Lucky This Isn't Real: MacBride Brothers Series St. Patrick's Day Fake Fiance Romance by Jamie Knight (digital e reader .TXT) 📕

Gavin and Maggie had known something Darcy and I hadn’t figured out when the seating chart was made.

My big bro always looked out for me. Gavin and Noel were better father figures than our actual dad ever was. Noel taught me about women, and most of it was actually useful, while Gavin taught me how to fight.

He wasn’t encouraging violence or perpetuating some masculinity bullshit. It was an entirely practical matter. We lived in a really rough area, and our family didn’t have the best reputation even among other reprobates.

Back then, we were bullied partly out of envy that we still had both parents at home, even if it was only in the most technical sense. There were times when our mother would say ‘boys,’ when she was talking to all seven of us.

There was also her pedigree. The family she’d come from was considered quite posh by local standards, though they were really more middle class. Rather than congratulating dad for ‘marrying up,’ people in our neighborhood regarded him with suspicion and peppered him with questions as to what exactly he was playing at.

My heart pounded out a dance beat as I approached the reception hall. I needed to see Darcy again in an almost palpable way, and I was hoping that I wouldn’t immediately kiss her and make a scene.

She was there, nursing a flute of tonic water, our table half empty at that time, the flood of guests still at an early ebb.

Darcy’s hair was up in an elaborate braid that, if I didn’t know better, I could swear was an approximation of a Celtic knot. Despite the oddity, I was too distracted by the sight of her soft, creamy neck to take much notice.

“Hi,” I said, all the chat-up lines Noel had once taught me not feeling quite appropriate to use on her.

She looked up, and genuine happiness spread through her eyes.

“Hey, you.”

She took my hand and kissed my cheek as I sat down, leaving me momentarily stunned.

I tried not to read too much into it in case I was wrong, but, chaste as it felt, there was something in that kiss that went beyond just friendliness. I could only guess what might have happened had we been alone, though I had a pretty good idea.

“I just realized I never asked what you do,” I said sheepishly.

“To be fair, you never got the chance. I’m a legal assistant at Haughton and Chau.”

“Sounds fancy.”

“They’re certainly trying to be, not that I’m complaining. Nicole, she’s one of the bridesmaids, helped me get it. I was bartending at the time, paying my very slow way through college.”

“Sounds to me like you’re a hard worker, and I bet a good one,” I said, sincerely impressed.

“Thanks; that’s something I’m not used to hearing.”

“How so?”

“My dad doesn’t think I’m all that good at anything other than looking pretty. He’s a big-time entertainment lawyer. Famous in his own way, and loaded, if that doesn’t sound too much like bragging.”

“Not at all, coming from a former bartender.”

“Fair point,” she said with a giggle.

“I take it you rebelled.”

“Oh yeah, he wanted me to marry Harry Ashton.”

My eyes widened.

“The famous film director?”

“Yup, apparently he didn’t know that arranged marriages don’t happen anymore, or at least aren’t supposed to, and are very much frowned upon.”

“Was it really forced on you like that?” I asked, shaking my head in disgust.

“He didn’t go quite as far as forcing a wedding, but he made it clear that if I didn’t give myself over to his business associate, I would be on my own.”

“Seems like pretty much the same thing,” I told her. “But you sure showed him, didn’t you?”

“I hope so, but my choice of career in a totally different field of law than he’s in is not about revenge, not entirely anyway. I mostly want to show I can do it on my own and prove I can be more than just an Instagram-loving socialite.”

I tried to take it all in. Had I been more up on entertainment news, it was possible I would have known who she was. I only really knew about Harry Ashton because he directed some of my favorite action movies.

“Well, good on you. Strange as it sounds, I sorta, kinda know what it’s like. We aren’t loaded by any stretch, but my mum’s family had some money. At least relative to the area we grew up in. Though we’re more infamous than famous. Mum’s family thought she married beneath her, and da’s thought she was a toffee-nosed princess who looked down on them.”

“Wow, so you really do understand.”

“I mean, I can empathize. On a much smaller scale.”

“Everyone has their struggles, I guess,” she said, gently and subtly lacing her fingers through mine.

All too soon, we were parted as official matters took hold, including speeches, Darcy giving the one for Maggie and Noel giving the first one for Gavin, and then the rest of the assembled MacBride brothers all had our say.

I’d known I would be giving a speech, but every time I’d tried to write something, it had ended up sounding flat. In the end, I decided it would probably be better to just wing it.

“Well, Gav, you did it,” I said, after clearing my throat. “You finally followed in Da’s footsteps and married above yourself.”

The room filled with titters, especially from the other MacBrides, and a happy shade of blushing colored Maggie’s cheeks.

“It hasn’t been an easy go, brother, and I think we can all agree that Roddy Doyle can send us our royalty checks any feckin’ time now.”

That got a good bit of laughter from the MacBride contingent, in their emerald-green-accented tuxes, looking like tall, fancy leprechauns, and gentle confusion from the American in-laws.

“But that’s the thing about us