change anything.”
Ethan wasn’t used to being in the position of defending relationships, but he found himself advising Boone to trust in what he and Emily had. “You hurt her. She’s striking back. Please do not tell me you’re the kind of man who walks away at the first sign of trouble. I thought this woman was the love of your life. You let her go once. If you do it again, you’ll never forgive yourself.”
“She’s the one who walked out,” Boone grumbled. “Both times.”
“Meaning it’s up to her to fix this so your pride can remain intact? That’ll be cold comfort to you when you’re all alone in your bed. Don’t you remember how that felt?”
Boone sighed. “All too well,” he admitted.
“Then what are you going to do?”
“I wish I knew.”
“Well, talking to me isn’t the answer, I can tell you that.”
“And you think I’m going to get within a hundred yards of her tonight once Gabi, Samantha and Cora Jane turn that house into a fortress against the enemy?”
“A very dramatic description, but last time I checked, every one of those women adores you and wants you and Emily to live happily ever after. I suspect you can talk your way past them. Now, go.”
“I need to check on B.J.,” Boone protested.
“Your son is with his grandmother. She’ll make sure he gets home. I’ll check in on him, too. Stop delaying. Get over there and grovel, if you need to.”
“Groveling’s one thing,” Boone said. “I can do that. It still won’t solve the core problem.”
“And that’s what compromise is all about. You give a little. She gives a little. And voilà! A solution materializes and the wedding’s back on.”
Boone listened to what he had to say, then chuckled. “It’s no wonder you’re not married. Forget the infamous Lisa. You live in some sort of delusional world when it comes to women. I’m going to pay for this. I’ll be living in Los Angeles till I’m ninety just to prove how much I love her.”
“Then you’re not the man I thought you were,” Ethan told him. “Rumor has it you have excellent negotiating skills. Seems to me it’s never been more critical that you put them to good use.”
Boone didn’t seem to buy the pep talk, but he did head out.
Ethan pulled his cell phone from his pocket and called Samantha. “How are things where you are?”
“Ugly,” she said in an undertone. “Hold on.”
He waited while she apparently sought some privacy.
“Ethan?”
“I’m here. Boone just left. He’s on his way over to make peace.”
“Seriously? Is he delusional? He can’t turn up here with flowers and champagne and make this right. He led Emily to believe that he understood her need to live in Los Angeles. She thought they had an agreement.” She sighed, then added, “Okay, to be honest, she hoped he’d adapted.”
“And he thought it was a temporary compromise,” Ethan responded. “Till this job was wrapped up.”
“He talked to you about this?” Samantha asked incredulously. “You knew he wanted to move back to Sand Castle Bay?”
“We discussed it this morning,” he confessed, “but I’ve had a pretty strong hunch all along that’s what he was thinking. Boone’s roots are here. This is home to him, the same as it is for me.”
“And that’s it? You’re the men, so you win?”
“Why are you getting annoyed with me?” he asked, bemused by her attitude. “It’s not a matter of winning or losing. Mature couples compromise all the time. They can split their time between coasts. Or Emily might find that she can have an equally fulfilling career here. Boone’s given Los Angeles a try. Maybe she could give Sand Castle Bay a try. I don’t know what the answer is for them. I do know they’re the only ones who can figure it out.”
“Emily thought they had.”
“Then she wasn’t really listening, was she?”
“I can’t talk to you right now,” Samantha snapped. “My sister needs me.”
And that, Ethan thought as he heard the sound of the call being disconnected, was precisely why he didn’t believe in happily-ever-after. If Boone and Emily, who’d loved each other practically forever, couldn’t even make it through the vows, what chance did the rest of them stand?
* * *
“Who was that?” Emily asked suspiciously when Samantha returned to the bedroom where Emily had been crying her eyes out for the past hour.
“Ethan,” her sister admitted. “He says Boone is on his way over.”
“I don’t want to see him,” Emily said, even though her expression was filled with longing.
“Do