Do you love fake dating romances? I do! Read Spring Blossoms‘ first chapter for a sneak peek of Zak and Peyton’s story.
Zachary Knight paced the pavement before the Valley Vibe 105 radio station, rehearsing what he would say to his friend.
His thoughts—and feet—came to a halt when Peyton strutted out of the station, her blonde Afro wig and bronze jumpsuit giving off a sixties vibe. She was gorgeous, and if things were different… Zak shook his head to dislodge the wayward thought.
Peyton didn’t do relationships—as the stream of broken-hearted male friends could attest.
“Peyton.” He waved, bracing himself for the full brunt of her attention. Peyton was a force, and Zak survived their friendship by pretending he was content with it.
“Zak.” She launched herself at him and kissed the air beside his cheeks. “Are you here to buy me breakfast?”
“If you like.” He drew her arm through his and headed for Ruby’s Place, Peyton’s favorite restaurant. He kept their conversation light until they sat at a table on the balcony.
It was their usual spot, giving them privacy and the perfect vantage point to watch the street below.
“What would you like to eat?” He handed her the menu. “Order anything you like—my treat.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Now I know something’s up.” She placed the menu on the table and met his gaze. “What do you want, Zak?”
He took a deep breath and blurted it out. “I need you to be my fake fiancée.”
“You need me to be your what?” Peyton jiggled a finger in her ear as if his words had gotten stuck. “What are you talking about?”
He sighed. “Do you remember I told you about my high school reunion?”
“It’s this weekend, right?”
“Yes. I need you to come with me.”
“As your fake fiancée?”
“Yes.”
“Why would I do that? For that matter, why do you need me to? Just go by yourself as you were planning to.”
“My ex-girlfriend will be there.”
“Ooh.” Peyton leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with mischief. “I sense a story. Was she your high school sweetheart? Were you voted ‘Most Likely to Marry?’”
“Yes, and yes. Alyssa and I…” He rested his elbows on the table and let the memories wash over him. “Our mothers are best friends, so we grew up together. As these things so often happen, as we got older, our relationship changed.”
Cars bleated as they zipped by on the street below.
“Aww, you fell in love with the girl next door.” Peyton propped her chin on her hand and gave him a dreamy smile.
“Something like that.” For a while, Zak thought he and Alyssa would be together forever.
“What happened?”
“My dad died in senior year, and my mom… didn’t take it well. I spent most of the year caring for her while trying not to flunk out of school.”
It had been terrifying, as there were times when he wasn’t sure his mom would survive. Or that she wanted to.
Compassion filled her eyes. “What happened?”
“Alyssa had other priorities. It was also her senior year, and she wanted to make Greenvale High history.”
“Please don’t tell me your ex-girlfriend was a cheerleader.”
“I won’t tell you Alyssa was head of the cheer squad.” He chuckled when Peyton rolled her eyes.
“Of course she was.” Peyton smiled at the server. “I’ll have the ackee and saltfish with roasted breadfruit.”
“Same,” he responded when the server turned to him. “And we’ll each have a glass of soursop juice sweetened with sugar if you have it. Otherwise, we’ll take orange juice.”
They waited until the server was out of earshot.
“I don’t understand why you need a date. High school was ten years ago. You’re successful. Everything will be fine.”
He raked his fingers over his head. “That’s what I thought too. Until Mom called this morning to tell me how thrilled she was that Alyssa and I would have a second chance. I can’t return alone as our mothers are already planning our wedding.”
“Skip the reunion.” Peyton shrugged. “I’m not attending mine.”
If only it were that simple.
“It’s also the anniversary of my father’s death.”
She winced. “Okay. Say I agree to return with you. What makes you assume this will work? In most movies, the guy gets back together with his first love.”
“Unless he’s already in love with someone else.” He struggled to keep the truth of his statement off his face.
“True.” She sat back as the server set their meals before them. “Tell her you’re not interested in rekindling a relationship with Alyssa.”
He shook his head. “I tried. They don’t believe me unless I show up with a woman on my arm. I’ll need proof to distract Mom and Aunt Susan from scheming.”
“Won’t your mother know that it’s a lie?”
He squirmed in the chair. “She may already believe we’re dating.”
She gawked at him. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
He ate a mouthful of breadfruit, enjoying the savory flavor with a hint of sweetness.
“Why would she believe that?”
He took his time chewing and swallowing, hoping it would ease some of her annoyance.
“She may have misunderstood our dates.”
He and Peyton were each other’s plus one when an event warranted it. They went out a lot since they attended functions related to their jobs throughout the year.
“Uh-huh. If she assumes we’re dating, why isn’t that enough?” Peyton took a sip of her juice, her gaze never leaving his.
“For Mom,” he pressed his lips together, hoping for the right words. “As far as she’s concerned, until I ask someone to marry me, I’m not serious about them.”
“Yet she’s plotting your wedding to the girl you dated in high school. Your story makes no sense, Zak.”
He saw her point.
“If things had been different…” If his father hadn’t died, or he and Alyssa hadn’t gone in different directions after high school. “I would have asked Alyssa to marry me. Our families knew that.
“Mom is taking my not being married as a sign that I’m holding out for the right woman, whom she believes is Alyssa.”
His mother was half-right. He was holding out for the right woman, alright, but he hadn’t figured out how to convince the woman across from him to give them a chance.
“Even if I were to agree, we don’t know enough about each other to fake an engagement.”
“Sure we do.” He opened his mouth to prove it to her, but she held up a hand to stop him.
“I don’t know girlfriend-level details about you.”
He grinned. “How are you at cramming for exams?” He wagged his eyebrows. “I make excellent index cards.”
She snickered. “You’re crazy. Say I agree to be your fake fiancée,” she narrowed her eyes at him. “What’s in it for me?”
“I’ll…” His mind raced as he contemplated the level of commitment he was requesting. He was asking for a lot. “I’ll attend your parents’ re-commitment ceremony with you.”
“Nice try, Zak, but I’m not going.”
“Oh?” He leaned closer. “How many conversations have you fielded about that event already?”
She dropped her gaze. “I was planning to make an excuse.”
“Now you won’t have to.”
“Zak,” she twisted a strand of hair around her finger. “You don’t know what you’re asking. I haven’t been home in—”
“Almost two years. Yeah, I know.”
She rarely talked about her family, and he only knew as much as he did because he’d overheard a conversation between Peyton and her mom. His confident friend had wilted after the conversation and revealed things she wouldn’t have otherwise.
“I can’t imagine not seeing my mom for that long.”
She snorted. “I’m not that lucky.”
“What do you mean?”
“My mother makes up a dozen excuses to visit Orange Valley. She convinces Dad to drive her, and then they drop by.” She made air quotes. “You’d think I’d get used to it, but I can never predict it, so they always catch me by surprise.”
Zak’s gut twisted. Her parents craved a connection with her, but he didn’t say it aloud.
“Peyt, your parents are expecting you at their anniversary celebration. This way, you get to go home with a handsome man.” He tapped his chest. “I’m talking about me, in case you were wondering, and prove to them you’re thriving even though you didn’t follow the path they would have chosen for you.”
They said nothing for several moments, the clinking of silverware and the bustle of the town filling the silence.
Peyton put her fork down. “I guess I could show them I’m not withering away because I haven’t married and started a family like Racquel.”
There was a hint of bitterness when she mentioned her sister.
“Does that mean you’ll do it?” He held his breath as he waited for her response.
“That depends on how you answer this next question,” she wriggled her fingers. “Where’s my ring?”
He dug the ring box from his pocket and dropped to one knee. “Peyton.” He allowed a hint of his true feelings to show. “Will you be my fake fiancée?”
Spring Blossoms: A Friends-to-Lovers Romance (A Heart for Every Season Book 1)
Table of Contents
A fake engagement with the woman he secretly loves is the least of his worries
Zakary Knight has given up on getting his best friend, Peyton Green, to see him as anything more than a friend. After all, she’s never looked at him that way—despite the years of their friendship. But when his mom’s matchmaking schemes threaten to reunite him with his ex, Zak makes a deal with Peyton: pretend to be his fiancée for his high school reunion, and he’ll do the same for her in front of her overbearing parents.
As they return to Zak’s small-town roots, neither is prepared for the full-force matchmaking of his entire community. With every step, the lines between pretend and real blur. Zak has loved Peyton for years, but she’s convinced he’s only in it for the show. Meanwhile, Peyton is haunted by past heartache and doubts about relationships, especially with someone like Zak—the one man she believes could never love her the way she needs.
Can Zak convince Peyton that their love is worth fighting for, or will their past scars keep them from the future God has planned for them?
Spring Blossoms is a Christian contemporary romance with strong faith themes.
