Small Town Pretender by Brighton Walsh

“Ican’t believe you’re gonna get married,” Nash said, shaking his head as he stared over at Asher. “To Nat.”

Asher rolled his eyes and threw a wadded-up napkin at his friend. “So you’ve said.”

Laughing without restraint, Nash batted the napkin away. “I’m sorry. This is just a lot to take in.”

“You think it’s a lot for you to take in?” Asher gestured behind him to where June, Ava, and Ella ran around the yard, Owen bouncing happily in his jumper in the middle of it all. “I’ve sort of been thrown into the middle of a shitstorm, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

Something in Asher’s tone must’ve tipped off Nash, because he sobered immediately and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “You’re right. This is a big deal. An even bigger deal than when I moved in with Rory.” Nash laughed. “Remember when I didn’t want to tell Nat that detail?”

“I remember when you didn’t even want to tell her you were just datin’ her sister.”

“I thought for sure she’d never speak to me again—after rippin’ off my balls, of course. It was always us three against the world, including her sisters.” Nash grinned, shaking his head. “Now, beyond all odds, I’m with one of those sisters, and it looks like it’ll be you two against the world.”

“I don’t know about that… She hasn’t said yes.”

That was when Nash was supposed to reassure him. Tell him he had nothing to worry about and that their mutual best friend would take one for the team, without question. That their perpetually single, wanderlust-filled, Havenbrook-hating friend would tie herself to Asher and this town simply because he’d used a signal they’d instilled ten years ago.

He was an idiot. This whole thing was a pipe dream. There was no way in hell Nat was going to agree to this. No way she would willingly give up her life, simply because he asked her to. Yes, they were best friends. And yes, any one of them would do anything for the other one.

But this wasn’t just anything. This was everything.

The side door opened, and Nat strode in, freezing in the doorway as her eyes darted between Asher and Nash.

Natalie Haven had always been more than just a friend to him. She’d been a sounding board, a partner in crime. His first crush—and his first heartbreak, if you wanted to really break it down. Of course, she knew nothing of that. But that wasn’t something he ever needed to speak about, since it had started and stopped faster than he could blink—back when she and Nash had gotten it in their heads to see if there was a spark between the two of them. News flash—there hadn’t been.

Their single kiss had almost destroyed their friendship right then and there, and thus the friendship between all three of them. It hadn’t mattered if Asher’d been head over heels in love with her—for the record, he hadn’t been. Well, he was pretty sure he hadn’t been, anyway. But he’d decided the possibility of a relationship wasn’t worth jeopardizing the promise of the best friendships of his life.

Now, he only hoped he hadn’t made a colossal mistake asking her to do this in the first place. He just kept telling himself this wasn’t real. It wasn’t something they’d get tied up in. Wasn’t something that could potentially cause heartbreak. It was, for lack of a better term, a business decision. And he could only pray she’d seen it as such and would give him mercy and agree to his ridiculous proposition. Because without it—without her—he’d be back to square one, fighting to keep June and Owen with little hope of doing so.

“Hey,” Nat said, tossing the keys to his sister’s car on the counter as she strode toward them.

“Well, I think that’s my cue,” Nash said, pushing to stand.

Nat narrowed her eyes on him. “That’s two times in two hours that you’ve fled as soon as I’ve walked in a room. If you’re not careful, Nash King, I’m gonna start takin’ this personally.”

“Aw, Nattie,” Nash said, hooking an arm around her neck and tugging her to him, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “You know I love you.”

It was the same move, the same words, any one of the three of them had made a thousand times in their relationship. They’d always been casually affectionate with one another, never steering away from easy touches or generous hugs. They’d said I love you to one another more times than he could hope to count. And yet, now, when he watched this exchange between her and Nash, a fire stoked hot in his stomach, the glowing embers of jealousy catching him off guard.

He’d faced that particular emotion a time or two in his past. Nothing overt, but just the whisper of the feeling once in a while during previous relationships. But he’d never felt it with Nat. Until now, apparently.

“Don’t even think about tryin’ to sweet-talk me. Unless you brought me one of those cupcakes, I never wanna speak to you again,” Nat said, her retort lacking the heat the words conjured.

“Looks like it’s my lucky day, then.” Nash reached over and popped the top of the bright-pink cupcake box he’d brought over.

She beamed up at him, pushing up on tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek. “You’re forgiven, even if you didn’t bring me my favorite.”

“Are you kiddin’? I brought you chocolate-chocolate. Since when is that not your favorite?”

Since she’d had banoffee pie in the UK last year, had discussed it with Lilah at some point, and had gotten the baker to add a cupcake version to her menu.

“Since I don’t know. My new fave is banoffee.”

“What the fuck is a banoffee?”

Nat laughed. “Only the best dessert in the world. But chocolate-chocolate is perfect.”

“As most free cupcakes are,” Nash said dryly.

With a laugh, Nat plucked the cupcake from the box before peeling down the wrapper and diving in, uncaring of the fact that the move left a dollop of frosting on her nose.

Nash rolled his eyes at her before walking to the slider that led to the backyard and bracing himself against the frame. “Girls, it’s time to go now that we’ve gotten June nice and sugared up!”

After Nash had ushered Rory’s girls out the front door, shooting raised brows at Asher on his way, he was alone with Nat for the first time since he’d dropped the bomb. June’s laughs and Owen’s squeals floated in from outside as his niece danced circles around his nephew.

“Nat, about what I asked—”

“Let’s do it,” she said. So breezily, as if she hadn’t completely changed the trajectory of both of their lives with those three words.

Not only that, but he hadn’t exaggerated last night when he’d told her what a sacrifice this would be. Until now, she hadn’t spent more than seventy-two hours in Havenbrook since she’d bailed on it eight years ago, and now she was willing to stay who knew how long for him.

“Don’t look so shocked,” Nat said, and Asher snapped his mouth shut. “You used downpour for the first time since we enacted it. Did you think I wouldn’t do whatever the hell you asked? That’s the whole point of an SOS.”

Asher blew out a long breath and shook his head, running a hand through his hair. He stood and strode toward her. “Well, I hoped you would, but this one single downpour outranks all of the past ones combined.”

She raised a brow. “Even when I called you to bail me out of jail and you not only had to drive two hours to get me but also had to put up the money—which I’m pretty sure I never paid you back?”

Asher gave a definitive nod. He’d spent that car ride vacillating between anger and worry—only the latter directed at her. The former, not so much, considering she’d gotten locked up for assault—as in, some asshole had gotten handsy with her in a bar in Bumfuck, Georgia, and she’d punched him square in the nose. Broke it, too. “Even then. And, yeah, you still owe me for that one.”

“Not after this, I don’t.” Nat shot him a smirk. “How about when I ran out of gas in the middle of nowhere at three in the mornin’ and called continually until you finally picked up?”

“Then, too.”

“And what about when—”

He rested his hands on her shoulders, his thumbs brushing along her collarbone as he bent his knees to stare directly into her eyes. “More than all of them, Nat.”

She met his gaze for long moments, something passing between them until she cleared her throat. “We should set some ground rules.”

“Like what?”

“Like…how long are we doin’ this for?”

He blew out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know how long this will last. How long can you stay?”

“I opened up my schedule, but I’ve got a shoot at the end of the month.”

“Okay. That shouldn’t be a problem—even if we haven’t had the final hearing, that doesn’t mean you can’t go. What about not havin’ any shoots on the calendar for the time being?”

“I’ll be all right. I’ve got some money set away.”

“Okay, that’s good. Any other ground rules we need to establish?”

“Um…yeah? What do we do about other people?”

“Well, they’ll definitely have to know. Sort of defeats the purpose if they don’t.”

Nat rolled her eyes. “I mean other people we’d like to date. Doesn’t make a whole lotta sense to go to all this trouble if we’re just gonna end up caught with our pants down.”

That ember of jealousy flickered again in his stomach, and he brushed it away. “I think it’s probably best if it’s just you and me till this is all done.”

She bit her lip and nodded. “Are we really doin’ this?”

“Looks like…”

She reached out and rested her hands on his hips, her fingertips slipping just under the hem of his T-shirt and sending shock waves against his skin. They stood only inches apart, puffs of Nat’s sweet chocolate breath whispering across his jaw. And though they’d certainly been closer than this at other points during their friendship, he could say, without a doubt, he’d never felt this invisible force between them. Drawing them closer. Making his eyes drop to her lips before snapping them up to connect with her gaze. Making him lean nearer to her, as if their mouths were tethered together, a string tightening with each breath.

Nat, for her part, didn’t shove him away. Didn’t laugh or punch him in the stomach, or any of the hundred other responses he’d assumed would happen. Instead, she stood there, her face tipped up toward his, lips parted as if she felt it, too.

“Uncle Asher.” June’s voice sounded from outside, and he whipped his head toward the pathetic noise, just as she opened the screen door, stepped inside, and proceeded to throw up all over herself and the floor. Once she was done, she looked up at them, her hands on her stomach. “I don’t feel good.”

Asher and Nat stood frozen for probably longer than a mom or dad would have, but to be fair, he’d never encountered projectile vomit from a kid—and he could say with absolute certainty Nat hadn’t either.

Lowly, Nat said, “I might have agreed to marriage, but I did not agree to cleanin’ up puke. That’s all you.” She squeezed Asher’s hips before sidestepping him and striding straight toward June, careful to avoid the mess on the floor.

“Wow, that’s a lot of brown, little girl. This is an important life lesson I’ve been on the receivin’ end of many times—just because you can have that many cupcakes doesn’t mean you should.”

“Okay…” June said, her voice little more than a wobbly croak.

With a wrinkled nose, Nat pulled the soiled shirt off June and tossed it behind her toward Asher, who caught it on reflex. “C’mon, greedy girl. Let’s get you cleaned up while Uncle Asher deals with all this.”

Asher laughed out a groan before snapping into action. First order of business—making sure Owen was doing okay outside on his own. The baby was bouncing, babbling away as he sucked on his fingers and glanced around at the wonder that was outside. Thank God for small miracles, because the last thing he needed was Owen—who was wilier than a fox and would no doubt paint the walls and himself in this vomit if Asher weren’t careful—near while he handled cleanup.

He didn’t know what he’d do if Nat weren’t here to help. If he had to do this by himself. How he could possibly manage cleaning up June, while at the same time watching Owen, while at the same time doing laundry and mopping the floor.

Thankfully, he didn’t have to worry about it, because Nat was there and she’d agreed to stay. For now, anyway.

* * *

After a low-key afternoon and evening—thanksto June’s impromptu barf-fest—both kids were tucked in early and already snoozing, so Nat settled in next to Asher on the couch, dropping her feet in his lap without hesitation. Or, at least initially without hesitation. It was something she’d done hundreds of times before, but it felt different now. For one thing, she was, apparently, going to be his wife.

His wife. A designation she honestly thought she’d never give herself regarding anyone.

For another thing, there’d been that moment in the kitchen when they’d been standing so close together. He’d looked at her like he’d never looked at her before, his breath a whisper across her lips and a hunger in his eyes she’d been on the receiving end of plenty of times from other men, but never from Asher. She was certain if June hadn’t walked in at that very moment and puked her guts out, Asher would have kissed her.

Worse, Nat would have let him.

Asher rested one of his hands on Nat’s ankle, his thumb brushing a mindless path along the arch of her foot, as he searched through Netflix for something to watch. “Thanks for tag-teamin’ with me today.” He glanced over at her before returning his attention back to the screen and the list of trending shows.

Nat shrugged. “Kind of what I agreed to, right? But you can’t go back on your promise—I don’t have to deal with puke, ever.”

“Technically, I never actually agreed to that. You just bossed me around like you usually do and assumed I wouldn’t object.”

“Well, I’m gonna tell you one thing—if you do object, I don’t care how fake this marriage is, the rock I wear better be one-hundred-percent real.”

Asher laughed, a low, throaty sound that shot straight to Nat’s belly…and then lower still. What the hell was going on?

“For one thing, you wouldn’t even want a huge rock,” he said. “I’m pretty sure you’d just as soon wear a rubber band tied around your finger as you would a two-carat diamond on a platinum band.”

“Oh, shut up. You don’t know my life.”

This time, Asher’s laugh was louder, and she kicked him lightly while shushing him. “If you wake them up with your obnoxious guffaws, you’re on your own with kid duty, regardless if both of them are up. Meanwhile, I’ll lounge out here, bingein’ Supernatural and droolin’ over the gorgeous and mysterious Winchester brothers while you drown in cries.”

“You’d do that to me?”

“In a heartbeat,” Nat said, without hesitation.

He dug his thumb into the arch of her foot, no doubt an attempt at retaliation, but the move only made her groan in pleasure-pain as she tipped her head back and closed her eyes. “If you’re tryin’ to punish me, you’re goin’ about it all wrong,” she murmured, slipping her other foot over to get some attention, too.

Eventually, after long moments of silence, Nat lifted her head, only to find his gaze already locked on her, his eyes a darker shade than usual, now more like aged whiskey.

She bit her lip. “What was the other thing?”

“What?” Asher asked, his voice throaty and low, a sound that shot straight between her thighs.

Good Lord, had it really been that long since she’d had sex? Apparently.

“You said for one thing. What was the other thing?”

“Oh.” Asher cleared his throat and shook his head, glancing quickly at the TV before returning his gaze to hers. “Speakin’ of the ring, we need to shop for those tomorrow since we don’t have a lot of time.”

“Great, let’s do it,” Nat said. “But I hate to tell you, ring shopping, even with two little kids, is the least of our worries.”

“I kind of figured our worries more revolved around me lyin’ to a judge and us gettin’ fake-married.”

“Yeah, about that… I hope you’re prepared to get the third degree from my parents and Gran. I swore my sisters to secrecy besides all of their significant others—” Nat gasped and flew upright, her eyes wide. “Oh my God, I forgot to tell you! Apparently one of those significant others is now a husband.”

“What? Will and Finn decided to elope instead? Isn’t their wedding in just a couple weeks?”

“It is, but no, that’s not who. Guess again.”

“If that fucker Nash got married and didn’t tell me when he was just here, I’m gonna kill him.”

“Wrong again. It’s Mac and Hudson! Do you believe that? They snuck off to Parkersville and got married at the courthouse last week. She was worried about steppin’ on Will’s toes and everything else that—” Nat bit back her words, but she could tell they’d hit Asher all the same.

His eyes shuttered in sadness, and she had the strongest urge to rest her hand over his heart, as if she could heal it somehow. As if she could take away his pain. It was something she would’ve done without hesitation before. Before this weird tension had developed between them. Before they’d almost kissed. Before she’d started getting turned on by his voice.

Well, she could ignore things with the best of them, so she pulled her feet from his lap and snuggled to his side. She rested her head on his chest and stole the remote from him. “You got me in the mood for Supernatural.”

He chuckled low and rested his arm along her side, his large hand cupping the curve of her hip. “How’d I do that? With my gorgeous mysteriousness?”

“Nah, because I was just thinkin’ again about how at least one person in my family will wanna kill you at one point, and no one does killin’ better than the Winchester boys.”

“Aw, c’mon. It’s not gonna be that bad. Your momma and gran love me. Pretty sure your daddy doesn’t love anyone, though. Not sure how that’ll go.”

“It’ll be a challenge, just like everything is with Dick.” She leaned her head back and glanced up at him, the blue light from the TV sharpening his features, making him look even more handsome than any one man had a right to. “Before we let the cat out of the bag, are you sure it’s me you want? You must have the numbers for a few groupies in your phone…”

“There’s no one else I’d rather irritate for the rest of my life than you.”

“You mean until custody is final…”

It’d been the single mantra she’d repeated to herself while she’d made this decision. This wouldn’t be forever. It’d only be until June and Owen were officially placed with Asher, and then everything would go back to normal.

Except that while she lay there, tucked into Asher’s side, his heartbeat thrumming under her ear and his hand cupping her hip almost possessively, she wasn’t so sure this wasn’t exactly the kind of normal she might grow to love.