“Emotionally undeveloped?” she suggests helpfully. “Stupidly self-centered? Outrageously dumb?”
“Not exactly,” I deadpan. This is so not the way it was supposed to go. “Cautious with people.” She still looks guarded, so I continue with my explanation. “I don’t get along with anyone, and I prefer not to. This is why I wanted to keep our lives away from the island. All I wanted was to get by and get back to our normal lives. Without forming any attachments. But then you happened.”
“Me? How? Was I climbing into your lap or something?”
I smirk. “You actually were. At one point. And on my face.”
Her cheeks pinken as she flattens her lips into a very thin line. I know it’s probably the wrong thing to say, but her sheepish look is worth it.
She looks around as if someone is listening and speaks in a low voice. “I slept with you while you were engaged to my sister.”
“I wasn’t engaged.”
“But you were, Ezra.” The way she says my name haschanged. It’s different. Cold. Detached. “You were coming here to announce your engagement.”
I move toward her, and she backs away. So I stop again. “Not exactly. I was coming here to discuss the engagement with your father. Well, I didn’t know he was your father. It’s purely a business deal, nothing else. We’ve never even seen each other.”
“It doesn’t matter. The whole world knows now.” Her voice waivers at the end. “You have to marry her. She has to marry you.” Her voice turns panicky. “And I have to watch it.”
She moves to the window. “I amthe other woman. In my own sister’s relationship.” She places her hand on her chest. “Today was supposed to be the day when I came back to my family. I knew it would be shameful.” She laughs sadly. “I just didn’t know how much. Youmademe the other woman, Ezra.” She looks up at me. “And now, you’ll have to marry your real woman.”
26
Maeve
“Maeve.” His voice is begging. His eyes are pleading.
And my heart matches it. But it doesn’t matter. I can never give it what it wants.
When Beatrice came here, she was very clear about what she wants.
“Maeve, I can’t believe you’d do something like that to me.” Her eyes are shiny like she’s been crying on the way to my room. “And this is after all the shit you’ve put me through when you ran away.”
“I didn’t know he was your boyfriend,” I try explaining.
“Fiancé,” she corrects, accentuating the word with a glare. “He’s now my fiancé according to the entire world.”
“Fiancé,” I agree, because there’s nothing else I can do.
“So, you just go and randomly sleep with people on vacation?” She’s nasty, and I don’t remember her being so nasty before. I guess sleeping with her fiancé brings outthe worst in her. And I can’t even blame Bea—I don’t know how I’d behave in a situation like that.
“It wasn’t a vacation.” This is the first time I snap back. “We didn’t have food or shelter. Or even water at first.”
“And what? You had to exchange saliva? Did it bring you close together, and you had to jump each other’s bones?”
I stop letting her walk over me for a second and look at her. “Do you love him?”
“What?”
“Do you love him?” I repeat the question quieter.
“The love will come,” she replies, turning to the side.
“So it’s a no.”
“Of course not! I’ve never even met the guy. He was supposed to be my ticket out.” She’s breathing rapidly like she’s on the verge of a panic attack. “And you? Do you want to tell me that you love him after spending a few days with him?” She rolls her eyes. “He must be really good in bed.”
“Bea,” I call quietly as I watch her so familiar and yet unrecognizable face. “What happened to you?”
