Fool for You by Kelly Elliott
Landon
THAT. KISS.
It was the only damn thing I could think about as the dance came to an end and people started to congratulate us or tell Emmerson what a lovely event it had been.
Somehow, Emmerson and I managed to avoid our parents, but Hailey and Mike finally cornered us behind the DJ booth about thirty minutes after my entire world was blown up with that kiss. After Hailey had a good round of laughter, she wiped her tears away and asked us how we planned on getting out of the mess we’d gotten ourselves into. I reminded her that it was Emmerson who had dug this hole, not me.
To which Hailey pulled out her phone and showed us the news articles that were already popping up. Both of us were tagged on Instagram, Twitter, and a plethora of other social media platforms that I didn’t even know existed.
It was everywhere. Emmerson pulled up her Instagram and gasped at all the messages she had. Then she checked her email and groaned.
My phone had started ringing right after the kiss. It rang again now, and when I looked at it, I saw Heidi’s name. Heidi McMurphy was my manager. The only time I ever heard from her was if we had an offer from an old sponsor of mine to do an ad or make an appearance. I was still under contract with a few companies, and every now and then they would ask me to do a commercial or NASCAR would want me to do guest commentary. It wasn’t often that she reached out, especially since I had left racing over a year ago. But she’d called me at least three times already tonight. I didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure out she’d already heard—and seen—the news.
“Fuck, Heidi keeps calling,” I said as I glanced out at the ballroom. Things were starting to wind down as more and more people left for the night. Any moment now, I would find Malcolm walking up to me, fists clenched at his sides and a look of pure anger on his face. Especially if he’d seen me kiss his daughter like that. I never meant for the kiss to be so…
So what? Intense? Mind-blowing? So fucking amazing my cock had yet to go down?
“Fuck,” I mumbled once again, threading my fingers through my hair.
Emmerson chewed on her lip. “Okay, so maybe this isn’t going to blow over after all. We’re just going to have to break up.”
“I’ve got a better idea!” Hailey said before I could inform Emmerson that we couldn’t break up because we weren’t even really together.
Hailey went on. “Hear me out for a few minutes. Emme, imagine the business you’ll get if brides know you’re going through the same process they are. Yes, you’re a professional wedding planner, but think about how it would look for you to be able to relate to them. The whole looking for a venue, the ups, the downs, the wedding dress shopping. And even better, the followers you’ll get because you’re with People’s Sexiest Man Alive. You’ll totally be able to relate to them on a completely different level.”
I was positive my mouth was hanging open as much as Emmerson’s was. “You think we should keep up this charade?” I asked.
Hailey smiled. “Yes! I mean, honestly, Landon, what harm could come from it? You quietly break up in a few months. People break up all the time, but, in the meantime, Emme can turn this into something good for her business.”
“You’re serious?” Emmerson asked her.
“Yes! You’ve worked so hard to grow Serendipity into what it is, and you got such amazing press today. And Landon,” she said, as she turned back to face me, “I know you stepped out of the spotlight, but the family does still have a NASCAR team, and you’re part owner of another one. Think of all the press that your new business will get simply from Emmerson posting a few little research trips. Think about it—what bride wouldn’t want her wedding planned by someone going through the same experiences?”
I didn’t want to admit it, but I knew she was right. From the look on Emmerson’s face, she knew it as well. Plus, there was something in my sister’s eyes that said she had a hidden agenda behind this idea.
“There you are, Emmerson!” a voice called out from behind us. Emmerson turned around and immediately put on that smile she had been forcing nearly all night.
Janet walked up to us with a young couple she was towing behind her. They stopped and all beamed at Emmerson.
“Emmerson Wallace, this is Kurt Richard and Abby Hawn.”
I was positive we all gaped at them.
“Hawn, as in Senator Mitch Hawn’s daughter?” Hailey asked.
The young woman blushed as she nodded. “Yes, that would be me.”
Emmerson tossed a look over her shoulder at Hailey that silently warned her to not speak again. My sister had a way of commanding a conversation.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Emmerson said as she shook both of their hands. “This is Landon Lewis, and his sister, Hailey, and her fiancé, Mike Phillips.”
The couple turned their attention to Hailey. Abby grinned as she asked, “Is Emmerson your wedding planner, Hailey?”
Hailey shot a quick look at Emmerson, and her expression screamed, I told you so. “Yes, she is.”
“How lucky for you,” Abby said before turning her attention back to Emmerson. “I’ve been stalking your Instagram since Francesca Hamilton dropped your name in her article with People magazine earlier today.”
Emmerson’s eyes went wide with disbelief. “Really? That’s wonderful! I hope you’ve picked up some tips for your upcoming wedding.”
“Actually,” Abby said, gazing up at her fiancé with an adoring look. “I was hoping to chat with you about that. I know you’re in the Waco area, but maybe we could meet for lunch sometime. That is, if you do weddings in Austin.”
“Yes! She does!” Hailey said as Emmerson shot her another look of warning.
After my sister closed her mouth and took a step back, Emmerson focused on Abby. “I have done some weddings here in Austin, as well as some events for the hospital and a few other local businesses, so I’m familiar with the Austin area and the vendors here.”
Abby clapped her hands. “Oh, this is wonderful! I just knew the moment I saw you go into that bidding war—and the way the two of you kissed on that dance floor—that you honestly knew what true love was all about. Who better to plan your wedding than someone madly in love herself?”
Emmerson’s smile never wavered, not once. She was either one hell of an actress, or…
I let that thought slip away, and I smiled when Kurt and Abby looked at me.
“That was some kiss,” Kurt said with a wink in my direction.
“It certainly was,” I agreed, slipping my arm around Emmerson’s waist. After all this close contact with her, my cock was going to be raw by the time I was finished with it tonight.
“Do you have a business card?” Abby asked.
“Oh, right! Yes,” Emmerson said with a chuckle as she opened her clutch and pulled out a card. When she handed it to Abby, I noticed the slight shaking in her hand. It was so slight that no one else would have noticed it, but I did.
“Wonderful!” Abby gushed. She immediately pulled out her phone and typed the number in. “All saved. I’ll have my assistant reach out to you and schedule a consultation at your convenience.”
Emmerson nodded and shook Abby and Kurt’s hands once more, and I did the same.
“I’m looking forward to chatting with you both, Ms. Hawn,” Emmerson said.
With a wave of her hand, Abby said, “Please, call me Abby.”
“Okay, I’ll speak with you soon, Abby.”
Janet leaned in and kissed Emmerson on the cheek. She whispered something to her before she quickly followed on the heels of the Texas senator’s daughter and her fiancé.
“Holy shit, a senator’s daughter! Emmerson! Do you know what this is going to do, having Abby Hawn as one of your clients?” Hailey stated.
Emmerson stood frozen, a look of utter shock on her face.
I knew then and there that this fake engagement had to go on, at least until Emmerson and I could figure out how to get out of it without drawing too much attention to ourselves. We needed to let things settle, and then we could do what Hailey had suggested: quietly break up. Even though the idea of ever breaking up with Emmerson, fake or real, caused my chest to ache.
“She’s so stunned she can’t move,” Mike said with a laugh.
I gently squeezed my hand into her side, leaned in and asked, “Emme, are you okay?”
Slowly, she nodded and then looked at me. “I’m so sorry, Landon.”
I ran my fingers through my hair again. “We need to get the hell out of here before someone else gets pulled into this mess.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” someone said from behind us.
I closed my eyes at the sound of Malcolm’s voice. He sounded pissed.
“Dad, I can explain,” Emmerson said.
“Damn right, you’re going to explain. We’re all going back to the hotel, and we can talk about it then. You both have some explaining to do about what in the hell happened here tonight.”
Emmerson looked down as if she’d just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. I looked from Malcolm to Emmerson and back again. I had seen Malcolm Wallace pissed off plenty of times, but this was different. He seemed more worried than anything.
Shit. My life was going to end tonight.
“Sweetheart, our Uber is waiting to take us all back to the hotel,” Paislie said as she took Emmerson’s hand. “Hailey, are you and Mike driving over with Emmerson and Landon?”
Hailey shook her head. “No, we drove in my car.”
Paislie faced Emmerson. “Did you want to ride over with us, darling? There’s plenty of room.”
Exhaling, Emmerson shook her head. “You go ahead, Mom. I need to stay here and make sure a few things are tied up. Landon and I still have the limo and will be there shortly. I’ll call you once we’re checked into our rooms.”
Paislie raised a brow but didn’t say anything. She simply nodded, kissed Emmerson on the cheek, and hugged her, then did the same to Hailey, Mike, and finally me.
After Malcolm and Paislie walked away, I caught sight of my father and mother walking up.
“We’re off with Malcolm and Paislie. See you at the hotel?” my mother asked as she reached up and kissed me before moving on to my sister, Mike, and Emmerson. My father and Malcolm shared a glance as Malcolm headed out of the ballroom.
Good God. Is my father going to let Malcolm kick my ass?
Surely not.
Then he looked at me, and a slow, evil smile appeared on his face, and I knew in that instant where my sister got her wicked sense of humor from. Then the bastard laughed. He actually laughed.
Was he enjoying this shitshow?
“Well, looks like the two of you got yourself in a real pickle this time,” my father stated.
At least he knew the truth of it all without having to be told.
“You know it’s not true then?” I asked.
He lifted a brow and then gave Emmerson a sideways glance before focusing back on me. “Oh, there are a lot of things I know, son, and I cannot wait to see how this one turns out.” He slapped me on the arm and laughed once more. “Ahh, I remember the days.”
He kissed my sister and Emmerson, shook Mike’s hand, and reached for my mother. “See you at the hotel!” he called out over his shoulder.
“Dad seems to be having fun with this,” Hailey said.
“Don’t you have anything better to do than harass me right now?” I asked as I looked at my sister.
She shot me a cheeky grin. “Nope!”
I rolled my eyes, then looked around. “Where’s Emme?”
“She walked off to go check on something.”
Mike looked away when I caught his stare, I could tell he was desperately trying not to laugh. He was two seconds from being punched, the little bastard.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
Mike held up his hands. “Nothing.”
I scrubbed my hand down my face. “This cannot be happening. What am I going to do?”
For the first time that night, Hailey looked like she might actually have a bit of sympathy for us. “You and Emmerson are going to talk. You’ll figure this out. Honestly, Landon, it shouldn’t be that hard to pretend to be in love with her.”
I raised a brow. “What does that mean?”
“Shit, dude, you have feelings for her. It’s so obvious.”
That came from Mike.
“Finally! Someone else sees it!” Hailey said. “Landon, maybe you should admit to Emmerson how you feel.”
I looked away, not ready to admit my feelings out loud for Emmerson—at least not until I figured out how to tell her myself. “Hailey, I’m not in the mood for your craziness right now.”
With a huff, she rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest. “I swear, the two of you. Does someone need to slap what neither one of you will admit is right in your face?
“Hail, maybe we should just let it play out how it’s supposed to,” Mike said.
Hailey nodded and looked at me so hard it felt like she was trying to read my mind. “We’ll see y’all back at the hotel. Don’t make Malcolm wait any longer than he has to.”
I leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. “For some reason, I love you.”
She giggled and then took Mike’s offered arm. “Because I’m always right.”
“Not always,” I said as they turned and started toward the exit.
Emmerson returned at that moment. “Are they leaving?”
I nodded. “Your dad is waiting on us. We should get going, so we have time to get back to the hotel and change. I don’t feel like dying in this expensive tux.”
Emmerson groaned. “At least you’ll be dressed for the funeral, I suppose. Could this night get any worse?”
At the sight of Jason walking toward us, I mumbled, “Yes.”
“Emmerson, Landon. Lillian and I wanted to congratulate you both once again. Seems like the evening turned into a small engagement celebration for you both.”
I wanted to punch the asshole. And not because he was making my life a living hell, but because he had held Emmerson. Kissed her. Made love to her. I hated the motherfucker, and if he didn’t get out of my face within the next few seconds, I was going to let my fist fly.
Emmerson plastered on a smile. “Thank you, Jason. Same to you and Lillian. I hope you enjoyed the evening.”
Jason looked at her, and I swore I saw longing in his eyes. Or was that regret?
“It didn’t turn out exactly how I thought it would, but it wasn’t a total loss,” Jason said.
Both Emmerson and Lillian looked at him with confused expressions. But when Jason turned to face me and reached for my hand, I saw it in the asshole’s eyes. They said I had won, and he’d lost.
Had he come here tonight in some strange attempt to get Emmerson back? The thought made me feel sick.
“Emmerson, if you don’t mind, can I speak with you privately about something?” Jason asked as he glanced back to her.
My heart started to beat faster, and I almost told him to go fuck himself.
Emmerson’s eyes darted from me and then back to Jason. “Um, of course.”
As the two of them walked a few feet away, Lillian sighed and whispered, “He’s still in love with her, you know.”
I looked down at her. “What was that?”
She tilted her head and watched Emmerson and Jason as they stopped far enough away that we couldn’t hear them speaking.
“He still loves her. His parents had nothing to do with him being here tonight. He wanted to see her.” She lifted her head and looked at me. “A woman knows when a man hasn’t given her his entire heart. And that man right there is very much still in love with your future wife.”
My chest squeezed and I looked back at the two of them. Emmerson frowned, shook her head, and then looked directly at me. I could feel my lungs start to burn as I held my breath. What was he saying to her? Was he telling her how he felt? That he wanted her back?
Taking a step away from Jason, she lifted her chin, gave him a nod, and then turned and walked straight toward me.
Lillian chuckled. “Looks like you know where her heart belongs.”
Before I could reply, Emmerson walked up to me. With a smile so sweet and real, she leaned up and pressed her lips to mine in a short kiss. As she pulled back, our eyes locked and something crackled between us again.
“Are you okay?” I asked, not even caring that Lillian was standing there or that the dickhead was walking up behind Emmerson.
With a nod, she replied, “Yes. I’m more than okay. Ready to leave?”
I glanced over her shoulder at Jason as I wrapped my arm around Emmerson’s waist. He looked like someone had just taken his favorite puppy from him. Focusing back on Emmerson, I replied, “More than ready.”
We walked away, and I couldn’t help but look back over my shoulder. Not at Jason, though—at the woman standing beside him who looked just as defeated as her fiancé.