Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 74321 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74321 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
“Awesome. Congrats.” I rolled my eyes. “But that doesn’t explain why Jack didn’t break up with Wes right away. In fact, he dragged it out as long as possible, didn’t he? Should we be grateful he ended it the weekend before their wedding, instead of actually leaving Wes at the altar?” I sighed and muttered, “Fucking heartless assholes.”
Warren tried to look indignant. “Who are you to judge us?”
My voice rose. “I’m someone who cares about Wes, you dick! Something both you and his fiancé failed to do for four months while you snuck around behind his back, then finally blindsided him less than a week before his wedding! Shame on you, Warren. Shame on both you and Jack for betraying Wes’s trust and hurting him. Jack could have broken off the engagement as soon as you and he got together. You didn’t have to use your only brother like that, just to make your goddamn sex life more exciting.”
Warren stared at me for a long moment, before sneaking a guilty-as-hell look at Wes. What he should have done was apologized. What he did instead was release the mooring, start the engine, and drive away.
“Your family breaks my heart,” I said quietly, as the sound of the motorboat faded into the distance. “They just wrong you, over and over again, and no one ever bothers to apologize or seems to care about your feelings.” When he didn’t say anything, I shifted around to look at him and asked, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I’m glad I finally have confirmation they were sneaking around behind my back. I’d spent the last year wondering if I was just being paranoid.” He obviously wasn’t okay, though. Pain shone in his eyes, but he kept his voice steady when he said, “I did the right thing by moving to the other side of the country and putting figurative and literal distance between myself and my family.”
“Yeah, you really did.”
“I just wish it hadn’t meant separating myself from the few family members who still care about me, like Millie.”
“Y’all will be close no matter where you live. That little girl is crazy about you, and nothing will ever change that.” He nodded in agreement.
After a pause, I asked, “Besides Millie and her parents, is there anyone else you want to spend time with while we’re here in Bora Bora? Your dad, maybe? He didn’t say much…or anything, really, when we were at the villa, so I’m not sure how he feels about all of this.”
“He always takes my mother’s side, without fail, so if she and I are having conflicts, then he and I are, too.”
“Oh. Well, was there anyone you wanted to see at the wedding? Maybe we could make plans to get together with them or something.” I was grasping at straws, but he just seemed so sad, and I desperately wanted a way to cheer him up.
“I would have liked to see my grandfather,” he said. “He’s a busy man, though. In fact, he’s just flying in for the wedding, then right back out again the next morning. He probably won’t have time to see me.”
“You don’t know that for sure. Why don’t you call him?”
He thought about that, then picked up his phone and composed a text. After he sent it, he told me, “I messaged his assistant and told him I’d like to see my grandfather if he has the time. It’s worth a try.”
“Wow. When most of us want to reach a grandparent, we don’t actually go through an assistant. We just call them on their landline, then try to hold a conversation while they yell ‘What?’ into the phone.”
Wes grinned at that. “Davis Stanton Bennett has always had a whole team of people working for him. He’s the person who pioneered the surgical technique that bears his name. He retired as a surgeon decades ago, and now he travels the world teaching and lecturing. He also heads an international nonprofit that brings medical care to people in developing countries.”
“He sounds like a great man.”
“He is.” Wes put his phone down and said, “Anyway, if he wants to make time to get together, great. If not, there’s nothing I can do about it.”
“I hope he calls.”
Wes gently caught my chin with his fingertips and tilted it up. When I met his gaze, he asked, “Are you alright? You seem upset.”
That was so like him, worrying about me when he was hurting. I sighed quietly and said, “I just feel like I made everything worse for you with your family. I’m not talking about Warren or Jack, they can both suck it. But if I wasn’t here, maybe you’d be going to that wedding, or at least to some of the family events beforehand, and seeing your grandfather. Plus, you and your mom wouldn’t be fighting, and—”