Page 32 of Summer Fling (The Kingston Brothers #5)

"Sounds good," Dalton said, and I gritted my teeth so that I wouldn't express my frustration with Ashton still on the line.

"I'll get it scheduled and have my assistant send you the information."

"I'll look for the email."

"Enjoy the rest of your weekend." The attorney clicked off the call, and the cab fell silent.

I pursed my lips, not wanting to say what I was thinking just yet.

Dalton glanced over at me. "At least we're moving forward with the case. The court requires mediation, but Oakley could have pushed it off for a bit longer if she wanted. Hopefully, this is a sign that she wants to resolve things."

"That's a big maybe with her." You never knew what that girl really wanted because she changed her mind on a whim and expected everyone else to go along with her.

"I'm hopeful we'll get past this. I'm looking forward to the day that we have something in writing that's enforceable."

I took a deep breath, unsure how to begin. "I know we talked about this not being real between us, and that we might need to be engaged at some point. But I guess things have changed."

He frowned. "How so?"

"It feels real now. I like you. I like what we've built, and I thought we were moving forward with a real relationship. But that call reminded me that this started out as fake."

He shifted in his seat. "Things change."

"But we still need to pretend to be engaged. I don't know if I can do that." Not when what I felt for him was so real.

"This is what we talked about. If you're not there, I'm not sure I can get custody on my own."

I folded my arms over my chest, feeling guilty that I'd even brought this up. But something about pretending to be his fiancée got to me. "I have a weird feeling about this."

"It's only for a couple more weeks, and then we can go back to how things were," he said reasonably.

"And what is that? Am I your pretend girlfriend or your real one?" I asked, feeling more upset.

"It started out as pretend, but then it became something that's real." Irritation crept into his tone.

"Then why are we still pretending?" I asked, knowing I was starting a fight but couldn't stop it.

"We're just pretending to be engaged."

"I know I promised that I could do this, but I don't think I can go through with it anymore."

Dalton parked in his driveway next to another Kingston Construction truck. One of his brothers must have come over to watch Lilliana.

Dalton left the truck running and shifted so that he could face me. "It's just for a while longer. Can you do it for me?"

I couldn't say no to him, but something about this situation didn't sit right with me. "I have to think about it."

His jaw clenched. "I don't have much time."

"This isn't just about you and what you need. I'm part of this too," I said with a bite to my tone.

He softened. "Yeah, okay. Take a day or two. I'll need to let Ashton know if you can't be there. We might need to change tactics."

I rested a hand on his arm. "You don't need me to prove that you're a great guy. You should be able to do that on your own."

He blew out a breath. "I thought you were going to be by my side."

"You're asking me to lie for you, and I know that's what I signed up for, but I'm not sure I can continue to do this."

"You can't continue to do this fake relationship, or you can't be with me at all?"

This was becoming more than I could handle. "I just need some time."

He nodded curtly. "I can give you that."

"I'll still be here for Lilliana?—"

"She goes over to Oakley's on Sunday night. Why don't you take the weekend off?" He turned off the engine, and my heart skipped a beat.

We almost always spent the majority of our time together. I didn't have set work hours. The lines had been blurred a long time ago, and now I was wondering if that had been a mistake.

He went inside, leaving me in the cab of his truck, wondering what just happened. His energy had felt off when he arrived at the library, but I'd been so focused on making sure I got everything packed up and being on the high of the success of the class, I hadn't focused on why that was.

The call from the attorney must have set him more on edge, especially when I said I didn't want to pretend to be his girlfriend anymore.

I wanted to help him, but at the same time, I felt like he could do this on his own. And maybe he needed to. Besides, we weren't engaged, and I didn't like the idea of lying to my new friends, his parents, and the court system. The more I thought about it, the worse I felt.

I got out of the truck, feeling like I was walking through soft sand. Each foot felt heavy, my tread uneven.

The front door opened, and my heart soared hoping it was Dalton coming out to talk to me. To tell me that he understood how I felt and that he didn't want to pretend any more either. He loved me.

But it was Hudson, who drew up when he saw me. "Dalton asked me to unpack your things and to put them in the shed out back."

"I can help," I offered, wondering how I was going to pretend that everything was okay.

"I've got it."

I stood there for a few seconds, deliberating about whether I should insist on helping. It was my stuff after all.

Hudson stood by the bed of the truck, watching me. "Is everything okay with you and Dalton. He seemed upset."

My throat suddenly felt very dry. We'd never discussed our relationship with anyone, but maybe I could confide in him about the engagement. "Ashton thinks it would be good for us to pretend to be engaged. That it will make Dalton look more stable when he goes to mediation."

Hudson whistled. "Are you going to do it?"

"It doesn't feel right to me." I couldn't exactly say that I was holding out for Dalton to tell me he loved me.

"I'm sure you'll work it out. Dalton doesn't usually stay angry for long."

I sighed, looking down at the crushed seashells. "I want to be there for him. I said I would be."

"If the optics don't work for you, then that's how it has to be. I'm sure Dalton will understand."

I bit my lip. "I don't want him to lose custody of Lilliana."

He raised a brow. "Do you really think that would happen? That Oakley could prove that he was unfit?"

I frowned at his characterization. "No."

"Then you have to do what's right for you."

"I have some thinking to do." And not just about our relationship but my future here on the island. Hazel and Brady had given me some things to think about. I needed to figure out what I wanted.

The reality was that if Dalton was pulling back, if he didn't want me, then why was I planning to stay on the island?

My chest felt hollow when only a few short hours ago I'd felt so full. I had been happy, content, planning a future here on the island with Dalton. I didn't think I could be happier, but now everything looked different.

"Give it some time. I'm sure cooler heads will prevail." He nodded toward the house, but I wasn't so sure about that.

"Thanks for helping us out today, Hudson. I really appreciate it."

He smiled as if he didn't have a care in the world because he didn't. He was in a long-term relationship with Elena. He wasn't having an existential crisis like I was.