Fae looked up at Derek with clear and honest eyes. The alcohol had softened the edges of her usual bravado, but there was something very steady and deliberate behind her expression. She was not rambling. She was confessing."I need someone to pretend to be my boyfriend," Fae said with a direct and unapologetic voice. "Someone my family would believe. Someone real and solid and trustworthy enough that they would back off long enough for me to figure out what I actually want to do with my own life."Derek leaned back in his chair slightly. "You want a fake boyfriend.""Yes," Fae confirmed with a simple nod. "Not forever. Just long enough to take the pressure off. My family will not stop pushing the engagement until they believe I have moved on. If I show up with someone convincing, someone who looks like he could actually be with me, they will ease up. And I will finally have room to breathe.""And you picked me," Derek said with a flat and disbelieving expression."I picked you," Fae r