“I won’t. I’ll work there and come here when I’m needed,” I explain. “We’re not concerned.”
Patrick begins to cough, and as Linda starts to fuss with him, he waves her away and takes a seat at the table.
She glares at Maren. “Get your father some water. It’s in my bag.”
Linda continues to make comments under her breath as Maren hands the bottle to her father. “I knew we shouldn’t have come up here. You don’t take your health seriously enough. We should’ve stayed home where you could get proper care. Now I have to make do with whatever is here.”
Patrick grabs her hands, holding them against his chest. “I want to be here.”
The two of them stare at each other, and finally, her shoulders fall. “I know.”
He nods. “I’m fine.”
Maren sits beside him. “I’m sorry, Daddy.”
He turns to her quickly. “It’s the nature of my sickness, Princess. I’d be coughing here or in Georgia. I’d rather be here with you and Oliver. I already told Linda that I want the rest of my days to be filled with the people who matter.”
I hope I know that kind of love one day.
My phone pings with a message from Stella, letting us know their room is ready. I lean over, pressing my lips to Maren’s ear, inhaling the floral scent of her shampoo. “Be the hero and get them to their room.”
Her hand moves to my cheek. “It’s done?”
I smile, rubbing my nose against hers, wanting to kiss her so much I ache. “Yes.”
She leans back, and the loss of her steals the breath from my lungs.
“Daddy, why don’t we get you up to your room. You and Linda can rest, and when you feel up to it, we’ll go for a walk or whatever you want.” Her voice shakes a little at the end.
“Good. We’ll let your father rest before we push him again,” Linda says, getting to her feet. “Since this entire weekend will most likely do him in.”
Maren’s hands tremble slightly, and I grab them in mine. “We’ll make sure he takes it easy,” I assure her.
After a lot of underhanded comments from Linda, we finally get them settled, and I am again amazed by the brilliance that is Stella. The room looks as if it were done weeks ago. There isn’t any dust or hint that this was a construction zone just a few hours ago. Linda gets Patrick settled on the sofa that sits close to the window, and we promise to come back in an hour.
Once we’re out in the hallway, Maren leans against the wall. “We did it.”
I nod. “We did.”
She pushes off, coming to stand in front of me. Lifting up on her toes, she presses her lips to mine in a brief-but-searing kiss. “Thank you.”
Her one hand rests on my chest, right above my heart. “It’s nothing.”
“It’s something to me.”
The way she’s looking at me makes me feel like I’m twelve feet tall.
What worries me is that she might mean something to me by the end of this, and that would be really bad.
I’m sitting in the lobby, waiting for Patrick to make his way down. He asked me to meet him here—without Maren.
She owes me so damn big for this.
Josh plops down beside me.
“How are things going?” I ask.
“Hectic, but thank God for Stella and her schedule.”
I nod once. “She’s a pain in the ass, but she’s great at getting things done. Odette really stepped up too.”
“Seriously, she saved our asses by contracting all these crews for a fraction of what we would have paid without her help.”
My siblings hate me. Well, they love me, but they’re none too happy. If we hadn’t had this wedding booked, then the weather delays for construction wouldn’t have been that big of a deal. But I did book it, and it left us scrambling to get the resort ready. It’s a small part of why I am not fighting everyone about this wedding. I owe them. I know it. They know it. So, it’s happening.
“How is Delia?” I ask, moving onto lighter topics.
“Still refusing to marry me,” Josh muses, resting his head on the wall.
“You can marry Maren.”
“I think you’ve got that one covered.”
“This is what I get for being a nice guy,” I muse.
“Can’t argue with you there. However, you can say no, Ollie. No one would do this other than you. You know that, right?”
My brothers like to talk a big game, but if Delia or Jessica asked either of them to fake marry them to make their parent happy, they would’ve done the same shit. Jessica has always had a hold on Grayson. Fuck, he bought a huge piece of land because they shared a kiss or some shit there. And Josh? He moved into Delia’s house, pretending it was to keep her safe from the kid who was breaking into cars. They’re so quick to paint me one way while failing to see their own crap.
“You know you’re full of shit, right?” I toss back.
“How?”
“Because if this were Delia, you’d do anything.”
“So, you’re in love with your fiancée?” Josh asks without missing a beat.
I roll my eyes. “That’s not even possible.”
“That’s my point. Yeah, I’d do it for Deals because I love her. I love her more than any man can love another woman. What’s your reason?”
I don’t love Maren. She’s a friend who needs help and also happens to be really fucking hot and a great kisser. That part’s a nice bonus. Yeah, I’m attracted to her, which any man would be. That doesn’t mean anything.
It’s lust. Pure and simple lust.
My desire to help her comes from my being a good fucking human. I may not understand it, but it matters to her.
Plus, it’s not like I’m ever going to actually marry anyone. I have zero desire to go through this bullshit in real life, so I might as well do it for pretend. However, I’m not telling that to my brother, who used to think love is a lie we feed ourselves to now thinking everything is awesome.
“Oh, I don’t know. Our psychotic sister threatened my life by offering me as a midnight snack to the monster she thinks lives in the woods.”
“I think it was more murder, but the end goal would be the same.”
“I’m so glad you’re able to remember her threats so easily. I can’t keep up.”
Josh smirks. “Usually I can’t between her and Delia, I’m usually fearful of my life. However, Stella isn’t the real reason and we both know it. So, what gives?”
I fight back another quip and tell him a small part of the truth. “Because she asked me to do something for someone she loves. Plus, I get to be the hero of the family.”
He shrugs with a chuckle. “I’m sure it doesn’t hurt that she’s pretty.”
“She’s more than that.”
“Oh?” Josh asks with a smirk. “Do I detect feelings?”
“Don’t be a fucking idiot—if that’s possible.”
“You know, I remember you and Alex giving me loads of shit when it came to Delia,” Josh reminds me. “You were spouting off about feelings and when something’s right. I’m not saying that it’s fate or whatever, but it’s something.”