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Ellie snorted. “Yeah, we already knew that.”
“What?”
“Dad looked into them the second they walked through the door. It was crystal clear you guys didn’t know each other. Sorry,you’ve never been that good of a liar. But the way they looked at you, and the way you lit up around them? There was no waythatwasn’t real. And we’re not dicks. We don’t care about them being escorts. Figured you’d tell us when you were ready.”
“And here I was thinking I’d been stealthy.”
“Not your strong suit, Iz.”
We laughed together, and Ellie bit her lip. “So are you still my maid of honor?”
“I’m still your maid of honor.”
She hugged me again, so tightly I couldn’t quite breathe.
“And I’ll say this to you as well. I already told Warren. I’m sorry my relationship with Beau has had such a big impact on your wedding. I hope it’s not ruined.”
“The only thing that would ruin my wedding is if you weren’t in it,” she said. “That, and Warren leaving me at the altar, but he won’t. That man loves me.”
“Yes, he does. The one good thing that came out of Beau.”
“Right?” Ellie grabbed more tissues and dabbed her face. “I think Mom and Dad are still at breakfast. Do you want anything?”
I sighed. “I should talk to them too, if you’ll give us a couple of minutes.”
“Yeah, I ate already. So you’re good to go. The girls will be here soon, and then the wedding hurricane can start.”
“Don’t invoke the weather gods,” I told her, standing and heading for the door. “It’s perfect out there.”
“Good point. Isolde?” I turned. “I really am sorry.”
I smiled. “I know. I’m sorry too.”
We didn’t need more words than that. The breakfast room looked the same as the moment when Hawk rushed in here and punched Beau, except that it was empty. Outside on the terrace, my parents sat at a table. Mom sketched and Dad read the paper. He still insisted on reading the physical version.
Opening the door, I let the sound of the waves rush in and comfort me before stepping all the way into view. “Hey, Mom. Dad.”
Mom looked up and pulled off her sunglasses. “Oh, Isolde.” She stood and pulled me to her. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
I sighed and leaned into her. Mom smelled like lavender and lemons, and right now, she smelled like comfort. “Ellie told me everything. I understand why, and I know I won’t ever be in that situation again, but if it’s my business, I want to know.”
“We should have told you,” she nodded into my hair. “Are you okay?”
“I am, actually. Turns out having a pack who actually cares about you is good for a lot of things.” I pulled back. “I was going to apologize to you for not telling you the truth about the guys, but apparently you already knew.”
Mom’s sly smile made me laugh. “We did know, right, Henry?”
Dad stood behind me, and when I looked, he held out his arms. I stepped into them. “I looked into them because I wasn’t going to let Beau happen again,” he told me. “I felt guilty enough about not speaking up when he made me question. And after we found out he’d cheated… I wasn’t going to let it happen.”
“And you were fine with them?”
My parents laughed, and Mom spoke from behind me. “Iz, those men didn’t take their eyes off you for a second. Like they could only breathe after you did. We don’t care what they do, as long as they’re good to you.”
“And nothing bad came back on them,” Dad said. “I meant what I said. I’ll be digging further, because you can’t be too careful, but I don’t think there’s anything to find.”
I raised an eyebrow. “We’re already bonded. I think it might be too late to dig.”
Dad shrugged. “Guess we’ll find out.”
