Small Town Pretender by Brighton Walsh

If Nat had hoped that sleeping on it would give her more perspective, she was sorely mistaken. She’d woken up with June’s hand slung over her face and Owen’s foot in her ribs, but the funny thing was, she hadn’t even minded.

Nat wasn’t a dainty sleeper. She didn’t curl up in one corner and never move from that space. She was a sprawler. If she had a king-sized bed all to herself, it was too small. But here, she’d been crammed onto a queen with two children who were apparently auditioning for the circus in their dreams, limbs flailing every thirty minutes. Not to mention the six-foot-one, 180-pound man taking up half the mattress. And somehow that hadn’t made her run for the door.

Okay, so she had actually run for the door, but she was proud to say she hadn’t snuck out. She’d told Asher that Will had needed her and her sisters’ opinions on something for the wedding, so she had to run out for a bit. Except from the look he’d shot her—one that said he knew exactly what she was doing and exactly why she was doing it—she knew she hadn’t pulled off anything.

Really, it didn’t matter how she’d slipped away to Rory’s house, only that she was there and could finally unload the thought that had been plaguing her all night. The one that had seeped into her dreams where she’d walked down an aisle filled with quicksand, her ankles shackled the whole way.

Asher hadn’t downpoured her for something as simple as supper, or for her to extend her stay for maybe another week. Nope. Asher downpoured her to marry her.

Her.

The one who lived out of suitcases and could only commit to a one-month lease. The one who swore she would happily be an eighty-year-old spinster because she didn’t want to be tied to anyone or anything.

Nat pulled up in front of Rory’s house, the last to arrive even though she’d been the one who’d demanded the meeting. She maybe should have asked Asher if he was okay with having her sisters know their possible secret, but truth be told, she had to tell someone. And while her sisters were a lot of things, they weren’t going to sell her or Asher out, especially with what was on the line.

Without knocking, Nat let herself in the front door. When Rory had bought this house after her divorce, it had been a complete shithole, with crumbling floors and rotted steps and more wallpaper than they had in a store. But in the year since she’d moved in, she and Nash had fixed up the place to be cozy and warm. Something that exuded far more realness than the pristine museum she’d once shared with her ex-husband ever had.

“It’s about time you got here,” Rory said from the small dining room off the kitchen where her sisters were all gathered. “Honestly, Nat, it’s just like you to call for this meetin’ and then show up twenty minutes late to it. Do you think we’ve got all day to sit around and wait for whatever nonsense it is you’ve got on your mind? I—”

“Asher wants to marry me,” Nat blurted and watched as each of her three sisters’ mouths dropped open, one right after the other.

Someone cleared their throat from behind her, and Nat glanced over her shoulder to find Nash standing there, eyebrows raised. “Well…sounds like my services may be best used elsewhere. I think I’ll just run on over and see if my good old friend Asher has anything he wants to talk about.”

He walked over, resting his hands on the back of Rory’s chair and bending to press a kiss to the side of her neck. He murmured something, and Rory’s face softened, her surprise replaced by love. Happiness. Two emotions that, prior to Nash, Nat hadn’t seen on her sister in a very long time.

“Take the girls, will you?” Rory said. “They’ll have fun with June and Owen, and it might give y’all a little freedom to chat.”

“Already ahead of you, princess.” Nash tossed his keys in the air and called, “Girls, y’all interested in swingin’ by The Sweet Spot this mornin’?”

Even Ava’s preteen gloominess didn’t stand a chance when faced with the prospect of some of Lilah’s delectable treats from the bakery in town. Both girls came running down the hallway from their bedrooms, calling out a generalized bye and waving over their shoulders as they headed for the front door.

“Uh uh. Go kiss your momma bye and tell your aunts you’ll see ’em later.”

Nat smirked watching her oldest friend slide effortlessly into this role she’d never seen him in. Never imagined he’d be in. After everything he’d gone through with his family—his momma leaving when he’d been young, and his dad completely checking out—she’d honestly thought they’d be single buddies their whole lives. But she couldn’t deny how perfectly this relationship fit him. She also couldn’t deny how happy it very clearly made him.

After Ava and Ella had done what Nash had ordered, pressing kisses to Rory’s cheek and squeezing her from behind before offering a chorus of See y’all later to Nat, Will, and Mac, the trio was out the door, and then it was just her and her sisters.

Silence cloaked the room as Nat stood at the head of the table, her hands braced on the back of the chair, gaze darting between all of them as they stared right back.

Finally, Mac said, “You wanna say that one more time?”

Nat blew out a heavy sigh and sank into the chair, thunking her elbows on the table and dropping her head into her hands. “You heard me right the first time.”

“Is this…new? Did something happen between y’all?” Will asked, her voice tentative as if she needed all the facts before she could offer up any advice.

“Nothing more than the usual. The only thing that changed was June and Owen.” Nat laid it all out for them then, detailing exactly what Judge Seville had told Asher. And then what her boneheaded best friend had lied about.

Mac hummed and shook her head. “As mayor, I probably shouldn’t be privy to the fact that you’re intendin’ to lie about legal matters.”

“Oh, stop it.” Rory smacked Mac on the arm. “You’re not here as a mayor. You’re here as a sister. And as her sisters, it’s our duty to tell her—” Rory turned her gaze toward Nat “—just what an absurd idea this is.”

“Rory!” Will admonished.

“Well, it is, isn’t it? This isn’t like jumpin’ in a plane and headin’ to Budapest or wherever the hell it is that you fly off to. Marriage is a serious commitment and isn’t something you should enter into lightly. Learn from my mistakes. All I’m sayin’ is I’m not sure this is something you wanna rush into.”

Mac shot Rory an incredulous expression. “Are you seriously comparin’ your asshole ex-husband to Asher, Nat’s best friend? He would never do to her what Sean did to you.”

Namely, her walking in on him fucking his assistant.

“But, actually, that brings up a good point,” Will said. “Does this mean that neither of y’all will date anyone? Ever? That’s more than just givin’ up travelin’ all over the world, Nat. That’s givin’ up any hope of a future with anyone else.”

They hadn’t discussed that yet, but that thought hadn’t even entered her mind. Maybe because when she thought about a future, it was always her by herself. It was never with regard to anyone else. Sure, Nat enjoyed sex as much as the next girl, but she’d never seen herself getting into a committed relationship, much less a marriage. And the thought of being locked to only Asher that way hadn’t even registered as a concern.

“She has a point,” Mac said. “I think if you do agree to this, there need to be some sort of stipulations about how y’all would proceed. You might not ever want to get married—”

“But you might,” Rory cut in. “You’re so young—you never know how things will change.”

“As I was sayin’…” Mac rolled her eyes. “But I can’t imagine you’re ready to give up sex for the rest of…however long this will last. Are you?”

God, no. As previously mentioned, Nat loved sex as much as the next girl, but what would the option be in this instance? She hummed as her thoughts spun through every possible scenario, her mind automatically flicking away any thought, no matter how brief it was, of either she or Asher with anyone else. Probably because it would put the guardianship at risk. In a town as small as Havenbrook, they couldn’t afford to have rumors flying around about their marriage being a sham.

By the time Nat refocused, her sisters were staring at her, each with a different expression on her face. Rory’s was skeptical. Mac looked contemplative. And Will…well, Will looked downright giddy.

“What’s with your face?” Nat asked, eyes narrowed.

Will’s smile only grew, and she shrugged a single shoulder. “Nothing.”

“Don’t give me that. You’ve got your gross schmoopy face on. What exactly is goin’ through your mind right now?”

“Nothing, just…” She folded her hands on the table and leaned forward, no longer trying to tamp down her smile. “Wouldn’t it be great if y’all really got together? Then you could stay here, and we’d get to see you a lot more.”

Nat scoffed and rolled her eyes. “I’d never stay in Havenbrook.”

The room fell silent, as if everyone were waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Finally, Mac cleared her throat and said, “But that’s exactly what this would mean…”

That thought was a weight around Nat’s ankle, dragging her down to the bottom of the ocean. She was trapped. Suffocated. But it wouldn’t be forever. Right? It wouldn’t have to be forever. If they got married and the judge saw that Asher could provide a stable home enough to get custody of the kids, then their farce could be up and Nat could go back to the life she loved. In her mind, the shackle crumbled and she floated to the top, breaking the surface with a gasp.

“The look on your face tells me you’ve already made up your mind,” Rory said.

God, how things had changed in the past year. That Rory somehow knew her well enough to be able to discern her expressions. And not only that, but she could read them correctly.

When Nat didn’t respond or rebuke Rory, Will’s smile split her face. “Wow. I can’t believe you’re gonna be the first one of us to get married.”

“Um, I beg your pardon,” Rory said, sounding affronted. “I got married almost fifteen years ago, remember?”

Will waved her off. “Please, we’re not countin’ that. As far as I’m concerned, my nieces arrived by immaculate conception.”

Mac cleared her throat. “Well, actually…” she said and then just let that hang in the air as the rest of them stared at her, brows raised, waiting for her to continue.

When she said nothing more, Nat slapped a hand on the table. “What the hell is that supposed to mean? Spit it out already. I’ve sorta got someone waitin’ for an answer, and I need to run.”

Mac reached up and pulled something from the neck of her shirt and placed it on top of the material. There, hanging from a delicate silver chain, was a ring. All three sisters gasped in unison, but it was Rory who yanked Mac toward her, close enough to get a better look at the piece of jewelry around her neck.

“What the hell is this?” Rory asked.

“Oh my word!” Will said. “You’re married?”

Will and Nat stood, their elbows braced on the table as they leaned closer to Mac, getting a glimpse of the simple, thin band with a row of diamonds encased in silver.

“Are y’all done mauling me?” Mac asked.

“Are you done keepin’ this huge secret from your sisters?” Nat shot back.

Mac tucked the necklace back beneath her shirt and shrugged, as if it weren’t a big deal to have gotten married and not told anyone. “It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, but I didn’t want to tell anyone and take away from Will’s big day comin’ up.”

“Mac…” Will said, her voice soft. “I haven’t been that much of a bridezilla, have I? You didn’t have to keep this from everyone.”

“Seriously, it’s just not a big deal to me. Or Hud. We didn’t want the wedding. We just wanted the marriage.”

Rory and Will both aww’d while Nat rolled her eyes.

“Please. You just wanted the wedding night,” she said, easing the tension as everyone shared a laugh.

“If you think we had to wait for the wedding night, you haven’t been payin’ attention,” Mac said wryly.

“Tell us everything!” Will leaned toward Mac. “When did all this come about? How long have y’all been…married?” She said the word like she still couldn’t believe it had happened.

“Last week, right after Hud got home. Not only did we not want to make a big fuss and take away from your day, Will, but with the funerals, and Nat helpin’ Asher out, it just wasn’t a good time. But even if it wasn’t a good time, we couldn’t wait another day.” She took a deep breath and shrugged. “So, we drove to Parkersville so no one around here would blab and got married in their courthouse while we were both wearin’ jeans and T-shirts.”

Rory shook her head. “I hope you’ve enjoyed married life so far.”

“Yeah, why’s that?”

“Well, I just mean, seein’ as Momma’s gonna kill you and all.”

“Speakin’ of Momma killin’ people…” Nat said. “I hope y’all’re ready to be on that list, ’cause you can’t tell her any of this. The fewer people who know about it, the better.”

“You’re gonna outright lie to Momma and Daddy?” Rory asked. Guess the goody-two-shoes was still buried deep in her.

“And Gran?” Will said, hitting the nail closer to the head.

Nat hated the idea of keeping this from Gran, but she didn’t see how to get around it. If everyone in town knew it was a farce, Judge Seville would too. And she couldn’t risk the kids’ placement with Asher just because she wanted to share some secrets with her grandma.

“Yes,” Nat said. “To all of them. We need to keep it to just the four of us.”

“And Nash,” Rory said. “He already heard your big mouth spill it when you walked in.”

“And Nash,” Nat agreed. It wasn’t like Asher wouldn’t have told him anyway.

“And Finn,” Will piped in, her expression conflicted. “I can’t keep things from him. He has a way of gettin’ ’em out of me.”

“I just bet he does,” Nat said with an eye roll.

“Well, if y’all get to tell your boyfriends, I sure as hell get to tell my husband.” Mac crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair, raising a brow as if challenging any of them to argue.

Great, so the only people who knew would be her three sisters—one of whom was the town mayor, and another who gossiped nearly as bad as Havenbrook’s mail carrier, Edna—as well as each of their significant others.

One thing was for sure—if they managed to make it to the hearing without the judge getting wind of this, it’d be a miracle.