Too Long: Chapter 6

AGREEING TO THE FAKE BOYFRIEND IDEA wasn’t my intention when Addie entered my kitchen. Even wearing my clothes, hair wet, face pale, she looked fucking gorgeous.

I kept smirking under my nose the whole ride to the grocery store before she woke up. I’ve met a lot of women in my life, plenty stayed the night, but not one had the guts to order me around and make silly demands.

A refreshing change of pace.

I told myself I’d send her home the moment we finished eating, but… curiosity got the better of me. It always does, and a hundred messages from Conor and Cody demanding to know what happened the previous evening and telling me to only fueled the fire. My brothers call me Detective Colt because I can’t let anything go until I know everything about it.

The longer I stared at her, the faster I was running out of reasons to not spend a week with her. I’m into her. There’s no denying that. She’s fun, wild, free… absolutely gorgeous. Taming her would prove a lot of fun and a lot of hard work, I bet.

She smacked the last nail to my coffin straight on the head when she mentioned an arranged marriage.

It was a done deal after that.

I want a wife and kids like nothing else in this world, but I want her willing. I’d never settle for an arranged marriage.

No one should be forced to spend their life with someone they don’t love.

Addie’s clearly in love with that Grant character. I’ve witnessed real love first-hand six times now. That feeling can’t be fabricated, planned, or learned.

It just happens.

Sometimes it drops like a lightning bolt out of nowhere. Conor’s a prime example. He swears on his life he knew Vivienne was the one the moment he kissed her.

And they kissed within two minutes of meeting.

Other times, love takes longer to bloom, like with Logan and Cass or Cody and Blair. Things between them grew at a steady pace until they reached boiling point.

There’s no set timeline when it comes to feelings. No rules. My grandparents got married after ten days, and they’ve been together over sixty years.

I agreed to play Addie’s boyfriend for two more reasons. Two reasons. One: to get Cody and Conor off my back. I don’t need their nagging, and I don’t need the other four knowing how stupid and reckless I’m being every other Saturday.

The other reason… well, I’m curious what spending a week with Addie will be like. I’m game for whatever might happen. She’s funny, sweet, rude in an endearing, clueless way when she’s drunk. It’s cute. Mainly because she curses in British, and I don’t understand half the words.

And, obviously, she’s absolutely beautiful.

I wouldn’t mind exploring her naked body, but that’s off the table, so this trip might prove an interesting experiment.

Half a day to set our story straight isn’t much. Especially since, around ten in the evening, I’m leaving for my fortnightly meet-up and a night of racing.

Addie and I know nothing about each other. We’re strangers, so playing a couple might be problematic.

To top it off, I have no idea what I’m walking into, so we decided to spend the rest of the day playing twenty questions. Though I imagine it’ll be two hundred and twenty.

She went home to pack a bag and change out of my clothes but promised to drop by later so we could go through the basics. Meanwhile, I created yet another group chat for me Cody, and Conor, naming it .

Me: If you breathe a word about my racing to anyone, you’ll regret being born.

Clutching the phone tightly in my palm, I grab a pen, jotting down a list of things Addie and I should probably know about each other. There isn’t much time, so it’s a blessing my go-to dress style is casually elegant and I’m not forced into a frenzied shopping spree.

Cody: You’re going? Fuck yes! Good for you!

Me: We’ll see. I know nothing about her. She’s coming over soon so we can get some facts straight. I fucking hate you two.

Cody: Yeah, how awful that we give a damn.

Me: If you gave a flying fuck, you wouldn’t be blackmailing me.

Conor: Technicalities. Admit it, bro. You want to go. You’re into her.

I don’t reply.

They’re right, but they don’t need to know it. The less ammo they have, the better.

Last night, dodging Addie’s punches, bantering, and getting verbally schooled while keeping her safe was the most fun I’ve had in years, and waking up, knowing she was right behind the wall, that the house wasn’t fucking empty… even better.

Shit. I should get a grip and focus on the main goal: earning Cody and Conor’s silence.

I’m leaping ahead after only a few hours with her. That’s unhealthy, considering I’m going to act as her boyfriend for a week. Fake is the keyword I can’t ignore.

We’re diving headfirst into a higher level of intimacy No sex, so I can’t deem this as purely physical. We’ll be intimate without seeing each other naked, and that’s… strange.

Scary.

Exciting.

Every arrangement I’ve ever had with women started with sex. Now, I’ll be faking a while sex is a no-go. This thing might blow up in my face if I can’t keep a level head.

The doorbell rings a few minutes past four. Addie’s there, boxes upon boxes of takeout food stacked so high I can only see the top of her head.

“Are you feeding an army?” I ask, taking the stack. “What is all this?”

“Fuel. We’ll be here a while, won’t we? I haven’t eaten since breakfast.” Instead of stepping inside, she turns toward a brand-new orange BMW M8 parked on the driveway.

With the click of a button, she opens the trunk, tucks two bottles of wine under her arms, then huffs and heaves at a huge case of Corona.

I drop the food on the side table, jogging after her before she wrestles herself into a hernia. “Are you always this self-sufficient? You could’ve asked me to grab this.”

“You had your hands full.” She marches into my house like a regular guest who doesn’t require an invitation. Well, as my , she technically doesn’t. “Can we eat in the garden? I’ll grab some plates.”

Oh yeah, sure, help yourself.

Whatever.

I drop the beer in the cooler, checking my wristwatch. Six hours before the meet-up. Enough time to burn the little alcohol contained in one small bottle of Corona. With that in hand, I fetch a glass for Addie and head outside.

“I went with the safest bet and got Italian,” she chirps, emerging outside with plates and cutlery. “I grabbed everything that looked delicious on the menu.”

There are seven main meals, two soups, and a dozen other boxes of sides and starters. We could stay here for a week and not run out of food.

“I did a little digging.” Addie tips half the carbonara and half the Bolognese onto her plate.

If you ask me, those two don’t go together well.

“I had to check you’re not a psycho,” she adds.

“You bit me, hit me, called me names I can’t understand, and you’re worried ’m the psycho?”

A soft, sweet burst of laughter flies past her lips, along with a mouthful of wine. Some trickles down her chin onto her white shorts. That’s not coming out.

She mumbles , but I wave her off, heading inside for paper towels.

“It was surprisingly easy to find out who you are,” she continues, patting herself and the table dry. “I moved here last month, so I’m not up to speed with local celebrities, but my neighbor knows all about you. I asked if she knows a Colt who has two identical brothers, and that’s all it took.”

“Who’s your neighbor?”

“Kaya Addams.”

My head whips toward Addie so fast I hear a crack. “Kaya? Tall, slim, unstable brunette?”

“Definitely tall. Not skinny. She’s a bit bigger than me. I’m not sure about unstable… she seemed fine. She said she dated your older brother Nico years ago.”

My eyes narrow, a vein ticking on my temple.

One of the darkest times in Hayes brothers history resurfaces, threatening to piss over my good mood. I shove the memories aside, or I won’t be able to stomach a single bite of food.

“Did she mention she was bat-shit crazy, an alcoholic and a cheater?”

“Not so blatantly,” Addie mumbles around a bite of garlic bread. “She said she ended up in rehab when Nico’s daughter was born, then relapsed when he married Mia, but she’s doing okay now. Sober, dating a banker.”

Huh, I didn’t see that coming. I can’t say I’m surprised her marriage to Jared fell apart. It was never going to last with her promiscuous attitude and undying love for my brother.

Kaya disappeared from the scene shortly after Nico’s wedding last year. She crashed the reception, drunk out of her fucking mind, made a scene, got escorted out by security, and that was the last we heard of my brother’s ex.

“So what did Kaya tell you?”

Addie whips a piece of paper filled with neat writing from her back pocket. “My cheat sheet,” she proudly announces, handing it over. “I’ll go find the bathroom while you check it’s right and decide what else I should know.”

“Corridor by the main entrance, first door on your right,” I say, skimming the bullet-point list.

The information about my brothers is limited to names, ages, spouses, and kids. Some kids’ names are missing, so I grab a pen from the side table in the living room and go back out, adding the relevant details, my scruffy writing contrasting Addie’s elegant script.

I doubt anyone will quiz her on this, but knowing it won’t do any harm. I also jot down a quick note about Rose, then add my siblings’ professions.

“I have this committed to memory if you want to check,” Addie says, plopping down beside me. She’s closer than before, peeking at the sheet, her face so close I can smell her cherry lipstick.

“Maybe later. We have more important things to talk about than my brothers.”

“Oh yeah? Like what?”

“How long have we been dating, Addie?”

The faintest trace of a blush heats her cheeks, and the sight stirs things within me I don’t want to name. I need to cool my jets. I met her .

She scoots away, taking her plate, and curls her feet under her butt on the outdoor sofa. “That’s a story we can fabricate as we please. Other than telling my mother my boyfriend’s tall, handsome, and dark haired, I left out everything else.” She stuffs her mouth with a forkful of pasta, chewing slowly. “We could tie it with me moving to Newport, so… five weeks?”

“Based on what you told me, I don’t think your mother will take us seriously if we’ve only been together a few weeks. Where did you live before?”

“On campus in Pomona. I couldn’t keep pets there, and I love the beach, so Dad bought me a house in Newport.”

If I didn’t know she was twenty-two, would be a red flag. I left college girls behind when I finished college myself. Most are too young for real commitment, so no point taking them out. Thankfully, we cleared the ages earlier, and now makes me curious. Post-grad, I guess.

“There’s a lot here I want to unpack, but before we change the topic… three months sounds better than five weeks. Your mother will think you moved to Newport for me.”

“Three months it is. We’re kind of serious, aren’t we?”

“Seems so. And yet I don’t know your surname.”

Her eyes widen as a soft half-laugh half-groan fills my ears. “That’d be helpful, wouldn’t it? Weston. Audrey Weston. I only have one brother, Benjamin, so you’ll have it easier. He’s twenty and has worked with my father since he turned sixteen.”

“And what is it your father does?”

“Inheritance, property, and investment. My family’s fortune was amassed over many years. My father will gladly tell you all about it.”

“Back to . You were still living in Pomona when we met, and I own the best cocktail bar there—

—so I say we met there.”

“Plausible. I go out with my friends every Friday, though I’ve never been to the .”

“Now you have.” We keep the story going until we have a solid timeline of events.

Once that’s done, it’s getting chilly, so we clear the table and move into the living room. Addie immediately snatches a blanket from the back of the couch, making herself at home and… fuck. It feels good that she’s this comfortable around me.

As if we’ve really been dating for months.

As if she’s mine.

I squeeze the back of my neck, gouging my fingers hard into the flesh as I marshal my idiotic thoughts.

For the next hour, we breeze through first-date bullshit things Cody considers essential like favorite color, song, movie, and book before we get to the more interesting stuff. I wish I could say I won’t remember that Addie loves jazz, that “Colors” by Black Pumas is her favorite song or that white’s her favorite color, but I will.

I drink every fucking word falling from her lips.

“You said you lived on campus in Pomona,” I say, emptying the last of the wine bottle into her glass. “What are you studying? and why Pomona of all places?”

She’s in the corner of the huge couch, legs covered with the blanket, knees to her chest, feet an inch from my thigh.

“Veterinary medicine, and Pomona because it’s not that easy getting into a vet school. I wanted to be a long way from my mother, but with easy access to the beach and not anywhere cold. My parents have a permanent home in Miami and hardly ever venture to California. My mother says it’s too crowded with celebrities, so naturally, that was my first choice.”

“But why a vet?”

Addie shrugs nonchalantly. “Mostly because I love animals and a little bit to spite my mother. When I told her I wanted a degree, she assumed I’d study something that aligns with my father’s work. You know, something that’d make me useful until, and I quote, I’d ‘see reason and get married’.”

I chuckle, imagining the reaction her mother must’ve had. “Your mom sounds lovely. I can’t wait to meet her.”

“You should’ve seen her face when I told her I was going to be a veterinarian, and when she saw Emmanuel on FaceTime after I moved to Newport… priceless.”

I raise an eyebrow. “And Emmanuel is…?”

“My pet pig,” she says matter-of-factly.

I nearly spit out my beer, coughing and sputtering as I regain my composure. Addie doesn’t miss a beat, whacking my back, her eyes sparkling with laughter.

“Pet pig? You have a pet ?”

“Not anymore, unfortunately. I volunteer at a veterinary clinic, and sometimes, people abandon injured animals there in the middle of the night to get out of paying the bill. Emmanuel was left on the doorstep my first day there. He was only a week old with a broken leg. The clinic couldn’t care for a pig long-term, so I took him in.”

Curiosity piqued, I scoot closer when she pats the space beside her, flicking through pictures on her phone until she finds what she wants to show me. Sure enough, there’s Addie, reading a book on a couch, while a tiny baby pig snoozes in the crook of her neck.

“He won’t grow to standard pig size because he’s a miniature, but he won’t stay this small for long. With the engagement cruise coming up, I had to find suitable forever homes for most of my pets. Emmanuel’s living on a farm in Oregon.”

“How many pets have you had?”

“Thirteen.” She grins, still flicking through pictures. There isn’t one without an animal of some sort in her hands or at her feet. “Down to five now. Two parrots, a tarantula, and two hamsters. My best friend, Ruby, will take care of them while I’m gone.”

“And I thought Cody’s python was unusual.”

“Lots of people keep snakes,” she says, angling her phone. “I miss this guy most.” She plays a clip of a peculiar-looking bird jumping around her kitchen. It’s big but still looks like a baby. “That’s Jasper. He’s an Emu.”

“Of course he is.”

She playfully elbows my shoulder. “He was cute.”

You’re cute.

I swallow the sentence before it escapes, and good job I do because the next second, Addie and I nearly jump out of our skin at Cody’s voice.

“Aren’t you an adorable fake couple?” He’s a foot behind us with Conor in tow, stealthy as fucking ninjas.

“You’re supposed to knock,” I say, getting up to fetch them a beer.

“Next time,” Cody promises, plopping down a safe distance from Addie in case she tries falling asleep on his shoulder again. “How’s the meet-cute going?”

Conor helps me with the beer and passes over a second bottle of wine. As always, he goes straight for the fridge, rummaging for leftovers. That guy eats more than Cody and I combined, I swear.

For the first time since I moved here, he hits the jackpot.

“Anyone want any food?” he yells, pulling out boxes.

“I could eat,” Cody yells back, and Addie follows suit.

“Fine, heat it all up. I’m on a tight schedule here, so you’re alone, Chef.” I leave his Corona by the coffee maker, heading back into the living room, but pause midway. “Conor?”

“Yeah?” he looks over his shoulder, hands busy opening takeout containers. “What?”

“You and Vee good?”

He pinches his eyebrows together. “Of course. Why?”

“You don’t usually spend any time away from her, and you’ve been here without her two days in a row now so… just checking.”

He drops the box on the counter, turning toward me, clearly uncomfortable with what he’s about to say. “I’m sorry. I… I should’ve been here for you more. It didn’t occur to me until the last get-together at Mom’s that you’re lone—”

“I’m fine,” I snap, cutting him off. It’s not real if he doesn’t say it aloud. “Don’t make a mess here.”

He parts his mouth but decides against talking, just bobs his head, sending me back to the living room.

“What have you talked about so far?” Cody asks, taking the bottle I hold out to him.

“Family, the story of how we met, work, and my pets,” Addie lists, bending a finger for each topic.

“What pets does she have, Colt?”

“Playing the gamemaster, are you? Let’s see… at the moment… two parrots, a tarantula, and two hamsters.”

“Remind me not to visit you!” Conor yells from the kitchen.

“He’s not keen on spiders,” I explain when Addie cocks an eyebrow. “Until recently, she also had a pet pig Emmanuel and Jasper, who happens to be an emu.”

“An emu…” Cody muses. “The big-ass murderous bird?”

“Hey!” Addie cries out, arms akimbo. “Jasper was murderous! He was a baby.”

Cody pulls a ?

face at me out of Addie’s view.

“A tap-dancing baby,” I add, prompting my fake girlfriend to whip out her phone and show my brothers the clip while Conor sets the table for round two of Italian takeout.

We eat while Cody continues testing our knowledge.

“No one will suspect you’re pretending,” Conor says around a mouthful of bruschetta. “Only know the truth, and you might end up overcompensating, making a show, so no one doubts you. Don’t do that.”

Addie nods along, soaking up the information, laughing at my brothers’ stories about me, and throwing in questions. They didn’t need to tell her I cried when I ran over a bird on my bike when I was five or how I passed out drunk at a frat party and woke up in the middle of the forest… naked.

But whatever. I don’t mind.

It’s oddly peaceful watching her banter with us as if she’s been a part of our life for years, not hours.

“I think we should get going,” Cody says, close to nine. “I can take you home, Addie, but you’re riding in the back.”

An adorable frown crosses her face. “I’m not going home. I’m staying here.”

“Are you now?” I ask.

“Well, yeah. We need to be at the airport at seven in the morning and my house is in the opposite direction.”

My asshole brothers hide their stupid grins behind their Coronas. “Makes sense,” they say, nodding in unison.

Yeah, perfect fucking sense if not for the fact I’m racing soon.