To Hive and to Hold: An age gap, enemies-to-lovers, fake engagement romance by Mae Harden

Author:Mae Harden [Harden, Mae]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-03-15T04:00:00+00:00

Alden is sitting on the front porch talking on the phone. I can hear his deep voice, but the words are muffled. Not that I’m trying to listen in. I really don’t care who he’s talking to. I slap the sandwiches together, grab some carrot sticks out of the fridge, and head outside.

He’s sitting on the steps leading out the front yard. The first wildflowers are starting to bloom, and with the sun setting behind the mountains, it’s a spectacular view. Let’s be honest, I got lucky with the view. I bought the property because it had acres of untamed meadows for my bees and it was, quite literally, the only thing I could afford. I wasn’t even thinking of the scenery when I signed the mortgage.

I set a plate next to Alden and turn to head back inside, but he reaches up and grabs my hand, halting my progress. “Hey Birdie, my girl just made me dinner, and she’ll get fussy if it gets cold. I gotta run. I’ll see you tomorrow morning… Yeah… sounds good… ‘kay, bye.”

I pull my hand free. If we were actually dating, I’d say something about the deeply misogynistic undertones of that conversation, but since this is all pretend, I let him have his fun. I don’t have to put up with it forever; just long enough to get him his bakery and get my house fixed up.

“You’re not going inside?” he asks, hanging up the phone.

“I didn’t want to interrupt. It sounded like you were enjoying having a wifey working in the kitchen for you.” Okay, I lied. I can’t help saying something.

Alden frowns at me as I sit. “I joke around, but you know I’m not that kind of guy, right?”

I shrug. “I’m not here to judge.”

He snorts and takes a bite of the sandwich.

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