“Handsy as ever, Harrison,” he said dryly.
“Good to see you, too. And this must be”—the guy pushed Cade aside, and his smile froze as soon as his widening eyes landed on me—“blue.”
Cade coughed into his fist while I laughed.
“Ellie, this is my brother, Harrison.” Cade made no move to stand closer to me or wrap an arm around my waist or look like we were together at all. “Harrison, meet Ellie.”
Harrison was basically a younger version of Cade—same dark hair, deep brown eyes, and striking looks. But compared to his brother, Harrison’s strong bone structure looked more like a clean-shaven baby face.
Honestly, he was adorable.
I stuck my hand out with a smile. “Hi. It’s awesome to finally meet you, Harrison.”
“Likewise.” He was a little slow to take my hand, but he shook it carefully—while still clearly struggling not to stare. “Wow. Your hair is actually blue. Like, really blue.”
My smile widened. “It was the bluest shade I could find.”
His mouth opened and closed, and a beat passed before he squinted. “…Butwhyis it blue?”
“She dyed it for charity.” Cade jumped in smoothly before I could answer. “It’s not usually this color.”
I blinked, because that was a lie. But it did the trick to make Harrison’s shoulders relax.
“Charity? That’s really cool of you,” he said with a grin. He pointed between himself and Cade. “Our mother would kill us if we ever pulled something like that—even for charity—so I respect it.”
The inside of my wrist itched, but I went along with the lie. “Thanks, and I really appreciate you letting me join your trip on such late notice. Hope we didn’t cause too much trouble.”
“Are you kidding?” Harrison snorted. “I still can’t believe Cade’s been hiding you away from everyone. How long have you two even been a thing? Where’d you meet? Why did nobody tell me?”
I took a deep breath and braced myself to lie. “Well?—”
Cade cleared his throat. “Why the rush, Harry? It wouldn’t hurt to show a little hospitality and offer us drinks before pestering Ellie with questions.”
“Yeah, yeah. Fine.” Harrison held his hands up, backing up with a soft laugh. He rubbed a hand over his hair. “There’s champagne waiting on the main deck. Everyone else is already up there, so let’s get settled before starting the interrogation. Come on.”
We followed him up a few flights of stairs to a large sundeck near the back of the yacht. Stepping onto the deck felt like entering the set of a high-end magazine shoot. A dozen comfy chairs and loungers were scattered across the space in separate clusters, with a daybed cabana sitting off to the side. Sheer yellow drapes hung around the cabana, billowing in the light breeze.
I had to fight the urge to run straight over and jump on it. The pillows looked immaculately fluffed.
Fruit and finger foods covered a few tables with fancy gold tablecloths, and my stomach perked up even though I’d just eaten lunch.
There were five people already on the deck. Had Harrison really meant this was everyone? Only eight guests total on such a huge boat? I’d already seen at least double that number of workers.
Two men gathered at a bar on one side, while three women lounged on the comfy chairs. Their chic summer dresses immediately made me feel underdressed in my crop top and shorts—not to mention my dollar store sandals.
“Ellie!” A tall brunette jumped up from her chair and strutted over to us with a smile that reached her dark eyes. She pulled me into a quick, unexpected hug. “I’m Madison, Harry’s wife. It’s so great to meet you. Did you end up bringing your cat?”
“Oh, yeah. Whiskey’s in here.” I squeezed her back, then turned so they could see his astronaut backpack and looked over my shoulder. “He wouldn’t miss this.”
Madison clapped her hands with a squeal. “Oh my god, that’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. Harry, look!”
“I’m right here, Mads,” he said, rubbing his ear and eyeing the bubble window. “Very cool. And he doesn’t hate my brother?”
I pivoted back to face them, not sure how to answer that since I’d barely seen Cade and Whiskey interact. But in this fictional engagement world, we could assume they spent more time together. So, I fibbed. “Oh, they’re the best of friends.”
Harrison eyed his brother with raised brows. “That’s interesting. I thought you didn’t like cats?”
I looked to Cade, too, trying not to frown. That was news to me.
