River
Emily and Sienna enter the mansion first. We find them in the living room with Evangeline.
“Evie,” Seb says. “Misty’s dehydrated. Where’s the doc?”
“Last I saw her, she was eating lunch with Heather and June on the deck.” Evangeline eyes Misty and then Jake. “I’m sure there’s a story here.”
“I’m feeling much better,” Misty says.
“We’re still going to have the doc take a look at you.” Sebastian and Alex lead Misty through the foyer.
“You want to go with them?” I ask Brett.
“Seb and Alex are more than capable. Evangeline, we’re going to need a room for our friend.”
Evangeline clears her throat. “There’s an empty suite next to yours, Brett. I’ll have housekeeping make it up. I would have had it ready upon arrival, but no one bothered to tell me you invited another guest. Is he a friend of Alex’s? Here for the wedding?”
Jake says nothing, and neither does Brett.
I suppose it’s up to me. “Yeah. For the wedding.”
“Okay, then.” Evangeline holds out her hand. “I’m Evangeline, the event planner.”
“Jake.” He shakes her hand.
“Nice to meet you, Jake. I’ll show you where you can stay.”
Jake looks to me, and I nod subtly. “We’ll be up in a minute.”
As Jake follows Evangeline up to the second floor, Emily and Sienna approach us.
We do owe them both an explanation, but it will have to wait.
“We’ll be back,” I say, yanking Brett out the front door.
An exasperated sigh from Emily and a worried whimper from Sienna.
I’ll make everyone understand, but Brett is my first priority at the moment. I owe him that much.
I inhale the floral scent of jasmine as we walk across the pavement. God, it makes me want to puke.
Jake and I had breakfast early this morning. Seems like hours ago. Probably because it was. I chartered a private jet, and we landed in Montego Bay at five a.m., grabbed breakfast, and then hopped a private ferry to the island.
“You finally going to level with me?” Brett asks, voice low and tight.
I nod slowly. “You have to understand. I didn’t know about your feelings for Jake.”
His expression twists. “This isn’t about feelings.”
“Come on,” I say. “You don’t get that look in your eyes over just anyone. I saw it when you laid eyes on Jake this morning. Hell, maybe I should’ve seen it years ago.”
Brett looks away, jaw tight, hands flexing at his sides likehe’s trying not to punch something. “You don’t get to act like you suddenly care about how I feel.”
“That’s not fair. You’re my best friend, Brett. My oldest friend. If I’d had any idea?—"
He snaps his gaze back to me. “Any idea? Did you think about Alex or Seb? We all loved him. Did you think about his fucking mother? You’ve been sitting on this for twenty years, River. Twenty. Fucking. Years. We buried him. We grieved him. We cried for him.”
“I know.”
