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  FAKE MARRIAGE

  By Claire Adams

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2018 Claire Adams

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  Chapter One

  Luke

  “Come on, guys,” I said angrily. “You’ve got to get your head out of your ass. What kind of play was that? Just because we’re in practice doesn’t mean that you can just screw around like it doesn’t matter. What if it had been a real game? You would have lost: that’s what. You would have lost and embarrassed the ever-loving shit out of me and this whole God-damned school. Start running laps, and I’ll let you know when you’ve had enough. And I better not see one damn person walking because I can stay here all night!”

  I shook my head and watched angrily as the players headed off in full game dress, starting their laps as instructed. I slammed my playbook down on the bench and let out a deep breath. I had to get these assholes to start using their brains instead of just staring at all the girls.

  “You know, one of the most sure-fire ways to end your career is by getting pissed every time these numbnuts fuck up a play,” Andy, my best friend and assistant coach, said, laughing. “You are going to give yourself a heart attack at thirty-one.”

  “Yeah, well, maybe if they got their heads out of their asses, or out of the cheerleader’s asses I should say, they might actually run a play right for a change,” I said, walking over and sitting down on the bench.

  “Cut them some slack, they had a great season last year,” Andy said, sitting down next to me.

  “Head to the showers when you cross the line,” I yelled out to the players, tired of seeing their faces. “Tomorrow I better see a hell of a lot more effort put into these plays.”

  I shook my head watching my quarterback jog off the field and toward the showers, his eyes fixed on the ground, not wanting to draw my attention. It was so damn frustrating when I couldn’t seem to get them to follow simple plays.

  “They need to remember that was last year,” I said, turning to Andy. “This is a whole new year.”

  “Come on, they’ve been pretty hard on themselves for how they’ve been playing this year,” Andy replied, always trying to stick up for the kids.

  “They’ve been playing like shit all year long,” I said with irritation. “They can miss one scrimmage by leaving practice early; that isn’t going to change how they’ve played so far. I’m tired of screaming at them. I know they want my nice side back, but none of them will pick themselves up and just do it. The seniors are the worst, which baffles me since they are the ones looking to be picked up by the scouts.”

  “Yeah, well, you can’t hold their hands, Luke,” Andy said. “They aren’t your kids; they are your team. You can give them all the tools in the world, but if they refuse to use them, there is only so much you can do.”

  “I guess,” I grumbled.

  “So, what are your plans for this evening?”

  Andy had been my best friend since I started at Kansas State, and he had been there through my divorce and during the clean-up. He was a devout family man and didn’t really approve of my single-guy lifestyle, but he was still a good friend. I looked at him wondering where the question was going.

  “I was just going to invite you over for dinner,” he said, patting me on the back. “The wife is making lasagna, and I know it’s one of your favorites. Besides, it’ll give you a chance to relax and get rid of some of this stress; God knows you’ve had enough of it over the last couple of years.”

  “You’re definitely right about the stress,” I laughed. “I appreciate the offer, really, but I have plans already. You know how it is: gotta keep moving cause if I slow down, I’ll come to a halt.”

  “Have you ever thought that coming to a halt might be a good thing every once in a while?”

  “I don’t know about that,” I chuckled.

  “So, what are your big plans? Meeting the president? Saving a third world country?”

  “Hardly,” I laughed. “No, I actually have a date tonight. I’ve got to run a few errands, then go get cleaned up so I’m not late.”

  I knew what was coming next; I never got out of these conversations easily. I had dated quite a bit since my divorce, if dating is what you want to call it. It was more like a string of one-night stands, keeping me busy without the headache of another relationship.

  “That’s cool,” he said, winding up. “What are you guys going to do?”

  “We’re supposed to be checking out a band at one of the bars in Aggieville,” I replied, trying to get around his questions. “Nothing crazy or formal; just a few drinks, some good music, and good company to head into Friday with.”

  Andy turned to me and looked with one eyebrow raised. I knew it; I knew he wasn’t going to let this go. Aggieville is where all the college students hung out on the weekends, and he knew I wouldn’t be taking anyone my age out to the college mess on thirsty Thursday. He knew me too well, irritatingly so at times, but I couldn’t be mad; he tried to help keep me between the lines. I appreciated everything he and his family had done and continued to do for me, but sometimes it would be nice to not get the third degree every time I mentioned having a date.

  “So, who’s the lucky girl?”

  I stared at him for several moments trying to decide whether to tell him who she was or not. It wasn’t complicated at all; I had no real interest in this girl, but he already knew that. I shrugged my shoulders and sighed, figuring I might as well let him know: he was my best friend after all.

  “It’s one of the cheerleaders,” I said, closing my eyes and waiting for the blowback. “Like I said, no big deal, just getting some drinks, listening to music, and planning on having a good time. She just happens to be a cheerleader here.”

  Andy looked at me and shook his head, his eyes rolling into the back of his skull. That was his usual reaction to the girls I ended up shacking up with, so it wasn’t anything new to me. One day, though, I hoped his reaction wouldn’t be that harsh. He wasn’t being judgmental; he just wanted to see me act my age, which I figured I was, considering I was only thirty-one and divorced from a hideous bitch. I might as well have some fun.

  “How in the world did that happen? You are unbelievable,” he said, still shaking his head.

  “I don’t know.” I shrugged. “The cheerleaders have been practicing in the room next to the weights clinic that I oversee every Thursday. It just so happens that we have music in common and she struck up a conversation about the band playing tonight.”

  “You are nuts,” he said, laughing. “She’s probably trying to make her giant boyfriend jealous, and you are going to end up being the fall guy.”

  “I’d like to see one of my guys come at me like that,” I chuckled. “I’ll put them on their ass in front of everyone.”

  “I just don’t get it,” he said. “You are an attractive guy—”

  “Hey, I like you and all, but not in that way,” I said jokingly.

  “Shut up,” he scoffed. “I just mean that you can have the pick of almost any woman you meet. You have a great job, you’re settled, and you can be pretty charmin
g when you want to be; women fall all over themselves for you. And what do you do? You go for the cheerleader who goes to the school where you are a coach? I mean, even if there wasn’t a rule about that, it’s beneath you, man.”

  “She’s a nice girl,” I said. “You shouldn’t be so quick to judge.”

  “You’re a trip,” he said standing up. “The reality of it is, you’re all invested when you’re picking these girls out, but you give no thought to sticking around afterward. I’ve seen the trail of destruction you leave behind in these girl’s lives; the last thing you need to do is bring it on the field with you.”

  “Andy,” I said, grabbing his arm before he could walk away. “I promise, I got this.”

  “You better,” he said, grumbling as he walked away toward the sports complex.

  I sat there on the bench thinking about the conversation, realizing that I really couldn’t argue with anything Andy had said. In reality, I never could really argue with his words of wisdom; he was usually spot on with his thoughts. Sometimes I really hated the fact that he forced me to step back and really take a look at my life and my choices. Sure, I was having a blast, but in some ways, I knew that, eventually, this lifestyle was going to catch up with me. The last thing I wanted, though, was to settle down with another woman. In my eyes, they were all crazy, and I’d had enough crazy to last me the rest of my life.

  Since my divorce, which was incredibly nasty in every way that a divorce could be, I had been living my life as a free agent, running away from long-term and choosing short and sweet instead. Most of the girls I was hanging out with weren’t students of the college, but every now and then I would run into one who I just couldn’t turn down. Case in point: the sexy cheerleader who was probably showering and changing at this very moment in preparation for our night out on the town. There was something sexy about these girls being super impressed with me, even if behind closed doors I was a complete disaster. Everybody wanted to be wanted; it just so happened that I was wanted by girls that were about ten years younger than me. Age is just a number, right?

  I wasn’t going to change the way I was living my life unless I had a really good reason to do so. As it was, there was no way I was going to get into any type of long-term relationship with anyone, much less a twenty-one-year-old cheerleader who was a senior in college with a major in political science and no idea what she wanted to do with her future. I liked the way my life was, and I had a very small group of people I had to answer to, Andy being one of them. Sure, not everyone was going to approve of my lifestyle, but beyond a little flak from my best friend, I couldn’t see any reason to change; I was having way too much fun.

  I had gotten married young, and when my divorce was final, I knew it was time to make up for the years I lost fighting through a senseless marriage to a woman who was too lazy to do anything but bitch and moan. Now I had control over how much flak I took from a woman, and I liked that, especially since the last one was so damn demanding. This lifestyle focused on what I wanted, and that was something I hadn’t had in a very long time. So, I was going to go get dressed, pick up the cheerleader, and take advantage of my new-found freedom. If people didn’t like it, they could just fuck off.

  Chapter Two

  Quinn

  “Take two spaces,” I said, looking down at Jake and smiling.

  I was babysitting Jake, an adorable little six-year-old boy, and we were going head to head in a very intense game of Chutes and Ladders. It had been one of my favorite board games when I was his age, and so I brought it over for our evening together. He seemed to be having a good time, so that was good enough for me. Jake was always so quiet, never really saying much more than whatever answer you were trying to get out of him. He was a shy kid, but he had a really big heart, bigger than most adults I knew, but I guess that was how it was supposed to be since adults had become jaded by life’s hardships and had lost some of that caring spirit as time went on. I was really hoping I could get him to come out of his shell a little bit, though.

  I hadn’t been Jake’s babysitter for that long, only a couple of weeks, and always during the afternoon, right after he got home from school. Even when his mother was there, she would have me stay and make dinner before I left. Already though, I was completely smitten with his bright, inquisitive green eyes and shy smile. Every time he tried to hide a giggle, I would work to get it out of him, and he was starting to get more comfortable with me. Just as I was about to roll the dice, there was a loud knock on the front door. I looked up at the clock and wondered who was coming to visit since it was just the two of us there.

  “Hold that thought,” I said, ruffling his hair, “and no cheating.” My fake look of stern authority caused him to snicker.

  I pulled myself from the kitchen table and walked over to the door, peering out the peephole but seeing nothing but the porch. Whoever was out there was standing to the side of the peephole, so I couldn’t see them. I took a deep breath and unlocked the door, slowly cracking it and peering outside. My eyes fell on a man standing in the doorway, dressed in a blue button-down and a pair of jeans. His muscles tightened and released under his shirt and before I knew it, my eyes were locked on his dark, beautiful orbs. He had to have been the most attractive man I had ever seen. He smiled with a broad, toothy grin, and I opened the door a bit further.

  “Can I help you?”

  “Yeah, I was looking for Sarah,” he said, with irritation showing on his face.

  Sarah was Jake’s mom, but she wasn’t home yet from wherever it was she ran off to. I generally didn’t ask too many questions, but instead just came to work and did my job. I cleared my throat and stood back shaking my head.

  “I’m sorry, Sarah isn’t home yet,” I replied, with a small stutter. “Can I take a message for you? I’ll make sure she gets it as soon as she gets home, which really should be any time now. I’m just the temporary babysitter for the evenings and afternoons, so I don’t know if I’ll be able to help you with whatever you need.”

  “I see,” he said, with a wide, charming smile. “Well, it’s nice to meet you.”

  “Oh, my name is Quinn,” I said, shaking his outstretched hand.

  “Quinn, got it,” he said, still smiling. “My name is Luke; I’m Jake’s father.”

  “Oh,” I said, surprised. “I’m sorry, I had no idea. She’s never said much about you and I’ve never seen pictures.”

  “It’s not a problem,” he replied. “Do you think I could come in for just a few minutes? I’d like to see Jake before I head on over to my house.”

  I stood there for a minute going through my mind reviewing all the instructions that Sarah had given me. I just assumed that he was no longer in the picture. That being said, I wasn’t told one way or the other, so I had to make a command decision about this guy.

  “Sure,” I said, stepping to the side and watching as he walked past me.

  I followed him into the living room, realizing that this was probably the house he lived in before he and Sarah were divorced. As soon as he walked around the corner, though, Jake stood up from the table and ran across the room, his smile bigger than any I had seen before. He was jumping up and down with excitement, and I giggled to myself, seeing this completely different side of the little guy. Luke stepped forward and grabbed Jake around the waist, lifting him high into the air and hugging him tightly.

  “Daddy, are the Aggies kicking big butt?”

  “Not this season, little man,” he said. “They are lagging behind big time.”

  “You need to tell that quarterback to pick it up,” Jake said.

  “I know buddy; I’m trying.”

  Turning to me, he continued. “I’m the head coach for the Kansas State football team.”

  I nodded my head up and down and smiled, feeling that familiarity of family that I had been missing so much. Luke was absolutely gorgeous, and as soon as he had walked through the door, I felt my attraction to him. As soon as he picked up Jake, that attraction grew ten-fold.
He was so good with him, just how a father should be, and I could tell that Jake absolutely adored him. Thoughts of my own lost family fluttered through my mind, but I shook it away, not wanting to go down that road just then. It was definitely intoxicating watching a man fawn all over his child like that, and I could feel the heat rising in my chest.

  He talked to Jake for a couple more minutes about football, and then put him down, sitting on the couch next to him. I just stood there, unsure of what I was supposed to do, but enjoying watching the two of them together. Luke ruffled Jake’s hair like I always did and looked up at me, a curious look in his eye.

  “Where is Sarah?”

  “Um, I’m not sure,” I said, being honest. “All I know is I was watching him later today than normal.”

  “I see,” he said, looking down at Jake and shaking his head in disappointment.

  “Can I get you anything? I can make you some hot tea or a cup of coffee, maybe,” I said, trying to break the awkwardness.

  “No, thank you,” he said, looking at his hands. “Quinn, can I ask you a couple of questions?”

  “I mean, I don’t know how helpful I’ll be, but go ahead,” I said, crossing my arms and leaning against the doorway.

  “All right,” he said, looking up. “How long have you worked here at this house?”

  “I’ve been here about three weeks, I suppose,” I said, thinking back. “The first week I worked with Sarah, seeing what the routine was, helping with things like dishes and cooking. Then for two weeks I watched Jake in the afternoons, right after he got out of school until Sarah got home. Now, sometimes I’ve stayed into the evening as well.”

  “How often do you watch him? Every day? Every other day?”

  “It really depends,” I said, shrugging. “The first week it was about three days, then the second week it was five days, and this week I’m scheduled to watch him at some point during every day. She writes a schedule based on her needs, and I’m open to whatever she has going on. I don’t really think about it; I just show up when I am needed.”