The Dare

Chapter Twenty-six

"He was in on it, wasn't he?" The agent smirked.

"Ah, you're getting to know me to well, Gus."

"You tricked the grandkids and somehow convinced a judge to lie to his own flesh and blood. You both must have been desperate."

"The desire for great-grandchildren is strong in grandmas and apparently grandpas. Just ask Mr. Brevik and his lovely wife."

Beth

"He's been gone for a really long time." I played with the straw in my drink and kept my eyes trained on the beach for any sign of Jace.

"Why do you care?" Char asked in an innocent voice. "Something you want to tell us?"

Kacey grinned shamelessly. Char joined in. And both men fell silent as all eyes burned holes through my person.

"Jace!" I all but yelled when he came walking up with his father.

But something was off. He looked… he looked almost guilty… and sad. Why would he be sad? Immediately, I blamed myself. If I hadn't made him go along with the challenge to stay… If I hadn't bribed him with his career and the whole prostitution rumor… Was I so wrong to want the fairytale? It had basically been handed to me on a silver platter. So what? I took it! You hear me, God! I took it!

"Welcome to the family!" Mr. Brevik pulled me into a tight bear hug.

I almost puked my drink all over him. Family? Whose family was I joining and why the hell was he so excited about it?

"We're so happy to have you. My wife will soon be joining us to celebrate."

"Is it your birthday?" I asked lamely.

"And a sense of humor!" He elbowed Jace in the ribs. "You've really hit the jackpot on this one. And, my dear," he turned back to me, "what incredible work you've been doing for GreenCom."

"Work." I nodded. "What does that have to do with family?"

"There she is!" A loud southern voice interrupted my confusion and Jace's guilty face. A woman of about five two came barreling toward me. She had bright blond hair and giant sunglasses. Had she not been wearing white, I would have thought she was Grandma. "My daughter!"

"I think I'm confused," Travis whispered behind me.

"I've always wanted a girl! And now I have one. Oh, this is just the best news I've had all year! It truly got me through that horrid plane ride. Oh, who am I kidding? If I have a stroke tomorrow, I'll die happy, knowing our son's settled down with such an accomplished woman!"

"Who's getting married?" Jake asked innocently as he took another sip of his drink.

"Is someone dying?" This from Travis.

"Cheers!" Mr. Brevik shouted. "To Jace and Beth!"

Grandma magically appeared out of thin air with a tray of drinks. "I just love it when things fall together, don't you?"

Slowly, I turned to Jace.

He basically had the words Guilty Bastard written across his forehead as he made his way over to me and pulled me in for a tight hug, whispering in my ear, "I'm sorry."

Those two words may as well have been a knife being stabbed into my heart.

No proposal for boring Beth. No, just an apology. That's what I was. An apology, caught up in lie after lie after lie. And it was all my fault. All because I was reaching for something I never deserved in the first place.

"I'll fix it, just not now," Jace continued.

So when was he going to fix it? Before or after we walked down the damn aisle?

Everyone lifted glasses into the air, but suddenly it was too much. I wanted to run — needed an escape.

"I'm just going to go use the restroom." I forced a smile and barely made it to the ladies' room without bursting into tears.

It was all wrong.

This was not how the story was supposed to go.

Boy meets girl, boy falls for girl, boy marries girl. Never once in the story is he supposed to meet girl, tell her he can't like her, admit he'll never marry her, then marry her anyway to save his damn career.

"Honey?" Grandma's scent enveloped me, followed by her arms. "Oh honey, I was afraid you'd be upset."

"Then why did you do it?" I wiped the tears from my cheeks. "Give me one good reason."

"He's your match," Grandma said honestly. "I've known him for quite some time. He's lonely, Beth. He's afraid, but he likes you, possibly loves you. Don't deny that you've seen glimpses of what you could have together. I know about high school."

"Don't you get it?" I grabbed a paper towel and dabbed my eyes. "This isn't high school.This is my life!"

"Is that why you compare every man you meet to him?"

"Who told you that?"

"Your sister."

"Damn her." More tears streamed down my face. "And why did she tell you?"

"You aren't the only one with struggles. She had a hard time fitting in the family, always feeling like second best. It made me wonder why you felt the same way. Funny, how we all want someone else's life and always think we're worse off than everyone else in the room."

"Your point?"

"I want you to wear red."

"Like a harlot?"

"No." Grandma pulled me into an embrace. "Like the brave, courageous, beautiful woman you are. Let Jace pull that out of you. Love always asks us to take a chance, and I won't lie to you, sugar. You may fail. But wouldn't you rather try and know you failed than wonder for the rest of your life what would have happened had you taken a little leap?"

"Grandma," I choked on the thick tears in my throat, "my love life isn't a game. I feel like you've ripped out my heart, handed it to Jace, and now everyone's just waiting to see if he's going to keep it or throw it into the ocean."

"Why wouldn't he keep it, sweetie?" Grandma kissed my forehead and smiled warmly. "What use would the sharks have for it?"

I rolled my eyes and managed a small smile. "He'll throw it, believe me. All he keeps talking about is how he can't have me, how he'll walk away."

"I know men," Grandma whispered. "After all God cursed me with loads of them. And I know how they think. I imagine Jace is trying to convince himself more than convince you."

"So where does that leave me?"

"I imagine," Grandma looked thoughtfully into the mirror and fluffed her hair around her face, "it leaves you exactly where you've always wanted to be."

"Stuck on an island with a lying politician?" I joked. "Sorry, Grandma, that was never my fantasy as a little girl."

"Of course not, sweetie. That was mine." She winked. "Your fantasy has always been the white horse, the fairytale, and the happily ever after. No story is ever the same. How boring would that be? To always have a happily ever after? How unoriginal." Grandma tucked my arm in hers. "I want magic."

The tears threatened again.

"I want mischief." she continued. "I want madness. I want red dresses and red lipstick followed by starry nights and fireworks. And Beth, I think you do too."

"You think I want madness?"

"I don't think it." Grandma patted my hand and started walking away. "I know it. So what are you going to do? Are you going to risk it all for him? Or are you going to walk away from an opportunity to do the one thing that fairytale books don't teach."

"What?"

"Fight for your man."

"I thought he was supposed to fight for me?"

"How can he when you won't even show up for the battle?"

My eyes narrowed as Grandma sauntered off toward the crowd. I wiped my tears, pinched my cheeks, and followed. Jace lifted his head and gave me a breathtaking smile. With the ocean crashing behind him, he looked like some sort of Greek god on vacation. Smile still in place, he stalked toward me, his muscles glistening in the sun.

"Holy Thor," I whispered. "I'm going out guns blazing." I smiled to myself. Good Thor, I'm going out with a fight.

The number of steps I took? Three.

The number of seconds I waited before my lips touched his? Two.

The amount of time it took for Thor, god of Thunder to respond? One.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and held on for dear life as he lifted me in the air and twirled me around.

"What was that for?" He set me down, his blue eyes sparkling.

"My fairytale isn't over yet." I kissed his mouth again.

"Who said it was?"

I shrugged.

His forehead touched mine. "I gave my word. I don't go back on my word."

"I know that now."

"I'm sorry about… everything. I'll find a way to fix it. I swear."

"Even if you don't." I shrugged. "The fun's in the adventure, right?"

"Right." He cupped my face and kissed me lightly across the lips. "But you deserve more."

"I have more," I answered honestly. "And it's time you realized you can have more too."

With a deep breath, I took a step around him and joined everyone else for drinks, wondering how in the heck I was going to survive another three days without getting my heart broken. Because after making the decision I've made, I was going to fight until I couldn't fight anymore. And if he still walked away in the end, I would let him.