11. Luke

Chapter 11

Luke

K eke's laugh is something else, a mixture of relief and disbelief, guarded and nervous. She shakes her head, leans back slightly, and lets out a breath. “I still can't believe I'm letting you talk me into this.”

“Can you think of a better way? Because I can't. But you're the brains here, so maybe you will come up with else.”

She groans, dipping her head in defeat. “No. I can’t. And professionally speaking, that is shameful. Just shameful.”

I chuckle. “It's like I said, people don't change overnight, so us dating is really the only way to make it believable.”

“ Fake dating, and I know what we said, but it's still crazy. I must be losing my mind because I'm seriously considering it. So far, neither of us have done anything that we can't take back. But once we tell Whitney about this, that’s the point of no return.” Her arms are folded across her chest, as if that will somehow keep her steady.

I realize in that moment just how little I know about her. I know she has a brother, but that doesn’t mean she has someone in her corner. Something I’ve always noticed with people who have never done team sports is they don’t know how to lean on others, how to open up and ask someone for help. They tend to handle everything on their own and that weighs on them, even if they don’t realize it. They think of themselves as independent and strong, and that's true, they are, until the day they break from doing it all alone without any help from anyone else.

Keke strikes me as the kind of person who would break rather than ask for help. I didn't want that for her. I wanted her to see me as somebody she could lean on. That truth shook me when I realized it—that I wanted her to trust me the way I trusted her.

“We're already living together. That part’s believable, at least. And I know you've seen the tabloids. They're just looking for a juicy story. A guy like me settling down is headline news.”

She appears browbeaten. “All true and you can't buy that kind of press. Well, not at this level. This isn’t politics.”

I lean forward, feeling a surge of excitement in my chest as curiosity sparks in her eyes. If I lean in closer and kiss her, will she push me away? It’s too soon to find out but I very much want to.

I clear my throat to change the topic. “So, here's the deal. You continue to keep me in check, make sure I'm staying out of trouble. But we’ll go out and have a good time in public while keeping it under control. We’ll make it look like I've turned over a new leaf with a wonderful girl. Everyone wins.”

She narrows her eyes, holding herself a little tighter. Seeing her do that makes my chest squeeze. How long has she been on her own? How long has she not had anyone else to rely on?

“So what's in it for me? Beyond being able to easily keep you in check.”

“You’re a control freak.” I give her a half smile. “For you, it's a good PR move for your career that you can manage me moment by moment. I'm a mess. Being able to turn me around is a huge job.”

“I wouldn’t say you’re a mess,” she replies.

“It’s okay. I am. This way it will be a lot simpler for you. You can rein me in without anyone thinking twice about it. It's just my girlfriend getting on my back. Completely normal.”

“You think it's normal for girlfriends to be on your back?”

“Isn't it?”

She lets out a little laugh. “I don't know, I've never really hassled a boyfriend for his bullshit. Maybe I should have. I might still have one.”

I wonder how long she’s been single. “Don't you date much?”

“Why would I do that to myself?”

“For fun, to find love, to build a family.”

She rolls her eyes. “For the time being, I am focused on my career. All that other stuff is just noise. Distractions. No point in dealing with any of that right now.” Her bitterness is obvious. Something went very wrong with someone she dated.

I don’t want to get into that now. We need to continue talking about the plan going forward. “The point is, people will think I'm head over heels for you, doing my best to change for you, and the press will love it. You don't even have to do much, just be seen with me and play the part. You get to keep your eye on me everywhere I go and keep me in line.”

She lets out a breath, her gaze dropping to the floor for a second while she processes it. “I'm not sure what's worse—that I know that this can work or the fact that my brother will absolutely lose it.”

“First, we tell Whitney. We have to keep her in the loop so she knows what’s going on. She'll get it. And your brother…” I pause, giving her a look that I hope will soften the blow. “He's not the one who has to keep my reputation afloat. He doesn’t need to know the details.”

She raises an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed with that answer. “That doesn’t mean he won’t notice.”

“I'm sure he'll notice but?—”

“He will definitely notice, and he will definitely have something to say about it.”

“Okay, fine, but celebrities do this kind of thing all the time. I mean, my parents practically invented the idea of fake dating to keep up appearances. Trust me, they're living testament to how well this kind of thing can work. It'll be fine.”

Her skeptical expression softens. “Wait, what do you mean? Your parents fake dated?”

“Pretty much.” As soon as the words are out, I realize this was more of my past than I had shared with anyone outside of my family. But something about Keke feels different. Safe. I know she won’t share what I’m about to tell her or sell it to the tabloids. I trust her. “My dad is gay.”

“Really?”

I nod. “When he started in the business, being out wasn't an option. He wanted a career and to be taken seriously, to land leading male roles. He needed to protect the career he was building at the time.”

She listens intently, her expression thoughtful but gentle. She nods, waiting for me to continue.

“He and my mom became fast friends. They had met at a Hollywood party where everyone's someone, or they’re trying to become someone. She was an actress and they just clicked. One thing led to another?—”

“But he’s gay.”

I smile. “He kissed her at the party to keep everyone thinking otherwise. Once they got to his car to go hook up…” The memory of my dad recounting the story hits me hard. He would always get choked up whenever he told it. “He said something in him told him he could trust her, and after that, the dam broke. He told her everything, even knowing she could destroy him. Instead of destroying him, she proposed.”

Keke blinks at me. “What?”

“Mom was still trying to get her foot in the door in the industry, so she suggested they publicly date for a while to get to know each other. If after six months they still got along, they could get married. She’d protect his reputation and he’d help her get roles by introducing her to everyone he knew, including his agent. That was key for her—she’d been trying to get a meeting with him, but she wasn’t a big enough name yet.”

“Wow. She sounds ambitious.”

I chuckle. “Oh yeah. While they were dating, they developed a strong bond and became the best of friends. He made good on his word, and she got a fantastic agent. They threw a huge wedding that solidified them as the new “it” couple for a while.”

“That’s amazing.”

“I think the important part was they both had their eyes open going into it, so they came up with a plan that would benefit each of them.”

“Wow, that must’ve been really hard.”

“The stories they tell… there were times when they've almost been caught. Each of them have personal lives that they maintain behind closed doors but their romance was a public fairy tale, and if the truth came out now, they'd lose everything. So they keep up appearances.”

“And that's that? They never get to live their lives?”

I shrug, a little nostalgic smile tugging at the corner of my mouth. My parents’ marriage was bittersweet—we all hated that they had to hide who they were, but they made it work with a different kind of love. “They truly are best friends. They are there for each other in ways that most married couples only dream of. They fiercely adore their children. Their marriage isn't a lie. Not the way most people think. They love each other but not in a romantic way. They get to live life with their best friend as their partner. How many people can say that?”

Keke stays silent, her gaze never leaving mine. “Hmm. I get that, I think. I mean, it's kind of sad, but I also understand the functionality of it. Sometimes life takes you in directions you never see coming and you have to jump on the opportunities that make sense at the time.”

“Exactly.”

“How did they get you and your sisters? If that's not too personal a question.”

“Turkey baster.”

“No kidding.”

I run a hand over the back of my neck, feeling a mixture of pride and something deeper, something I can’t define. I have to make sure she understands the gravity of what I just told her. “Only family knows. And now, you.”

“I’m honored. I won’t tell anyone.”

“I know that but I just wanted to make sure you knew, so you don’t accidentally slip up.” I swallow, trying to think of what else to say. I just told her my family’s biggest secret, and my brain is drained. For some reason, I feel like I need to defend my parents though I don’t know why.

“To be clear, they don’t do it to deceive other people. They care about each other deeply, even though it's not romantic. They support each other and they’ve built a good life together.”

“You don’t need to explain it to me, Luke. I get it. To be honest, I’m more than a little jealous.”

“Jealous?”

“They're two of Hollywood's royalty. I'd say they built more than just a good life together. They built an empire. I mean, your parents headline at least one Oscar contender every year. You’re a professional athlete, your sisters are talented professionals… seriously, they struck gold.” She exhales, her gaze distant for a moment as if she was seeing my parents, picturing the quiet strength of what they've created. “That must have been a lot for you and your sisters to grow up around.”

“It was. I guess it taught me a lot about how to pull off a fake relationship convincingly.” I wink.

“You're really something, you know that?” She sighs. “Just when I think I’m getting a real version of you, you go and say something goofy like that.”

“Come on.” I grin at her, hoping to lighten the mood. “Just say yes already and make it official. You're not alone anymore. We're a team here. We can make this work.”

She nibbles her lip as she thinks it over. “Fine, but just so we're clear, there's no way I'm fake marrying you. This is strictly a fake dating thing only.”

A rush of victory flashes through me. “Deal. And don't worry, I wouldn't dream of tying you down like that.”

“Good, because I don’t go for kinky shit.”

I snort a laugh. “Keke! You’re too innocent to know about that kind of stuff.”

She meets my smile with a mischievous one of her own. “You have no idea what I know, Luke.”

I can’t tell if she’s flirting with me, or if this is merely her sense of humor finally peeking out. Either way, I like this better than the dour, pensive expression she’s worn since I walked in.

We firmly shake on the deal. Maybe it’s her touch, or maybe it’s the fact that we agreed to do this crazy plan together, but I feel something shift between us. I hope it isn’t my imagination but either way, this plan is going to be more fun than just having a nanny.

“Okay. I’ll call Whitney.”

Why was the thought of calling her scarier than asking Keke to be my fake girlfriend?

-