Chapter 19
NINETEEN
Scarlett
“It’s gorgeous!” Carmen gushes to Grandma Rosa, holding up a pearl-colored plate rimmed in twenty-four-karat gold that she just opened from her towering stack of wedding gifts. The Marco family sits in a circle on the sprawling stone patio, oohing over each new treasure at the bridal shower.
The property around us feels like something out of a movie—rock walls and lush gardens heavy with roses draped over archways, the ocean stretching to the horizon in the distance.
There’s probably no other house in Sully’s Beach with a view like this. And somehow, I’m sitting in the middle of it.
Brendan sits beside me, noticeably quiet, keeping careful space between us on the outdoor love seat. He holds a sweating glass of iced tea, aviator sunglasses shielding his eyes from both the sun and, conveniently, me.
Maybe he’s thinking about everything he’s missing at the arena right now, but somehow, I don’t think that’s it.
Ever since our swim this morning, something’s changed. When we’re alone, he finds reasons to leave the room.
But the second we’re with his family, he flips the switch, back into boyfriend mode, careful not to touch me, but close enough to be believable.
It’s just convincing enough that no one asks questions.
His wedding-shower face is solid, so I match it.
I laugh when everyone laughs and nod at the right moments.
From the outside, we look pretty good. But every time I glance at him, I catch it, the way his gaze slides away from me.
Aunt Elana reaches for her gift next. Based on the gleam in her eyes, this won’t be another set of china. Carmen lifts the lid and parts the tissue paper, then freezes.
“What is it?” Isabella asks, trying to see what’s inside.
Carmen pulls out an elegant basket filled with spa supplies: high-end massage oils, scented candles, coffee-scented body scrub, and a guidebook titled Couples Massage for Beginners.
“Aunt Elana,” Carmen says around a slightly embarrassed laugh.
Tony picks up the body scrub. “I don’t know whether to thank you or pretend like I actually know how to use these.”
“I couldn’t help myself,” Elana says, unapologetic. “You two have that spa day coming up.”
Brendan rubs the back of his neck.
“What’s wrong, Brendan?” Tony asks with a grin. “Have we traumatized you?”
“No,” he says flatly. “I just forgot about the spa day.”
Elana’s gaze drifts between Brendan and me. “You two will be there, right?”
“Uh, I’ll have to check my schedule.” Brendan is clearly not excited about it, and his reaction makes me deflate inside.
“Of course we will,” I say, trying to show some enthusiasm since Brendan clearly isn’t.
Brendan’s head snaps toward me.
Carmen picks up my gift next, a silver box with a pale, pink bow. “This one’s from Scarlett and Brendan.”
She unwraps the box and pulls out two custom-made ceramic mugs, each painted with their names in elegant script. When she places them side by side, their handles form a perfect heart shape.
“These are absolutely adorable!” Carmen gasps.
“I have a friend who makes custom pottery,” I explain, suddenly nervous about whether they’ll think it’s too homemade compared to all the expensive gifts. “She has her own kiln and paints everything by hand. I had her match the colors from your kitchen photos that you posted.”
She turns one around. “I have a feeling these are going to be my new favorites.”
“I’m so glad you like them.” When I glance at Brendan, he’s staring at me with an expression I can’t read.
Carmen passes the mugs around for everyone while Brendan leans close to me. “You put my name on the gift card,” he says quietly.
“Of course I did,” I whisper back. “We’re supposed to be together, aren’t we?”
He studies my face for a long moment. “Thank you. I had no idea you were getting this for her.”
“I loved picking out something special for them.” I watch as Elana passes the mugs to Isabella. “Being part of this celebration means a lot to me.”
He looks puzzled by my response. “But I thought…”
“Oh, these are so precious!” Isabella interrupts, holding up our mugs. “Scarlett, this is such a thoughtful gift. Brendan owes you a thank-you kiss for this.”
Brendan freezes beside me, and the tension between us sharpens.
Sweat pricks the back of my neck. “A thank-you kiss?”
“Of course,” she says. Considering this woman kisses everyone, I shouldn’t be surprised. But Brendan’s different. He holds back and doesn’t show emotion the way his family does. The only people he kisses are the Marco matriarchs, which I’m pretty sure is a family requirement.
“Uh, Mom.” Brendan shifts in his chair. “Scarlett’s family doesn’t say thank you the way we do.”
“Yes, but she’s part of our family now,” she says with a polite smile.
Elana nods in agreement. “You know, I haven’t seen you two kiss yet. Isn’t that a little strange?”
My stomach drops. Are they seriously questioning our relationship because we don’t kiss in public?
Rosa lifts a hand. “I had the same thought.”
“They’re probably just being respectful,” Isabella defends quickly, but then looks at us. “Right? You two are just being modest?”
Suddenly, it feels like we’re failing a critical Marco family test.
“Well, um…”
“Of course we are,” Brendan finishes for me. I can’t believe how calm he’s acting, while I’m sweating buckets over here.
“Then just thank her, so they’ll stop talking about it.” Isabella gestures between us like she’s directing a play. “Go on now.”
Of all the things we expected—the handholding, the dating questions, the story of how we met—this certainly wasn’t one of them. We’d somehow skipped over the “kissing in front of family” part in our fake dating agreement.
I lean toward Brendan. “Just do it quickly and they’ll move on.”
But he doesn’t move, not right away.
Instead, he slides his sunglasses off slowly, and for a moment, I can see something stormy behind his eyes.
“You sure?” His voice is low enough that only I can hear it.
No. I shouldn’t be doing this. Worst idea ever.
“It’s just a kiss, right?” I whisper.
His eyes search my face, and there’s something in them that makes my body turn molten.
Because if it were really just a thank-you kiss, we’d have it over and done with by now.
He hesitates before his hands come up, giving me every chance to change my mind. But I don’t. I’m frozen in place, aware of his family watching and the afternoon sun on my skin, and the way my heart is beating like a full drum line inside my chest.
Brendan cups my face with both hands. He kisses one cheek, then the other, then pauses to gaze into my eyes, just long enough that my breath catches.
When he leans in and kisses me on the lips, my entire world cartwheels, and I totally forget that this is supposed to be pretend. His mouth is warm and soft, just like I remember it from high school. Only this time, I don’t try to block out the memories. They come rushing back like a tidal wave.
Oh, boy. He’s really selling it.
But my body isn’t getting the message. I lean into him instinctively, my arms wrapping around his neck—
“There,” he interrupts, pulling away.
My eyes flutter open.
“Was that quick enough?” he asks.
I stare at him. That wasn’t enough at all—that was devastating. It’s what I’ve been trying not to remember about us.
Isabella beams at us. “See? I knew it.”
He looks in my direction, and I can’t help but feel like there’s tension growing between us as he takes me in one last time. Then he slips his sunglasses back on, and just like that, I lose him again. “I need to go. Work emergency.” He heads inside the house.
I brush my fingers over my lips, where I can still feel his kiss. Something deep in my bones tells me that moment was never pretend. Not for either of us.