but my sister is in full flight.
Drew is majestic when she’s angry—silvery-blue eyes wild like some mythical creature about to unleash hell on the universe. She’s dressed in her signature head-to-toe black, complete with chunky hardware-studded boots and a necklace with a small silver fang hanging from it.
“No, I will not stop. Your cousin is a dickwad,” Drew continues. “A self-obsessed, egomaniacal dickwad. And, for another thing—”
“Drew!” This time it’s me interjecting.
She looks at me then back at Flynn, whose face is marred by a deep frown. He pulls her toward him, embracing her in a hug that looks as delicious as freshly washed sheets and fluffy pillows and softer-than-a-kitten blankets.
“Let her speak,” he says softly.
“Sorry,” she grumbles. “I get a bit protective sometimes.”
“He knew I was going to be there,” I continue. “I think the whole thing about him boasting that he was going to return the rings was a ruse so Sherilee would tell me exactly when to go to his place. He turned up with flowers...and my wedding band.”
Again with the fucking flowers. How did I not see that for the manipulative ploy that it was all the other times he used it?
“He said it was all a mistake. That we could go back to the way things were between us.” My head pounds. The worst thing—or maybe it was the best thing—was that I wasn’t even a little bit tempted to take him up on his offer. Whatever I felt for him in the past...it was gone. Totally gone. “He tried to tell me that the wedding had made me overly emotional and that’s why I was reading too much into what I ‘thought’ I heard.”
Drew brings my mug over and places a kiss on the top of my head.
“I was surprised, to be honest. I thought he’d be mad, but he just seemed...desperate.” I inhale deeply, sucking the alcoholic fumes into my lungs in the hope it might relax me. “He was determined to convince me that I was making a mistake by walking away. He promised me the world—an even bigger and better wedding, a beautiful house, a honeymoon to Paris.”
I had to laugh at that. He’d pooh-poohed my original suggestion to honeymoon in Paris because of all that “boring museum shit” I liked. Now suddenly it was back on the table?
But I’d noticed once key thing missing from his grand declaration: anything of substance. Had he offered to work on the relationship? No. Had he offered love or companionship or a happy future? No. He’d only offered things he could secure with a swipe of his credit card. Because that’s all that mattered to him.
“Do you want me to talk to him?” Flynn asks.
“No. Honestly, I just want some time alone to think,” I say with a sigh.
Flynn nods and rakes a lock of his gingery-red hair back from his face. “Seriously, Presley. Whatever you need, we’re here for you.”
“Don’t you feel bad taking my side over your own family?” I ask him.
Flynn gives me a crooked smile and, for a minute, I can totally understand why my sister fell for him, even if he’s not at all my type. “Family is complicated, and I don’t condone Mike’s behavior ninety-nine percent of the time. He and I...we’re very different people. You’ve got no reason to feel humiliated, but he does. This whole thing is on him.”
Drew told me that Flynn’s brother was there when Mike gave the speech about how he wasn’t really in love with me. Both Flynn and his brother, Gabe, were furious on my behalf, which is nice...but it’s hard not to feel humiliated by everyone knowing I was duped.
I stroke the fine face of my grandmother’s watch. It’s an art deco piece, with loads of intricate little details. My grandparents’ wedding date is engraved in scrolling letters on the inside. Family is important to me, and I treasure this piece with all my heart. Having it back makes me feel like a hole has been patched up inside me.
“I appreciate the support, you two. Really.” I flop back on the couch. “But I am ready for some solid Netflix binging. There’s also a tub of ice cream and a soup ladle with my name on it.”
Drew snorts. “A soup ladle is an interesting choice.”
“I want to see how much I can fit in my mouth at once.”
“That’s what she said.” Drew gives me a quick squeeze and heads to the front door, with Flynn close behind. His affection and