I clink her glass, not bothering to offer a toast because I really have no idea what might come out of my mouth at this point.
“So, back to business. I had my sister go shopping with you. Conveniently asked you to stop at the jewelry store to pick up my watch.” I point to the Cartier wrapped around my wrist. “And you did what girls do in a store like that—you stopped to dream. You fell in love with two rings”—I take her left hand in mine, observing the ring I designed just for her—“and I had one custom-made and surprised you with it. On the bridge. Just the two of us. As the sun started to set. I’d insisted we leave our phones in the hotel room because I didn’t want any distractions. We might not have photos, but we have our beautiful memories of that moment.”
She takes a drink of tequila, closes her eyes, leans back, and says with a sigh, “Thank you, Carter.”
A few moments later, she’s asleep.
With her head on my shoulder.
A little bridal freak out.
Vale
I got a little reprieve on the flight, but as we drive the hour from the airport to my family’s farm, I get more questions from Carter, most of them about the wedding.
I finally just start flashing him my sister’s Pinterest board, full of wedding details. I figure it might bore him to death, but I should know better. Carter is a details guy.
“Why are you going home again if you’re so miserable?” he asks.
“Because I love my sister. And I’m the maid of honor. I haven’t been around as much as I should have been, and she’s always looked up to me. When she called to tell me she got engaged, she told me she was happy, but was worried she’d end up like our sisters. I handled that conversation well. I’ve been trying since then to find a date to the wedding. I’ll be honest, I basically called every guy I knew. They all said no. And because of it, although I know it’s terrible of me, I actually considered not showing up—to cancel on my baby sister at the last minute.”
“What changed your mind?”
“She called me again late last night, really upset. It wasn’t a little bridal freak-out. This was about her future. Well, really, about AJ’s future. His father is basically forcing him to not take on an agent. He says it’s ridiculous to pay an agent when his uncle is an attorney who can look over any contract he needs and will only charge him his standard hourly rate. I need you to take care of AJ somehow so that my little sister is taken care of. If that all even makes sense.”
He reaches out and softly squeezes my hand. It’s hard for me not to react to his comforting gesture.
“So, you’re not just in this for yourself?”
“Not entirely. And it’s the real reason we need to pretend to be engaged. If we are, it would make you family too. My parents want my sister to come home. They think AJ playing professional football is a pipe dream. That he will get hurt and won’t be able to support her kind of thing. I think it’s more that they want her back home.
“Sounds crazy, but it was a big deal that she even went to college. It took guts for her to stand up to my parents. It’s like they are stuck in a ’50s time warp as far as a woman’s role is concerned.
“I’m proud of all my sisters, but she and I are the most alike. She’s beautiful too, Carter. Way prettier than I am. And smart. So smart. She’s graduating with honors in May. AJ graduated in December. They wanted to get married now, so after her graduation they would be able to focus on getting settled wherever he ends up getting drafted.”
“You know, you could have just told me that. I would have agreed to this crazy scheme a lot faster.”
“Yeah, I know,” I say with a grim smile. “But I needed to know where we stood first.”
CHAPTER THREE
No pressure.
Vale
“Hold on a minute.” Carter looks at me before looking out the car window again. “Did I just see your family’s name on that bank?”
I want to slump down in my seat and cover my eyes. “Yes, you did.”
“Is that your family? The Martins? A pretty common name after all.”
“Nope. It refers to my family.”
“Your family owns the bank?”
His jaw is almost on the floor at this point, and I have to wonder why. It isn’t like his family hasn’t done well for themselves.
“Yes, they do.”
“They. Not we?”
“I don’t consider myself part of it.”
“Wait. The feed store has your name on it too.” He glances back over his shoulder as we pass.
“Yes. And the car dealership, the farm equipment dealership, the grocery store …”
“You led me to believe you were from a farming family.”
“I am. Only my father didn’t want to stop at farming.”
“Evidently. I need to change my expectations.” He glances my way. “Anything else I need to know?”
“Other than the fact that my family owns half the town and they expected me to stick around and help work at one of their many businesses?”
“I’ve got you. You have nothing to worry about.”
And for a second, I can almost believe him. Carter can make anything happen. He’s magic.
I mean, he managed to make me consider settling down, which was something I’d never expected. It was always what I’d thought I didn’t want.
So, maybe he can get me through this long weekend.
Yet as soon as we cross through town and I start noticing little landmarks signaling the last few miles before reaching the farm, I start tapping my foot nervously.
He notices. “You okay?”
“I’ve walked runways all over the world. I’ve walked red carpets. I’ve visited places I never dreamed I’d step foot in.” I laugh a little at myself. “Why am I so freaked out about coming home?”
“It’s been a long time. It’s only natural.”
I point down a dirt road jutting off to the right. “That leads to the fishing hole. I had a lot of fun down there as a kid. We all did.”
“You fished?”
I laugh. “There are other things to do at a fishing hole besides fish. It was where we’d hang out at night. Party. Drink. That kind of thing.”
“You’ll have to show it to me while we’re here,” he says, and it kills me. There’s a flirty tone in his voice. One my whole body reacts to.
We were always good together—no, better than good. The best sex I’d ever had—no doubt about it. When you threw the feelings I had for him into the mix, it elevated things even more.
Now, I have to somehow put that behind me while still pretending we’re deeply, madly in love. But it’s fake love.
He told me himself—I’m not the girl for him.
I clear my throat, pointing farther down the road. “My brother, Blake, once broke his leg after jumping out of that hayloft.”
“He’s the troublemaker, right? I remember you telling me a story about him once. Compared him to my youngest brother, Cash.”
“He was as a kid, for sure. And he probably hasn’t changed his ways much. But to my dad? He’s the golden child. The only boy. If he wasn’t so charming and lovable, I might hate him. But it’s impossible.”