Thirty Day Fiancé

THIRTY DAY FIANCÉ J. S. COOPER Copyright © 2023 by J. S. Cooper All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Editing by Jessica Meigs CONTENTS Blurb 1. Stasia 2. Sebastian 3. Stasia 4. Sebastian 5. Stasia 6. Sebastian 7. Stasia 8. Sebastian 9. Stasia 10. Sebastian 11. Stasia 12. Sebastian 13. Stasia 14. Sebastian 15. Sebastian 16. Stasia 17. Sebastian 18. Stasia 19. Sebastian 20. Stasia 21. Sebastian 22. Stasia 23. Sebastian About the Author BLURB Can a fake fiancé save the day? My old-fashioned parents think that at twenty-six years old, I’m an old maid. They’ve decided to ignore all my assertions of being happy and have arranged for me to marry a family friend old enough to be my grandfather. No thanks, Mom and Dad. Unfortunately for me, my sickly grandmother has decided to cut off the entire family unless she knows I’m set to get married soon so that I can pop out babies, like some sort of vending machine. I feel for my parents; I do. But I’m not about to marry Rumpelstiltskin’s uglier brother so they can continue traveling the world in first class. I didn’t know they’d show up in town trying to pressure me into “wedded bliss.” I also didn’t realize that Sebastian Bradley, the best friend of my best friend’s boyfriend, would come to my rescue. Which I didn’t want, as I couldn’t stand the man. However, Sebastian has convinced me to pretend to be engaged to him. If we can convince my parents and grandmother that we are in love and engaged, they will let me live my life. At first, I thought it was a great idea. But now, my grandmother is pushing for a wedding date, dress shopping, and baby names, which wasn’t part of the plan. The worst part is that Sebastian seems to be egging on all the crazy ideas, and I’m not sure why. He’s the most confirmed bachelor I’ve ever met in my life, and I have no desire to change his mind. ONE STASIA It was a perfect day. The sun was shining and caressing my face as a cool breeze kept me from overheating. I felt lazy and in total bliss. There was nothing that could ruin my good mood or day. “Gemma, I must admit that at first, I thought I was going to be annoyed that you were dating Simon.” I looked over at my best friend. “Not because I didn’t like him or think you deserved to be with someone great, but because I thought you’d spend all your time with him,” I said as I lay on my back in the warm water of the swimming pool. Gemma was a few yards away from me, her face a rosy tan as she splashed around. “I don’t spend all my time with him, Stasia,” she protested as she swam over to me and started treading water. “I know; you spend thirty minutes a day talking about him as well.” I laughed and then splashed her. I quickly dunked my head underwater to avoid her splashing me back. “This is so cool,” I said as my head reemerged from the water. The slight taste of salt brandished my lips as the sun dried my face. Gemma’s brown eyes danced with mischief and humor as she swam away from me. I watched as her familiar long, dark hair moved and bounced in the water, and she grabbed a water gun. “Noooo!” I cried out before she shot me with a stream of water. She laughed before dropping the toy back into the water, and I relaxed. I grabbed the float next to me and climbed on before lying back again. My body floated around the pool as if I were light as a feather. A bird chirping in the garden made me look to the side, and I had to pinch myself. I couldn’t believe I was in such a tranquil space in the middle of the city. And it was all thanks to Gemma. Gemma was my best friend. We’d been best friends since we were young girls. We’d met at a boarding school in England and became fast friends. We’d both gone to the same university, and then after we’d graduated, we moved to Los Angeles to follow our dreams. I wanted to be a fashion designer, and Gemma wanted to be a business owner and design cool couture outfits for dogs. We’d been in the city for a few years, struggling to make ends meet by taking odd jobs here and there. Then fate had played a hand in changing Gemma’s hand. A couple of months ago, Gemma had met Simon Cambridge, a man we’d both initially considered to be pompous, arrogant, and far too wealthy for his good. She’d lost a bet to him and had to work for him for thirty days. During that time period, they’d fallen in love, and Gemma and Simon were now almost inseparable. I missed being able to spend as much time as I wanted with my best friend, but I loved the perks that came from her dating him, like this one. Today, we were swimming in Simon’s pool in his huge backyard at his gorgeous house in West Hollywood. Simon was a millionaire, if not a billionaire, and his home was fantastic. Especially compared to our humble abode. Gemma and I shared a modest, two-bedroom apartment in Silver Lake. Even though it wasn’t up-to-date, it was in a great area. It had been all we could afford. And even though Gemma was now dating one of the wealthiest men in the country, we were still struggling to get by. Well, struggling was a bit of an overstatement. Simon had invested in Gemma’s dream