Getting up, I pulled on a T-shirt, determined to find her and tell her the truth.
That this thing between us? It wasn’t what I’d thought it was at all.
Emzee
Chapter 26
Iopened my eyes just as the sun was beginning to appear on the horizon. The Malone family summer home was truly gorgeous, and the view of the ocean beyond Ford’s balcony was breathtaking. Part of me wanted to rustle him out of bed so we could watch the sunrise together, but when I looked over at him, sleeping soundly, he seemed so peaceful that I didn’t want to wake him up.
Instead, I got up and stretched, my body feeling deliciously sore. Last night on the beach, and then again after our little room service meal, had been…well. Every part of me felt alive. As the room began to lighten, I realized that nothing would make me happier than to see the morning coming on, all by myself, before anyone else in the house was up. So I dug my sneakers out of my suitcase, threw on leggings and a Lululemon top, and headed out. As I snuck through the still-quiet house, down to the beach, I relished the peace and calm.
It was cool out, but the ocean breeze felt good against my skin, and I knew I’d warm up soon enough. I jogged along the shoreline, going at an easy pace, taking deep breaths of salty sea air and feeling the blood pumping through my veins. Who knew I’d be so into exercise in the right environment? It was the perfect opportunity to sort through all my thoughts and feelings before the wedding.
I still couldn’t believe that the big day was almost here. By this time tomorrow, I would be Mrs. Ford Malone. It would be official.
But what would it mean?
I had resisted fully acknowledging the bond developing between me and my fake fiancé over the past few months, worried that my hopeful heart was making me see things that weren’t there, that I was letting myself fall victim to wishful thinking.
But I couldn’t deny it anymore. I wasn’t making up our connection. I wasn’t making up the way he’d hold me close after sex, the way he took the time to make my eggs exactly right in the morning—over medium, with just a little bit of runny yolk to dip my toast in—or the way he turned to me first when he got stressed about work or had some good news to share. We genuinely enjoyed our time together, and we relied on each other. I wasn’t the sidekick anymore.
We’d always had our friendship, and now we had an intense physical connection as well. Yet I was sure our relationship was more than just the combination of those two things. And wasn’t that what romantic relationships were all about, after all? Friendship and sexual attraction, plus mutual support and respect, and the desire to be with each other, in all the ways?
It seemed like ever since I gave my virginity to Ford, which was something I continued to keep a secret from him, our dynamic had shifted. At first I had assumed that the intimacy of our bodies was creating a false sense of emotional intimacy as well, but I didn’t think that was the case anymore. I felt safe with him. I trusted him. It felt like we were truly growing closer—that we were becoming more and more like a real couple, day by day.
Ford and I really were kind of perfect together. I knew I wasn’t wrong.
I stopped to catch my breath after a mile or so, panting as sweat rolled down my back.
The sun had risen fully, casting soft golden light all across the beach. It felt like a message, almost, an omen that I was embarking on something completely new. Something honest. Something true. I was so convinced of it that I decided I had to talk to Ford right away, before we both got swept up in the all-day festivities for the wedding. We’d probably barely see each other until I walked down the aisle toward him on my brother’s arm.
I would tell him exactly how I felt. See if he felt the same. If he was willing to pledge to make this marriage a real one.
Even though I’d already built up quite a sweat coming down the beach one way, I broke that record on my return to the house. I couldn’t run back to my fiancé fast enough.
The Malone family’s staff was just starting to begin their morning routine when I burst through the door. I’d passed landscapers outside, trimming the plants and bushes, tending to the leaves that had fallen into the pools, preparing for the arrival of the guests. Huge box trucks full of tables and chairs for the wedding had pulled into the driveway as well, and workers were milling around, unloading tablecloths and heating lamps and dozens of other things whose purpose I didn’t quite know.
Once again, I was beyond grateful that my sisters-in-law had taken charge. The last thing I needed was to worry about the wedding and all the little details required today.
I squeezed by the staff and headed for the stairs, my attention totally focused on getting to Ford. This conversation couldn’t wait. I’d just put my foot on the bottom step when a voice stopped me.
“Oh, Mara, there you are,” Mrs. Malone’s voice called out from behind me. “How opportune. We need to speak with you for a moment.”
Slowly, I turned around to find Ford’s mother standing in the doorway of the summer house’s library, her lips pressed together in a hard line. Behind her, I could see Ford’s father sitting at his desk, his expression unreadable to me. Nothing about this was comforting.
“A moment,” she repeated, beckoning me into the library.
“I, um, was just going to take a shower,” I said, gesturing toward my sweaty appearance.
I knew Mrs. Malone hated any display of imperfection and I was the poster child for that right now. But she seemed far more concerned with us having this little chat.
“The shower can wait,” she said, standing aside.
Nodding, I headed into the room, feeling like I had no choice in the matter. My pulse was pounding. But it wasn’t from the run anymore.
My nervousness only increased when Mrs. Malone closed the library doors behind me, closing me in with her and her husband.
I’d barely spoken to Ford’s parents since he’d dropped the engagement bomb on them. We’d seen each other socially, of course, and both of them had been polite—taking care not to snub me in any overt way that might draw attention—but even at the surprise engagement party and since Ford and I had arrived on the Vineyard, his parents and I had been keeping our distance, as if we’d made some silent agreement.
