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I took the mimosa Brandon offered me even though I didn’t really want it.
Then Jacob welcomed me with a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Jolie,” he greeted me, the smile lines at the corners of his blue eyes crinkling. Jacob Ellis was a total silver fox. And he’d always been so kind, generous and supportive of me.
Mom was getting a hot new husband; a wonderful husband. And I was getting a wonderful stepfather out of the deal.
And three hot, successful stepbrothers.
I should’ve probably been more happy about it.
I would’ve been, maybe, if theotherstepbrother didn’t happen to be the spawn of Satan. I mean, for all we knew, he might’ve actually been. Shane wasn’t actually Jacob’s son, biologically.
“It’s so wonderful to have you home,” Jacob said. “You look lovely.”
“Thank you,” I said, though “lovely” was probably a real stretch. “Um, I think I need coffee.”
Jacob gave me a sympathetic smile. I was pretty sure the extent of my hangover was obvious. I mean, I was wearing sunglasses indoors. “Help yourself, sweetheart.”
I gratefully beelined for the buffet as my stomach sank strangely. I didn’twantto see Shane today. But I also kind of did, just to get it the fuck over with, right? I knew I’d be seeing him at the wedding, at the very least. And I didn’t want it to be a horrible, uncomfortable scene.
I didn’t want to have to dread it for the next five weeks, either.
Damn. It really would’ve been better if he was here. Just rip the disgusting bandage off all at once and face the ugly hole he’d ripped in my self-respect.BeforeMom’s big day.
Aunt Mireille looked vaguely stricken when I mumbled a scratchy hello and hugged her—mainly because she was blocking my way to the coffee—letting me know exactly how much worse I looked than last time she saw me, like twelve hours ago.
Mom was also giving me looks as she picked up a plate and told everyone to get eating. I worked my way over to the coffee and tried to tell myself that it was for the best that Shane wasn’t even here.
No, actually, this was way, way better. Because maybe this meant I wouldn’t have to see himat all.
Maybe I could totally avoid him all month, same way I had for the last four years. And at the wedding, I’d somehow position myself so that I didn’t even have to see him. Like, I could keep him behind me at all times.
Yes. With the help of my cousins working as lookouts for me, I could know where he was at all times and just give him the back of my head. Which was more than he deserved anyway.
The next day, I’d be on a plane back to San Diego, and he never even had to cross my line of sight.
It would be the next best thing to if he didn’t even exist.
Problem solved.
I poured myself a coffee and with this new plan of evasion firmly in mind, I actually felt better about this whole situation than I’d felt ever since leaving my apartment yesterday to travel here, physically dreading having to see him. Finding Shane absent from this brunch just made me realize that I didn’t need to worry so much about running into him. He wouldn’t be around much anyway. I’d just shore up my defenses, and I didn’t have to see him at all.
I’d just managed to convince myself that that actually might be true, when Shane walked in.
Our eyes met across the room as I was stirring sugar and cream into my coffee, and even through my sunglasses, he somehow looked right into my soul.
Remember what we did that night?his eyes seemed to demand, and I spilled the cream all over the place.
ChapterTwo
Jolie
Isopped up the spilled cream with a handful of napkins as I felt Shane’s eyes burning holes into the side of my face. Inside of a split second, I was teleported back in time four years, to that hotel room and every single thing he did to me that night. Naked.
My face flushed hot.
Was he still looking at me?
My family was talking loudly around me as they filled their plates and music was playing, but I was pretty sure I could hear Shane’s brothers greeting him. Brandon’s voice sounded clipped and guarded. I wasn’t the only one who’d gotten their back up when Shane walked in.
