Honestly, both of my brothers were assholes who only thought about what they wanted and not how it impacted anyone else. They plowed through life without much concern over the consequences. Still, they were family, and I loved them. It was just that I already thought I knew what they’d say about my little problem if I told them. Pierce would probably craft some elaborate argument for me to use to convince Pearl our vows to swear off relationships were made under duress, and therefore they don’t hold up six months after the fact. Damon would tell me if I wanted her, I should simply go after what I wanted, consequences be damned.

Both of them would also fall back on trying to set me up if I convinced them things with Pearl wouldn’t work. It was why I’d been desperate enough to fake having a girlfriend in the first place. My little brothers saw problems as obstacles, and they devoted their lives to overcoming obstacles in their own ways. It just so happened that both of them saw me being single as one of those overcomable obstacles.

Needless to say, I called Laney for advice.

She picked up, voice thick with sleepiness. “Is everything okay? What time is it?”

“Sorry,” I said. “It’s late. But I was hoping I could pick your brain.”

I heard shuffling, a yawn, and then Laney sounded a little more awake. “Okay. Are we talking about a toothpick or a miner's ax?”

I grinned. Even half-asleep, Laney could always get a smile out of me. “I’ve got myself in a bit of a situation.” I spent the next few minutes unloading everything. Laney already knew I was planning to take a break from dating, but I hadn’t told a soul about my little agreement with Pearl.

“Wow,” Laney said once I’d gotten her up to date. “That is pretty hare-brained, even by your standards.”

“It sounded like a good idea at the time.”

“You mean when you just had your heart torn out and weren’t thinking straight? That’s usually why you shouldn’t make big decisions right after a break up.”

“Yeah, noted for the next time I get cheated on. I’ll wait at least three days before I hire a fake girlfriend.”

“The thing I don’t get is why you thought you needed a fake girlfriend. Did you really think me and those two would try to set you up with someone if you didn’t want it?” Those two meant Pierce and Damon.

“At the time, I think that’s what I told myself. Maybe I was actually more worried I’d go back on the plan if I didn’t have something holding me accountable. Maybe it was fake, but it was a relationship of sorts. And I don’t cheat. So my little deal with Pearl kept me on the straight and narrow. I wasn’t even flirting.”

“You realize you’re too good for all these women who have let you down, right?”

Typical Laney. She only saw the best in me, and I loved her for it. “Pearl is different,” was all I said.