The next day, Sophia tried to ignore the feelings that brewed in her stomach every time Noah smiled at her or brushed against her accidentally. Or, what she thought was on accident. She couldn’t help but hope that he was doing it on purpose.

After they met with a caterer and secured the venue, they pulled into Sophia’s driveway, and Noah turned off the car. He hesitated before he turned to look at her.

“Are you up for the party tonight?” he asked. She thought she detected a hopeful hint to his voice.

She fiddled with the strap of her purse. “I’m game if you are.” She peeked over at him.

His gaze was intense. She swallowed. She was trying with all her might to not read into his reactions.

“I think it might be fun. See each other in a neutral place.” He cleared his throat and ran his hands over the steering wheel, taking a moment to touch the insignia in the middle.

“Sounds good.” Her heart picked up speed as she thought about what this meant. See each other in a neutral place. A place where they weren’t faking a relationship or planning a fake marriage for that fake relationship. Did he want them to just be Noah and Sophia tonight?

She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. All she knew was that a relaxing evening sounded amazing.

They got out of the car and headed inside. She nodded at him as she slipped into her bedroom to get ready. Forty-five minutes later, she opened her door. After curling her hair and obsessing over her outfit longer than she’d like to admit, she was ready.

Noah was sitting on the couch. He looked amazing in his dark blue button-up shirt and dark jeans. He’d styled his hair, and it accented his tanned skin. He looked up as she came out. An approving look crossed his face, making Sophia feel light-headed.

She’d wrestled with what to wear, and finally decided on a dark red dress with black heels. She’d hoped that it wouldn’t look like she was trying too hard. Which was ridiculous, she mentally scolded herself. But she couldn’t help it. She wanted Noah to like how she looked.

“Wow,” he said, standing and shoving his phone into his back pocket.

She smiled and smoothed her dress. “Thanks.”

He took a few steps toward her before he stopped. It was almost as if he were asking for permission to come closer. She just smiled.

“Did you see this?” he asked, pulling his phone out and turning it on.

She stepped closer to him as she squinted at the screen. It was an announcement on the local paper’s website. There was a picture of the two of them, and under it were the words Noah Elliot and Sophia Lewis to be married on Sunday.

She took his phone and studied their picture. Man, they made a good couple. She looked so at ease in his arms, even though at that moment she’d felt like she was breaking.

“Did this just go out?” she asked, handing him the phone.

Noah nodded. “Jordan sent me an email while we were out. I don’t know how I missed it.”

She fiddled with her purse as he slipped his phone back into his pocket. “Do you think he’ll notice?”

Noah sighed and glanced around the room. “If he’s not an idiot—and I don’t think he is—he’ll notice. I have a feeling he’s been keeping an eye on you. This will definitely draw his attention.”

Her stomach twisted at the thought of her father keeping an eye on her. Although, for some odd reason, it did make her feel a tad less lonely.

Tired of thinking about her father, she pushed him from her mind and smiled over at Noah. “Well, only time will tell.” She motioned toward the door. “Shall we?”

Noah stepped in front of her and held the door open. She walked out onto the porch, and Noah followed after.

They drove the twenty minutes to the Rusty Barrel and parked in the lot. They could hear the music from inside their car. A disco ball was spinning, throwing lights across one of the windows, and bodies were moving to the beat.

Noah glanced over at Sophia. “Are you ready for this?”

She chewed her lip and nodded. “Sure. It’ll be fun.”

He pulled open his door, and she did the same. The crunching of gravel under their shoes filled the silence between them. She wanted to ask him what his intentions were this evening. If he wanted to act like a couple. Would it tip people off if they didn’t?

When they neared the door, Noah suddenly placed his hand on her lower back and led her to the side of the building.

She widened her eyes as he leaned close. “Noah? What are you doing?”

He raised an eyebrow before he shook his head. “Oh, sorry. Nothing like that. I just thought we should get our game plan figured out before we go in there.” He moved back from her, scrubbing his face. “Like, are we going to act like an engaged couple or not.” His forehead creased. “I mean, do you want me…touching you?”

Her eyebrows rose at his question. Sure, it was valid. But she wasn’t sure what she wanted to say. So she turned the question back on him. “Do you think it would be a good idea?” She leaned against the hard brick of the building as she waited for his response.

Noah studied her. “If you’re okay with it, I think we should. I mean, we want people to believe that the engagement is real.”

Sophia’s heart hammered so hard that she could barely breathe. “Okay.”

He took a deep breath and then extended his hand. “Okay then. Let’s do this.”

Sophia pushed off the wall and, despite her better judgement, slipped her hand into his. The warmth of his skin penetrated her. She held her breath as so many memories rushed through her mind.

This felt right. And as much as she wanted to deny it, she loved it. Noah glanced over at her as he led her to the front doors of the Rusty Barrel. She kept her eyes down. She was scared of what might happen if she met his gaze.

Noah opened the door and held it as she entered. People were packed inside, eating at the tables or drinking at the bar. Noah pressed in close to her as he motioned toward an open stool.

“Shall we?” he asked.

Shivers raced up her back. She could feel his body inches from hers. His lips were a breath away as he leaned in to speak over the music.

When they got to the bar, he waved at Georgina, the bartender, and ordered a whiskey and a white wine. Sophia slipped onto the seat, and Noah rested against her. His hands gripped the bar on either side of her, and he was leaning his chest on her back.

Why did this feel so good? It was almost as if they had been two lonely puzzle pieces, and now that they were back together, everything made sense. It made her angry and happy at the same time.

“Are you feeling okay?” Noah asked.

Sophia shivered at the way his warm breath raced across her skin. It was a physical representation of how close they really were. She felt her resolve to distance herself slowly fading away. It was hard to hate someone that was becoming so easy to love.

“Yeah, I am.” She swallowed. “You?”

“Never better,” he said. His voice was deep, and it sent butterflies racing through her stomach.

They stayed there, close to one another, in comfortable silence. It was as if their proximity was healing all the broken cracks of their hearts. Sophia even allowed a genuine smile to lift her lips. This was what she wanted. She’d always wanted this.

“Glad you two could make it.” Jazzy’s voice could be heard over the up-beat thumping of the song, breaking their quiet reverie.

Noah pushed off the counter and turned to hug Jazzy. Sophia leaned over and hugged her as well.

“Thanks,” she said when Jazzy pulled back. “Looks like a great turnout.”

Jazzy smiled as she ran her gaze over the two of them. “Yeah. Everyone loves Bill. I’m happy to help.” She leaned in to Sophia. “Wedding still on?”

Sophia’s stomach twisted. She hated lying to her aunt. But the last thing she wanted was to endanger her. So she nodded. “Of course. It’s for the best.”

Jazzy quirked an eyebrow. “You’re not worried that they’ll find out it was all a sham?” She nodded toward the townspeople.

Sham. This was a sham. Even though, at times, it felt real, a sham was the perfect way to describe their relationship. Noah didn’t love her. He wanted to use her to get to her father and then leave. She should remember that.

“We’ll be fine. Once everything’s taken care of, we’ll divorce and our lives will return to normal.” She hoped that her aunt couldn’t see through her lie. Her heart was breaking at the thought of Noah leaving yet again.

Jazzy hesitated before she smiled. “Sounds good.” Then she patted them both on the shoulder and left to mingle.

Noah remained close, but not as close as he’d been when they first arrived. It was as if he too had been reminded of what this relationship really was.

A few minutes later, a slow song started up. Sophia stared at her now empty glass, hoping and dreading that he might ask her to dance. Did she want to dance with him?

Yes.

But she knew that it would break her heart.

Just as she’d about convinced herself there was no way he was going to ask her, she felt his hand on her shoulder.

“We should probably dance,” he said.

She swallowed hard as she slowly turned around. “You think so?”

He looked hesitant, but nodded. “Yeah. Most couples are.” He stepped back and held out his hand. “And if you don’t, Mrs. Bruster looks like she might come over and demand I dance with her.”

Sophia glanced over to see their elementary principal making eyes at Noah. Sophia chuckled. “I’m not going to lie. I kind of want to see that.” His expression turned desperate, so she reached out and placed her hand in his. “Well, if it’s to save you, then I guess we can dance.”

He grinned at her as he led her onto the wooden dance floor.

She tried to ignore how good it felt to have him place his hand on her back or pull her hand in close to his chest. He stepped closer to her, and she could feel his warmth wash over her. He smelled so good. She had to fight the urge to close her eyes and inhale.

After a few seconds of moving to the beat, Noah spoke. “Why didn’t you ever get married?”

Her heart picked up speed. She knew that having an intimate conversation was only natural when they were this close together, she just wasn’t sure if she wanted to answer.

But he looked genuinely curious, so she sighed. “No one asked. Besides, you need to date someone before you get to that point. I never really found anyone.”

Noah muttered something under his breath that sounded like “Idiots,” but when she glanced up at him, his lips were pulled taut.

Not wanting to be the only one exposed, she decided to put the question back to him. “You?”

“Me?”

She rolled her eyes. “Yes, you. Why didn’t you ever get married?”

He stiffened for a moment before he relaxed. “I don’t really live the settle down and get married kind of life.”

She glanced up at him. She knew what he meant. It was the reason he was here. He fought bad guys. Like her father. Worry brewed in her stomach as she nodded. And before she could stop herself, she let the question that had been pulling at the back of her mind tumble out. “Do you think you’ll ever come back after you get James?”

When Noah didn’t answer right away, Sophia hesitantly glanced up to see that he was studying the wall behind her. Suddenly, she felt his hand press on her back and she responded by spinning out. When she came back, he held her close for a moment before returning to a gently swaying step.

“That’s a loaded question,” he said. His voice was low and full of emotion.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

He glanced down at her. “In my life. My work. I’ve seen things. Bad people. It’s hard to walk away from something like that.”

She nodded. Why did she have to ask? What had she expected? That Noah would suddenly confess his feelings for her and tell her that he was never going to leave her again?

From the way her heart was breaking, that was exactly what she had been thinking. Even though he’d been very clear since the beginning that he was leaving once this was all over, she’d gone ahead and weakened the wall she’d built up around her heart.

The only thing she could do to save her sanity was smile. “I get it. You’re good at your job. The world needs you.”

Noah’s expression stilled as he studied her. She forced her smile to remain. The last thing she needed was for him to feel guilty for her stupidity. How had she allowed herself to care for him again?

This wasn’t Noah’s fault. It was hers. And she wasn’t going to let him know that he’d hurt her.

And when he’d inevitably leave, she’d be left with a hemorrhaging heart.

Stupid, stupid heart.