Page 79 of The Rules We Broke
He pulled me in tighter, chuckling. “Alright, Ellie. Get ready to pick out a dress and book the church.”
He sounded too confident. Too sure.
He clearly had no idea who he was dealing with.
Aunt Lu was going to give that boy a run for his money—and I planned on enjoying every minute of it.
I took a long, hot shower and let the steam rise around me as my thoughts tangled into knots. So many emotions swirled through me—bliss, fear, hope, and panic—but one truth pulsed louder than the rest:Brady Jackson loves me and wants to marry me.
I wanted that, too. But wanting wasn’t the same as knowing how to make it work.
This town, his family, my aunt—none of them would make a wedding simple. A union between an Eaton and a Jackson would trigger a storm of whispers, awkward silences, and burned bridges. I couldn’t imagine ever being invited into his family’s home without tension simmering beneath every smile. If Brady went through with this, he’d risk being disowned.
Of course, Benjamin and Kendra would be fine. That gave me comfort. But what about our future kids? Would they be welcomed—or politely excluded? Would his parents look at them and see me and never get past it?
Then there was the question of where we’d live. Brady meant it when he said he’d move to Atlanta. But I saw it in his eyes—disappointment tucked behind devotion. He pictured us at his log cabin. That place was more than wood and stone—it was his dream.
I could work anywhere. And I loved being near Aunt Lu. But half of Kaysville still saw me as an Eaton with a past, and marrying Brady wouldn’t earn me any points.
The hot water ran out before my thoughts did.
I wished I could be like Brady—focused on nothing but love. I knew it mattered more than anything else, but the scars from ten years ago hadn’t faded. His parents and even Aunt Lu had made our young love a battlefield.
Brady kept repeating he wasn’t eighteen anymore, but family is family, and sometimes we do stupid things for them—like getting engaged to a girl you don’t even love.
I had to wonder how much pull his family still had on him.
***
By the time I arrived at the hospital, the staff was preparing to move Aunt Lu to the fourth floor—a private room. She looked better, albeit slightly annoyed. She was ready to go home.
I walked over and kissed her cheek.
“Where have you been this morning, Ella Lu?”
“We’ll talk when you get settled in your new room.”
She looked me over with surgical precision. “You were withthat Jackson boy, weren’t you?”
I gave a coy grin. The nurse didn’t need to hear the full report. Besides, I smiled because she still wouldn’t call him Brady.
“That’s what I thought,” she muttered. At least there was a half-smile. That was progress.
She was trying. I knew that. Her protectiveness had always come from love, but her dislike for the Jacksons ran deep. Seeing me back in Brady’s arms couldn’t be easy.
As the nurse wheeled her down the corridor, I held her hand. She hated not walking—but she squeezed my fingers tight, and I held on.
Once she was tucked into bed, surrounded by a generous supply of pillows, she gave me a look. “Ella Lu, do my makeup and my hair. And for the love, find some polish that doesn’t look like wet cement. I look like I tangled with a leaf blower.”
I opened her toiletry bag. “What’s this? Has one of the doctors caught your fancy?” I teased. “Planning on beating me to the altar?”
She scoffed. “After all these years? Please. Men are the worst kind of trouble.”
I laughed. “True—but sometimes they’re worth it. You loved George Reed.”
She looked at me, unsure how to answer. I stopped shaking the taupe nail polish in my hand.
“You did love him, right? You were married.”
