The Dare

Chapter Twenty-seven

"Interesting logic. Trickery and then seeds of wisdom." The agent nodded thoughtfully.

"Well, I'm not so bad." Grandma shook her head. "Had I set them to their own devices, they would have taken years to get together. Now look at them."

"Right. Look at them. Both missing."

"I didn't say I had all the kinks worked out. I am eighty-six."

"So you keep saying."

Jace

"I'm going to hell."

"Say hi to Jake when you get there." Travis slapped me on the back and ordered a beer.

We'd decided on going to a luau instead of doing a typical bachelor or bachelorette party. After all, the only things we needed were pictures, and it was easy enough to convince the parents that I wasn't interested in that sort of thing.

Beth seemed relieved.

Beth… Just thinking her name got me aroused in all the wrong places. It made me want her, not just physically but emotionally, which was ridiculous. I was three days into our relationship, and it was a fake one at that. And here I was, drinking my sorrows away and lying to not only my parents but the world.

"For what it's worth," Travis slid a beer toward me, "Grandma's two for two."

"Yeah, not helping." I took a long swig. "I'm still going to hell for lying to everyone, and I doubt Jake will be there, considering he's fully turned over a new nauseating leaf."

"Right?" Travis laughed. "It's like he's a new man."

"What about you?"

"Me?" Travis's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I've always been the good one, no changing necessary, other than being so humbled by Grandma that I was an embarrassment to not only myself but society."

"Ah," I winced, "that's encouraging."

"Sorry, your best bet is to marry her, fall in love, and produce as many great-grandchildren as possible."

"Never." I pushed the beer away, suddenly feeling sick to my stomach, "You know I can't, Travis. You know I don't want to be vulnerable like that again. You know I don't do commitment."

"Did you and Jake trade brains?" Travis leaned in, "or are you high?

I pushed his chest and rolled my eyes. "Please."

"It was two years ago, Jace. Move on. Let yourself be happy."

"I know how to let myself be happy. I just choose to do it without a woman by my side."

"Because you secretly prefer men?"

"Are we done here?" I rose, but Travis pulled me back down into my chair.

"Look, I know it's only been three days. We can easily fix the marriage so that it's not legal. Your parents won't know the difference, but to the world you'll still be married. You can go your separate ways once you land in Portland. Beth can go back to her really fun life playing with diseases and start herding cats. And you can go back to your insanely large penthouse and big-screen TV."

"Well, when you put it that way…"

"Marriage isn't so bad, and I know you like Beth. Hell, everyone knows you like Beth. And I, for one, know you could love her."

"Oh, this I gotta hear. After three days? Did Grandma slip something in your drink?"

"Easy, Viagra." Travis patted me on the back. "Before the wedding, you and I went golfing. It was freakishly hot, so we called it a day and went to get drinks."

This story wasn't going to end well.

He smirked. "I asked you about the one that got away."

"I think Grandma's calling me." I stood.

Travis pulled me back down.

With a grunt, I jerked away and waited.

"You said—"

"I know what I said."

Travis ignored me. "You said there was only one girl whose kiss you couldn't forget. One girl you compared all the rest of the girls too, even Kerry. In fact, didn't you call Kerry Beth one time?"

"No." I lied. Yes, I'd done that. She'd slapped me., Then again, she'd been sleeping with my best friend, so she really wasn't one to judge.

"You cried."

"I did not cry." I winced. I think I had cried. Or at least shed one drunken tear. So what? Sue me! "I was dehydrated, Travis!"

"Good excuse, man. See if that holds up in court." He took another long swig of beer and then set the empty bottle back onto the bar. "You said, and I quote, 'If second chances were possible, she would be mine.'"

Blood roared in my ears. My body felt absolutely numb. Was this what a panic attack felt like? "So you sold me out? To that one?"

I pointed to Grandma as she did the hula around the table where the girls were sitting at. She pulled a fire dancer down into a chair and started chanting, "Light it up!"

Travis chuckled and then winced when the fire dancer started crying. Apparently his outfit wasn't fireproof. "I can neither confirm nor deny your suspicions."

"You did this to me." I pushed against his chest.

"Misery loves company."

"If this is miserable, sign me up," I grumbled, and then immediately wanted to take it back.

Travis grinned. "My point exactly."

"You don't get it. I have to choose." I sighed. "Beth or my career. And I'm sorry, Trav, I really am. I know she's your sister-in-law, but I've known adult Beth for only three days. Why would I throw away my entire life based on sixty-four hours?"

Travis' frowned. "Who the hell told you that you had to choose?"

"But—"

"Nobody said choose your career or Beth. In fact, the best thing for your career is to choose Beth. You, my friend, have your priorities way screwed up, and if my point hasn't just been proved at least four times, check it out." He pointed to the stage, where Beth and Grandma were being handed fertility necklaces, just like the one that I'd been given on arrival. Though hopefully, these weren't plagued with curses.

"Jace," Grandma screeched into the microphone, "come up here. Grandma has a blessing for you."

"Or curse." Travis coughed. "It's all in how you look at it."

"Funny." I pushed past the crowds and made my way up to the stage, hoping I wasn't about to have to do any sort of hula dancing.

Once I was on the stage, Grandma put the damn necklace over my neck and then gave one to Beth.

"A blessing to the happy couple. Love is the combination of life's treasured moments tied together in the infinite circle of life. It never ends. It's a constant reminder when you're weak and tired, and it never fails. When you want to quit, love continues. When you want to cry, love uplifts, and when you want to run away, love remains. Each of you are wearing a symbol of fertility, but it's more than that. They are love beads. They bring good luck and favor in your relationship. May you wear them wisely, and may your lives always be filled with love."

I turned to give Beth a kiss but was hit with the sensation of the wind shifting. Ever so slowly it picked up Beth's hair, wrapping it around her shoulders. Her eyes glowed in the moonlight, and I couldn't have looked away had someone paid me to.

I had to touch her face. My fingertips grazed the soft part of her neck as I leaned in and whispered, "You look beautiful."

She smiled and ducked her head.

"Look at me."

Swallowing, she lifted her head, meeting my gaze with a piercing one of her own. Grandma had spoken of moments. If I could just hold onto this one, I'd be happy for an eternity. I wanted to keep it for myself. I wanted to remember the way Beth smelled. I wanted to remember the way she felt in my arms.

"Cheers!" People lifted glasses in the air, and a camera flashed. It may as well have been an electrical shock to my nervous system. I snapped out of the spell and remembered my predicament.

I could fix things for Beth.

And I would.

She deserved the fairytale. She deserved the chance to have a happy ending.

I walked her back to the table we were sharing with the rest of the family, more determined than ever to make things right.

"Beautiful speech, Nadine." My father clinked Grandma's glass and kissed my mom's forehead.

Maybe my curse was to be surrounded by happy people until I got my head out of my ass and made a choice.

"Great party." I licked my lips nervously.

"It's a luau," Grandma corrected. "We Hawaiians do not party, we feast."

"You're not Hawaiian," Jake pointed out.

"Am too."

Jake sighed, "How do you figure?"

"I visit every year."

"Which would make you a tourist," Travis took a sip of his drink, "not a local."

"I joined a local tribe."

"Do they call them tribes here?" I asked. "I don't think that's politically correct."

"Thank you, Mr. Senator," Jake said crisply.

"What the hell is your problem?" I pushed back my chair. "Do you really want to fight again? Do you want to get your ass kicked in front of your entire family? I'll do it, Jake. Don't tempt me. I'm sick and tired of your pompous attitude!"

The table fell silent.

My chest heaved.

I looked around for support. Jake was grinning like a fool, as if he'd done it on purpose. What the hell?

And then he clapped. "Finally."

"Finally?" My voice was hoarse. "Get there faster, man, before I strangle you."

"It's not normal to be calm all the time," Jake said in that same calm, irritating voice. "If I wasn't convinced earlier, I sure am now."

"Convinced?"

"You need a wife."

"You need to stop talking. Now."

"Why would I stop talking when I know it pisses you off so much to fill the air with my voice?" He stood. "Let's go talk."

"Do you really trust me not to kill you and build a sandcastle over your dead body?"

"Of course." He shrugged. "Politicians hate prison."

With a sigh, I stuffed my hands in my pockets and followed Jake, the ass, out onto the beach. Great, another heart-to-heart from a Titus brother. I was cursed all right, or maybe just haunted.

Once we reached the beach, he took a seat on the sand. I followed, waiting for the gauntlet to fall.

"We all have our shit we need to deal with. Nobody's perfect, Jace."

"I know."

"No, you don't." Jake grimaced. "Because if you knew that, you wouldn't be acting like such an asshole to Beth. You wouldn't be thinking about what this situation is doing to your polls. You wouldn't be planning out your entire workweek, while she's sitting there staring at you like you hung the moon and freaking stars. You sure as hell wouldn't be sitting around the table with your parents watching, while you played pretty with our family."

"Wow, you know me so well," I said dryly. "You done?"

"Nope." Jake laughed out loud. "I know I'm not usually the voice of reason, but hear me out."

"Five minutes."

"You like Beth."

"Yes."

"You want Beth."

"Yes."

"You want to spend time with Beth alone?"

"Yes."

"Yet you're letting people control your decisions because you want to make everyone happy. Because you can't stand the fact that you may let your parents down, or even Grandma, who you've only known for a year."

"Are you telling me to come clean?"

"Not at all." Jake shrugged. "I'm saying only someone truly stupid would worry about what everyone else thought, when the woman of his dreams was sitting right next to him. So you want to kiss her? Kiss her. You want to touch her? Touch her. You want to run away with her? Sneak out? Get crazy? The only person stopping you right now is you and your damn ideas about perfection."

"It's like you're giving me permission to do drugs or have sex."

Jake let out a bark of laughter. "Well, drugs aren't the way to go, just look at Grandma."

I smirked.

"And while I wouldn't suggest another one-night stand… it wouldn't hurt to kiss her instead of making her cry."

"She was crying?" My heart slammed against my chest.

"Grandma told Char who ended up telling me. What you do with this information is all you. But word to the wise? Grandma's never been wrong."

"Why do people keep telling me that?"

"Because it's true."

We sat in silence.

Groaning, Jake smacked me on the shoulder. "Go on, Thor, steal her away."

"Not you too."

"It's a catchy nickname." He snickered.

"Everything okay out here?" Grandma nearly fell on her face as she maneuvered through the sand like a drunken sailor.

"I'm sick," I blurted.

"Was it the fish?" she said in a low voice. "Cause I'll tell you one thing, that ladies' restroom won't be the same after I went in there and—"

"He should go to his room. I'll send Beth," Jake said, coming to my rescue.

"But what about the party?" Grandma moved her hips from side to side.

I coughed wildly.

"Quick, Grandma, he's going to puke!" Jake put his arm around me and walked me briskly toward the opposite end of the beach. "Better make a run for it. I'll send you Florence Nightingale. Oh, and P.S., you owe me for distracting Grandma tonight."

"Thanks." I jogged off toward the hut, smiling. Who would have ever thought Jake had a thought in that brain of his?