Tease (Cloverleigh Farms #8)(28)

I looked at Felicity—she did look shaken and scared—and immediately put my arm around her shoulder.

“Um, Mrs. French, everyone, there’s something I need to explain,” Felicity began.

“Please. Call me Mom.” My mom’s eyes grew tearful again. “And there’s nothing to explain. It’s the oldest story in the book—boy meets girl, they’re just friends for years, then they realize that there’s always been something more there . . .” She wiped away tears. “It’s like the universe has answered all my prayers. Now I can stop worrying about you, Hutton.”

“You can?”

“Yes.” She laughed delightedly. “No more trying to set you up, because clearly you’ve realized that your soul mate has been right here all along.”

Felicity shook her head. “I’m so sorry about this, but—”

“Don’t be sorry.” My mother smiled. “We understand wanting to keep the news to yourselves. It’s only natural to want to hold a secret like that close to your heart. But now that it’s out,” she went on excitedly, “I can’t wait to celebrate! And is it true the wedding is next month?”

“Uh . . .” Another panicked look passed between Felicity and me. “Where did you hear that?”

“Oh, the news is everywhere,” said my sister. “Online, local morning news, social media. You’ve been secretly engaged for weeks, and you’re having a very intimate wedding at Cloverleigh Farms in August. At least five friends texted me the headlines and asked if it was true.” She laughed. “I had my doubts, but Mom was positive the universe would not play such a cruel trick on her.”

“And I was right! Just look at them—it’s obvious what’s been going on,” my mother said with a wink, gesturing at my shirtless chest and Felicity’s bare legs.

“Hope we didn’t interrupt,” said Neil with a laugh.

“Say cheese!” My sister snapped another pic. “How about a kiss?”

“A what?” A tremor went through Felicity, and I tightened my arm on her shoulders.

“A kiss!” My mother clearly loved the idea. “For the camera. For prosperity. For love!”

“Exactly,” my sister said, aiming her phone at us. “Kiss her, Hutton.”

I looked into Felicity’s eyes and saw a multitude of emotions—fear mostly, but also a familiar warmth, and possibly even a little hope. Without thinking, I lowered my lips to hers.

My mother sighed, my sister awwww’d, Zosia ewwww’d, and the Clipper Cuts launched into “Let Me Call You Sweetheart.”

But I barely heard any of it, because for the first time, I was actually kissing the girl I’d been wanting to kiss since I was fifteen. Her lips remained closed, but they were just as soft and sweet as I’d imagined them, and even though the kiss was as chaste as it had to be with such a big audience, I didn’t want it to end.

“Okay, I got the picture,” my sister said.

But we didn’t stop.

“Get a room!” shouted Neil.

“That’s gross. Can we have the donuts now?” asked Zosia.

I lifted my head and opened my eyes—Felicity’s expression was one of total astonishment. “I’m—I’m confused,” she whispered.

“Come with me.” I grabbed her forearm and yanked her toward the back hallway, my mind clicking.

“I was kidding!” Neil yelled with a laugh.

“Oh, let them go,” my mother said. “They probably need a moment to themselves—we barged right into their love nest unannounced.”

Inside my room, I closed the door and spun around. Felicity’s face was drained of color except for two splotches of red on her cheeks. “Oh my God,” she said. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

But Felicity had started to pace along the foot of my bed. “I shouldn’t have opened my big mouth to Mimi. I knew this would happen. I just didn’t think about the consequences of your family hearing the news and being so happy about it! And it’s not just them.”

“What do you mean?”

“When I turned on my phone this morning, I saw that Winnie had sent me a bunch of headlines about us—we’re front page news!”

“We are?”

“Yes! My follower count skyrocketed overnight. I’ve got tons of DMs. My notifications on Dearly Beloved are blowing up. And my mother—Frannie, I mean—left me a voicemail, which I haven’t listened to, but I can imagine what it’s about.” She stopped moving and put her hands up to her face. “Now I have to tell everyone the truth—that I made it up. This is so embarrassing.”

“Okay, hang on.” My mind was spinning. “Maybe we don’t have to tell everyone that.”

“Huh?”

I ran a hand through my hair. “Maybe we can just—go with it.”

“Go with it?”

“Yes—for a little while at least.”

Her head drew back. “Why?”

“You heard my mother. She’s finally going to leave me alone. Maybe everyone else will too.”

Felicity stared at me like I was nuts. “Are you serious?”

“Yes. I’m tired of being harassed by everyone around me about my lack of a personal life. I’ve got a lot of work to do to get ready to testify, and if people think we’re engaged, they’ll give me the space to do it,” I said. What I didn’t say was, Also, being your fake fiancé will mean I get to spend a lot of time with you, acting like you belong to me, perhaps in ways that don’t always involve clothing.