In Your Time novel Chapter 21

The beach party looked like fun. Braden took me in his car after I got dressed in a simple blue sundress with a swimsuit underneath. Braden wore board shorts and a t-shirt. It looked pretty casual from the parking lot. People came to greet him as soon as he walked up. I smiled, seeing that he was popular even before he got famous.

"Phoenix, you're here too. Oh, you came together?" Josh asked. Braden smiles and took my hand in his.

"Of course. She's my fiancé," he said confidently. They all looked shocked.

"I almost forgot you two live together," Nevaeh said.

"Well her parents are in Australia, and as my fiancé, they trust us to take care of her while they're away," Braden explained in my place. I was hyper aware of my hand in his. He still hadn't let go.

"It's just weird seeing the results in person. Especially from you, Braden," Bryce said as he slug an arm over Josh's shoulders. Braden shrugged as he smirked.

"Don't look then,"  he retorted. Of course, we both knew the truth was that he didn't want to claim me until after getting to know me better recently, but that was something everyone didn't need to know.

"Hey, just a heads up: I think I saw Tara walking around here earlier. I think she's visiting family and heard about the party," Bryce said to Braden. Braden's face fell to a scowl as his grip on my hand loosened a bit.

"Tara's here?" He asked. Bryce shrugged.

"I think it was her, but I could be wrong," Bryce answered. Braden said goodbye to his friends before taking me over to where a bonfire had started. His hand barely held mine as Braden got lost in his own thoughts. I sighed before I pulled my hand out of his. His eyes shot to me quickly.