Perfectly Wedded (Perfect Crush #1)

7. Sloan

SEVEN

Sloan

“ W e need to come up with a game plan,” Vale says after we’ve bought the ring. “Of how to make this look convincing so everyone believes us.”

“It’s kind of a hard job, don’t you think?” I wave a hand toward his ridiculously muscular body as we stroll along the sidewalk. “I’m just a normal girl, and you’re walking around looking like... this. No one is going to believe I’m married to you.”

Vale grins, clearly amused. “Hey, don’t sell yourself short. You’re more than keeping up. For the record, you make a hot wife.”

My body heats, even though I know he’s just trying to boost my confidence before we head back.

“But it’s going to get harder to keep the secret when we arrive home,” he says, turning serious. “They know us better.”

I stare at him. “You mean, I can’t tell my sister everything?”

He shakes his head. “If you tell Jaz, then Brax has to know too. At that point, it’ll be hard to keep it from Leo and Tate, since they live with us.”

I raise my eyebrows and speak slowly, the reality slowly settling in. “So you’re saying... I have to keep it from everyone ?”

He stops on the sidewalk and faces me. “I don’t see how else we can make it work. When one person knows, there’s more risk of them giving away our secret. The only thing we can share is that we’re married.”

I sigh. My sister can read me like a book, and the thought of trying to pull this off around her makes my stomach churn. This could go very badly, very quickly. “Jaz already knows you’re here with me, and she’s been bugging me nonstop, fishing for details. Then she dropped a hint that she expects me to spill the rest. I’m putting her off by not replying.”

“How did she respond to that?”

“Oh, she’s practically bouncing off the walls. She can’t wait to hear more. Which means...”

“...my brother knows,” Vale finishes for me.

What I don’t tell Vale is that she sent me a GIF of someone getting married, followed by a string of question marks. The pressure to tell her something real is already mounting, and I’m not even home yet.

The thought of keeping the truth away from the people I love makes me sick. Jaz can’t stand when people hide the truth from her, even if I have good reason to keep it from her.

“Hey,” Vale says, sensing my worry, “it’s gonna be all right. You know that, right?” His eyes cut to me, and he squeezes my hand.

“It just doesn’t feel right, lying to everyone.”

“Telling people we got married isn’t a lie, because we are married. But if they start asking why, that’s where things get complicated. And if the truth comes out, we risk more than just your insurance—there’s a lot at stake.”

His jaw tightens, and it hits me for the first time just how much Vale is risking. This isn’t just about me. He’s putting his reputation—and maybe even his future—on the line for me. If this news gets out, it could keep him from moving up to the NHL.

“What do we have to do?” I ask .

“Once we tell everyone we’re married, then comes part two of our plan. And that’s convincing everyone we’re in love.”

“Won’t they assume as much after I show them the ring?”

“Yes and no,” Vale says, steering me around a tour group waiting to board their bus. “Since we’re going to blindside everyone with this news, we need to come up with an epic insta-love story. Something believable.” He smirks, then adds, “And we’ll definitely need some ground rules for our relationship.”

“Rules?” I ask.

Vale weaves through a line of people waiting outside one of the live shows. “See those two over there?” He nods toward a couple practically tangled together, looking like they’re seconds away from ripping each other’s clothes off.

I nearly drop my cup. “Wait, are you suggesting we?—?”

“No!” he cuts in quickly. “But there’s no doubt how they feel about each other. That’s the kind of vibe newlyweds have.”

“There’s no way I can pull that off,” I insist.

“Have you ever been in love?”

Two faces float across my mind. “Regretfully, twice. Anthony was one.”

“How did you act together?”

“We were nearly inseparable,” I admit, before it dawns on me what Vale is doing—he’s trying to map out how we should behave in front of others. I quickly add, “Just for the record, I wish I hadn’t spent so much time with him. And I never made a fool of myself.”

“I’m not asking you to take it that far, but we need to be as convincing as possible. Especially around the people we live with. That’s rule one. Be together as much as possible. Which won’t be hard since I’m living in your house.”

“That doesn’t seem impossible. We already spend plenty of time together as friends.” I shrug, trying to keep it light. “Anthony was always holding my hand, really affectionate.”

Vale’s head turns sharply, his eyes flicking to mine like he’s trying to read my thoughts.

I quickly add, “But you don’t have to do that. We can keep it... casual.”

“No, they’ll expect more than something casual,” Vale replies, like we’re discussing a job offer rather than a marriage. “I don’t want to pressure you, but if we didn’t behave like that, people might not believe us. The question is, how do you feel about that?” He studies me for a beat.

“Touching... in public?” Already I can feel the heat crawling up my neck. With him holding my hand to guide me through Vegas, it would be no different than right now. But there’s something about giving him permission that feels entirely different. Like I’m opening up the floodgates to some very dangerous feelings.

I shrug. “Whatever it takes, right?”

“Okay, so that’s rule two. Touch each other as often as possible.” He hesitates for a second. “Just promise me if it makes you uncomfortable, you’ll tell me?”

I nod and paste on what I hope is an easy smile, even though it feels like there’s a weight on my chest.

“Now it’s your turn,” I say, trying to switch the focus. “How did you behave around the girls you dated?”

Vale lifts an eyebrow. “You want to get into dangerous territory?”

I hesitate. “That bad, huh?”

“I’ve mainly dated for fun, not love. Hockey comes first, and most of the girls were more in love with the idea of dating a hockey player. But if given the chance, they’d be all over me.”

“I bet you hated that.” I shoot him a look.

Vale laughs. “But for a married couple? I don’t think it’s out of place.”

“Really?” I say, feeling my internal temperature rising ten degrees. Is Vale suggesting I need to throw myself at him? Because I’m sure I could do that quite easily. It’s the aftereffects I’m worried about. Once I kiss Vale, I can’t go back to being his friend. Ever. “You’ll have to give me strict instructions on what you mean by too much. Because I can be...” I hesitate.

Vale stops, his eyes glancing toward my mouth, lingering there. “Be what?”

“Too impulsive,” I finish.

I know it’s not a character flaw, just my way of taking action. Maybe in the case of pulling off this charade, it will be a useful trait.

His gaze hovers on my lips for a moment before shifting to meet my eyes. Then, almost abruptly, he starts walking again. “Brax and Jaz can hardly keep their hands off each other. And they’re kissing all the time...” He gives me a sidelong glance. “I don’t mean we should do the same. But there’s something about their relationship you can’t fake.”

I wonder if we’re in over our heads in the fake relationship department. My sister knows me better than anyone. If anyone could guess this is a charade, it would be her. Part of me just wants to confess, but I also know too much is on the line.

“I don’t know if I can do it, Vale. What if we fail?”

Vale shakes his head. “We won’t fail. It’s not an option as long as we make rule three the most important.”

“And that is?”

“Make it believable. Whatever it takes.”

I feel like I just swallowed a balloon. Rule three ups the risks a million degrees. But if Vale wants me to act like his wife, then I’ll need to. Whatever it takes.

“Okay, but what does that mean exactly?” I ask, nervously.

“Well, there’s a fourth rule that keeps rule three in check so we don’t go too far.”

Something prickles down my spine as Vale hesitates.

“Rule four should be no sex.” His eyes cut to mine before they flick away. “Just so we don’t get confused.”

I nod, while my face feels like it’s been shoved into a toaster. Of course Vale is referring to me. He knows I’ll get emotionally attached if we go that far. “Agreed,” I say, trying to pretend it’s not a big deal. “Once we tell everyone we’re married, there’s no turning back,” I add, more to myself than Vale.

Until now, our decision to marry felt like a Vegas dream, something we could shake off once we left.

“Sorry to break the news, Sloan, but you’re already married. That ship has sailed. Now we just need to decide how to tell everyone.” I see it in Vale’s eyes—he’s trying to protect me from messing up by establishing ground rules. “But we don’t have to decide anything else now. I think we should celebrate at some over-the-top restaurant.”

“Every restaurant on this street is over-the-top. It’s Vegas.”

My phone suddenly buzzes in my purse. I study the screen. It’s a message from Jaz with a news link.

Jaz

IS THIS REAL?

The article’s headline reads: “Hockey star elopes with girlfriend.” I click the link and my stomach drops. It’s about us.

“Are you in the mood for steak or seafood?” Vale asks, still looking at the map on his phone.

“Vale,” I say in an urgent voice, my eyes glued to the screen. The article is short but reveals that Vale and I eloped in Vegas.

“My name isn’t the answer to this question,” he replies. “Your options are steak or seafood. Unless you want Mexican?”

I shove the phone in his face. “Look at this.”

Two lines form between his brow. “Somebody leaked our news to the media?”

“Not just somebody. Anthony, most likely.” I cross my arms. “And now my sister knows. She’s going to be furious.” I can barely breathe.

“Which means Brax knows. Not to mention the rest of the team.”

Suddenly, Vale’s phone buzzes in his pocket.

He glances at the screen. “It’s the general manager from the team. Looks like our secret is out. ”

“What are we going to do?” I nearly yell, dragging my hand through my hair. This was not how I wanted everyone to find out.

Vale turns to face me, grabbing my shoulders so I’ll look at him. “I think it’s best if we head home early.”

“Right into the line of fire?”

“Yes,” he says, nodding. “We need to do what we can to control the story. We’ll talk to our families and team first, and then face the press.” He turns to head back to the hotel, and I grab his arm.

“Whoa, slow down, partner,” I say in my best fake country accent. “Did you say press ? Because I don’t do media stuff.”

“You do now. But I’ll take care of how to spin this during our press conference. You don’t have to say a word.”

“Wait—what conference?” I feel lightheaded, like I’m about to be sick.

“An interview with all the major media outlets,” he says. “And you’ll appear by my side... as my wife.”