It was more than Kayla had expected and definitely more than she deserved. She didn’t want to push her luck by trying to step inside. Instead, she forced herself to let her hands drop to her sides and tried not to fiddle with her skirt while she spoke. “I know I have no right to show up here like this, but I wanted to apologize in person. My actions this morning were completely out of line, and I really am very sorry.”
Skye’s face softened a fraction, but not nearly enough. “It was super fucked up, Kayla.”
“It was, and I promise I’m not here to try to win you back.”
“Why are you here?”
Kayla cringed. She’d hoped this part would take a little longer to come out. “I, um, need your help.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
“You know I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t really important.”
Skye’s neck flushed red like it did when she was really angry. That used to turn Kayla on so much, but right now it just made her worry she was losing her best shot. “Just because it’s important to you doesn’t mean it’s important to us.”
Kayla couldn’t help smiling. “You always talk about you and Amy as a unit. You never did that with us. She really is your person, isn’t she?”
“Yes, she is, no matter what you do or say.”
Before Kayla could defend herself, Amy appeared beside Skye, looking absolutely angelic in a light sun dress and bare feet. “Stop being a jerk, Skye. You know how hard it must’ve been for her to come here.” Amy turned a smile on Kayla and reached out for her hand. “Come inside. I’ll get you some water.”
Skye looked as confused as Kayla felt as she followed them inside. Because they had paid extra for the large waterfront villa, there was far more room. In fact, they had a living area with a bar and more seating than Kayla had in her apartment back home. Had she thought about it ahead of time, she would have been deeply uncomfortable coming into Skye’s hotel room and having to sit on the edge of her bed. Amy’s deep pockets saved her from that awkwardness.
Kayla perched on the very edge of an armchair, and Amy set a glass of ice water in front of her. She dropped onto the sofa and tucked her feet beneath her. Skye settled down beside her but kept her eyes on Kayla like she was a feral dog who might bite.
Amy’s eyebrows came together in concern. “How’s your knee? Have you been icing it?”
Kayla picked nervously at the edge of her elastic bandage. Did Amy know how she’d hurt herself? Did she know she’d kissed Skye? “It’s better. Yes, I’ve been icing it.”
“Is your stability okay? You don’t seem to be limping much.”
Kayla said, “The bandage helps.”
“If you want me to take a look, I can. I’m an orthopedist after all. I’m happy to help.”
The tiny, fragile string that had held Kayla together all morning snapped, and she burst into tears. How had she become this person? How could she have even considered breaking up a happy couple? “I’m so sorry. You’re so sweet, and I’m such a horrible person.”
Amy reached over and squeezed her thigh. “Don’t say that.”
“It’s true. If you knew why I was here, you’d never be this nice.”
Kayla buried her face in her hands so she didn’t have to see them, but Amy’s supportive hand never left her leg. It was that support more than anything that kept the sobs wracking her body. She was just a stranger to Amy, and yet she was the one trying to make her feel better.
After a long time, the tears tapered off, and she fought to get a hold of herself. Skye’s voice was softer, but still had a bitter edge when she said, “It is rather rich of you to ask for help after this morning.”
Kayla grabbed a fistful of tissues from the box that had appeared on the table in front of her. Did Amy really have to be so kind? It made everything so much worse. As she wiped her nose, she finally managed to look up. Her gaze settled on Amy. “That’s not the worst of it. What’s worse is why I’m even at this resort at all.”
Skye asked, “What do you mean?”
She took a deep breath to launch into her confession, but Amy’s smooth, even voice got there before her. “She means thatshe’s been pretending to be engaged to Mack as a pretense to come here and stop our wedding.”
Because Skye was sitting across from her on the couch, Kayla was able to see her jaw drop open. She was pretty sure they looked close to identical since her own jaw had practically hit the floor. “You knew?”
Skye’s neck whipped around so fast it must’ve hurt. She turned her outraged look on Kayla, and her voice was at least an octave higher than usual. “Wait. Are you saying she’s right?”
Amy reached over and gave Skye’s knee a little squeeze. “It’s okay, sweetie.”
“How is any of this okay?”
