Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
brADY
A fter talking to Hazel, I drove straight to my parents to do damage control. Dad would never trust me again. I'd screwed up royally, first with the fake engagement fiasco and then in not telling him about my video-game show.
I would forever be his irresponsible child. I'd never be able to direct my own project. I'd always be paired with Dalton, even though I'd been the one picking up the slack since his personal life imploded.
I walked inside without knocking, finding my parents sitting on the back deck overlooking the pool.
Dad's expression was pensive.
"How is Dalton?" Mom turned around to ask me.
I sat next to them, facing the pool. "He found a house and put a contract on it."
Mom nodded. "That's a relief."
"He'll have a place he can call home," I agreed.
"How's the house? Will it be safe for his baby?" Mom asked.
"It has a pool and a hot tub that we can block off with fencing. And we're intending to renovate the kitchen and bathrooms in the next few months."
My mom clasped her hands together. "What about the nursery? I'd love to have everything ready to go for him when that baby is born."
"We can do that too." I needed to find out what color scheme Dalton wanted. I didn't even know if he would find out the gender before the baby was born.
Dad leaned forward, his elbows on his thighs. "I'm glad that everything with Dalton is sorted out, but have you seen the article about how Kingston Construction is giving money to causes for their family?"
I let out a breath. "Cooper just mentioned it to me, but I haven't had a chance to read it."
Dad's eyes narrowed. "This is bad publicity. You know how much I hate this. I was right not to trust you with bigger projects. You're too young and immature."
"Elena’s article about our family went viral," I reminded him, my frustration bubbling just under the surface.
"The article and corresponding poll were about which of the Kingston brothers is the most attractive. That's hardly an article that goes after our business, like this one is. Why didn't you think before you gave money to the library? Why didn't you clear it with one of us?"
I sat on the chair across from him. "You always said we could back the projects we believed in, and for me, it was the library. I never thought it would be an issue."
"It's a good program," Mom agreed.
"Why would I ever think that reporters would take something good and twist it?" I asked him.
Dad scoffed. "That's literally a reporter's job."
"They can only make someone look bad if it's true. And we didn't do anything wrong. It's a great program. Before these articles came out, other libraries in the state reached out to Hazel to ask for her to come and train them so they could implement the same program."
"That's amazing," Mom said. "Good for Hazel."
"You said articles," Dad pointed out.
I sighed. "There's another article about our relationship."
"Why would they talk about that?"
"Because Hazel and I were never engaged. Not really."
Mom stilled. "She wore a ring. You told us you were engaged."
I told them how Hazel found the ring, tried it on for size, and how I volunteered to be her fiancé because I thought it would help me.
"Why would being engaged help you?" Dad asked.
"I hoped it would gain me some respect. You tend to think I'm immature because I'm the youngest boy. I can't seem to get out of that role in your eyes."
"That's not true," Dad said.
Mom raised a brow. "Isn't it? I've been telling you this about Shep too. You have to give them a chance."
"I don't have to do anything, not when they've destroyed the business's reputation like this. How can I ever turn over the business to you boys when you can't handle it."
Mom touched his hand. "Now, Jonathan. Relax."
"I can't relax when our life is imploding." Then Dad turned his attention to me. "Why would you need to tell everyone you were engaged to Hazel when you weren't?"
"I have a video-game show that I film on the side. I wanted to be included in the kids' programming and the platform said it would help if I had a girlfriend or, better yet, a fiancée. Hazel filmed with me, and the fans loved her."
Dad's forehead creased. "What video-game show?"
"I film me playing a popular kids' video game. It's all the rage right now." I knew Dad wouldn't understand.
"Why would you need some designation for it?"
"More parents would allow their children to watch my show if it had that designation, and Hazel helped me get it."
Dad shifted in his chair. "Why would you have a second job if you're working for me?"
"It was something I enjoyed doing. I never thought it would take off."
"Has it been successful for you?" Mom asked.
"Especially now that I have the kids' designation. I expect that it will one day earn me millions. I know you don't respect that, and you don't believe it, but it's something I enjoy."
"Are you telling me that you're leaving the business?" Dad said, disgust tingeing his tone.
I shook my head. "I want to do both, and you can't tell me that I can't. Not when I've been covering for Dalton for weeks."
"What are you talking about?" Dad asked.
"Dalton's girlfriend has kept him busy, and his mind isn't on the business.
I don't blame him. She's put him through a lot.
But I'm tired of you saying I can't handle a project manager position when I've been in charge of this project.
Dalton is there when he can be, but I expect his attendance is only going to get worse when the baby comes. "
Dad frowned, and Mom sighed. "I had no idea."
"Dalton needs this time to figure things out. But you need to know that I can handle the work. I am responsible. Just because I'm younger than my brothers doesn't mean that I'm any less reliable."
Mom nodded. "I've been telling your father that."
Dad threw up his hands. "I don't know what to think about any of this. These articles are out there, and anyone can find them."
"What about you and Hazel? I have a hard time believing that none of it was real," Mom said, her gaze trained on me.
I sighed. "It was real for me. But I'm not sure how she feels."
"You never asked her?" Mom asked incredulously.
I shook my head. "I was scared that she didn't feel the same way I did."
Mom patted my hand. "You have to talk to her."
I let my head fall back. "I had to deal with this first."
"How do you feel about her?" Mom asked.
I met her gaze. "It was supposed to be fake.
I wanted to use the opportunity to make her see me as something more than a friend.
And I think she did. I'm just not sure she believes we have a future.
" Especially after how I reacted to the news of the articles.
I needed to talk to her. "But she'd already moved out of the house we shared.
I'm worried it's too late to tell her I'm in love with her. "
"It's never too late," Mom said. "I've seen the way she looks at you. I bet she feels the same way you do. You're both scared to be honest with each other. You don't want to lose the friendship you've always had."
"Yeah."
"You should go to her," Mom said.
"But what about the business?" I looked to Dad for reassurance.
"I don't know what to do about these articles."
"What if I did the interview and told the reporter the real story. That I wanted Hazel to fall in love with me the whole time."
Mom placed a hand over her heart, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "That's so romantic."
"It could work because it's the truth. I supported Hazel's program because I believed in the cause, and I acted like her fiancée because I've been in love with her forever."
Mom wiped a tear from her eye. "I think you should do that. It's perfect."
Dad shook his head. "I'm happy with how you've worked with Dalton not being present, but I'm not sure how I feel about this plan."
"It could work," I said, excited to contact the reporter.
"I think you should do it," Mom said.
"Dad?" I asked him.
He finally nodded. "If you think it will work. It can't hurt."
I was moving before he finished his sentence, giving Mom a hug and then shaking his hand.
Dad covered my hand with his. "I'm proud of you, and I'm sorry that I haven't let you know that over the years."
"Thanks, Dad. That means a lot." It felt good to finally have his approval. But there was one person I was worried about right now, and that was Hazel. I had to fix this and fast, before she moved on forever.
I contacted the reporter who agreed to conduct a video interview once I explained the situation.
"I'm here today with Brady Kingston, one of the men who runs Kingston Construction. I previously reported that he'd supported his fiancée's after-school program at the local library, and then discovered their relationship was fake. So which is it? Is it real or fake?"
"Well, Colin, I've been friends with Hazel since we were kids, riding our bikes all over the island.
I was fascinated by her, and I wanted to be close to her.
Our friendship lasted through adulthood, and I always wondered if something else was there, but I was afraid to talk to her about it. I didn't want to lose our friendship."
"I think our viewers can understand that. What changed?"
"One day, we were at the senior center for bingo night, and Hazel found an engagement ring on the floor.
She put it on her finger, and her grandmother assumed she was engaged.
I'd just discovered that for my popular video-game show, Brady's Adventures, to get the family designation I wanted, being engaged would help.
So I stepped forward and said I was her fiancé. "
The reporter whistled. "That's quite the story. Everyone believed it?"
"Yeah, I guess people had held out hope that we would get together eventually."
"How far did you take this fake engagement?"
"We moved in together and acted like a couple. Being that close together, the chemistry was impossible to ignore. I thought it was my chance to finally show Hazel that we could be more than friends."
"Did you succeed?"
I shook my head. "I'm not sure. I never told her how I felt."
"Is that why you wanted to talk to me?" Colin asked.
"I wanted to explain our story, which is unconventional, but I also wanted to finally tell Hazel how I feel." I waited for him to give me the go-ahead.
"I think viewers will want to know how this turns out. Don't hold back."
"Hazel, at some point our fake arrangement became all too real.
I couldn't resist you because I've been in love with you forever.
My feelings only grew during this experiment.
I can't deny it anymore. I love you, Hazel, and I want to make this fake relationship a real one. And I'm hoping you feel the same."
"I hope you get the answer you want," Colin finally said.
"Me too."
"So what's next for you?"
"I'll keep working for Kingston Construction.
I love working with my family and supporting the community.
I want to see Hazel's after-school program grow and thrive.
Maybe we'll see it in more Florida libraries.
And I'll keep growing my video-game show.
It's a fun hobby that has turned into an escape for so many.
And at the end of the day, I hope I'm going home to Hazel. I want to build a life with her."
"After hearing your story, I think I speak for everyone by saying that we hope for the same. Good luck."
"Thanks for listening, Colin."
"You're welcome. You've given us quite a story."
I just hoped Hazel would read this somewhere or even see the video.
"I'll be releasing the video on our online platform along with the transcript."
"I thought you'd want to print the story."
"Viewers are going to love this. I thought we were investigating nepotism, but instead it's a love story. And I have to tell you a secret; love sells. Shocking, I know."
"I want Hazel to see this."
"Make sure she does," Colin said.
After I left the meeting with Colin, I called Ivy. "I need your help."
"I was hoping you'd say that," Ivy said, and I could hear the smile in her voice.
I'd work out a plan with Ivy and hope for the best. Everything was contingent on Hazel being in love with me too. I could work with something less, but if she wanted nothing to do with me, then that would be it. I'd lose everything, and I wasn't ready to give up.
The possibility of us kept me going.