Page 88 of The Perils of Pretending
“That’s a little harsh, Sadie.”
“Sadie has a point.”
“You’re the one who doesn’t understand what family and loyalty mean!”
A loud whistle pierces the air. “Enough!” Max roars.
As one, our heads whip toward Max. “Stop talking for a minute.”
Max huffs out a breath, then stands.
He grabs my hand, looking at me with such tenderness, it takes my breath away. How can he flip so quickly from taking control to being sweet? “Did you mean what you said? That you like me?”
Really? He wants to do this now? This wasn’t how I wanted to tell him that I don’t want to end things when we got home, but I guess there’s no time like the present. I hold up my fingers, leaving some space between my thumb and pointer finger. “A little more than like.”
Max grins cockily. “Yeah?”
I bite my lower lip and nod. “Yeah.”
He reaches into his back pocket, pulling out the flower ring Poppy gave him at the airport. The green gemstones and fake diamonds sparkle in the morning light coming through the windows. He holds the ring out to me.
My heart races. “What are you doing? I just announced our relationship was fake. You don’t have to do this.” He can’t give me that! We haven’t said I love you, dated for real, or discussed our feelings. Sure, our kisses communicate plenty, but it would be nice if we made sure we were on the same page.
“Sadie Sue, this is not what I expected when I agreed to be your fake boyfriend, but you’ve captured my heart with your sense of humor, loyalty, love of adventures, and for putting up with me. Will you date me for real?”
Heat radiates through my chest. I start laughing. The anger I felt seconds ago is gone. In its place is hope. Trust. Love. Happiness. I can’t believe Poppy knew Max might need a ring. Not that he needs to act like he’s proposing to ask me out, but it shows how serious he is about this.
I kiss him. “Yes,” I say against his lips, then kiss him again. “I’d like that.”
Max wraps me up in his arms.
All the tension leaks out of my body. In Max’s arms I’m safe, warm, and, best of all, I’m home.
I untangle myself from Max, keeping his hand in mine, and I turn to Grandma. “Thank you for paying for the tickets, lodging, and all the activities we’ve had the opportunity to do while we were here. I felt my dad’s presence and that’s a gift I’ll always treasure. I won’t be paying you back for Max’s portion because you offered it as a gift. Despite your attempts to force Dorian on me, I did have fun. Alaska is stunning and I’m glad I got to be on the same soil my dad loved. However, I feel it’s best that I leave today. Until you can learn how to love me for who I am, please don’t contact me.”
I run from the room. Max trots to keep up with me. I don’t know if Brody and Mom follow, but I can’t be in Grandma’s presence a second longer. “Do you think we could see the spit, then drive to Anchorage and spend the night with your grandparents? We can catch the flight home from Anchorage tomorrow.”
“I’m sure we can. Let’s head to our cabin and I’ll give them a call.”
“Thank you, Max.”
“Anything for you, Princess.”
We rush out the front doors toward our cabin.
Max grabs my arm. “Wait.”
Pausing on the walkway, with pine trees and bushes to the right and the bay to the left, Max pulls me into him. “Let’s breathe for a second.”
I rest my forehead on Max’s shoulder. One muscle at a time, I relax into Max’s embrace. Max doesn’t want us to break up. I get to keep hugging, kissing, and being with him. “How do you think Poppy knew you’d need that ring? Or that all the bracelets and necklaces she gave me would work?” I still need to ask her what the last one was for.
Max releases me from the hug, takes my hand, and stares at the fake engagement ring. “I have no idea, but all of it looks good on you.”
Focusing on the man in front of me, I grin, letting my feelings for him surface. Warmth seeps from my heart to every tip of my body. I like him so much. Love him, actually. I’m not quite ready to tell him that’s how deep my feelings are. One day, soon, I will. “It’s really pretty.” I study the large green stone in the middle. “I’d love something similar for my wedding ring.”
“Did you ever think we’d end up together?”
Lightness like seafoam in the ocean floats in my heart. “Not in a million years, but I’m so happy that fate, family, and overcoming fears led me to you.”
