4. Chapter Four
Chapter Four
Drew
Drew had lain awake last night, trying to figure out what he was going to say to Bri. How did someone tell their best friend, “Hey, I told my parents we’re engaged. Surprise!”
They didn’t.
Last week, after he’d shared with his parents that he was already in love with someone, they’d grilled him until he’d finally admitted his love for Bri. That much was true.
Drew was completely, madly, totally in love with his best friend. The never-turning-back, there’s-no-one-else-for-me kind of feelings. He had been for as long as he could remember.
If he’d thought there was even a chance she returned his affection, over all the years they’d been friends, he would’ve made his move. But since she’d never seemed to look at him as anything more than a friend, he hadn’t pursued her. He’d been patiently biding his time, and now might be his moment.
However, he might’ve taken things a step too far when he informed his parents that he and Brielle were secretly engaged. That much wasn’t true.
Drew leaned his head against the car window as his driver chauffeured him to Westridge Palace. He needed advice—and fast—before talking to Bri in their treehouse. He couldn’t talk to his parents or Bri, whom he would normally reach out to for advice.
He rolled up the soundproof panel behind the driver so his conversation wouldn’t be overheard. Drew pulled out his phone and called the one person he believed he could trust with his thoughts—the other woman who rounded out his childhood friend trio: Rosalie.
She picked up after a few rings. “Drew, what a pleasant surprise.”
“Hey, did I catch you at an okay time?”
“Yeah, I just got Addie set up with her tutor for the morning.”
“I can’t believe she’s already starting school,” he said. Rosalie had married Colin, the king of Edgemont, the year before. Drew had attended their vow renewal ceremony just last weekend, and he had seen the joy and love in their little family, including Colin’s five-year-old daughter. Rosalie had stepped right into the mom role and was thriving at it.
“You’re telling me. I feel like she’s growing an inch a day. Enough about me. I’m guessing you have a reason for calling?”
“A man can’t just call his friend to catch up?”
“He can, but you and I both know you always have a tight agenda, so I can only assume you’re calling me in a panic about something. And since you’re calling me and not Bri, I bet it has to do with her?”
Drew blew out a breath. “Forget being the queen of Edgemont. You should work for a detective agency.”
“So I’m right?”
“Yeah, I need to talk things through with someone without it getting back to Bri.”
“You can trust me, Drew. Plus, I already know you’re in love with her, if that’s what you’re scared of saying out loud.”
His mouth fell agape. “You…how?”
“Your feelings are obvious—to everyone except Bri, that is. Now, stop sitting there with your mouth open and tell me what you need advice about.”
He spun the friendship bracelet under his sleeve and took a deep breath. Drew released it slowly before spewing out the words he’d yet to tell anyone. “I might have told my parents I’m engaged to Bri to keep them from forcing me to marry Clarissa.”
“You did what?” Rosalie sputtered. “Why are your parents trying to make you marry Clarissa?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. They reminded me how well your arranged marriage turned out, but I mean…have they met Clarissa? I would never be able to like her, let alone love her.”
“I usually look on the bright side of things, but she’s just awful. So, why did you tell your parents you were engaged and not just say you are in love with Bri?”
“I didn’t want there to be any room for them to argue. If I only told my parents I love her, it might not have been enough to stop them from trying to marry me off to Clarissa. It sounds stupid now that I’m saying it out loud.”
“It’s not entirely stupid, just a little poorly executed.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” He laughed. “But you’re right. I didn’t think through the ramifications. Now my parents want to talk with me and Bri about making a public announcement and planning a wedding…and she still has no idea I’ve pulled her into this. I convinced my parents to skip our monthly game night with her family—mostly to buy me some time to think things through and talk to Bri before my mom says something to Queen Caroline. There’s no way this will stay a secret for long.”
“Yeah, there’s no way you would’ve come out of game night unscathed,” she agreed. “How long ago did you tell your parents you were engaged?”
“The end of last weekend. I know I’ve pushed it by waiting this long. I’m meeting Bri at our treehouse this morning to tell her.”
After a short pause, she asked, “What are you going to say?”
“I’m planning to enact our marriage pact.”
Rosalie gasped. “Excuse me, your marriage pact ?” She practically screamed the last two words.
He pulled the phone away from his head as his ear rang. Drew took a minute to explain everything that had happened eleven years ago and how he’d dreamed of cashing in the promise he made with Bri back then.
“Wow. I had no idea.” Rosalie’s voice grew quiet. “Do you think she’ll agree to this? I mean, you were kids when you made that promise.”
“I have no idea if she’ll consent to marrying me, but I have to try. I’m more scared of losing her than anything. I can deal with the fallout for not telling my parents the truth, but I don’t want her to be angry with me for dragging her into this. I can’t lose her friendship.”
“Then tell her that. Honesty is the best policy, Drew. You can’t control how she’ll respond, but you can tell the truth.”
“You’re right.” He released a long sigh, letting out all his pent-up anxiety. “Thanks, Rosalie. I really needed to talk this through.”
“Anytime. You keep me updated, okay? I’m invested.”
“I will.”
“And Drew?”
“Yeah?”
“For what it’s worth, I hope she agrees to go through with this. I always thought you two would make the perfect couple.”
He hoped Bri would go along with it too. More than anything in the world. Because while their engagement may not be real, his feelings for her were. Feelings Bri had no idea existed. But he hoped enacting their marriage pact would give him the chance to show her how much he cared about her.
After he hung up with Rosalie, Drew reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a single sheet of paper, stained and wrinkled at the edges. He reread the childish handwriting for the hundredth time. He carried The Marriage Pact with him most days as a reminder, a sort of countdown until he could enact it and marry the person he loved. Until then, he’d done his best to avoid dating any other women.
There was no placeholder.
There was no one else on his radar.
There was only Bri for him. There would only ever be Bri for him.
And even though they’d made the pact when they were kids, Drew still took it seriously. He carefully folded the paper and placed it back in his pocket as the car came to a stop. When he looked outside the window and saw Westridge Palace, his heart raced.
It was time to propose to his best friend.
He scrambled to grab the pink tumbler filled with peach iced tea from the cupholder. The driver came around and opened the door for him. Drew stepped out, giving him a nod of thanks before walking around the side of the palace. With each step he took toward his and Bri’s spot, he calmly whispered to himself, “Breathe.”
When their treehouse came into view, a smile pulled at his lips. It was tucked perfectly into a large oak tree, still standing strong even after all these years.
They had visited this spot any chance they got when they were kids, but it had been much too long since they’d last met here. Drew climbed up the ladder with his free hand, being sure not to spill any tea.
As he ducked and pulled himself onto the landing, nostalgia washed over him. He and Bri had made so many memories here. Laughs and smiles and tears had all been shared here over the years, and it only felt right for this conversation to happen here too.
Drew was pleased to find he didn’t have to crouch to fit in the treehouse with its raised wood ceiling. He set the tea on the child-sized table in the corner, worn from wear and countless games played on it, and then walked over to the storage box on the opposite wall. Thankfully, the chest still contained a knitted blanket in good condition. He laid it out across the floor of the treehouse and sat down. A quick glance at his watch told him it was two minutes until nine. Bri should arrive any moment.
He ran his hands along his khakis before wringing them together. When the floor started to shake slightly and he heard the faint sound of shoes coming up the ladder, Drew anxiously tugged at the collar of his white button-down shirt, suddenly feeling like all the air had been sucked out of the treehouse.
“Why is it that this ladder gets progressively difficult to climb?” Bri huffed when she reached the top. Once she stepped inside, she brushed her blonde locks away from her face.
While she wasn’t looking at him, it gave Drew a moment to take her in. She wore a tea-length pale-blue dress with three-quarter sleeves, perfect for this spring weather. White platform sneakers finished off her look. It was so uniquely Bri. Whenever she wasn’t in the public eye, she switched her heels to more practical shoes, like these.
“Could it just be that we’re getting older?” Drew teased.
She waved off his comment. “No, it couldn’t possibly be that.” Finally looking over at him, Bri sent him a soft smile. “Hi. It’s good to see you.”
He stood and took a step forward, wrapping his arms around her middle in one of his signature bear hugs. “A week is way too long, Bri Bear.”
She squeezed his sides where he was most ticklish, making him gasp. “It wouldn’t have been so long if you had come to game night.” Bri pulled back and searched his eyes. “What’s going on? Is everything okay?”
Drew took a step back and grabbed the pink tumbler, extending it to her. “I know it’s early, but I brought your favorite drink.”
Bri grabbed the cup from him and took a long swig before answering. “It’s never too early for peach tea. Thank you.” She sat down on the blanket and patted the spot beside her. “Now, quit stalling and answer my question, will you?”
Drew lowered himself beside her and ran his hand through his dark-blond hair. “I’m sorry, I’m a little nervous.”
“You have nothing to be nervous about.” She leaned over and placed her hand on his forearm, giving it a gentle, reassuring squeeze. “We’re best friends. You can tell me anything .”
He took a deep breath and started from the beginning. “When I got home from Rosalie’s wedding last weekend, you know I was surprised by…an unwelcome visitor.”
“Yeah, Clarissa, right?”
“The one and only.” Drew let out an exasperated breath. “I’m sure you can imagine how well that went. I swear she has her nail stylist file them into little talons just so I can’t escape her grasp.”
Bri threw her head back and laughed. It was Drew’s favorite sound in the world, and it took him a little too long to realize she was staring at him, waiting for him to continue talking.
He cleared his throat. “She kept mentioning weird things, like how she had a feeling we’d be seeing more of each other in the future and how she could see my palace as her home. Then, that night at dinner, my parents told me they’re hoping to retire early, but they want me to be married before they hand the throne over.”
Bri’s eyes went wide, putting all the pieces together. “No, they didn’t. They couldn’t .”
Drew sighed. “They sure did. They said Clarissa’s parents are very agreeable to the idea of a marriage between us.”
“Well, of course they are. You’re a prince. Clarissa has never been shy about her feelings for you. I don’t understand why you were scared to tell me. You had to know I would help you find a way out of this.”
Drew bit his bottom lip before digging into his pocket and pulling out the marriage pact. After he unfolded it, he held it up between them. “Remember this?”
Bri looked closer before her eyes lit up with recognition. “That old thing? I can’t believe you still have it.”
“Crazy, right?” He tried to play it cool, hoping his thoughts weren’t written all over his face. “It’s actually what I was looking at during Rosalie’s wedding. You know, the paperwork you teased me for bringing along.” Drew nudged her shoulder with his.
She turned to face him, her brows pulled low. “But wasn’t Rosalie’s wedding before the whole talk with your parents?”
Drew bit back a groan. He hadn’t come up with a good reason why he would’ve had it with him at the wedding—other than the truth: that he had been counting down the days until he could marry her since the day they’d made the pact.
“I found it in an old box that morning, right before I had to leave for the wedding. I didn’t want to lose this valuable piece of history, so I put it in my coat pocket.”
She looked a little skeptical at first, but then her expression softened. “We were silly back then. A marriage pact… Where did we even come up with that idea?”
He nodded and wished with all his being what he was about to say wouldn’t ruin their friendship. “About that. I know you said you wanted to help, and I might’ve already found a way out of the Clarissa situation. That’s why I asked you to meet me here, because…I want to enact our marriage pact.”
Bri’s mouth fell open as she stared at him, her eyes darting back and forth between his like she was waiting for him to say he was kidding. When he didn’t say anything else, she gawked. “You want what ? Are you serious? We were kids when we made that.” She took it from him and pointed at the old piece of paper. “It’s literally written in blue marker. We wrote the word ‘signed’ above our signatures.”
Before she could notice the official seal he’d added to the document, Drew reached over and took the marriage pact back.
“I know, but…I sort of told my parents we’re secretly engaged…and you wouldn’t make me a liar, right?”
“You did that all by yourself, Drew.” She took a sip of her drink and then whipped her head back to look at him. “Wait, did you just say you already told your parents we’re engaged ?” She yelled the last word, her eyes widening.
“You’re right. I messed up.” He tapped the piece of paper before tucking it back into his pocket. “But you made a pinky promise, and we never break a pinky promise.”