Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
HAZEL
I met with my grandmother every night over the week to go over the plans for the engagement party. This ruse was worth it to see my grandmother so happy.
We were assembling the lanterns that would hang around the room, providing ambiance and light.
I held one up. "These are going to look amazing."
"Are you sure we have enough?" Grandma asked.
"I hope so," I said, noting the boxes of lanterns that still hadn't been assembled. I'd already called my friends and asked for their help tonight.
"The question is how are we going to get everything to the resort?" Grandma asked.
"The guys can take these in their trucks."
"Are you worried about being overwhelmed by the Kingston family since there're so many of them?"
After my parents died, I lived with my grandparents. It was quiet, and I had no siblings. "I've been around them since I was a kid. I don't think anything will change. Although Dalton showed up the other day."
Grandma raised her brow. "I thought he'd moved out."
"He had, but his girlfriend kicked him out. I don't know the details, but it's been nothing but drama lately. I think she's playing games with him."
"Did you tell Brady that you're going to be newlyweds soon and can't have his brothers showing up whenever they want to?"
"Dalton understood after we explained it to him. But it was a change for him. I think they're used to being each other's safe places. Dalton always has had a home with Brady."
"But you're his safe place now. You're his home."
"I like the sound of that." Too much. I wanted to be that for Brady. I'd enjoyed being there for him and his brother the other day. I hoped I helped and didn't make things worse.
"You need your privacy."
I blushed, thinking about what Brady did to me in the powder room while his brother was eating in the kitchen. I'd never done anything so risky before. Brady made me feel more carefree, and I liked it.
"You did the right thing. I wouldn't worry about it. Dalton and Oakley have to figure out how to be parents together. Brady can't do that for him."
"Dalton's going to get his own place, and he talked to an attorney. Hopefully, things calm down. But Brady's worried, and that puts me on edge."
Grandma patted my hand. "You're a good girlfriend."
I wasn't even his girlfriend. We hadn't talked about what consummating our physical relationship even meant.
Was it a way to pass the time? An experiment to see if we had chemistry?
Each time was better than the last, and it didn't feel like a friends situation.
It was exhilarating and scary at the same time.
"Dalton needs to grow up, and having a baby will do that to you."
Did I want to have children? I'd been so focused on buying the beach house that I'd pushed that little dream out of my head. If we were in a real relationship, would we have kids soon, or would we wait a few years?
I think we'd want to wait two or three years and enjoy our time together. It was weird how easy it was to make that decision. I could see kids running on the beach ahead of us while we walked Max. They'd be beach kids, loving the sand and the water. Growing up on an island like we had.
It was everything I ever wanted but didn't think I could have.
My dream was within reach, but the problem was that it was all an illusion.
Brady and I weren't together. Instead, it was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
I was making Grandma's dreams come true while Brady made his career ones reality.
When it was all over, what would happen? Would we break up after the engagement party?
The thought of moving back to my empty apartment didn't hold much appeal. Not when I was living my dreams in Brady's beach house. It was what I'd always wanted. He was what I'd dreamed of. Was it too much to hope for that we could make it work? That he felt the same way I did?
"I'm happy for you. You're going to have the family you've always wanted."
It was bittersweet because my parents weren't here to see any of this. They didn't get their happily-ever-after. They didn't get to see me grow up and get married. "I wish my parents could be here."
"They are. In spirit. They never left."
It was what Grandma had always said to me, and I felt it to be true. But would they be proud of what I was doing now? I didn't think so. We'd have to deal with this thing between us at some point. But for now, my focus was on the engagement party.
"This is way too many lanterns for us to do. Hopefully, reinforcements will show up soon."
"I think you're right. My hands aren't as good as they used to be."
"Do you want to take a break?" I asked her.
Grandma nodded. "I'm thirsty."
Just as I was helping her to the kitchen, the doorbell rang. I went to get it, finding Brady at the door with bags. He lifted them.
"I brought food."
"You're a lifesaver. There are so many lanterns." Grandma had gone a little overboard on the decorations, but I wasn't going to tell her that.
"Do we need to call for more help?"
I nodded. "I already did. They should be here soon."
"You've got a good one here. Don't let him go," Grandma said.
"I know I do," I said with a smile.
"I knew it the first time Brady showed up here on his bike. I told your grandfather that boy is a good one."
"I don't know how you could know that back then."
"It was a feeling I got."
Grandma said Brady was good for me, but she never shared that she thought we were meant to be together. And I couldn't help but wonder if she was right.
Had we gone about this all wrong? Should we have given our relationship a real try and not this fake one? Were we deluding ourselves to thinking we could create something from lies?
We ate dinner, and then everyone arrived to help. On Grandma's porch, we set up an assembly line and worked quickly to assemble as many lanterns as we could. And then Brady and the guys carried them to the trucks.
"You can store them until we need them on Saturday," Grandma said.
"Is there anything else you need help with?" Ivy asked her.
"I wanted to do a game. One of those where the couple has to answer questions about each other. See if they really know each other."
"We've been friends forever," I said, my heart rate picking up at the thought of being quizzed on my Brady knowledge. What if they realize that our relationship is fake?
Brady met my gaze from across the table.
"Then you don't have anything to worry about," Grandma said matter-of-factly.
But I was worried. Did they already question our relationship? Was this their way of getting to the bottom of the situation and outing us? We needed the engagement party to be a success so that Brady could get the family-friendly designation his show needed.
I couldn't allow anything to ruin that.
"I can help you with that," Elena offered. "I'm a writer, after all."
I couldn't say anything because this was the party that Grandma wanted, and we were giving her that. I'd just have to talk to Brady and study everything about him over the next few days. We didn't have much time.
"What else do you have planned?" Brady asked.
"We'll have music, dancing, food, and drink. This little party game. I think that's enough." Then Grandma paused. "Oh, I almost forgot. I hired a professional photographer to take pictures of you two before the party. I thought it would be nice to have them."
"That's generous of you," I said as I secretly wondered how we'd get through the party.
"Nothing is too much for my only granddaughter."
I was her only living relative at this point.
I was all she had. I wouldn't do anything to ruin her night.
I wish we had more to give her, like a bridal shower or even a wedding.
But this wasn't real. At some point, I'd have to let her know that we'd broken up.
I hated to do it, but it was the plan all along.
We worked with music playing in the background. Eventually, I led Grandma inside because she was getting tired.
"Are you happy with the party?"
I smiled at her. "The question is, are you happy?"
"This party is for you and Brady."
I smiled. "Yeah, but you're getting just as much out of it."
"You two are building a life together. Enjoy this time before kids. When it's just the two of you, it's a special experience."
She must have been feeling nostalgic. "It's too bad Grandpa isn't here to see it."
"He'd be so proud of you. You have everything you ever wanted."
I smiled softly. "I want kids one day too."
"And you will have them. Brady will make a great father. It's too bad Dalton is having so much trouble with the mother of his. But you and Brady will be a team, working together to build your future. I can't tell you how important that is."
I felt a pang in my chest because all of this was a lie. But was it? What I felt for Brady was real. We had chemistry and friendship. Relationships had been built on less. Could we make a go of it? Would he even want to?
I needed to get through the engagement party. Then everything would fall into place. I'd have time to talk to Brady about where we stood. Before it was too late.
Grandma inclined her head toward the porch where Brady was helping Kinsley's daughter hang a lantern on the ceiling. "He's a good man."
"He is."
"I'm so happy for you. My heart is close to bursting."
Grandma could be dramatic, and she loved to gossip with her friends at the senior center, but I felt like her words were genuine. She wanted me to be happy. This party wasn't so she could show off to her friends.
I let out a breath. Everything I'd ever wanted was coming true: the relationship, the beach house, and my job.
"You'd better get back out there. The lanterns won't assemble themselves."
"Do you need anything?" I asked her, wanting to check in with her first.
"I'm going to go to bed soon. All this planning is exhausting."
"All right. Just holler if you need anything." I returned to the porch where the music was playing louder and some of the girls were dancing.