Chapter 17 #2
I'd hoped for some time to talk to him, but I guessed that wasn't going to happen.
The photographer, Carl, led us outside to the beach where he directed us to take off our shoes.
I wore a simple white dress. Brady wore tan slacks and a white button-down.
It was casual yet completely appropriate for the beach setting.
He directed us through a few poses where we were close, gazing into each other's eyes.
He even had us kiss so he could snap a few photos as the sun was setting.
It was a gorgeous backdrop, but I wasn't sure what I'd do with the pictures if we weren't together.
Would they be a memory of what could never be?
For one pose, I stood in front of Brady, his arms wrapped around me. He dipped his head while the photographer fiddled with the lighting. "I'm sorry about last night."
I squeezed his hand. "It's all right."
Before he could say anything further, Carl raised his camera. "Brady, stand up straight. Hazel, press against your fiancé. Remember, you're in love, and this is your party to celebrate with friends."
I relaxed in Brady's arms, remembering that we were friends first, and we'd get through this, like we did everything.
When Carl indicated we were done and told us he'd get us the proofs in a few weeks, we went inside where Elena guided us to two stools in the front of the room. We were handed white boards and dry-erase markers.
Our friends and family milled about the bar, and a few people sat at the tables. The room was beautiful with the white roses and the lanterns offering ambient light. Before Elena could ask a question, we heard silverware clinking against glasses, and everyone watching us expectantly.
Brady grinned and looked at me. "Get over here, fiancée."
I slid off the stool and moved to him on shaky legs. He drew me between his legs, dropping his head so that he was all I could see. "No one else is here. It's just you and me."
Then he kissed me, softly, and when the sound of clinking glass increased, he deepened the kiss to cheers of the crowd. When he finally pulled back, I felt better.
Couples had arguments and worked through them. We could too. I returned to my stool, my face flush from the attention. I hoped our guests wouldn't do that too often, or I was going to be hot and bothered long before the night was over.
The first question was easy. Elena asked, "Where was your first date?"
I wrote the library, and Brady must have said the same thing because everyone said ah.
"That's a romantic date. I can't wait to hear all about it," Elena said from her perch on a stool a few feet away from us. "Now tell us when was your first kiss?"
That had me hesitating because our first kiss was in his backyard, but it was supposed to be practice. I wrote it down anyway, hoping he'd written the same thing.
Elena read from our boards. "You both said you kissed in Brady's backyard by the fire. I'm starting to think you two studied for this."
I glanced over at Brady, but he seemed relaxed.
"Let's make it more difficult. If one of you had to leave the island for work or for some other reason, would the other follow?"
"Do you mean if one of us needed to look for a job off island?" Brady began.
Elena waved a finger. "Ah ah ah. I ask the questions. I don't answer them."
I thought about it. If Brady left the island, would I leave the place that had always been home? If we were married, and he loved me, then it was an easy yes.
When Brady turned over his board, it said, It depends.
Elena raised her brow. "Looks like you two have something to talk about."
I avoided Brady's gaze.
"How many kids do you want?" Elena asked.
At least we'd gone over that question, so we both wrote two or three. The rest of the questions were easier, about things we liked, and we knew each other well enough for those. I think Elena felt badly about the island question and kept the rest of the game fun and light.
After the game, we sat down to dinner. Before we could eat though, Hudson stood up, holding his champagne glass.
I glanced at Brady to assess if he knew that Hudson planned to make a toast. He shook his head, and I turned my attention to Hudson.
"I never thought my youngest brother would be the first to get married.
" There were a few chuckles, but he continued.
"But looking back, I missed all the signs.
He met Hazel when they were just kids. He'd follow her around the island on his bike.
He spent all his free time with her when he wasn't with us.
I think his soul knew what he wouldn't be able to acknowledge for many years: he'd found his soul mate. "
There was a collective sigh.
"I wish you both a happy life, and we look forward to raising our families together." Hudson raised his glass, and everyone followed suit, clinking glasses before sipping the champagne.
"That was nice of him," I said to Brady once he hugged Hudson and returned to my side.
"Yeah, I wasn't expecting that."
It meant a lot that Brady's family supported us.
But it wasn't lost on me that his father didn't stand to give a toast. It might have been because he thought Hudson was standing for the whole family, but I wasn't so sure it was meant to be a slight.
Did his father still not approve of our engagement?
Talk turned to Hudson and Elena's relationship, and I enjoyed the attention being on them for a bit. The game took a lot out of me. It was stressful with everyone's attention on me. I was worried they could see right through us, knowing that we weren't real.
"I'm happy that my only grandchild is getting married. Your parents would be so proud of you," Grandma said.
I got up to hug her. "Thanks, Grandma. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you and Grandpa." They took me in when I had no one. They raised me as if they weren't my grandparents but my parents. It was amazingly selfless of them, and I'd never forget it.
I returned to my seat, and we finished the meal. Brady reached for my hand under the table. I looked at him, but he was watching Elena, who was talking animatedly about whatever writing assignment she was working on.
When she finished, she looked at us. "Do you want to cut the cake?"
"Sure," I said standing and following her to the table where the white cake stood. The cascading flowers were absolutely gorgeous, something I would have expected to see at my wedding, not an engagement party.
Elena handed me the knife, and Brady covered my hand with his. It felt intimate, almost as if this were our wedding. The photographer hovered nearby, ready to get the money shot. We sliced easily through the layer, once and then twice. I lifted the cake and placed it on a plate.
"You have to take a bite," Elena encouraged us.
Before I could ask any questions about how we were supposed to do that without forks, Brady picked up a piece of cake and fed it to me. I did the same for him. It was intimate to have him feeding me. Not something we'd ever done before.
A server took over then, cutting slices for everyone.
Brady leaned in and said, "Let's take our cake somewhere more private." He grabbed two plates and winked in Elena's direction before he led the way to the balcony. He found a spot where we couldn't be seen by our guests and set our plates on a table in front of a fireplace.
"Won't people care that we disappeared?" I asked him, sitting next to him.
"They won't notice, and we won't be gone long. I just wanted a few minutes alone with you."
"The pressure was intense during the game," I finally said, still feeling unsettled.
"Whatever we decide to do is between us. We're not a game show. It doesn't matter what anyone in there thinks about the decisions we make in our life."
My shoulders lowered. "You're right."
He took my hand. "If we were engaged for real, I'd want to make these tough decisions with you. I wouldn't reduce us to a game or a show for our friends and family."
I blew out a breath. "That's what I needed to hear."
"I don't want you to worry about anything. Even if we were just friends, I wouldn't stand by while you moved off the island. I couldn't live without you."
Tears stung my eyes. He'd said if we were friends, but I was fixated on the latter half of his sentence. He couldn't live without me? What every woman longed to hear. It didn't answer all my questions, but it went a long way to soothe my nerves.