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And even though I knew Gabe would always have my back, I still couldn’t face the reality of it—or its implications. Couldn’t admit to how deeply my parents’ betrayal had cut me. How lost I felt.
How utterly alone.
“Come on.” Gabe pushed me off the path to a lounge set secluded by lush oleander plants.
We settled down, and he sighed and rested a hand on my shoulder. “Mom is heartbroken, Alex. You know, it was probably Dad’s idea to keep it a secret. Don’t punish her.”
I swallowed against the anger brewing in my chest and clawing at my throat and nodded. But the hurt was still visceral as if a wounded dragon was living inside of me, breathing fire whenever it was awakened.
“You need to forgive her, and then we’re going to figure this out. Together.”
As if that was so easy.
I stared at Gabe’s hand, still clutching my shoulder.
Who would’ve thought my long-absent big brother would turn into the only family I had left?
I hesitated, torn between the pull to lean on him and the feeling of needing to figure this out alone.
For a moment, I considered confiding in Gabe about all that pent-up anger raging inside of me. But ultimately, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
I shook off Gabe’s hand. “I will. You know I will, but let’s leave it alone for now,” I muttered, averting my gaze. “I need to figure things out for myself, first.”
We settled into a tense silence, the only sound the distant crash of waves.
Just thinking about my mom’s betrayal had my fingers curl into fists, nails biting into my palms. I focused on the sting, grounding myself in the present moment.
Inhale. Exhale. Just get through today. Or better yet, not think about it at all.
I straightened. “How was the wedding?”
Distracting me with Gabe’s troubles was better than thinking about my own.
Gabe frowned at the abrupt change in topic but ultimately went along with it.
“The wedding was perfect.” He leaned back, his eyes momentarily softening as he most likely thought about his wife.
I raised a brow. I would’ve thought having Sophie’s family there would’ve caused more…tension.
“Did Sophie enjoy her surprise guests?”
He nodded. “She loved having her family there.”
“How’d you manage to win over her father?”
Gabe straightened, and his eyes hardened. So it wasn’t all hunky-dory in paradise.
“I wouldn’t say I’ve won over Craig Donnelly. Let’s just say, he hasn’t killed me yet.”
His words did little to satisfy my curiosity, but I didn’t want to annoy him any more than I already had. “So he just cockblocked you?”
Gabe frowned. “What are you talking about?”
I gave him a flat look. “Well, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t your idea to drag the party princess along on your honeymoon. So it must’ve been either Donnelly—whose new mission would be to make your life hell, or Sophie’s. Though why you went along with such a harebrained idea is beyond me.”
I stared at him. “So? What’s the deal with bringing her along on your honeymoon?”
Gabe’s expression shifted from confusion to amusement. “Ah, Fee. She’s a special case, isn’t she?”
