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I could feelthe arrogance exuding from Ryan as he answered Cheryl's questions, a sensation I had become all too familiar with during our time together. Even the cool water of the pool couldn’t calm me down.
Yes, he owned his bar.
Yes, he owned his house.
Yes, he volunteered at an animal shelter (at the behest of his motorcycle club, but it’s not like hevolunteeredthat information).
He did his own taxes (on the income he actually reported).
He called his mom every Sunday (usually with a groan and a grimace on his face).
I swore Cheryl was going to pee in the pool like an overexcited poodle every time he offered information she approved of.
Thank God for Viv. She’d been by my side since this charade started, whispering wonderfully snide comments into my ear about what an asshole Ryan was.
After twisting yet another answer in a way that extolled his virtues—it’d be spiteful of me not to admit even Ryan had a few—I’d had enough. I stood up, made a show of dusting off my hands, and said, “Well, as lovely as this has been, I’m gonna go.”
I waded through the pool’s shallow end, making waves with every step. Wasn’t that an apt metaphor?
As I climbed the steps, I noticed Norbert waddling by. “Hey, Norbert,” I said on a sigh. “How’s it hanging, my guy?”
Like the perfect reptilian fairy godmother—godfather?—he always showed up right when I needed him to. We’d had a few more riveting chats since I ended things with Oliver and Diego. One-sided, obviously, but that was okay with me. I mean, how freaky would it be if heactuallyanswered?
He looked up at me, his chin flap wobbling back and forth. “Good, good,” I said. “That makes one of us.”
Cheryl laughedagainand said something flirty to Ryan, and I rolled my eyes.
As I said goodbye to Norbert and grabbed a towel off the stack on my way back to the villa, I started singing “It’s a Small World” loudly and off-key to drown everyone out.
What was with her? She’d been hanging all over Diego this week, and now she was flirting with my ex. I could make it easy for her and hand over my little black book of failures if she wanted something to keep herself busy for the next few months.
As I approached the house—still singing—the guys and the two new women were just finishing their chat and moving inside.
Aaron met me at the sliding glass door. I slowed my steps, and like a safe harbor in the storm of my emotions, he opened his arms for me.
“Excellent song,” he commented. “Are you okay?” He lowered his voice as he wrapped me in an embrace. I took a deep inhale and slowly blew it out. He smelled like the sea and the sun—salty, musky, and somehow warm.
“Yes, surprisingly. I was hoping Ryan was back in LA after the challenge.”
An unhinged sort of laugh slipped out and quickly picked up in volume and intensity. Soon, I was clutching my side and hanging onto Aaron while I let it all out. “This is just too much,” I got out between heaving gasps.
“I know, Sophie girl.” He pulled me in for another hug, making me feel warm and fuzzy despite everything. Tears from laughter and disbelief gathered on my lower lashes, and I hastily wiped them away.
“I hope you’re not thinking of leaving,” he whispered, almost as if saying it any louder would speak it into existence. “You’re strong, you have allies here, and if you need me to kick his ass, just tell me.”
Leaving sounded pretty appealing; I wouldn’t lie. But I’d handled Ryan before. I could do it again. Palming Aaron’s cheek and looking into his sapphire eyes, I smiled, grateful for the support.
Then I laughed. Because, sure, Aaron was in shape, but I didn’t know if I’d put money on him against Ryan. That he was willing to go toe to toe for me made me appreciate him all the more.
But honestly, if anyone would get Ryan to back down, it would be me. He had a tendency to barrel toward chaos, no matter who or what got in the way. I’d never been able to dissuade him completely from things, but on the rare occasion, I’d made him consider for just a moment. I would need to shut it down… for good.
Despite our shitty ending, I deserved the chance to be heard and respected. And having someone else do it would just negate all of that.
I was Sophie Carmichael. Business owner, badass bitch, and headstrong woman who could handle her own shit.
Mostly.
Peeling myself away from Aaron, I took a reluctant step back, when, all of a sudden, I was immediately swept up in someone else’s arms.
