Page 72 of Fake Engaged to the Enemy

“I thought so, too. But when I was back in the city, it was just… awful. It made me realize how much Sandburrow really feels like home.” She scoots a little closer. “I realized that I’ve had a much more fulfilling life here the last few weeks than I have for years in the city.”

“What’s been fulfilling?” I question.

It’s not that I doubt her. I just want to know what her thoughts are and make sure that it’s not just me.

“Volunteering at the museum. Helping Grandma around the property. Even spending time with Katherina.” She smiles at me. “I feel like I’m doing things that are actually important, not just grinding away for a paycheck.”

I gaze at her admiringly.

Catherine laughs softly. “I spent so much of my life telling myself that I was trying to escape Sandburrow. That I was trapped here. The truth of it is, I was trapped in my own emotions. I’ve never really given myself the space to deal with everything my mother put me through.”

“And now?”

“Now… now I realize that I’m not alone. I’ve always had support, and it’s not a shameful thing to lean on the people who love me when I feel weak,” Catherine says softly. “The people who really love me are still going to love me, even if I make mistakes.”

“That’s true.” I thread my fingers through her hair. She leans her cheek into my palm. “I love you, Catherine. I love you so much. I understand if we need to take things slowly. Just know that I love you.”

She smiles at me. “I know.”

“And I’m also sorry for how I acted when we were kids. I should have stood up for you more.”

She presses a finger to my lips, silencing me. “It’s alright. You were a kid. You didn’t know what was going on in my life.”

I kiss her fingers one by one.

“Our rivalry pushed me to be the best I could be. So thank you for that, George. And thank you for accepting me for who I am. You never made me feel like I wasn’t good enough. Only that I had the strength to be better.”

She kisses me then. Her arms wrap around me. In that embrace, I feel more connection to her than I’ve ever had before.

I see our lives laid out before us. All the possibilities that we have within our reach. And I’m so very grateful that I can have her in my life, in my arms.

Carefully, moving as one, we lie down in the treehouse. The intimate space encases us, closing out the world. It’s just her and me, the touch of our lips and the promises of what is to come.

And I’ve never felt so alive as I do right now.

Chapter twenty

Catherine

Waking up in George’s arms is nice.

The only thing I can think to compare it to is lying in a soft, warm cloud.

I smile to myself as I watch him sleep. He was my first kiss many years ago. Now, I have a sneaking feeling he’s going to be my last kiss, too.

I want to be in the house before Katherina and Grandma get up, though, so I gently shake George.

“Wake up. Time to get breakfast started,” I whisper to him.

George groans slightly. “Don’t need breakfast. Let’s just stay in bed all day.”

“It’s not much of a bed,” I point out.

With a grunt, George sits up. “Guess not. And now I have to use the bathroom.”

I laugh as I shimmy out of the little door to the treehouse. “Last one in’s a rotten egg.”

We race to the house, then tiptoe in like guilty teenagers. I give George a towel and soap so he can grab a quick shower while I get coffee and food ready.

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