Description
I finally have the family I want. Except it’s fake.
I have two kids from my recently deceased sister, a dead end job, and an eviction notice. I need a way out and a fresh start.
Along comes Lucille.
She’s got a problem. Her dad’s will says that she needs to be in a stable relationship by Easter or she loses out on her massive inheritance. She asks me to be her fake girlfriend.
This woman must be crazy. But I’m crazy about her.
We have an age gap but she’s so gorgeous the she could have anyone. And did I mention she’s loaded?
Now though, we’re lying to everyone, telling them we’re happy and in love. It’d be great except her cousin seems very suspicious and will stop at nothing to get to the bottom of her secret. Against it all, we manage to develop real feelings for each other.
Will our love pass the test?
Or will it all end up being a big fake?
Author’s Note: This romance contains steamy scenes.
One
Sara
T he rising sun filters in through the mesh drapes that hang across the window. I twist around, burying my face in the pillow and allow one long groan to escape up my throat. It should be illegal to feel this tired.
Rolling off the bed, I trudge down the short hallway to the small room that Lucas and Liam share. Their tiny, six-year-old forms are swallowed up by the twin beds where they sleep. They look so innocent in this state of unconsciousness.
Only a mop of thick auburn hair is visible near the corner of the pillow where Lucas sleeps. Liam, on the other hand, is completely uncovered. He’s curled up in a tight ball near the corner of the wall.
The sour scent of urine hits my nose causing my eyes to sting. I sigh, already defeated before the day has even begun. My sister’s death hangs like a dark cloud over us all.
I wake up Lucas first. He grunts and moans crankily as I try to pry him from beneath the covers. After an all-night nightmare fest, he’s still exhausted. I’m quickly realizing that small bodies mixed with little sleep are not a good combination.
“You and me both, buddy,” I say, as he finally rolls over and opens his tear puffed eyes.
“Is my mom coming home today?” The sadness in his voice sends an aching loss through the fissures in my heart.
“No, sweetie. I need you to get dressed and ready for school, please.” He stumbles to the dresser across the room and begins digging through the drawers for clothes.
Liam is next. He’s easier to wake up, but I have to help him get out of his soiled pajamas and into a bath so he can get cleaned up. Then, I need to strip the wet bedding and get it into the washing machine before it turns rancid.
We’re down to a few precious minutes by the time I get into the kitchen to fix them breakfast. Mornings are crazy these days, and I’m finding it difficult to get a good routine in place. Not for the first time, I wonder how my sister did it.
I’m supposed to be at the diner for an early waitressing shift this morning. If I keep showing up late, I’m bound to get fired, and then what will I do? We have to figure something out, but the boys don’t seem to be adjusting to our new life together any better than I am.
When the boys are finally dressed and fed, we hurry from the apartment. I open the back door to my old beat up sedan and they hop in. After making sure they’re both buckled tight in their booster seats, I slam the door and climb in front.
“Can we go to the park after school?” Liam asks.
He’s constantly asking to go to the park. I know he misses his friends and needs some kind of outlet besides school and my shabby apartment, but the neighborhood isn’t safe to be out in. The crime rate is outrageous, and I can’t afford to move us somewhere safer.
It was fine when it was just me, but now that I’m responsible for their lives, I’m terrified every time we walk out the door. I meet his gaze in the rear-view mirror.
“I’m sorry, buddy. It’s just not safe. You’ll have fun on the playground at school.”
His face falls and I can see the sheen of tears in his eyes. I need to find a safe place for us to go, so they can have some fun playtime, but I can never seem to find the opportunity.
Between the job at the diner and reading to the children at the bookstore, there’s no time for anything else. That’s not even mentioning my new responsibility of taking care of Liam and Lucas, which I’m pretty sure is one hundred full time jobs rolled into one.