5. Chapter Five
Chapter Five
Bri
Bri stared at her best friend, waiting for him to tell her this was all some big joke, but he didn’t. He looked at her earnestly, his eyes filled with hope instead of mirth. What he’d said wasn’t a lie—they’d never broken a pinky promise to each other.
They considered pinky promises to be sacred and binding, an undying oath to each other. Like the time they’d promised they wouldn’t rat each other out when their parents asked them who had dug up a garden bed to make a giant mud pit for wrestling. They’d both been grounded for a month, but from that moment on, they’d known they could trust each other with anything.
Only now, Bri was regretting the fact that she’d sealed their marriage pact with not only a signature but a pinky promise too. She needed to think on her feet. There had to be some way out of this scenario, a way she wouldn’t have to marry Drew. She didn’t want a marriage of convenience any more than he did, and there was no way she would ever make him marry Clarissa. But there had to be some other option they hadn’t thought of, one which didn’t require either of them to get married—to a stuck-up woman or each other.
While she wanted to get married someday, right now the idea of it seemed scary to Bri. She didn’t want to be tied down to one place or person when there was still a whole world out there to explore, but she did want to help her best friend escape this scenario.
A giant grin covered Bri’s face as the perfect idea crossed her mind. “Well, I’m not going to actually marry you…but who says we can’t fake it? At least, for a while?”
Drew reared his head back, and Bri could’ve sworn she saw hurt flash in his eyes. “How could we fake it?”
She shrugged. “We know everything about each other. We could totally make a fake engagement look real.”
He was silent for a long moment. She was about to backpedal, shoot down her own idea, when he finally responded, “I don’t doubt we could make it look real, but what about the ramifications of publicly faking an engagement?”
“Did you think about the ramifications of telling your parents we were engaged when we weren’t?” she shot back at him with a quirked brow.
“Touché. I think we need to talk through what this would mean. If you really want to fake an engagement, we’d have to break up publicly too. Do you think there would be any fallout from our people? I feel like the media would have a field day with a broken engagement.”
Bri bit her lip. She hadn’t thought about that.
He ran his hands through his hair. “I never should have dragged you into this mess. I’m so sorry. I’ll tell my parents I made it all up, and…and I’ll figure out another way to avoid marrying Clarissa.”
“No,” she said adamantly.
“No?”
“I’m the one breaking our pinky promise by not agreeing to marry you. The least I can do is pretend we’re engaged until this all calms down. We can deal with the consequences when the time comes.”
He pressed his lips together as his eyes looked back and forth between hers. Finally, he said, “You’re the one doing me the favor. I’ll do whatever you want, Bri.”
“Then let’s do this, fake fiancé.” She extended her hand to him, and he took it, giving it one firm shake. “We should probably come up with some ground rules. I don’t want anything to complicate our friendship. You mean too much to me.”
“Agreed.” He let out a long breath. “What kind of rules? Like I said, you’re doing me the favor here, so I’m fine with whatever you want.”
“Okay, first we have to figure out a timeline. How long should the fake engagement last? We wouldn’t be able to put off a wedding for too long without our parents getting suspicious.”
“I don’t want you to feel trapped forever either.” Drew shot her a sad smile. “Maybe we could follow this plan until Clarissa’s parents move on and find another suitor for her. I don’t think it should take too long, but if it’s longer than a year, we can agree to fake an amicable split at that point?”
“Yeah, we’ll have to think carefully about what kind of public statement we would make so there isn’t any trouble between our families, countries, or with the press, but I think we can manage it,” she said.
“That sounds good, fiancée,” Drew added the last word with a smirk.
She felt a small pang in her heart at being called his fiancée. Even though it was fake, it still felt like a monumental moment in her life—being called that for the first time. Plus, it would be real to the rest of the world.
They would have to look and act like an engaged couple. She supposed this meant it might feel real to her sometimes too. Her heart rate picked up. Bri didn’t want this to feel real. Drew was her best friend, and she couldn’t risk losing him if things got awkward between them.
“Now for the rules. Our friendship needs to remain our top priority. So, rule number one: No catching feelings. I don’t want to lose you.”
“You’ll never be able to get rid of me.” Drew took a step forward and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug that melted her anxiety away.
Once she took a step back, she felt stronger and more ready to take on the situation. “Okay. Rule number two: No PDA unless it’s necessary to keep up our fa?ade.”
He crossed his arms across his chest. “Are you trying to escape my bear hugs?”
“I would never.” She smiled at him. “We can still hug. Anything we have done as friends will still be okay. Just no kissing or more couple-y things unless it’s necessary to convince someone we’re together.” Bri shifted uncomfortably at the thought of kissing her best friend.
Drew’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink. “Okay, I can manage that. Is it okay if I add a rule?” Bri nodded, so he continued. “I can’t risk this information getting out. Rule number three: No one except us can know this is fake.”
“I don’t necessarily like that we have to hide the truth from our families, but I understand why we need to.” Bri bit her bottom lip. “What if we have one person on the outside who knows? Someone we both trust to not say anything, who isn’t a family member.”
“Maybe Rosalie?” he suggested. “We’ve been friends with her since we were all kids. Plus, she just went through an arranged marriage herself, and we know she’s trustworthy. Besides, I called her on the way here to sort of…get my head on straight. So she already knows I told my parents we were engaged.”
“I can’t believe you told her first!”
“I had to. She’s the one who convinced me to just be honest with you.”
She looked thoughtful for a moment then nodded. “I can understand that. I think she’s the perfect person for us to talk to whenever necessary. Now, onto rule number four: No going on other dates while we’re engaged.”
“I would never .”
“Well, I know you wouldn’t. That would require you to go on dates with anyone , which you rarely ever do. I was saying it more for me. I want you to know I’m not going to be out on dates with another man while we’re fake engaged to each other.”
Drew’s gaze dropped to the treehouse flooring as he shuffled his feet. “I appreciate that.”
“Do you have any other rule suggestions?”
He shook his head. “I think that about covers it for me. How about you?”
“I think what we have is a good start. We can always amend the list.”
“Works for me. It only seems right we seal the deal the old-fashioned way.” Drew extended his pinky toward her.
When she met his gaze, he smirked. Bri wrapped her small finger around his and squeezed lightly.
Before she knew what was happening, Drew was dropping to one knee and pulling a red velvet box out of his pocket.
“What’re you doing?” she gasped, her hand flying to cover her mouth.
“No one will believe us if you don’t have a ring.” He popped open the box to reveal a stunning white gold band studded with small diamonds surrounding a large, cushion-cut diamond in the middle.
Bri leaned toward him, examining the ring up close. “It looks so real.” But it has to be as fake as this engagement. There’s no way Drew would give me an actual ring. She watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed hard.
“Brielle Margaret Elizabeth Clairmont, will you marry me?”
While she didn’t want to get married right now, Bri hoped to someday. Hearing her best friend say those words impacted her more than she’d thought possible. Her heart beat faster in her chest as she looked into his eyes, surprised at the tenderness and sincerity she saw there.
“Why, of course.” Bri playfully curtsied to him as she offered him her left hand, trying to lighten the mood. He slipped the ring on her finger, and it was a perfect fit. She grabbed his hands and helped him stand back to his feet. “We should probably go fill my family in on the news.”
Drew’s face paled. “Is your dad going to be mad I didn’t ask for his permission?”
She shook her head. “You already know how much he loves you. But it wouldn’t hurt to lean into the idea that we wanted this to be a surprise for them.”
He gave one decisive nod. “Let’s do it.”
Drew carried her tumbler of peach tea down the ladder, and she followed behind him.
Once she reached solid ground, he wrapped his arm around her. “I’m glad you agreed to the plan so quickly. I didn’t even have to mention I had The Marriage Pact stamped with my family’s royal seal.” He released his hold on her and started walking backward, a big smile on his face.
“You did what ?”
His loud chuckle was the only response she got as she chased him back to the palace.
“You’re engaged?” her father asked, his eyes darting back and forth between them.
Bri grabbed Drew’s hand, interlocking their fingers as they nodded. She raised her left hand in the air so they could see the ring.
“Finally!” Her mother jumped up from her seat.
“What do you mean ‘finally’?”
Her mother hurried over and grabbed each of their free hands. “I’ve been waiting for the two of you to get together for years . I’m so glad you finally realized what I could see all along.”
Bri’s eyes went wide at her mother’s confession. Aside from friendship, she had no clue what her mother could have been seeing.
Her mother sighed when she didn’t respond. “You know…that you love each other.”
“Right, we love each other,” she replied, leaning her head on Drew’s shoulder for emphasis. He immediately wrapped his arm around her shoulder and leaned into her touch.
“This makes me so happy,” her mother gushed. “I can’t wait to call Lily.”
Bri stood and was instantly pulled into her mother’s arms for a tight hug. When her mother let go, Bri looked over at her father. “What are you thinking?”
When he remained silent, Bri turned back to Drew, her eyes wide with worry. He stood and placed his hand at the dip in her side.
“I apologize for not asking your permission first, sir. We wanted to surprise both of you—”
Her father lifted his hand in the air, cutting off Drew mid-sentence. When a smile pulled at his lips, Bri let out a sigh of relief.
“Drew, we’ve thought of you as a son for many years. I’m looking forward to making it official.”
Bri looked up at Drew as he wiped his eyes. She was impressed with his ability to manufacture tears.
“That means a lot to me. Thank you, sir.”
She nudged him forward, and Drew hugged her mother and then her father.
“Good luck being stuck with her for the rest of your life.” Phillip popped out from behind a window curtain, making them all jump.
Drew laughed good-naturedly and walked over to him, clasping her younger brother in a hug.
“Phillip, you know better,” her mother tutted.
“Excuse me for wanting to be involved in the conversation where I find out my dearest sister is getting hitched.”
Bri rolled her eyes. He hadn’t even known what the conversation was going to be about before hiding in the room to eavesdrop.
Her father rubbed his temples, but the ghost of a smile covered his lips.
“Oh, fine, but no more hiding and jumping out from behind things. You’re going to give someone a heart attack one day.” Her mother swatted at his arm.
“It won’t happen again.” Phillip used his pointer finger to draw an X over his heart.
Her mother turned back to her, grabbing both of Bri’s hands. “Now, have you picked a date yet? When can we go dress shopping? When did you realize you were in love? Tell me everything .”
Bri’s heart rate picked up. She didn’t want to lie to her parents. As she was contemplating how to respond to her mother’s line of questioning, Drew placed his hand on the small of her back and stepped toward her mom.
“You might want to sit back down for this, Caroline.” Drew gave her mother an easy smile before leading her back to the chair across from them. He rejoined Bri on the couch, grabbing her hand and intertwining their fingers again like it was something they did all the time.
The gesture steadied Bri—more than she expected. Drew was still her rock, anchoring her in a moment when she needed a sense of calm.
She gave his hand a small squeeze, which he must’ve taken as an invitation, because his thumb started rubbing circles on the back of her hand.
The moment everyone was settled, Drew started talking. “We haven’t picked a date. We want to enjoy our time as an engaged couple for a while, so we’re thinking maybe sometime next year, but we’re not locking anything in quite yet.” He lifted their hands slightly. “I can’t speak for Bri, but I’m assuming she won’t want to go dress shopping until closer to the wedding.”
She nodded emphatically. “Yes, definitely not for a while.”
Disappointment covered her mother’s features, but she quickly righted herself. “Oh, all right. Can we at least hear the story of when you realized you were in love?”
“That I can tell you.” Drew leaned back into the couch cushions. “I’ve thought Bri is beautiful for a long time. I mean, have you looked at her?” Bri blushed. “Anyway, I had a crush on her for a while, and then when our families journeyed to Edgemont together, we were talking out on the beach, and I realized I couldn’t live another day without letting her know how I felt.”
“That’s so sweet.” Her mother pressed her hand to her heart. “What about you, Bri? When did you know?”
Bri swallowed. She’d expected Drew to talk the whole time. She was never the best at thinking quickly on her feet. “Oh, it wasn’t really until he told me how he felt that I considered my feelings for him. I think after being best friends for so long, it took me a little bit of time to realize I could see him in a romantic light.”
“Well, I’m so happy you finally did.”
Drew nodded in assent. “Me too.”
When her parents finally finished bombarding them with questions, Bri walked Drew outside, stopping halfway to his black SUV so their conversation wouldn’t be overheard.
“That was a lot.” She sighed, rubbing her temples. “Are you sure we can do this? Think about how much worse the questions will be with the paparazzi.”
He opened his arms to her, and she fell into them, pressing her head against his chest and listening to the cadence of his heart. “You did great,” he whispered into her ear. “Thank you so much. I’m so thankful to have you in my life. Not many people would—”
“Pretend to be your fake fiancée?” Bri cut in, saying the words with as much sass as possible.
Drew chuckled. “Exactly. I don’t know what I would have done without you. I can’t thank you enough.” He gave her one final tight squeeze before stepping back and looking at her with the kindest expression, his eyes soft and full of care. “I know this situation is a lot, but we’ll make it through. Together, we can handle anything.”
She grinned up at him. “I’ve got your back if you’ve got mine.”
“Always,” he responded with a goofy smile, his mouth pulling up at one corner. Drew walked the remaining distance to his car, pausing to offer her a quick wave before getting in.
Bri remained outside, watching his car drive away until it was only a small black dot in the distance as she processed everything that had happened. She hadn’t expected to become a fiancée today—a fake one, but a fiancée, nonetheless.
She reminded herself she was being a good friend, saving Drew from a desperate situation. She knew he would’ve done the same thing for her in a heartbeat if it had been her parents trying to force her into an arranged marriage. But she couldn’t help but think she’d just made a colossal mistake that could impact their friendship forever.