Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Whitney

I attached my manuscript to the email and—with satisfaction—clicked Send . Edmund and Eliza's story winged its way to my editor through cyberspace. Although the book was a day late, Patricia had been understanding. She'd been my editor since almost the beginning of my career and had dealt with my seizures before.

Curled up in a big ball of fluff, my cat slept in a patch of sunlight on my desk. I slid a hand down his heated back. "We did it, Mr. Darcy. We sent off our thirty-fourth book." He peeked a golden eye halfway open, shot me a glare, and shut it. "Well, I thought it?—"

The doorbell rang, startling Mr. Darcy. He scampered off the desk and streaked into my bedroom. I peeked through the peephole, and hummingbirds took flight in my tummy. I opened the door.

Hudson filled my doorway, a black T-shirt molding his sculpted shoulders and chest, his brown eyes warm.

A smile tugged at my lips. "Come in." I moved back, and he stepped inside .

Hudson held up a signed Blazers jersey between his large hands. "For you."

I took the shirt from his fingers and hugged it to me. "Thank you. I'm proud to wear your name."

He chuckled. "I hope so, considering you're my wife."

"Oh, I don't know." I tapped my finger against my lips and gazed upward. "Maybe I'll continue to wear Beck's jersey." I held up the red shirt and pretended to study it. "But since this one is free…"

"You little tease." He grinned and pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket. "Here's a ticket to the game. And we're invited to Scrimmage's afterward. My teammates, uh…" He rubbed a hand around the back of his neck. "They want to meet you and congratulate us. That okay with you?"

Guilt twinged in my chest. We didn't deserve congratulations for a fake marriage. "That's nice of them." I winced. But we'd set this course and had to continue as if it were real.

Hudson stepped close and rubbed his hands up and down my arms, soothing me. "Hey, it's all right. We're doing this for good reasons." His eyes held understanding. "So…I guess I'll see you at Scrimmage's? Beck says you can walk there with the girlfriends."

"Sounds good."

"Okay, well…" His gaze dropped to my lips and lingered.

Was he going to kiss me? Those hummingbirds took flight again. We'd agreed to no sex, but hadn't discussed kisses and hugs. And if we were going to pull this off, we needed to be comfortable with each other. I raised my face.

Hudson spun on his heel and escaped out the door.

I chuckled. We'd have to work on practicing PDA.

I couldn't wait.

I slid into Row 9 at the arena and the girlfriends sang from Row 10, "Here comes the bride, all dressed in…red." They dissolved in a chorus of laughter, and my cheeks heated. But I couldn't keep the grin off my face.

Hope stood and placed a plastic rhinestone tiara with a veil on my head. My embarrassment burst into flames, but the friendship she extended warmed my heart. When Hope leaned down and hugged me, I squeezed her back in thanks.

My tiara slipped, and I raised my hands to fix it.

"Ooh! Look at your ring!" Hope took my left hand in hers, and the diamonds sparkled in the spotlights. "It's beautiful." She dropped my hand and wagged her finger. "But you haven't been honest with us."

A shiver ran down my spine. How had they found out the marriage was fake? "I—don't know what you mean." I stammered, trying to brazen my way through.

"You told Mr. Merriweather you and Hudson were just neighbors."

"Well, we are neighbors…"

"Spill, girlfriend." She crossed her arms. All along Row 10, I held the rapt attention of Brynn, Emily, Avery, Mackenzie, and Mia.

I recounted our cover story, from meeting during the evacuation to our whirlwind romance, to our sweet little wedding, to the happy news we shared with Gramps. By the time I finished lying my butt off, sweat trickled down my back and my mouth cramped from fake-smiling. But I held my audience's rapt attention. Even Emily had paused with popcorn halfway to her mouth. When I showed them the selfie we'd taken in the chapel, they sighed as one.

They bought the story, and I locked my spine to prevent myself from sagging in relief. My knees wobbled, and I dropped into my seat like a dead weight. The seat beside me was empty, and my stomach sank. Gramps's knee pain had prevented him from attending. I mentally sent good wishes his way.

The lights lowered, and the fans roared with excitement for the start of the game against Vancouver. The smoking red dragon's head lowered from the rafters, the music rose to a fever pitch, and Hudson shot out of the mist, his powerful strides creating an electric atmosphere. Goosebumps raised on my arms despite the warm sweatshirt I wore under my jersey.

Beck scored early in the first period with an assist from Chase and the new left wing on their line, Bowen Monroe.

"The change in line-up works well," Hope said.

"He meshed with Beck and Chase," Emily answered.

Toward the end of the first period, Luc went to the sin bin for hooking and Vancouver scored on the power play.

"Ouch," Brynn said.

The tension strung out in the second period, with neither team scoring. The game remained at a stalemate, one to one, for most of the third. With a minute and a half left to go in the game, Chase slashed an opponent, an unusual penalty for him.

Emily sucked in a breath.

Vancouver capitalized on their power play and pulled their goalie. The Blazers' penalty killer unit hit the ice, but they skated sluggishly.

"Go, go, go!" Hope yelled. "You can do it, Beck!"

Luc intercepted a pass and blasted the puck to Chase, who shot it to Beck. Beck took off on a breakaway for the empty net, while Vancouver scrambled behind him. He rifled a short-handed goal into the net with thirty seconds remaining.

The roof blew off the arena with a deafening cacophony of cheering, stomping, and clapping. The air vibrated with Beck's heavy metal goal song blaring through the massive speakers, and I slapped high-fives with the women behind me. Hudson blocked one last shot from Vancouver, and my stomach lifted like a helium-filled balloon. The Blazers held onto their lead for the remaining time on the clock and won the game. The crowd went wild.

I floated out of the arena on a cloud of euphoria with the girlfriends. We walked as a group to Scrimmage's, past honking cars and buskers blowing trumpet fanfares.

The sports bar teemed with exuberant fans reveling in the win. The malty scent of beer and the savory fragrance of hot wings filled the close, thick air. We weaved our way through the noisy crowd to a hostess at the door to the back patio. The woman recognized the group and waved us through.

Fairy lights twinkled from the roof, and heaters kept the March chill at bay. Family members, girlfriends, wives, and even a few puck bunnies milled about, but it was too early for the team to arrive.

A gorgeous blonde server approached, a welcoming smile on her face. The bar's logo apron barely covered her generous bosom, nipped in at her thick waist, and draped over broad hips. "What can I get you?"

"Thanks, Parker," Hope said, "but we're going to order once the guys get here." Lights danced in her eyes, as if she were hiding a secret.

What was that about?

Hope bounced on her toes and beamed a bright smile. "I can't wait for The Dangerous Duke and the Bluestocking to come out next week."

My tummy danced with equal parts excitement and nerves. Releasing a new book thrilled me, but I was always worried about sales and reviews .

"Would you be willing to talk to our book club about it?"

"What book club?" Emily asked.

"The one I'm organizing to talk about Whitney's book. Who's in?" Hope raised her hand, and a few women followed suit.

I chuckled. "I'd love to."

Raucous cheering rose from the inside of the bar, and Beck emerged onto the patio, hoisting a bottle of champagne high. "It's time to celebrate a wedding!"

Chase, Derek, Luc, and Hudson followed, carrying their own bottles of champagne. Parker brought up the rear with a tray of flutes. Watching the parade from the sidelines, Bowen's avid gaze followed Parker.

Interesting.

Hudson's eyes caught mine. He winked, and my tummy flipped. With a devilish grin, he strode to my side. "Nice veil."

All around us, couples greeted each other with kisses and I realized we needed to put on a show. As far as they knew, we were newlyweds in love. I grabbed Hudson's tie, pulled him down, and planted my lips on his. After a grunt of surprise, he took over the kiss. He wrapped his arms around me, champagne bottle in hand, and drew me against his hard body. His warm, soft lips moved over mine, and he pulled me closer. His tongue sought entrance, and I opened for him. The taste of mint flooded my senses. I sighed into his mouth as we lost ourselves in the moment.

Catcalls and whistles woke me from the dreamy kiss, and we broke apart. I guessed we didn't need to practice PDA after all.

Champagne corks popped, the bubbly flowed, and Beck raised his glass. "To Hudson and Whitney. May your life together be full of love, laughter, and toothpaste tubes squeezed from the bottom."

Hope playfully elbowed him while everyone laughed and cheered at the toast.

The bubbles tickled my nose as I took a small sip to be polite. Alcohol didn't mix well with my medication. But my veins fizzed at the gesture as if I'd gulped the entire glass. I basked in the acceptance and congratulations of my new friends.

I gazed into my husband's intense brown eyes.

The celebration made it easy to forget we were living a lie.

As the evening continued and tongues loosened, couples shared their relationship advice and support. Beck texted some of his favorite recipes for two to Hudson. Emily offered to cat-sit during our honeymoon.

Oh, my gosh. Did we have to go on a fake honeymoon to pull this off?

Brynn said she'd bring her sledge hammer and knock down some walls in our apartment. I thought she was kidding, because Luc laughed and kissed her on top of her head.

"We could use a babysitter," Derek said.

Avery slapped him lightly on the abs. "That's not offering support."

He chuckled and drew her close. "Maybe someday we can return the favor." His eyes twinkled.

Hudson tensed beside me, but I hoped no one noticed.

Beck and Hope offered to help me move my furniture into Hudson's apartment, and the cocoon of their friendship warmed me like a hug. I hadn't had the support of family or friends since my parents died. Tears pricked my eyes, and I sniffed them back.

"You okay?" Hudson asked, frowning .

"I'm great." I gave him a watery smile.

The evening broke up, and Hudson and I walked to his car in the players' parking lot. He took my hand in his, even though I didn't see anyone watching. "Before someone finds out we're living separately, move enough things into my apartment so it looks like you're living there."

He stopped and faced me. "And sleep in my bed. With me."

His low voice rumbled through me, and my heart stumbled.

The question was, would I be able to resist the temptation to touch him?