Page 40 of A Royal Promise
Drew had been respectful and pulled away before the kiss had truly even started, but she was still reeling from its effect, and Bri had no clue what to do about it. He was her best friend, so maybe she’d been confusing the comfort she felt being around him with something more.
She plopped down on the sofa in Hillside Cottage with a sigh. The soft material of the cushions felt like a warm hug.The thought that this cottage would be Drew’s home when he married one day made living in it feel a little awkward, but it had started to feel like home to her sometime over the past month.
The steeply pitched gable roof, gray stone exterior, wraparound porch, and arched front door gave it a quaint charm. The interior of the cottage exhibited the same character and attention to cozy, comfortable detail, with exposed wooden beams, the original brick fireplace, and carefully selected furniture upholstered with luxurious fabrics, cultivating a homey environment.
As she sat on the sofa, the kiss replayed in her mind. She needed to vent about everything to Rosalie before her brain exploded and she shared something with the wrong person. Bri snatched her phone from the coffee table and typed out a text to her.
Bri: Hey, girl. Is now a good time for us to talk?
Her friend responded in an instant.
Rosalie: Of course!
Bri clicked on Rosalie’s contact and hit the video call button. After a few rings, Rosalie’s smiling face popped onto the screen.
“I’ve been waiting for your call all morning.” Rosalie’s sunny countenance rivaled that of the morning sun peeking through the large living room window. “I’ve been dying to talk with you more since yourengagementball.”
Bri sighed, biting the inside of her cheek. “That’s what I want to talk to you about. We couldn’t share all the details with you at the ball, and too many people were around at the regatta yesterday.”
“Okay, what’s going on?”
She let out a long breath before the words flew out of her mouth. “I know Drew talked to you, so I’m assuming you knowhis parents were trying to work with Clarissa’s to set up some kind of marriage contract?”
Rosalie nodded. “Yeah, I wish I could say I was shocked…but she was always all over Drew, even when we were kids.”
“I know, and she still is, even though we’re engaged.” Anger coursed through Bri, but she didn’t know why. Their relationship was fake. There was no reason for her to be jealous. She clenched and unclenched her fist. “That’s when he came to me and told me he wanted to enact our marriage pact.”
“Yourwhat?” Rosalie’s mouth was open as she stared at her through the screen, although she didn’t look particularly surprised. “Girl, I need details.”
“You’d better buckle up then, because I’m not even close to done.”
Bri shared everything with Rosalie—how they wrote and signed the marriage pact when they were kids, and how she agreed to be Drew’s fake fiancée so he wouldn’t have to marry Clarissa.
Rosalie sat patiently through all the news, and once Bri was done sharing, she finally spoke. “Oh, my goodness. We’ll dive into all that in a second, but first, how are you doing?”
Bri propped her phone up on the coffee table and wrapped her arms around her middle. “I’m hanging in there. Most of the time, it’s not too bad. I’m just hanging out with my best friend.” She hugged herself tighter. “But it’s hard lying to our families. And things are starting to get confusing.”
“I know how close you are with both families, so I can’t even begin to imagine how hard it is for you.” Rosalie’s face was full of sympathy. “How are things getting confusing?”
“You know I was cheering him on in the Fenimore Regatta.” She blew out a low whistle. “Girl, he jumped out of the boat after they won, swam over to me, and came out of the water looking like a chiseled man sculpted to perfection.” Bri fanned her facewith her hand. “I’ve never looked at Drew like that before. He’s always been my best friend, sure and steady. I guess I’ve always seen him as the same awkward and dorky kid I became friends with when I was seven.”
She took a moment, breathing deeply. “Now I can’t seem to get this new image of his physique out of my head, and I shouldn’t be feeling these things. I can’t beattractedto him. Not when this is all an act and we’re going our separate ways one day.”
She looked at her friend, expecting to see her still looking at her sympathetically. Instead, Rosalie was grinning and nodding her head, her arms crossed.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Rosalie clapped her hands excitedly. “There’s so much to unpack here.” She cleared her throat. “I don’t think this attraction you’re feeling is a bad thing. I’m very happily married, but even I can admit that Drew has grown up to be a handsome man.”
“That makes me feel a little better.” Bri let out a sigh. “But it’s more than the attraction. To make matters worse, I let him kiss me.” Bri let her face fall into the palm of her hand. “What was I thinking, Rosalie?”
Rosalie’s mouth fell open. “You kissed Drew?” she squealed.
Bri told her about their conversation from the night before about the engagement photos they would take later today—the conversation that had led to thempracticinga kiss.
A blush covered her cheeks as she thought back on their kiss. “I didn’t know Drew could ever make me feel like that. That he could stir up feelings and butterflies.” She shook her head. “I’m sure it’s only all my heightened emotions about the situation.”
Rosalie didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t push either. “My advice would be to keep your heart open to whatever this time with Drew brings. You never know what could happen.”
