14. Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fourteen
Bri
Bri had tossed and turned all night, unable to stop thinking about her kiss with Drew. She had no clue what had taken over her when she’d stepped closer to him and told him they should practice . He’d even given her another opportunity to get out of it, waiting for her nod of consent before continuing with the kiss. Instead of running in the opposite direction, as she should have, she’d nodded, giving him free rein to kiss her.
Their kiss had started a little awkward and shy, but after a moment, the press of their lips had felt right—so right she’d been completely sucked into the moment and forgotten everything else around them, including the fact that this was fake.
Drew had been respectful and pulled away before the kiss had truly even started, but she was still reeling from its effect, and Bri had no clue what to do about it. He was her best friend, so maybe she’d been confusing the comfort she felt being around him with something more.
She plopped down on the sofa in Hillside Cottage with a sigh. The soft material of the cushions felt like a warm hug. The thought that this cottage would be Drew’s home when he married one day made living in it feel a little awkward, but it had started to feel like home to her sometime over the past month.
The steeply pitched gable roof, gray stone exterior, wraparound porch, and arched front door gave it a quaint charm. The interior of the cottage exhibited the same character and attention to cozy, comfortable detail, with exposed wooden beams, the original brick fireplace, and carefully selected furniture upholstered with luxurious fabrics, cultivating a homey environment.
As she sat on the sofa, the kiss replayed in her mind. She needed to vent about everything to Rosalie before her brain exploded and she shared something with the wrong person. Bri snatched her phone from the coffee table and typed out a text to her.
Bri : Hey, girl. Is now a good time for us to talk?
Her friend responded in an instant.
Rosalie : Of course!
Bri clicked on Rosalie’s contact and hit the video call button. After a few rings, Rosalie’s smiling face popped onto the screen.
“I’ve been waiting for your call all morning.” Rosalie’s sunny countenance rivaled that of the morning sun peeking through the large living room window. “I’ve been dying to talk with you more since your engagement ball.”
Bri sighed, biting the inside of her cheek. “That’s what I want to talk to you about. We couldn’t share all the details with you at the ball, and too many people were around at the regatta yesterday.”
“Okay, what’s going on?”
She let out a long breath before the words flew out of her mouth. “I know Drew talked to you, so I’m assuming you know his parents were trying to work with Clarissa’s to set up some kind of marriage contract?”
Rosalie nodded. “Yeah, I wish I could say I was shocked…but she was always all over Drew, even when we were kids.”
“I know, and she still is, even though we’re engaged.” Anger coursed through Bri, but she didn’t know why. Their relationship was fake. There was no reason for her to be jealous. She clenched and unclenched her fist. “That’s when he came to me and told me he wanted to enact our marriage pact.”
“Your what ?” Rosalie’s mouth was open as she stared at her through the screen, although she didn’t look particularly surprised. “Girl, I need details.”
“You’d better buckle up then, because I’m not even close to done.”
Bri shared everything with Rosalie—how they wrote and signed the marriage pact when they were kids, and how she agreed to be Drew’s fake fiancée so he wouldn’t have to marry Clarissa.
Rosalie sat patiently through all the news, and once Bri was done sharing, she finally spoke. “Oh, my goodness. We’ll dive into all that in a second, but first, how are you doing?”
Bri propped her phone up on the coffee table and wrapped her arms around her middle. “I’m hanging in there. Most of the time, it’s not too bad. I’m just hanging out with my best friend.” She hugged herself tighter. “But it’s hard lying to our families. And things are starting to get confusing.”
“I know how close you are with both families, so I can’t even begin to imagine how hard it is for you.” Rosalie’s face was full of sympathy. “How are things getting confusing?”
“You know I was cheering him on in the Fenimore Regatta.” She blew out a low whistle. “Girl, he jumped out of the boat after they won, swam over to me, and came out of the water looking like a chiseled man sculpted to perfection.” Bri fanned her face with her hand. “I’ve never looked at Drew like that before. He’s always been my best friend, sure and steady. I guess I’ve always seen him as the same awkward and dorky kid I became friends with when I was seven.”
She took a moment, breathing deeply. “Now I can’t seem to get this new image of his physique out of my head, and I shouldn’t be feeling these things. I can’t be attracted to him. Not when this is all an act and we’re going our separate ways one day.”
She looked at her friend, expecting to see her still looking at her sympathetically. Instead, Rosalie was grinning and nodding her head, her arms crossed.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Rosalie clapped her hands excitedly. “There’s so much to unpack here.” She cleared her throat. “I don’t think this attraction you’re feeling is a bad thing. I’m very happily married, but even I can admit that Drew has grown up to be a handsome man.”
“That makes me feel a little better.” Bri let out a sigh. “But it’s more than the attraction. To make matters worse, I let him kiss me.” Bri let her face fall into the palm of her hand. “What was I thinking, Rosalie?”
Rosalie’s mouth fell open. “You kissed Drew?” she squealed.
Bri told her about their conversation from the night before about the engagement photos they would take later today—the conversation that had led to them practicing a kiss.
A blush covered her cheeks as she thought back on their kiss. “I didn’t know Drew could ever make me feel like that. That he could stir up feelings and butterflies.” She shook her head. “I’m sure it’s only all my heightened emotions about the situation.”
Rosalie didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t push either. “My advice would be to keep your heart open to whatever this time with Drew brings. You never know what could happen.”
After a few more updates from Rosalie, they said their goodbyes. When Bri hung up, she sighed, lying down on the couch.
It felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders after finally being able to talk about everything she’d been feeling. Yet, even with the burden gone, Bri still didn’t know what to think about her feelings for Drew. There were still questions she didn’t have answers to, but she didn’t have time to dwell on that. She had a photoshoot to get ready for.
Once Bri changed into the pale-blue midi dress Drew’s mother had given her, she slid on a pair of nude pumps. She ran her fingers through her curled hair and touched up her lip gloss before walking outside to the driver waiting with a golf cart to escort her to Glencrest Palace.
There was no reason for her to be worried. They’d already gotten through the most difficult parts: telling their parents, announcing their engagement to the world at the ball, their first official appearance on the palace lawn, enduring questions from the press at the interview with Isla and at the carnival, and practice-kissing so their charade would look real.
If they’d gotten through all that together and come out on the other side alive and well, then they should easily be able to take a few measly pictures. Yet, Bri had an uneasy feeling in her stomach. She tugged at her three-quarter-length sleeves after the driver dropped her off in the palace’s garden.
Her palace didn’t have much of a garden since it was nestled in the mountains, so she always loved visiting Glencrest in the spring when the flowers were the most beautiful. She closed her eyes for a moment, breathing in the wonderful floral aroma. Bri followed a stone path until she spotted Drew in front of a rose bush.
She felt relieved they were in this together. There wasn’t another soul on the planet she could be fake engaged to.
Bri knew the exact moment Drew saw her. His whole face lit up, and his mouth pulled up at one corner into a goofy grin. He glanced down at his feet, looking nervous as she approached him. But when he glanced back up at her, his eyes were full of admiration.
“You look stunning, Bri.”
She smiled up at him. “Thanks. You don’t look too shabby yourself.” His classic black suit and tie were doing him all sorts of favors. She didn’t know how she hadn’t noticed how muscular he was before the regatta, but now that she’d seen it, she couldn’t unsee it.
Bri shook her head, attempting to focus on the task at hand.
“The photographer is just over there.” He pointed to a wooden bench in the middle of a row of flowers, where a photographer readied her equipment.
When he extended his arm to her, she accepted it, and they walked together into the middle of the garden. The photographer introduced herself and began directing their locations and poses. She took a few photos of them sitting on the bench before having them stand in front of a wall of climbing blush-pink roses for the more formal pictures that would be shared with the press.
Bri, ever the adventurous spirit, always felt awkward in posed photos like this. There was practically no one else, aside from royalty, who would barely touch or merely wrap their arm through their significant others for an engagement photo. But she would do what was necessary to meet the royal expectations into which she had been born.
“I’m glad those are over. I always feel stiff taking posed formal pictures.” Drew stretched his back. “I know you can’t be a fan either, with your bold spirit. You’d probably rather be taking a picture in activewear and sneakers, your arms spread wide in front of a mountain landscape.”
He knew her well. “You’re not wrong.”
“Hopefully, the next ones will feel a little more natural.”
They followed the photographer over to a weeping willow tree. “All right, Prince Andrew, would you please hold Princess Brielle in a way that feels comfortable for you?”
His hand settled on the dip of her waist, and she inhaled a sharp breath. His thumb gently grazed her hip and left a trail of heat, even through the fabric of her dress. It felt intimate, romantic, and not at all fake. She looked up to find Drew looking at the photographer, but the satisfied smile on his face told her he knew what his touch had done to her.
It was almost as if he was being touchy and over-the-top on purpose, trying to get a reaction out of her. She didn’t know what to make of that. Bri was having a difficult time gauging her reaction to everything between them lately. She steeled herself, locking all her emotions in a box in her heart and throwing away the key.
This is all fake. Drew and I will go back to being just friends in less than a year. We’re not actually engaged. This isn’t real.
“You okay?” he whispered, his lips grazing her ear.
Bri used every bit of willpower she had to not shiver at his touch. “Of course,” she fibbed.
They followed the photographer’s instructions, posing in a variety of positions: his hand on her waist, his arms wrapped around her from behind, and her hands clasped behind his neck as they looked at each other lovingly.
When it seemed they were nearing the end of the photoshoot, the photographer had them press their foreheads together. She was close enough to Drew that their whole bodies were touching, and her fingers grazed the hair at the nape of his neck. Bri moved her face slightly, and her nose brushed his. She heard him suck in a breath, sending her heart racing.
This is about to happen. We’re about to kiss again.
As she finished internally preparing herself for their lips to meet again, the photographer nodded and looked at her camera. “I think I’ve got everything I need. Thank you for letting me take these for you, Your Highnesses.” She curtsied to them before she packed up all her equipment.
“I can’t wait to see all the pictures,” Drew replied kindly.
Bri pressed her lips together in frustration. They’d made it through the entire photo session without being asked to kiss, which meant they’d practiced for nothing. It had been completely unnecessary.
If only she had Hermione Granger’s Time-Turner to go back to last night for a do-over. She wouldn’t have kissed him, and then they wouldn’t have a giant, confusing moment hanging over them.