Sophia lay in bed, watching the early morning light creep through her window and dance on the floor and walls. It was seven in the morning, but sleep was evading her.

All she could think about was the man on her couch. The one she’d once loved. And the one that she now knew nothing about.

She closed her eyes, and her stomach twisted as what she’d seen the night before came flooding back. What had happened? He certainly didn’t have those scars back in high school. Had it happened in the service? They were raised and jagged, running the length of his chest.

Her heart squeezed. It would have been a serious injury to leave a mark like that. Her breath caught in her throat as worry coursed through her. Had he been alone? Had he had anyone to take care of him?

She scoffed and covered her eyes with her elbow. If there was one thing she was certain about, it was that Noah Elliot had no problem with women. She was an idiot if she thought Noah had stayed single. She was pretty sure that the moment he drove off, after breaking her heart, he was in the arms of another woman.

She was probably the last person he would think about.

So, to keep her sanity, she needed to stop thinking about Noah and focus on something more pressing—the reason Noah was back here. The search for her father.

Her phone rang, slicing through the silence. Sophia glanced over and grabbed it off her nightstand. It was Jazzy.

“Hello?” Sophia said after she cleared her throat.

“Soph?”

“Yep.”

There was a pause. “Just checking to see if you survived the evening. One minute you were there and the next you were gone. I’m guessing the second reunion with Noah went well?”

Sophia groaned at the teasing sound in Jazzy’s voice. “No. Nothing like that.”

But the butterflies in her stomach told another story. Last night had been a very strange and confusing experience. She wanted to know more about Noah than he was willing to tell her.

Jazzy laughed. “Well, let me know when anything changes.”

And then Sophia remembered what she’d agreed to do. It would be strange to suddenly inform Jazzy that she and Noah were engaged. If they were going to be believed, her aunt should be one of the first people to know. Sophia just wasn’t sure what she could tell her. As much as she hated lying to her aunt, she allowed the words to flow from her lips.

“Actually, about that, Noah needs my help. We’re getting married this week.”

Jazzy was quiet. “What?”

Sophia sighed, working the worry out of her mind. “Noah needs my help,” she said again. “It’s legal. We’re getting married.”

Jazzy was not going to be happy with how vague she was being. Inside, she prayed that her aunt would leave it alone and not push her for more information.

“You okay?” Jazzy asked.

Yep, Jazzy was worried. “Yes. I’m fine. We’ll be fine. You don’t have to worry.”

The phone grew quiet. Sophia winced as she imagined what her aunt must be thinking. “Everything is okay. For legal reasons, I can’t really talk about it.”

Jazzy harrumphed then sighed. “I’m not happy about it, but I trust you.” She scoffed. “But I’m having words with that young man next time I see him. I stood up for him.”

Relief flooded Sophia as she nodded. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep lying to her aunt. “Thanks, Jazzy.”

A soft chuckle filled the air. “I love you, Soph. And you tell Noah, if he hurts you, he’ll have to answer to me.”

“All right,” Sophia said as she softened her voice. She loved her aunt. She was grateful she had such a strong woman in her life to support her.

They said their goodbyes, and Sophia set her phone back on her nightstand and stared up at the ceiling.

It was starting. Noah had re-entered her life and she was instantly changing who she was. How many times had he told her to lie to her mom about where she was going while they were dating? And she’d gone along with it. She needed to stay strong in her convictions if she was going to survive this next week.

Her stomach twisted as she threw off the covers and shoved her feet into her slippers. She needed a shower.

She pulled open her bedroom door and padded into the bathroom. After a hot, twenty-minute shower, she flipped off the water and grabbed a towel.

It was disappointing that she didn’t feel any better after the shower than she had before she got in. The hot water normally calmed her nerves. But, then again, she had just agreed to fake a wedding with her ex-boyfriend turned spy in order to flush her deadbeat, criminal dad out of hiding.

No wonder she was stressed.

There were a few solid knocks on the door, and Sophia’s heart picked up speed. She tucked in the edge of her towel and wrapped up her hair.

After stepping out of the tub, she pulled open the bathroom door. She hoped the butterflies would stop racing around in her stomach.

“What?” she asked.

Noah’s eyebrows shot up as his gaze ran over her. She felt some satisfaction that his cheeks had a pink tint to them.

It felt good to make him as uncomfortable as she’d been last night.

“I, um…” He cleared his throat. “I need to use the bathroom.”

Sophia sighed. This was going to be hard, living together and sharing one bathroom. She walked past him, trying to ignore the fact that her arm brushed against his chest as she stepped out into the hall. “It’s all yours.”

“Thanks,” he said. His voice had turned low, almost gravely.

Heat rushed across her skin at the tone of his voice. It was so familiar—and she ached for that familiarity. But Noah wasn’t safe, and she needed to remind herself of that. Noah was blowing through town like a tornado out of hell. He wasn’t going to stick around. He never did.

So, she wrapped her arms around her chest and slipped into her bedroom to get dressed.

Once her hair was brushed and her make-up was on, she felt better. Like she could actually take on what she was going to have to do today. Plan a wedding with Noah.

Noah was sitting at the table, eating eggs when she walked in. He glanced over and pushed his chair out to stand. She raised an eyebrow as a sheepish expression passed over his face.

“Sorry,” he said as he sat back down.

Since when did he do things like that?

She tried push away the thought as she walked over to the fridge and pulled out some milk. Once she’d poured a bowl of cereal, she joined him at the table.

Noah’s hair was still drying from his shower, and he was wearing a dark-blue t-shirt and jeans. She glanced over at him, fighting the thoughts that were trying to sneak into her mind. Dark blue always did make his eyes stand out.

Blast that man.

“What’s the plan for the day?” she asked around her cereal.

Noah glanced up at her. “Well, I guess wedding planning. We’ll start with the photos for the newspaper and then…what do we need? A venue? Invitations?”

Sophia took another bite. “Yeah.” Never in her life did she think that this was how she would get married. Guilted into pretending to marry a man who’d basically told her it was her duty to do it.

As if sensing her hesitation, Noah leaned forward to catch her gaze. “It’s okay. It’s not real. And once we catch the guy your dad works for, it will be over.”

Sophia studied him and then nodded. She knew why there were doing this, she just hadn’t realized how it would affect her emotionally. Thoughts of her conversation with Jazzy entered her mind. That was probably a conversation she should tell Noah about. The lies were already starting.

“I talked to Jazzy today.”

Noah coughed and glanced over at her. “Really? What did you say?”

Sophia ran her finger over the rim of her bowl. “What am I able to say?”

Noah hesitated and then leaned back. “It’s probably best to keep certain parts a secret. The less people know, the better.”

“That’s what I thought. I kept it vague. Told her you were in a legal bind and that getting married would help.” She was grateful that she hadn’t said anything more to Jazzy. If what her father did was so terrible that the CIA was looking for him, then Jazzy would be safer not knowing what they were up to. “Does she know any of it? Like, my father’s history?”

Noah pinched the bridge of his nose before turning his attention over to her. “I don’t think so. He’s a good liar. He kept a lot of people in the dark.”

She met his gaze and held it for a moment. Then she focused back on her cereal. “What did he do?” she asked as she pushed her spoon around in her bowl.

She’d always suspected her dad was up to something, and truthfully, she was a little terrified to find out just what he’d done.

Noah sighed as he leaned back. “I’m not sure you want to know, Soph.”

Her stomach clenched at Noah’s words. Then it was bad. Really bad. She stood and grabbed her bowl. Suddenly, she wasn’t hungry anymore. After rinsing out most of her milk and cereal, she turned to find Noah studying her.

“We’ll catch the man he works for?” she asked. She needed to know that opening herself up to this pain was going to be worth it. This man, whoever he was, was going to get caught and go to prison. Otherwise, all of this was pointless.

Noah stood and walked over to the sink. He paused right next to her. “I promise. He will not get away.”

Shivers ran down her spine as he stared down at her. His warmth radiated across her skin. There was a depth to Noah’s voice that made her believe he would take care of her. But putting her trust in him scared her.

Not able to stand there, bathed in Noah’s shadow, Sophia stepped away from the counter and grabbed her phone. After clicking it on, she called Gentle Dentists.

A few rings and Jan picked up.

“Hello, Gentle Dentists.”

“Hey, Jan, can I speak to Pat?”

She turned slightly so she could watch Noah from the corner of her eye. He was rinsing off his plate and setting it next to the sink. When his gaze made its way over to her, she shifted so he couldn’t see that she had been watching him.

“Hey, Sophia,” Pat’s quiet voice greeted her.

She told him the story she’d rehearsed in her head about the improtu wedding. Pat wasn’t happy about it, but he agreed to take on her patients where he had openings and would have Jan reschedule the rest. She was just grateful that he’d bought her story about getting engaged and needing to take the week off to plan the wedding.

After thanking him profusely—to which he just grunted—Sophia dropped the phone and turned to Noah. “Well, that’s taken care of.”

He was resting against the countertop with his arms folded. He had a contemplative expression on his face as he nodded. “You okay?” he asked.

No, but she couldn’t say that. Instead, she just shrugged and headed over to the door. “Come on, let’s get started.”

Thirty minutes later, they arrived at Jordan’s Photography House. Noah held the door open and waved Sophia inside. She walked into a large showroom with photos adorning the walls. Jordan had graduated with Noah and Sophia. He was a great photographer and they had been good friends. Well, until Noah ran out on Sophia and Jordan got married.

A tall, slender man stood behind a desk with a computer resting on top. He had a pink and white plaid shirt and a small black bow-tie that matched the glasses perched on his nose. He lifted his finger as if to halt any conversation and continued typing with the other hand.

Sophia glanced over at Noah, who had an impatient look on his face. When his gaze met hers, she shrugged.

Finally, the clicking of the keyboard stopped, and the man looked up. “Welcome to Jordan’s Photography House, I am Philip. Do you have an appointment?”

Sophia shook her head as she stepped up to the counter. “No, we don’t.”

Philip’s forehead furrowed as he parted his lips.

“We’re old friends of Jordan’s. Could you tell him that Sophia and Noah are here to see him?” She gave Philip a wide smile, hoping that it would help soften his hardened expression.

Philip glanced from Sophia to Noah. “Ma’am, it’s rude to come into a business and demand special service.”

Sophia raised her eyebrows. Wow. Okay. Just as she parted her lips to speak, the front door opened and Jordan stepped in.

His gaze roamed over them, and a surprised smile spread across his face. “Sophia? Noah?” he asked.

“Hey, man,” Noah said, stepping forward and extending his hand.

Jordan took it and then glanced at Sophia. “What are you guys doing here? When did you get back into town?”

Noah pushed his hand through his hair. Why was he so nervous about seeing an old friend? Sure, she hadn’t been happy to see him, but that’s because he’d hurt her by promising to spend his life with her only to ditch her moments later.

It seemed strange that he would react this way, instead of with his normal confidence. Her heart softened a tad as she watched Noah give Jordan a weak smile. And for a second, she felt bad for having treated him the way she had yesterday.

Sure, she’d been hurt, but she was a fool to not realize he was in pain as well. The memory of his scars raced through her mind, causing a twinge of guilt to pull at her stomach. Her resolve to hate Noah forever was slowly weakening, and she couldn’t have that. So she cleared her throat as she re-focused her mind.

He was the one who’d left her. She couldn’t forget that.

“Yesterday. I, um…” Noah glanced over at Sophia with pleading in his gaze.

Right. They needed a backstory. Oh, she was going to give them the best backstory she could think of. And the fact that they were in front of someone made it even better—he couldn’t disagree with her. So she gave him her sweetest smile. “Oh, this is the best story.”