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"I know what you mean about duty."
"I still get to sail and compete. I promised myself I wouldn't let go of my love for it, so I do something every year, no matter how big or small."
"That's good. How did you get into sailing if you were supposed to focus only on the company?"
"My grandfather." I smile. "He was in the Navy. When he was alive, we'd sail all the time. He served in the Navy for ten years but unfortunately retired due to an injury. Like me, he always knew he couldn't do that for life. At the time, he was allowed to join the Navy because the company wasn't as renowned as it is now. When he took charge, he took it to the next level and made it what it is today."
"Wow." She nods with reflection, looking intrigued. "I like hearing stories like that. Of people doing amazing things that take something else to the next level. My dad is that person in our family."
At the mention of her father, my stomach tightens, and I’m reminded again that pain is on the horizon for her when she discovers the truth about her father. But also because of the circumstances of our marriage.
She'll be hurt, and I care about that. Caring about her wasn't part of my plan, but now that I do, I can't stop. That’s where my problem lies.
I’ve been doing my best not to think about it and spoil the time I have with her, but I know I have to figure something out.
She sighs and reaches for the bottle of wine. "My turn again?"
"Can you manage more wine?"
"I think so."
"How about I ask you a bunch of questions, too? Then we'll stop."
"Sure, that works." She pours the wine and drinks it in one gulp again, but unlike last time, she cringes at the taste, and I can tell she's reached her limit.
The bottle is also less than half full. We’ve been drinking way too much over the last two days. Any more, and I will be drunk. After that, I'll be wasted. It's not exactly how I see myself taking over the company.
"I'm ready," Luna says, making a face as if to say the wine is still bitter in her mouth.
The next question I have might be a sensitive one, but it's one I wanted to ask her since the wedding.
"How are you feeling about your sister? I'm sure you must still be upset that she wasn't able to see us get married." Now that I've said those words, I feel the weight of each, and I can see the change in Luna's reaction.
Her sister's behavior has been completely odd to me. Not just her absence at our wedding, but her entire lifestyle. Most government families are wise about how they conduct themselves, but Layla has been allowed to be a free spirit. Maybe that's her father's way of making some kind of statement, but it's still odd even for him.
"I'm numb," Luna says eventually. "As you can tell, I'm close with Emily, as close as sisters, but she doesn't replace my actual sister."
"Of course not. I'm close with Luc, too, but that doesn't replace Asher."
She looks pleased that I understand this point.
"I don't understand her, Hunter. Her behavior is so strange to me. It just doesn't make sense." She shakes her head, "None of it. I could never in my right mind be off frolicking on some island while my little sister is getting married."
"No," I agree with her. "Has she always been like this?"
"Mostly, but she just fell off the deep end, I suppose, after our mother's death. The thing about that is if anyone should have rebelled against life, it should have been me."
Her words pique my interest, and I suspect there’s more to their story that I don’t know. I’m aware her mother took her life and, of course, that can fuck with a person’s mind, but there seems to be something else at work here.
"What else happened?"
She glances down at her hand pressed against my chest, then her gaze slowly creeps back up to meet mine.
"It was me who found my mom. I found her, dead." Her voice is small and quiet yet sharp enough to pierce my heart.
I wasn't aware of that, but I suppose knowing that she found her mother wouldn't have been something the public would've known.
I reach out and touch her face, feeling the smooth skin of her cheek.
