Page 79 of The Fiancé Hoax

“Yeah, they’ll probably play in their room. I’ll go upstairs in a while and tuck them in.”

He grabbed the remote control and gave me a lopsided smile. “Do you still want to watch Princess Pia Saves the Day?”

I chuckled. “No. But a movie does sound nice.”

He reached for the corkscrew and opened the bottle of wine. “I'll go get some wine glasses. Unless you want to drink your merlot out of a sippy cup?”

“I’d love a wine glass,” I laughed. “I'll look for a movie.”

He handed me the remote and went to the kitchen, then returned with two glasses.

Soon, we were snuggled together on the couch, sipping wine and watching a comedy. He had his arm around me, and I rested my head against his shoulder. We fit perfectly like this.

There was just one problem.

Cooper didn’t seem to mind that I would be leaving soon.

20

COOPER

“Cooper!”

I had just parked my car in the garage at my company office the next morning. The sound of my own name made me stop in my tracks.

I turned to see Marsh glaring at me from where he leaned against his Porsche. He’d parked diagonally, taking up three spaces.

“What the hell did you get my daughter mixed up in?”

“Good morning to you, too, Marsh. Interesting parking job.”

“Cut the shit, Cooper. I can't believe you're using my daughter like this.”

We were standing near the sidewalk at the front entrance of the parking garage. Two of my employees walked past, sneaking peeks at the scene Marsh was creating.

“Why don't you come inside and we can talk about this in my office?”

“No. Right here.” He pointed at the asphalt, his face twisted in anger.

“Okay, fine. I laid it all out for Felicity as part of our business agreement. She knew what she was getting into. She's an adult and she can make her own decisions.”

“But you're asking her to lie in court, Cooper.”

“No, I'm most certainly not. She hasn't been summoned to speak in the trial. And my custody lawyer said he doesn't expect her to be. A simple declaration that I am engaged to be married, and her showing up in court, will be enough to get the message across.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. That placated Marsh slightly, but he was still too upset to speak.

“I'd never ask her to lie in court, Marsh.”

“No. You just asked her to tell your lies everywhere else.”

“I didn't want to do it this way, Marsh. But you know how Gen is. And you know how some of these judges can be. They don't always see reason.”

Marsh scoffed. “You're talking to a seasoned attorney. I know exactly how judges can be.”

“Then try to understand. I can't lose my little girls.” I raked a hand through my hair, feeling uneasy at the very thought. “Gen is not a good mother to them. And who knows where she would drag them to. She might run off to Europe with a new boyfriend for all I know. She might bring shady guys around. I just can't let that happen, Marsh. Everything I've done has been for Eva and Lily. I can’t lose them.”

Marsh let his arms fall at his sides.