Page 69 of Summer Kisses

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 wrotethe library,and Brady must have said the same thing because everyone saidah.

"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?

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