Austin smirked. “You’re not wrong.”
“What about me?” Theo asked teasingly with a pout.
“You’re gorgeous too! I mean, I properly freaked out the first time you came in,” Milo said.
“He did,” Alfie said wryly.
“Before you get too distracted: ice cream, what would you like?” Darcy asked, before Milo or Theo could derail the conversation again.
A smile played across my lips as I watched him, a tiny bubble of nervousness floating through my chest. There was still one final confession I had to make to Darcy, one last secret I’d kept hidden for too long. There was no reason for it, only shame and embarrassment. And the longer I’d gone without telling him, the harder it had become.
I just hoped it didn’t change anything between us.
All I could do was be honest and hope for the best.
Several hours later, after a very extended lunch break at Novel Tea with Austin, Theo, and Jonathan, Darcy and I found our way to the beach.
The rain had finally started to ease but the sky was still dark with heavy clouds, looking like they could open at any moment and drench us from head to foot. But neither of us had bothered to bring an umbrella because the growing wind would’ve turned it inside out as soon as we’d opened it. The autumnal weather bothered me more than I wanted to admit, and it was making my skin itch for warmer climates and bluer seas.
Alfie had promised to run the numbers on shutting the shop for the winter by the end of next week, and then Darcy and I would be able to figure out what our plans were. I already had a list of places I wanted to take him. Things I wanted to show him. I simply had to be patient.
And that hadn’t always been my strongest skill.
“Fuck it’s cold,” Darcy said with a breathless laugh as the wind gusted around us, biting at our exposed skin. “I should have brought a hat. I just don’t want to admit summer is over.”
“Don’t worry, it’ll be back next week. You know what the weather’s like here.”
“True. But I saw someone talking about Christmas on Instagram the other day and I’m so not fucking here for that.”
“Maybe your Christmas will be warm this year,” I said, squeezing his hand and pulling him against me, my arms folding around him. My heart was thundering in my chest, my anxiety starting to spike. My mouth felt dry and suddenly I wondered if I’d be able to speak.
“I hope so! I’ve never had Christmas on a beach but it sounds perfect.” Darcy glanced up at me then frowned, tilting his head to the side as he gazed at me. “Is something wrong?”
“I’m divorced.” The words tripped hurriedly off my tongue before I could stop them, falling into the air with a deafening splat.
“What?”
“I’m divorced. I should have told you a long time ago, or even the other day, but honestly, I forgot about it, because it was, like, five years ago and we were married for maybe six weeks before we realised it was never going to work. And, er, we’d only been dating for maybe three months before we decided to get married. Kinda speed ran it, you know? Didn’t help we were in Vegas. It seemed like a bloody good idea at the time. But in hindsight… let’s just say, neither of us really thought it through. Think the divorce cost more than the fucking wedding.”
It was hard to meet Darcy’s eyes. I was so terrified of seeing hurt and pain on his face, of watching our newly established trust shatter irreparably. But I forced myself to look at him, because I had to own up to my secrecy and deal with the consequences instead of running away.
Darcy was smiling, squeezing his lips together like he was trying to hold back a torrent of laughter.
And that threw me off almost as much as anger.
“Oh my God,” he said with a burst of laughter. His eyes were dancing and the tightness in my chest slowly started to ease. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t laugh. But oh my God! I can’t believe you did that. You had a Vegas wedding? After three months? Wait does this mean we need a Vegas wedding too? It’s been about three months, right?”
“Fuck you,” I said with a groan, knowing I was never going to live this down. I’d take that, though, if it meant keeping Darcy in my life. And I didn’t think he was the sort to hold it over me maliciously.
“I mean, you can if you want.” He smirked and brushed his lips across mine. “We could go back to mine right now.”
“In a minute.” I kissed him softly before letting out a slow breath, the weight of the secret finally lifting off my chest. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I didn’t mean to hide it from you.”
“It’s fine. Honestly, I’m not fussed about it. I mean, divorce always sounds like a big thing, but this feels more like a very expensive breakup.”
“That’s pretty much all it was.”
“Do you still speak to him?”
