

I pick the flashy diamond up off the counter. ‘Right here. It’s hard to wear while baking. The diamond’s so big it gets dirty, so I took it off,’ I state, then slide it on my finger.

His face falls at that.

I try to concentrate on cleaning, but I can’t get how wrong the ring is for me off my mind. I need to work better at pretending to love it.

‘Have a seat,’ Sebastian orders when I finish cleaning. He pulls a chair out next to him. Something about his gesture makes my heart pitter-patter. I wish it didn’t, but it does.

I sit down, and he continues to eat while Ruby announces, ‘We need to talk about this wedding. Where are we going to have it?’

‘Yeah, time’s ticking,’ Evelyn adds.

‘What about the country club?’ Ruby asks.

Sebastian groans. ‘That’s so cliche, Mom. Plus, you know I avoid that place like the plague.’

Ava scoffs. ‘I never understood why you don’t like it. I love the country club.’

He snaps, ‘It’s a gossip haven. Even the men’s locker room is, but of course, you would like it.’

‘Hey, be nice,’ Ruby chastises.

My gut dives. I feel bad for Sebastian. He seems to get upset about gossip, and I assume it’s because he’s been the center of it. So I assert, ‘Let’s cross the country club off. It doesn’t feel right.’

He places his palm on my thigh, and tingles race down my spine, right to my core. I challenge myself not to shift on my seat and squeeze my thighs tighter.

His mom suggests, ‘What about the cattle museum?’

I blurt out, ‘You have a cattle museum?’

Sebastian grunts. ‘Yep.’

‘Like a shrine to cattle?’ I tease.

‘Exactly. How ridiculous is that?’ Sebastian answers.

‘Tsk. It’s more for the children to study parts of cattle. You know this, Sebastian,’ Evelyn reprimands.

‘Still stupid,’ he mutters, shrugs, then shoves more pancakes in his mouth.

‘Not really. I think the kids love it,’ Ruby claims.

‘I used to love it,’ Paisley admits.

Willow complains, ‘I hated going there. It’s all bones and cattle parts and … Ugh.’ She makes a face and then adds, ‘There are enough cattle on this ranch.’

‘Agreed,’ Sebastian says, turning toward me.

I exchange an amused glance with him.

He scoots closer and slides his arm around my shoulder.

Everything in me goes hot, making me feel flustered. Flashbacks of last night when he had his body over mine haunt me. I stiffen, scolding myself for wanting to feel that again. I almost pull away from him, but he leans closer.

He whispers, ‘PDA clause. Relax, Sunshine. I’m not going to try to come in you with my family around.’

I gape at him.

Did he just say that in front of his whole family?

No, he whispered it.

Nobody heard.

He’s so dirty.

Why do I like the fact that he talks so filthy?

Arrogance washes over him, and he gives me a challenging look as if he knows I like his perverted remarks.

Am I a pervert?

He kisses me below the ear, then tugs me even closer.

I try to relax and smile at his family. They’re all giving us approving smiles, as if they’re happy I’m in love with Sebastian.

No, no, no! I’m not in love with him.

He’s definitely not in love with me.

He doesn’t even believe in love. My heart dives at the truth.

How can we pretend to do this so well that we’re actually fooling them?

This is so wrong. They’re such nice people.

Paisley snaps her fingers, tearing me out of my guilt trip. ‘The college courtyard. That would be a great place. Georgia, you would love it. It’s beautiful.’

‘You’ll have to make an extra donation to get them to agree, Sebastian,’ Evelyn says.

Willow adds, ‘The Baxters had to pay half a million dollars, and they still had some things wrong with their day.’

‘Well, we don’t want things going wrong,’ Ruby claims.

‘Half a million dollars!’ I exclaim.

Willow shrugs. ‘Yeah, it’s not a big deal, Georgia. Don’t worry about it. That’s cheaper than what Sebastian was going to pay for a lot of his previous weddings.’

Sebastian snarls, ‘Seriously? You’re going to bring those up while I’m planning my wedding with my future wife?’

She cringes, offering, ‘Sorry.’

I put my hand over Sebastian’s, squeeze it, and interject, ‘That doesn’t sound like a very good place. Let’s skip that one.’

Ava exclaims, ‘Oh my gosh! The Spiegel mansion! It’s so amazing, especially at Christmas. You’ll love it, Georgia.’

‘Plus, it has that huge ballroom,’ Ruby points out.

Sebastian shakes his head and closes his eyes. His body stiffens.

‘What’s wrong?’ I quietly ask.

He locks his blues on mine, questioning, ‘I thought you wanted simple.’

‘I do.’

‘Does simple include a thousand guests?’

My mouth hangs open. I finally mutter, ‘A thousand? Are you serious?’

His face hardens. ‘Yeah. That’s what it’ll be like. Is that what you want?’

‘No!’ I declare, the thought of that many people making my stomach flip.

Relief washes over him. ‘Then the Spiegel mansion’s not right. Just trust me on this.’

‘I trust you,’ I say, without even thinking about it.

Do I trust him?

No, I definitely don’t trust him.

But a part of me does.

He turns toward his family and asserts, ‘We aren’t inviting a ton of guests. It’s going to be family and some close friends only.’

‘That’ll be hard to whittle down. People will get offended,’ Ruby frets.

‘Too bad. Blame it on me. Other options,’ Sebastian orders.

My heart swoons. Something about Sebastian’s don’t-argue-with-me tone always makes me weak-kneed.

Tension fills the air.

‘When will your family be arriving?’ Ruby questions.

‘Ummm…’ I swallow hard and blink back the unexpected grief I wish I didn’t feel.

Sebastian tugs me closer to him. ‘Georgia’s family has all passed. It’s just us.’

Just us, as if I’m one of them.

I’m not. Don’t forget it.

Sympathetic smiles flash at me.

I shift in my seat, and Sebastian orders, ‘What are the other options?’

Silence fills the kitchen.

Willow slaps the table. ‘I’ve got it. The Hideaway Resort & Spa. Plus, we can spend all day getting ready with massages and detox baths.’

Paisley informs us, ‘That’s a no-go. They are booked solid until after the New Year. I couldn’t even get a fifteen-minute hot towel service.’

‘Hot towel service?’ Sebastian inquires.

‘They put a hot towel over your face. It’s infused with really nice-smelling oils,’ she answers.

‘Sounds like a waste of money to me,’ he states.

She rolls her eyes. ‘You would think that. Anyway, I even offered to pay extra, but they said there isn’t any possibility.’

‘Maybe you didn’t offer enough. Sebastian, you’ll just have to offer a huge sum of money that they can’t say no to,’ Willow asserts.

All their talk about overpaying for things makes me uncomfortable.

I ask, ‘Is there anywhere we can go where Sebastian doesn’t have to whip out his checkbook and break the bank?’

All their eyes widen, and amusement fills their faces.

Evelyn chastises Sebastian, ‘Have you not told your wife that you aren’t just rich, you’re wealthy?’

What’s the difference?

I must be super naive.

Sebastian scrubs his face, groaning. ‘Evelyn, can you shut up?’

I state, ‘I don’t want Sebastian wasting his money just because he has it.’

His sisters all exchange another humorous glance.

Did I say something wrong?

This is so out of my comfort zone.

I’m not used to these sums of money they’re talking about, nor am I used to wasting it. I’m not a cheapskate, but I don’t see the point in tossing money out for nothing.

Ruby suggests, ‘What about the Lakeside Plaza?’

‘You’ll have the gorgeous sunset,’ Paisley claims.

Evelyn shakes her head, revealing, ‘There’s an issue with the chemicals.’

‘Chemicals? What chemicals?’ I question.

She answers, ‘They add chemicals so the water looks turquoise. It’s really, really pretty, but something’s not right. I was there a few weeks ago for the Smith wedding. Green algae was growing on the surface of the water and it had this horrible stench. Trust me. It’s not what you want on your big day.’

‘We’re running out of options,’ Ruby agonizes.

Several minutes pass until Ava suggests, ‘The Rustic Reserve. Georgia, it’s beautiful.’

‘I’ve never heard of it,’ I admit.

‘It’s acres and acres of farmland and hay. The oil wells are no longer working, so it’s more for events.’

Evelyn interjects, ‘The Reserve doesn’t do weddings during the holidays. They make too much from the lights.’

‘If Georgia wants it there, Sebastian needs to go negotiate. It should be what she wants,’ Ava stresses.

‘No. I don’t want him overpaying for something,’ I insist again.

‘But it’s perfect,’ Paisley whines.

‘You’d love it,’ Willow adds.

‘You seriously don’t need to worry about the money,’ Evelyn claims.

‘I don’t want Sebastian…’ Suddenly, the idea comes to me. I inquire, ‘Why can’t we just have it here on the ranch?’

Everyone exchanges glances.

Sebastian states, ‘I think that’s a great idea.’

‘You do?’

He nods. ‘Yeah, actually, it’s perfect.’

Ruby excitedly claims, ‘I’ve always wanted a wedding here.’

Paisley notes, ‘Sebastian, do you remember when you were engaged to Molly, and you wanted your wedding here? She was appalled by the idea.’

‘She’s such a snob, especially when she grew up here,’ Evelyn remarks.

Sebastian shoots them dirty looks, asking, ‘Can you two shut up, please?’

‘Whatever.’ Paisley smirks.

Evelyn rolls her eyes, muttering, ‘Always so sensitive.’

Sebastian rises and then leans over me. My heart beats faster, and my pulse creeps up. His intoxicating signature scent flares around me, making me slightly dizzy. He pins his blues to mine and questions, ‘Is that what you want? To get married here?’

My insides quiver as tingles move faster through my cells. I nod. ‘Yes. That sounds perfect.’

Satisfaction washes over his expression. He gives me a chaste kiss, smiles, and offers, ‘Well, whatever you want, you can have, Sunshine. I’ll show you the spot I think you’ll like, later this afternoon.’ He winks, lingering a bit and keeping his intense gaze on mine.

Paisley clears her throat really loudly, pulling us out of our heated stare.

Sebastian stands straight, announcing, ‘I’ll leave the rest of it to you ladies. I better go help my brothers.’

He refocuses on me, drags his eyes over my body, then licks his lips.

My insides turn to lava, ready to boil over.

Right when I think I can’t take his gaze anymore, he squeezes my shoulder and leaves.

Oh my gosh.

How does he do that?

Does he know what he’s doing to me?

Of course he does. He does it on purpose.

His sisters and mom go into more details about the wedding and pull up pictures of decorations and other wedding ideas on the internet.

I barely hear them, having a hard time thinking about anything but Sebastian. I agree to things I don’t even care about but that seem important to them. And the longer it goes on, the more nervous I become.

This is happening.

Six days and I’ll be Mrs. Sebastian Cartwright.

Not even for a month, I remind myself, and I’m surprised by the disappointment filling me. It mixes with excitement, which I also reprimand myself for.

No matter how much I tell myself this isn’t real, I can’t help but feel like it is. I’m doing everything I can to not get swept up in it, but I don’t think anything’s ever been harder for me. Plus, I have to appear excited. After all, I am the bride, fake or real.

It’s not real.

Ava slings her arm around me and confesses, ‘You’re the type of girl I always saw Sebastian with.’

I furrow my eyebrows. ‘What do you mean?’ I quietly ask, unsure if it’s a compliment or if I should be insulted.

She smiles. ‘Don’t worry, I meant it in a good way.’

I exhale in relief.

She continues, ‘You’re real. Plus, I can tell you love my brother. And he loves you differently than those horrible women he was with before.’

I open my mouth, but nothing comes out.

Evelyn interjects, ‘What Ava is trying to tell you is that Sebastian always brought home the wrong women. He finally picked the right one. And we’re thrilled you’re joining our family.’

I blink hard, fighting so many feelings I wish I could make disappear, including the guilt and shame of what Sebastian and I are doing.

This is wrong. The Cartwrights are everything I could ever hope for in a family. They’ve welcomed me with open arms. I always assumed whoever I married would have a family that would be as kind as they are, so I already know it’ll be hard to leave them behind. But we’re also lying to them.

Ruby pulls me out of my thoughts, declaring, ‘There’s one more thing that we have to take care of, and we’re going to have to do it first thing tomorrow.’

‘What’s that?’ I ask.

She smiles brightly. ‘We’ve got to go wedding dress shopping.’