He gave her a thoughtful look, nodding once. “Fair enough.”
“Maybe we can think of the beginning of our marriage as a courtship of sorts—physically speaking.”
“We’ll play it by ear then?”
“We’re reasonable adults who care for and respect each other.” She let her gaze sweep over his frame, noting his broad shoulders. The sculpted curves of his biceps, his long, muscular legs. “And you’re not so bad yourself, Collins. I’m sure we can work something out.”
He turned again and paced to the threshold of the kitchen, staring off to seemingly nowhere.
Sammy tugged on her ear, and she playfully snapped at his fingers until he smiled. Then she buried her nose in his soft neck and laid down a string of rapid-fire kisses until his melodious giggle filled the room.
Brady turned, a frown tugging his brows as his eyes locked on Sam.
She lifted her head, the smile falling from her lips. Sam buried his face in her neck, snuggling, his chubby hands fisting her shirt.
“Is that all that’s on your mind?” she asked.
His chest expanded on a breath, and his shoulders fell as he expelled it. “What if—I really hate to say this out loud—but what if I don’t get Sammy? What if we get married and, despite that, the Parkers are still awarded custody?”
She rubbed Sam’s back. “I thought your attorney was pretty confident things would go your way if you were married.”
“He was cautiously optimistic. I’m just trying to cover all my bases here.”
Sam squirmed to get down, so she set him on the floor, then straightened, meeting Brady’s gaze. “I’m looking at this as a real commitment, Brady. Marriage is serious business to me. I know it is to you too. Unless . . . you’d want out at that point . . .”
“No. We’re in agreement there. I don’t want another divorce.”
“I just can’t imagine that any judge would take Sam away from you. He couldn’t do better for a father.”
The corner of his lips turned up. “Thanks for saying that.”
“Well, it’s true. Anyone who looks closely enough could tell you that.”
His shoulders sank a bit, the tightened corners of his eyes relaxing.
She thought of her job opportunity and wondered if she should bring it up now. If they actually did this, she’d either have to give up the job or commute, coming home on weekends only. She wouldn’t be able to be Sammy’s caregiver. But she knew Brady. He’d never let her give up the job. However, she was willing to make that sacrifice if necessary.
“Hope?” Brady asked. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking this will be a commitment just like any marriage. Whatever challenges come, we’ll work it out between the two of us.”
His blue eyes pierced hers for a long, drawn-out moment. “It kind of sounds like we’re doing this.”
She smiled as excitement began to bubble inside, making her feel a kind of joy she hadn’t felt in a long time. “Sounds that way to me too.”
“We’ve still got a lot to talk about.” He checked his watch. “Not the least of which is an engagement, a wedding, and how we’re going to manage all this.”
“Well, that can wait a few hours, can’t it? I know you have work to do. Maybe it’ll give us both a chance to think over some details.”
“Good point.” He scooped up Sammy and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Be good for Hope.”
In a few weeks or months it would be Mommy. She would be Sammy’s mommy. That feeling of joy bloomed bigger, wider, as Brady transferred the baby into her arms. And it lasted all day long.
chapter eight
Hope squirmed in the passenger seat of Brady’s car. They’d talked things over the night before and made a plan. They would “come out” as a couple tomorrow night at the Rusty Nail. They would treat their engagement announcement as a normal one. They didn’t want to give the courts any reason to feel the marriage was invalid. Besides, it was no one’s business that they weren’t “in love,” per se.
Except Zoe and Cruz. Their best friends. Brady’s sister. They had to tell them everything—there was no way they’d buy this sudden engagement of theirs. And now Hope and Brady were on their way to break the news to them.
Hope had phoned her parents in Ecuador that morning, hoping to reach them before they started their day. They’d been a little surprised but seemed thrilled for her and Brady. Her mom had always had a soft spot for the guy.
“I always knew there was something special between you two,” she said. Hope just went along with it.
“We could scrape together a little something to help with the wedding costs,” her dad said.
“That’s all right. We’re planning to keep it simple. Besides, I’d much rather you save up to fly back for the wedding if you can.”
“We wouldn’t miss it, honey,” her mom said.
Brady slowed down for the turn that would take them into town. They were meeting Zoe and Cruz at the Mellow Mug, which shouldn’t be too busy this late in the evening.
“You’re nervous,” Brady said.
“I can’t decide how this is going to go over with Zoe.”
“In the end, it doesn’t really matter. This is our decision.”
“You’re right, of course. Still.”
If she could only make the butterflies in her stomach settle down. By the time Brady parked along the brick wall in the parking lot they seemed to be having a wild, wing-fluttering rally. She spotted Cruz’s truck a few spaces down.
Brady shut off the ignition and turned to her. “Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
A few moments later the robust aroma of java assaulted her as they entered the building. The Mellow Mug was an old renovated building located in the heart of downtown Copper Creek. It was a long and narrow space, dimly lit, with old creaky wood floors and a collection of eclectic furniture.
She spotted Zoe and Cruz in the back corner and gave a wave before stopping at the counter to place their orders.
Zoe had been Hope’s best friend since ninth grade. She had gorgeous auburn hair, electric green eyes, and fair skin. She was a beautiful foil to Cruz, with his olive Puerto Rican complexion and black hair. The newly engaged pair had been high school sweethearts of sorts, but had only this year reunited.
“Did you two come together?” Zoe asked as Brady took the corner of the opposite sofa.
“Um, yeah.” Hope sat in the middle. Close enough to Brady but not too close.
“Where’s Sam?” Cruz asked.
Brady scratched his jaw. “Ah, I got a babysitter.”
“Same here,” Zoe said. Their four-year-old daughter Gracie had been a recent surprise to Cruz, but he’d taken to fatherhood like a pro.
“To adult time.” Cruz raised his mug of brew and they toasted.
“How’re the new barn plans coming along?” Brady asked Zoe.
“Right on schedule. Completion date is only about a month away. Then you can have your building back. I don’t know how to thank you for letting me borrow it.”
“No big deal. I’ve operated out of my old barn for this long. Couple more months wasn’t going to hurt anything.”
While Zoe had inherited Granny’s peach orchard, Brady had inherited a substantial amount of money. He’d invested it in the new building for his business, but by the time it was finished Zoe had needed it more than he had.
An awkward silence followed as Hope wondered how they were going to bring up the engagement. They hadn’t really talked about it.
“So . . . ,” Zoe said, her gaze toggling between Brady and Hope. “I got the feeling there’s some agenda to this meeting.”
Hope shared a look with Brady as they tried to silently decide who and how to start.
“Okay, definitely an agenda,” Zoe said. “Is everything okay? You’re scaring me. Did you find out something about the hearing?”
“I guess I’ll start,” Brady said. “And this is about the hearing, indirect
ly.”
“Well, actually, pretty directly,” Hope said.
“I guess that’s true.” He cleared his throat. “So you know how I told you both that the hearing this week went well?”
“Yeah . . . ,” Zoe said.
“That was kind of only half the story,” he said.
“Okay . . .”
Brady shared another look with Hope, and she encouraged him with a smile that felt a little unsteady.
“The judge was under the impression that I was engaged. And it turns out that had a lot of bearing on his decision to consider me for custody at all. My attorney feels that I have a great chance of getting custody of Sam—but only if I’m married.”
Zoe’s auburn curls shimmied as she gave her head a shake. “Wait. Why did the judge think you were engaged?”
“Because I told my attorney I was.”
“Well . . . ,” Hope said. “Not exactly. Actually, I showed up one day while he was talking to his attorney, and he saw your engagement ring.” She nodded toward Zoe.
“My ring?” Zoe asked.
“Yeah . . . Remember when it got stuck on my finger that day I picked it up in Atlanta?” She turned to Cruz. “I’d eaten ham the day before, and my fingers were all swollen, and you know how it is with ham and the way it . . . Anyway . . .” She cleared her throat. She was getting offtrack here.
“So your attorney assumed you were engaged, and you just let him believe it?” Cruz said.
“And the judge made you think that was a critical factor in winning custody of Sam?” Zoe said.
“Exactly,” Brady said.
“Yes.” Hope exchanged looks with Brady before meeting Zoe’s gaze. “Which is why . . . Brady and I have decided to get married.”
Confusion clouded Zoe’s eyes. Her lips parted. She tore her gaze away to look at Brady. Only to flitter back to Hope. The ticking of the wall clock seemed unusually loud. The music from the speakers stopped, ushering in a long, uncomfortable pause.
Hope gave an awkward laugh. “Say something.”
Cruz ran his palms down his thighs. “Um . . . I thought you were going for some kind of fake engagement here, to be honest.”
“Marriage?” Zoe looked between them, disbelief etched in the lines between her eyebrows. “The two of you are getting married?”
“That’s right.” Brady reached for Hope’s hand, engulfing it.
Hope hadn’t realized how cold her hands were until his warmth was wrapped around hers. “An engagement isn’t enough. His attorney feels he needs to actually be married by the final hearing to have his best chance at keeping Sam.”
“By the final hearing?” Zoe’s eyes shot to Brady’s. She leaned forward, planting her elbows on her knees. “Brady, you cannot use her like this. It’s not right.”
“Whoa, whoa,” Hope said. “This was my idea. He’s not using me at all. I want this.” A knowing washed over her. She hadn’t stated it so clearly out loud. But it was the truth.
“I don’t think you two have a clue what you’re getting into here,” Zoe said.
“I know you probably don’t want to think about this,” Cruz said. “But what if, heaven forbid, you were to lose custody, Brady?”
“What if you drive each other nuts? Or fall in love with someone else? What then, huh?”
“We know what we’re doing,” Brady said.
“We’re going into this with our eyes wide open.”
“We’ve talked about it at length.”
Zoe gave them a look of incredibility. “Over two whole days?”
“We’re committed to this,” Hope said firmly. “Committed for the long haul. Even if Brady were to lose custody, which is not likely. We believe this is the right thing for both of us, and we hope you can support us.”
“You don’t even love each other. For heaven’s sake, that’s the very foundation of marriage.”
“We do love each other,” Hope said.
Zoe’s lips pursed. “You know what I mean.”
Brady set his drink on the coffee table. He waited for a woman to pass on the way back to the bathroom, then lowered his voice. “We know this is unconventional, Zoe. But arranged marriages happen every day in other parts of the world between people who’ve hardly even met. They seem to work out all right.”
Hope put her other hand on top of their joined hands. “And we have a lot more going for us than that.”
“Arranged marriages?” Zoe fell back into her seat, eyes wide in disbelief. “Are you hearing yourselves?”
Cruz took Zoe’s hand, probably intending to settle her down, but it didn’t seem to work.
She nailed Hope with a look. “Why are you doing this? You have your whole life in front of you. I mean, I get the urgency, the desperation on Brady’s part—we all feel that. And I know you love Sam and have a really soft heart. But, Hope . . . come on, this is above and beyond. Way beyond. What about everything you want?”
“That hasn’t changed. I want a marriage and children. I’m getting both of those things.”
Zoe’s gaze sharpened on Hope. “So he’s using you to get Sam, and you’re using Brady to get a family?”
“Come on, Zoe,” Brady said. “No one’s using anyone. We have common goals, and we’re helping each other attain them. Stop making this sound so crass.”
At long length Zoe released a slow breath. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I love you both so much. I feel defensive for both of you.”
“You don’t need to defend either one of us,” Brady said. “We’re adults. We’re making a mutual decision.”
Zoe crossed her arms, looking between the two of them, shaking her head. “Is this a joke? Because I feel like I’m being punked.”
Nice. So her whole future was a joke. Just because it wasn’t like Zoe’s—soul mates reunited, happily ever after, yada, yada, yada—didn’t mean Hope wasn’t deserving of her own story.
“You know, Zoe, I’m your best friend. And this is your brother. Do you think you might try to be happy for us?”
“I just want you to think this through.” Zoe’s eyes shone with concern. “I see such potential for . . . disaster.”
“Every marriage has that potential,” Brady said. “We have nothing but respect for one another. We do love each other, and—possibly more important—we genuinely like each other.”
“We’ve thought about it, talked about, and prayed about it. It’s what we want. We’re doing this. We wanted you guys to be the first to know, and we wanted to be up front with you about everything.”
“But as far as anyone else goes,” Brady said, “this is just a regular engagement. An ordinary wedding.”
“Albeit a little rushed,” Hope added, giving the others a long moment to let everything they’d just said settle. “Can you get on board with this? Because we’d like the two of you to stand up with us.”
Zoe and Cruz traded looks. The woman passed them again on her way back to her seat. The country tune flowing from the speaker picked up as the chorus began.
Brady’s hand had tightened around Hope’s, their damp palms pressing together.
Zoe’s shoulders rose on an inhale and sank as the breath left her body. “Of course we’ll support your decision if this is really what both of you want.”
“It is,” Brady said.
Cruz traded a look with Zoe, then gave a nod. “Then count us in.”
“Well, that could’ve gone better,” Hope said once they were alone in Brady’s car. She drew a deep breath and let it out.
“Could’ve gone worse.”
“They did come around.” By the time they’d parted they were already talking wedding plans. “But, yikes. It was a little dicey there for a few minutes.”
“They were just surprised. Zoe even offered to help with the planning.”
“Yeah, but given the time constraints, an informal affair would be best, don’t you think? Maybe after church on a Sunday or something. I have a white dress that’ll fit the bill.”
His gaze darted her way. “What? No. This is your wedding day. I want it to be special for you.”
She met his gaze, softening. He was a sweetheart. “Real weddings are expensive, Brady.”
“I can swing a small wedding, Hope. I’d be happy to.”
“We could use the money for other things. Your business. Sammy’s college fund. You’re probably drowning in attorney’s fees already.”
“Just think about it, all right? You should at least have a new dress. Some flowers and stuff. Daisy’d have a fit if you didn’t let her do up some flowers.”
“I’ll think about it. Where are we going?” she asked when Brady turned onto a road that led them up into the hills.
“We’re taking a little detour.”
“This road doesn’t really go anywhere. And what about your sitter?”
“The sitter is kind of the point.”
“What?”
“Stop asking so many questions.”
Hope shrugged and leaned back in her seat. It was his dime. On the other hand, their dimes would soon be in the same pile. Finances. That was something they hadn’t talked about.
But they could save that conversation for later. It had already been a long day for both of them. She looked out the windows into the growing darkness. The pine trees and hills were silhouetted against the sky. Overhead the stars twinkled on a midnight-blue canvas, and a full moon hung over the valley. Just another beautiful Georgia summer night.
The road wound and dipped and rose steadily. By the time Brady began braking, the tension from their meeting had fallen from her shoulders.
Brady pulled off onto a turnout and stopped when he reached the guardrail, the front of the car facing the valley. The town of Copper Creek spread below them, the twinkling lights like a mirror image of the night sky. They were at a spot commonly known as Inspiration Point.
She looked at him sideways. “Is this where you brought all your girlfriends to make out?”
“Not even once.” Brady put down the windows and turned off the car. The sudden hush of the engine ushered in a symphony of night sounds. The air smelled of pine and woodsmoke, and a light breeze blew, teasing her hair.
Honeysuckle Dreams Page 6
