Will frowned in concern. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
Her smile was melancholy. “Yes, you do,” she said, and as soon as he lowered his hand from her hair, she knew he understood. “It’s not going to be the same.”
“That doesn’t mean it has to end…”
“You make it sound so easy.”
“It’s not hard to get from Nashville to New York. It’s, what… a two-hour flight? It’s not like I’d have to walk there.”
“And you’ll come see me?” Ronnie heard the tremulousness of her own voice.
“I was planning on it. And I was hoping you’d come to Nashville, too. We can go to the Grand Ole Opry.”
She laughed despite the ache she felt inside.
He put his arms around her. “I don’t know why all of this is coming up now, but you’re wrong. I mean, I know it’s not going to be the same, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be better in some ways, too. My sister lives in New York, remember? And it’s not as though school goes year-round. There are breaks in the fall and spring, another around Christmas, and then it’s summer. And like I said, it’s an easy enough trip if we just wanted to make a weekend out of it.”
Ronnie wondered what his parents would think about that, but she said nothing.
“What’s going on?” he asked. “Don’t you even want to try?”
“Of course I want to try.”
“Then we’ll find a way to make it work, okay?” He paused. “I want to be with you as much as possible, Ronnie. You’re smart and funny and you’re honest. I trust you. I trust us. Yeah, I’m leaving and you’re going back home. But neither of those things changes the way I feel about you. And my feelings aren’t going to change simply because I’m going to Vanderbilt. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone.”
She knew he was sincere, but a nagging voice inside her asked how many summer romances actually withstood the test of time. Not many, and it had nothing to do with feelings. People changed. Interests changed. All she had to do was glance in the mirror to recognize that.
Yet losing him seemed unbearable. He was the one she loved, the one she would always love, and as he leaned in to kiss her, she gave herself over to him. While he held her close, she ran her hands over his shoulders and back, feeling the strength in his arms. She knew he’d wanted more in their relationship than she’d been willing to offer, but here and now, she suddenly knew she had no other choice. There was only this moment, and it was theirs.
When he spoke, his voice was at once tentative and urgent. “Do you want to come with me to my dad’s boat?”
She could feel herself trembling, uncertain whether she was ready for what was coming next. At the same time, she felt a powerful urge to move forward. “Okay,” she whispered.
Will squeezed her hand, and she had the impression that he was as nervous as she felt as he led her toward the boat. She knew she could still change her mind, but she didn’t want to stop. She wanted her first time to mean something, to happen with someone she cared deeply about. As they drew near the boat, she only vaguely registered her surroundings; the air was cooling, and from the corner of her eye, she could see guests moving on the dance floor. Off to the side, she saw Susan talking to the elderly man who’d been watching her earlier and was again struck by the nagging thought that she knew him from somewhere.
“That was such a sweet speech, I wish I could have recorded it,” she heard someone drawl.
Will flinched. The voice came from the far side of the dock. Though he remained hidden in the darkness, Ronnie knew exactly who it was. Blaze had warned her something like this might be coming. Marcus stepped out from behind a pole and lit a fireball.
“I mean it, Richie Rich. You really charmed the pants off her.” He grinned. “Almost, anyway.”
Will took a step forward. “Get the hell out of here.”
Marcus moved the fireball, rotating it between his fingers. “Or what? You’ll call the cops? I know you better than that.”
Will tensed. Marcus had somehow struck a nerve, though she didn’t know why.
“This is private property,” Will said, but he didn’t sound as sure of himself as he should have.
“I love this part of town, don’t you? Everyone down here is so country club chummy, they built this nice walkway that follows the water from one house to the next. I just love coming out here, you know? To enjoy the views, I mean.”
“This is my sister’s wedding,” Will hissed.
“I always thought your sister was beautiful,” Marcus said. “I even asked her out once. But the tramp turned me down. Can you believe that?” He didn’t give Will a chance to respond before he motioned to the crowd. “I saw Scott earlier, up there acting like he doesn’t have a care in the world. You gotta wonder about his conscience, huh? Then again, yours isn’t so clear, either, is it? I’ll bet you haven’t even told your mommy that your little hooker girlfriend here is probably going to jail.”
Will’s body felt as taut as a bowstring.
“I’ll bet the judge is setting her straight, though, huh?”
The judge…
Suddenly, Ronnie knew why the older man had looked so familiar… and now the judge was talking to Susan…
She felt her own breath catch in her throat.
Oh… God…
The realization came in the same instant that Will let go of her hand. As he charged toward Marcus, Marcus threw the fireball at him and leapt from the dock to the walkway. He scrambled up into the yard, near the corner of the tent, but he was no match for Will. Will easily closed the distance, but when Marcus glanced over his shoulder, Ronnie saw something in his face that told her this was exactly what he’d wanted from Will.
She had barely a split second to wonder why before she saw Marcus diving toward the ropes that supported the tent…
She lunged forward. “Don’t, Will! Stop!” she screamed, but it was already too late.
Will crashed into Marcus, entwining them both in the ropes as the pegs tore loose from the ground. Ronnie watched in horror as a corner of the tent began to collapse.
People began to scream, and she heard a sickening crash as one of the ice sculptures toppled over, the guests scattering and screaming. Will and Marcus were struggling on the ground before Marcus was finally able to extricate himself. Instead of continuing to fight, he burst free from the commotion and leapt back onto the walkway, vanishing from sight behind the neighbor’s house.
In the ensuing pandemonium, Ronnie found herself wondering whether anyone would even remember seeing Marcus there at all.
They certainly remembered her. Sitting in the study, she felt as if she were twelve years old. All she wanted to do was get as far away from the house as possible and crawl under her covers at home.
As she heard Susan shouting from the next room, she couldn’t stop replaying the image of the collapsing tent.
“She ruined your sister’s wedding!”
“No, she didn’t!” Will shouted back. “I told you what happened!”
“You expect me to believe that some stranger crashed the party and you tried to stop him?”
“That’s what happened!”
Why Will never mentioned Marcus by name, Ronnie didn’t know, but there was no way on earth she was going to add her two cents. Any second she expected to hear a chair go crashing through the window. Or for the two of them to come charging into the study, so that Susan could berate her.
“Will, please… even assuming your story is true, why was he here? Everyone knows about all the security we have! Every judge in town was at the wedding. The sheriff was monitoring the road out front, for goodness’ sake. It had to have something to do with that girl! Don’t give me that… I can tell by your face that I’m right… And what were you doing with her at your dad’s boat, anyway?”
The way she said “that girl” made Ronnie sound like something disgusting Susan had stepped in and couldn’t scrape off her shoe.
“Mom—”
“Stop! Don’t even try to make excuses! It was Megan’s wedding, Will, don’t you get that? Her wedding! You know how important this was to all of us. You know how hard your father and I worked to get everything ready!”
“I didn’t mean for it to happen—”
“It doesn’t matter, Will.” Ronnie heard Susan let out an explosive sigh. “You knew what was going to happen if you brought her here. You know she’s not like us…”
“You haven’t even given her a chance—”
“Judge Chambers recognized her! He told me she’s going to court later this month for felony shoplifting! So either you didn’t know and she’s been lying to you, or you did know and you’ve been lying to me!”
There was a tense silence, and despite herself, Ronnie found herself straining to hear Will’s response. When he did speak, he sounded subdued.
“I didn’t tell you because I knew you wouldn’t understand.”
“Will, honey… don’t you get that she’s not good enough for you? You’ve got your whole future ahead of you, and the last thing you need in your life is someone like her. I’ve been waiting for you to figure it out on your own, but obviously you’re too emotionally involved to see the obvious. She’s not good enough for you. She’s low-class. Low! Class!”
As the voices escalated, Ronnie felt physically sick; it was all she could do not to vomit. Susan wasn’t right about everything, but she had guessed right about one thing: Ronnie was the reason Marcus had come. If only she had trusted her instincts and stayed home! She didn’t belong here.
“Are you okay?” Tom asked. He was standing in the doorway, holding his car keys.
“I’m really sorry, Mr. Blakelee,” she blurted out. “I didn’t mean to cause any problems.”
“I know you didn’t,” he said. Despite his sympathetic response, she knew he had to be upset as well. How could he not be? Though no one was seriously hurt, two guests who’d been knocked over during the commotion had been taken to the hospital. He was in control of his emotions, and she was thankful for that. Had he even raised his voice, she would have burst into tears.
“Would you like me to drive you home? It’s pretty chaotic out there right now. Your dad might have trouble getting to the house.”
Ronnie nodded. “Yes, please.” She straightened her dress as she stood, hoping she could make it home without throwing up. “Would you please tell Will that I said good-bye? And that I won’t be seeing him anymore?”
Tom nodded. “Yeah,” he said. “I can do that.”
* * *
She didn’t throw up and didn’t cry, but she didn’t say anything in what had to be the longest car ride of her life. Nor did Tom, though that wasn’t exactly surprising.
The house was quiet when she got home; the lights were off, and both Jonah and her dad were sound asleep. From the hallway, she could hear her father breathing; it was deep and heavy, as though he’d had a long, hard day. But all she could think as she crawled into bed and began to cry was that no day could have been longer and harder than the one she’d just endured.
Her eyes were still puffy and sore as she felt someone shaking her awake. Squinting up, she saw Jonah sitting on the bed beside her.
“You’ve got to get up.”
The images from the night before and the things Susan had said came surging back, making her suddenly feel nauseated.
“I don’t want to get up.”
“You don’t have a choice. There’s someone here.”
“Will?”
“No,” he said. “Someone else.”
“Ask Dad if he can handle it,” she said, pulling the covers over her head.
“I would, except that he’s still sleeping. And besides, she asked for you.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know, but she’s waiting for you outside. And she’s hot.”
After throwing on a pair of jeans and a shirt, Ronnie stepped cautiously onto the porch. She hadn’t known what to expect, but this certainly wasn’t it.
“You look terrible,” Megan said without preamble.
She was dressed in shorts and a tank top, but Jonah was right: Up close, she was even prettier than she’d been at the wedding yesterday. She also radiated a self-confidence that made Ronnie instantly feel years younger.
“I’m really sorry about ruining your wedding…,” Ronnie began.
Megan held up a hand. “You didn’t ruin the wedding,” she said with a wry smile. “You made the reception… memorable…”
At Megan’s comment, Ronnie felt tears beginning to form.
“Don’t cry,” Megan said gently. “I don’t blame you. If it was anyone’s fault, it was Marcus’s.”
Ronnie blinked.
“Yeah, I know what happened. Will and I talked after my mom was finally finished with him. I think I’m pretty clear on everything. So like I said, I don’t blame you. Marcus is insane. He always has been.”
Ronnie swallowed. Though Megan was being ridiculously forgiving about the whole thing—or maybe because she was being so understanding—her feelings of mortification only intensified.
“Umm… if you’re not here to yell at me, then why did you come?” Ronnie asked.
“Partly because I talked to Will. But the main reason I came is because I want to know something. And I want you to tell me the truth.”
Ronnie felt her stomach roiling. “What do you want to know?”
“I want to know if you love my brother.”
Ronnie wasn’t sure she’d heard right, but Megan’s gaze was unwavering. Yet what did she have to lose? Their relationship was over. Distance would make sure of that, if Susan didn’t do it first.