“I will.” Diego flashes her a bright smile, making his conquest final and absolute.

Mom scurries back to the kitchen happier than I’ve seen her in years.

“This way.” I guide Diego up the stairs, still holding Mr. Darcy in my arms.

On the landing, my heart almost stops as I find myself face-to-face with Paul.

“I heard some noises,” he says, smiling, his blue stare piercing a hole through my soul. “Thought you might’ve arrived.” Then his eyes widen. “New haircut, huh? Looks great on you.”

I try not to blush, and keep a detached, sister-in-law-appropriate tone. “Paul,” I greet him, and give him a quick hug, squishing Mr. Darcy between us. My nostrils immediately fill with his cologne; he was wearing CK One the first day I met him, and I’ve never smelled anything else on him. Guess we both stick to a perfume when we find one we like. “You guys got here last night, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Have my parents scared you off already?” I joke.

“Nuh-uh.”

“Not even the princess bed?”

Paul grins. “That almost did it, but IKEA saved me. We shipped a bed and mattress here before leaving New York, and we assembled everything yesterday.”

“Oh, I never thought Julia would give up her pink castle.”

“Your dad and I brought it down to the garage. The decision on what to do with it is still pending.”

“What are the options?”

“Your parents want to give it away to charity, but Jules point-blank refuses. She wants to keep it in case we have a daughter.”

Ice courses through my veins. “You guys are… mmm… expecting?”

“What? No!” Paul laughs the question off, and I can breathe again. “She’s just thinking future tense; way future tense.”

“Err-hem,” Diego clears his throat behind me.

I had completely forgotten he was here.

“Oh, right.” I turn sideways in the hall to give him room to climb the last two steps. “Paul, this is Diego, my boyfriend. Diego, Paul, Julia’s soon-to-be husband.”

Another handshake, and Paul is on his way downstairs.

So far so good. Operation “Fake Boyfriend” is proceeding well. Nobody looked at Diego and me and screamed “Imposters!”

In my room, I drop Mr. Darcy on the bed, the bags on a chair, and finally remove my coat. I was overheating; it must be eighty degrees in the house. Once Diego is inside, I close the door behind him and whisper, “What do you think?”

He looks at me sheepishly. “Of what?”

“Did they look suspicious?”

“Relax, b—” I give him such a fierce scowl that he changes words mid-sentence. “Nikki. We’ve talked to them for only five minutes. No one suspects anything.”

I take his jacket and hang it next to mine. “Good. Great job buttering up my mom,” I say. “Nicely done.”

He grins. “Hey, I have a mom, I know how to handle those. Your sister is a different story, though, she didn’t seem to warm up to me.”

“Julia was probably just surprised.” I do an evil laugh inside my head. Yeah, surprised that her dream man just materialized before her eyes as my boyfriend. “You’re not exactly my type.”