Page 48 of Hideaway Reunion

“Eventually.” Roni sighed. “All three of us are thinking it, one way or another. If we drag this out and make it a whole thing, we’re no better than Dad these last couple of years.” She turned toward him. “The real issue, especially for Celeste, is knowing that I never would’ve mentioned it or gotten caught going against their wishes if he hadn’t replied to us.”

“Ouch.”

“I don’t blame them,” she mused. “They’re right to be mad at me for breaking my word. And trust is the hardest thing to earn back.”

“But they love you. Shouldn’t that be unconditional?”

“Spoken like an only child,” she teased.

“Of self-absorbed parents.” He grinned. That exchange had been a core tenet of their early friendship when he struggled to understand her family dynamics.

The fact was, Roni was his singular unconditional relationship. His military pals probably counted, but they weren’t around day-to-day. His parents had little time for Brayden unless he was furthering their specific interests. If they could brag about him in the right circles, all was good. They enjoyed having a son with a stellar sports record and honorable military career. They were far less interested in the man he’d become with the many current endeavors he couldn’t and wouldn’t discuss.

“I do love you.” She reached over, lacing her fingers through his on the console.

The earnestness in her voice made his chest ache. “I know you don’t say things you don’t mean.” He lifted her hand to his lips.

“Where does this go?” she asked. “I know in your head you have a ten-point plan with contingencies.”

“Well, now that we have the original documents, I think Gamble and Swann will be able to⁠—”

She laughed. “I meant you and me.”

“Oh.” He tried to laugh with her and managed only a small sputter. “I, um…” He hesitated to tell her his plans for them looked more like a dream floating just out of reach. Weird, because for over half his life, he shared everything with her. But nothing about loving her had been within his control. He hadn’t been sure she’d ever feel the same way he did.

“Brayden?”

“No plan.” He squeezed her fingers lightly. “What could I plan without knowing how you felt?”

Her smile was soft, full of understanding. “But you’ve thought about it.”

He nodded, his throat dry. Where was a bottle of water when he needed one?

His phone rang, the sound filling the heavy space between them. On the screen, the caller ID showed Connor’s name. “Leggett,” he croaked.

“You okay?” Connor asked. “I’ve been worried.”

Brayden cleared his throat. “I’m good. Sorry about earlier. We’re all okay here. Go ahead and finish filling us in.”

“Swann just sent me the digital copies of the documents from David Hargrave. You probably don’t need what I found to defend the property lines now, but both of you will want to hear this.”

Roni sat straighter in the seat. Connor had her full attention.

“I wish you weren’t driving.” The disappointment came through loud and clear. “This is so much cooler with visual aids.”

“I’ve got the tablet,” Roni said. “Brayden just unlocked it for me.”

“Awesome.” Connor clapped his hands once. “You’re gonna love this.”

Brayden listened as Connor did a quick recap about South Carolina easement laws for coastal properties. “That plat map your dad found protects the beach around the Hargrave cove as private, limiting the easement rules to conservation and utility needs only.”

“Indigo Reef has no recourse?”

“Not a bit,” Connor confirmed. “But it gets better. What do you know about accretion laws?”

This was where Brayden had ended the call earlier. “Not enough,” he said. Roni’s hopeful excitement was contagious. “Walk us through it.”

Connor began with the basics, including a few technical terms about erosion, gradual build up, and avulsion events like storms. “Now, when it comes to accretion,” he continued. “When the shoreline shifts gradually over time due to natural elements, the legal boundary shifts with it. We’ve been working overtime to find overhead images of the maritime forest between Hargrave land and the Indigo Reef development. Go ahead and scroll through that image file.”