Page 88 of Wish I Didn't Want You Back

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “Yup.”

I turned in his arms and threw my hands around his neck. “Brooks, that’s incredible. I am so proud of you.”

He brushed a piece of hair back from my face. “We signed the paperwork this morning.”

I blinked and smacked his chest. “I can’t believe you left me in the dark all day.”

He laughed. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

A warm feeling spread through my chest. “Well, in that case, maybe I’ll order everything on the menu.”

He ran a hand over his jaw. “There is another reason why I brought you here.”

“What’s that?” I asked, blinking up at him.

He rubbed his thumb along my engagement ring. “I talked to the event coordinator today. We are meeting her to go over the catering options.”

My eyebrows bent together. “So, we’re not here for pizza and wine tasting?”

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “I figured it was time we started planning.”

Now I understood why he seemed so distracted today. I chewed on the inside of my cheek, giving myself a minute to think this over. We agreed to get married. I knew that, but somewhere along the way, this turned into more than a simple arrangement.

As I stared out at the sprawling vineyard, the reality of what we were doing settled in.

“Are you okay with this plan?” He scanned my face like he wasn’t sure I was okay with this sudden change.

I swallowed hard, trying to get a handle on my emotions. I wasn’t sure how to explain what I was feeling without him taking it the wrong way. “Yes, I just wasn’t expecting this to happen tonight.”

He watched me closely. “You’re not thinking about backing out on me, are you?”

I looked away toward the water. It had a gorgeous view of the lake. “No. I’m just surprised.”

He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I don’t want you to feel rushed, but some things have happened recently, and I think we need to get married sooner rather than later.”

“Does this have something to do with your meeting today, or did something else happen?”

I watched him closely, trying to read between the lines. Trying to figure out if this was something he wanted or felt pressured to do.

He reached for my hand, lacing our fingers together. “Harlow, you are my first, last, and only true love. I’ve always wanted to marry you. In fact, I should have married you years ago. I know this is a surprise, and I certainly wasn’t planning on this today, but after everything that’s happened, I’m convinced we need to get married as soon as possible.”

I blinked. “What are you talking about, Brooks?”

“Your dad called Clark before our meeting and told him that our engagement was all an act and that we were trying to scam him. He tried to tank the deal.”

“Wait, what?” I stood there with my mouth hanging open. Not in shock, because he had warned me, but I was mostly angry and disappointed. It shouldn’t hurt this bad, but I wanted to believe that he wouldn’t cross that line. It was naive of me to think that I could handle any threat he threw our way.

He squeezed my hand tightly. “I will tell you everything later, but Clark knows the truth about us now.”

I stared at him wide-eyed. “He knows we lied, and he still gave you the deal?”

He played with the sleeve of my dress. “He did.”

I stared at the gravel under my feet, focusing on not letting my tears slip out. “I’m so sorry that you got caught up in this mess. While I’m happy that you secured the investment, I am livid with my father. I don’t know how, but I will find a way to stop this.”

I was so angry with him. He’s done nothing but push me and threaten me. I would not let him ruin what little I had left.

He lifted my chin to face him. “Look, it doesn’t take a genius to connect the dots here. Your father and Baz are doing everything they can to fuck with us. Hayes called when I was leaving the meeting. Baz has been all over town, snooping for information and spreading rumors about you and me. He filed a grievance with the permits, which means we have to stop the construction until it’s resolved.”

---