FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS (Ophelia Corrigan) novel Chapter 41

CHAPTER 41

AMIE

The plane hit the tarmac at JFK with a jolt that sent my heart straight into my throat. I’d spent the entire flight in the ridiculously plush seat next to Simon, pretending I wasn’t counting down the minutes until we could escape and I could finally breathe again.

Spoiler alert: I couldn’t breathe. Not when he kept looking at me like that.

“Stop staring,” I muttered, yanking my carry-on from the overhead bin.

“I’m not staring. I’m admiring.” He brushed past me, his chest grazing my back as he grabbed his own bag “There’s a difference.”

“There really isn’t.”

He just smiled. That infuriating, knowing smile that made me want to kiss him and push him off a cliff in equal measure.

We made our way through the terminal, the familiar chaos of JFK swallowing us whole. I was almost at baggage claim when my phone buzzed in my pocket. I fished it out and nearly dropped it.

Mom.

“Shit,” I breathed.

Simon glanced over. “Who is it?”

“My mother.” I held up the screen like it was a live grenade.

“Answer it.”

I took a breath, swiped the screen, and pressed the phone to my ear. “Hey, Mom.”

“Jamie! Oh, thank God you picked up! I’ve been trying to reach you for hours!”

“I was on a plane, Mom.”

“A plane? What do you mean, a plane? You went somewhere and didn’t tell me?”

“Sorry. It was a last-minute trip to Monaco. Simon and I are already back.”

There was a beat of silence on the other end.

“So you went with my son-in-law,” she said, her voice carrying that tone I knew all too well.

I rolled my eyes. “It was for work, Mom.”

“Mm-hmm. Work.”

“Mom-”

FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

“Don’t you sass me, young lady. I have news!” She was practically vibrating through the phone. “I found a beautiful venue today! A vineyard in the Hudson Valley, absolutely stunning, and the caterer they use- Jamie, you wouldn’t believe the seafood spread. And the cake! Oh, I’m getting ahead of myself, but it was perfect.”

1

I felt my soul leave my body. “Mom,” I said slowly, “why are you looking at wedding venues?”

I’m not gonna lie. After everything that’s happened, anything involving a wedding still makes me flinch.

“For you, obviously! Honey, I know you said you wanted to take things slow, but I got to thinking-and your grandmother agrees with me-why wait?”

“Wait for what?”

“To get married! I mean, Simon is clearly head over heels for you-”

“Mom-”

“And the way he looked at you at that party? Jamie, I have never seen a man so smitten. It reminds me of your father when we first met-”

“Mom, please-”

“And besides, we don’t know how much time your grandmother has left. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if she could see you walk down the aisle before she-” Her voice cracked slightly. “Well. Before things get worse for her.”

My stomach dropped. “Mom, that’s—I mean, we can’t just-it’s not that simple-”

“Why not? Simon has money. You have a good job. What’s stopping you?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe the fact that we’ve only been together for a few months?”

“Nonsense. Your father and I got engaged after three months. And look at us-thirty-five years later, still going strong.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Mom, it’s different now. People wait. We want to wait.”

“How long?”

“Excuse me?”

“How long are you planning to wait? Four months? Six?”

“Maybe longer. We haven’t really talked about it.” I was grasping at anything. “I think Simon wants to take things slow. You know, he’s never been married before, he’s cautious, he wants to be sure-”

“Is he there?”

I froze. “What?”

“Your voice changed. You got nervous. Is he there? Put him on.”

“Mom, I don’t think-”

70:21 Tue Sep 29 JIMT

FAKA DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

“Jamie Collins, hand the phone to your fiancé right now.”

ooked at Simon helplessly. He raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying my panic.

“She wants to talk to you,” I whispered.

His grin widened. “Give me the phone.”

“Simon, don’t-”

I handed it over like I was passing a live grenade.

“Mrs. Collins? Simon here.”

I watched his face shift from amusement to full-on charm mode.

“Of course, I’d love to hear about the vineyard. It sounds absolutely beautiful.” A pause. “Ah, you’re too kind, Mrs. Collins. Jamie’s the one who deserves the credit. She’s the one who keeps me in line.”

I glared at him. He winked at me.

“I couldn’t agree more,” he continued, his voice smooth as whiskey. “Why wait? If it were up to me, I’d marry her tomorrow.”

My eyes went wide. What are you doing?

Simon smiled at me. “I know! I don’t understand why Jamie wants to wait so long either, Mrs. Collins.”

He paused, listening. Then his eyebrows shot up.

“Dinner? At your house? Mrs. Collins, I’d be honored. What night works for you? Thursday? Perfect. Jamie and I would love to come.”

I shook my head frantically. No, no, no.

“Wonderful. I’ll bring wine. And flowers for the most beautiful hostess in Westchester.” Another pause. “Of course, Mrs. Collins. I’ll tell her. Looking forward to dinner. Bye.”

He handed the phone back to me. I took it with the expression of someone who’d just watched their life implode.

“Mom,” I said weakly. “Mom, I have to go. I’ll call you back.”

“Don’t forget to come hungry on Thursday, sweetheart! I’m making your grandmother’s lasagna recipe. Simon seems like the kind of man who appreciates a good home-cooked meal.”

“He does, Mom. Bye, Mom.”

I hung up before she could get another word in. Then I turned to Simon.

“What the hell was that?”

He was still smiling, completely unbothered. “What was what?”

15:27 Tue Sep 29 MT.

FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS. MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

“You told my mother you’d marry me tomorrow!” I exploded the second he hung up. “What the hell is wrong with you, Simon?”

“Technically, I said if it were up to me, I’d marry you tomorrow.”

“Oh, great. That’s so much better.” I snatched the phone out of his hand. “We’re not actually engaged!”

“I know.”

“You know? Because it doesn’t seem like you do! And you just agreed to dinner at my mother’s house. Are you insane? Do you know what she’s going to do now? She’s going to start planning a real wedding. She’s going to call caterers, scout churches, order invitations, drag me to dress fittings-”

“Jamie.”

“–and all because you couldn’t just keep your mouth shut for thirty seconds!”

He stepped closer to me.

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