Something Old

by Megan Ryder

  She laughed at his words, a delicate tinkling of sound that was less about true mirth and more about practiced delicacy designed to draw attention and foster the image of a sweet, delicate woman. Kira was a piranha, nothing sweet about her.

  “Oh, Ethan, living on the farm has made you naive. You know how the world works. Cami is the perfect wife for you. She’ll be the perfect hostess and her family can help expand the business. Delaney can only drag you down.”

  “I wasn’t aware that Cami knew anything about vineyards.”

  Kira’s eyes flashed and her jaw tightened, the first real emotion Ethan had seen from her in months. “Don’t be obtuse. It’s time for you to stop playing around and do your duty. Your father can’t keep working like he has. Remember, it was your mess that caused his health crisis in the first place.”

  “My mess? How do you figure?” He was genuinely confused by her comments.

  “You were dating the daughter of a criminal, insisting that you were going to marry her no matter what. Your father had to work long hours regaining the trust of his investors and dealing with the SEC. And you trotted off to play in the dirt. You owe William. You owe me.”

  “He’s the one who invested in the business. My dating life is not even on the SEC’s radar. He made his own mess.”

  “And you escaped while your father had to deal with the fallout. You have a duty to your family. Or do you want to kill your father?”

  The door to the porch opened and William walked in, a cigar in his hand. Kira let out an annoyed huff. “It’s like he wants to die.” She turned to Ethan, gesturing behind her toward Cami. “It’s a beautiful night. Take Cami for a walk. As a favor to your father who invited her in good faith.” Kira stormed over to her husband, ramping up a good tirade. Ethan would have felt sorry for his father, but his father knew what he had married.

  Cami walked over and looked askance at Ethan. He sighed. “Shall we?”

  Ethan held the restaurant door open for Cami and scanned the length of the porch for Delaney, but he didn’t see anyone. He escorted Cami down the steps onto the manicured lawn, the moon shining brightly on them, making the night almost like day.

  She pulled her blue wrap around her shoulders and shivered. “I didn’t expect September to be so cool.”

  “It’s the ocean breeze. Do you want my jacket?”

  She shook her head. “I’m fine. Thank you for taking some time for me. I know you’d rather be somewhere else.”

  He sighed. “I’m sorry, Cami. My father should not have invited you under false pretenses.”

  She smiled. “I can take care of myself. Besides, my massage was amazing. But I feel like I’ve intruded on you, like I’m not welcome, and I’m not sure I understand what’s going on. I thought you and Delaney were in the past. Kira said you wanted me here as your date.”

  “Kira doesn’t speak for me and neither does my father.”

  “I supposed I should have known that. I’m sorry if I made things difficult for you.”

  They walked across the grass quietly, Cami holding onto his arm for balance as her shoes sank into the grass. Finally, after a few minutes of this, she laughed. “Ethan, you’ve been very kind but, honestly, I think I’ve intruded long enough. We were never going to be more than friends, were we?”

  “No.” He paused but didn’t look at her.

  “I know our families had hoped for something more. But I don’t see anything happening here, do you?”

  He made a sound of frustration. “I had wanted to love you. It would have been easier. But the truth is, my heart was given away a long time ago.”

  She glanced up at the porch at a figure that stood framed by the light from windows. “Kira says Delaney is no good for you.”

  “You should know better than to listen to Kira.”

  She shrugged. “Maybe. I do know that we could be good together. Our families are already close.”

  “I don’t love you.”

  She winced at the bold comment. “What does love have to do with it? Most marriages start off with a bang but fizzle when the couples realize they’re not even friends.” She took a step closer, the top of her head brushing his chin. She ran her hand down his chest. “We’re good together, Ethan. We could have a good life.”

  Her touch, while not unpleasant, didn’t set his body on fire, not like Delaney. “Maybe I want more than just good. Don’t you?”

  She dropped her hand but didn’t step away. “Plenty of people don’t even have good.”

  “You deserve more. We both do.”

  Suddenly, Cami wound her arms around his neck, pressed herself against him and planted a solid kiss on his lips, rubbing against him. He kept his hands loose at his side, no response whatsoever.

  Gently, he disentangled himself from her grip and firmly took a step back. “Cami, no. This isn’t what I want. And, no, I don’t care if it’s what our families want. This is the twenty-first century, not the nineteenth. Go and find someone to be happy with. Have that passion and excitement. It’s worth it.”

  “Even the pain? I remember what you went through, even if I didn’t really know the whole situation. Was it worth it?”

  He considered her words for moment. Was it worth a lifetime of pain for a brief flash of passion? The answer came to him immediately. “Yes, it’s completely worth it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have someone to see.”

  He strode away, the desire to see Delaney at that moment driving him. Suddenly, a figure disengaged from the shadows on the porch and opened the door to the restaurant. She turned for a brief moment and the look on her face stopped him in his tracks. Her shoulders slumped and her head was bowed as if defeated. Sadness radiated off her and her eyes were accusing. She slipped inside the doorway and disappeared before he could free his feet and chase after her.

  When he got into the restaurant, she was gone.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Delaney watched the sun rise over the gently rolling waves of the Gulf of Mexico. Her eyes were gritty with unshed tears and she feared looking in the mirror to see her puffy and red eyes. She wasn’t the only one up most of the night. Noises in other rooms indicated Anna was also awake, but no one sought her out. Maybe too much time had passed since their closeness in college, or maybe they each needed to figure out what to do with their futures. But first, they had to put on their happy faces and give Caroline the wedding she deserved.

  And she had to face Ethan.

  After seeing Ethan kissing Cami last night, Delaney needed to escape. It had been a small gathering with just close friends, but hearing Kira’s snide comments and not being able to respond grated on her nerves. Then the confrontation with William Van Owen was the whipped cream on the worst ice cream sundae that was her evening. Ethan had never given her a reason not to trust him, not even during the worst of times. But she couldn’t help thinking about what William had said and the article he had given her last night.

  It was almost verbatim to that horrible night, five years ago, when he had visited her house after her father’s death. He had appealed to her guilt and her fragile emotional state, manipulating her into breaking up with Ethan, sacrificing her own happiness to ensure Ethan’s future. Who knew if it was the right decision? Neither of them had been very happy since that day, even if it took being trapped on an island to admit it. Now, William was asking her again to step away, use this week as closure and move on to the life they were meant to have. Five years ago, a naive and scared girl had fallen for the trick. William Van Owen did nothing for anyone else but himself. She wouldn’t be surprised if he was acting sicker than he was to ensure Ethan’s sympathy.

  She could believe almost anything. She wouldn’t fall for his tricks. This time she’d talk with Ethan, not run and hide. Lay her cards on the table and come what may.

  Delaney arranged the veil over Caroline’s shoulders and peered into the mirror. The fit-to-flared wedding dress was layered with Chantilly and Alencon lace, the silver accents lending the dress
an air of moonlight glinting off the water. The tiered, pearl shoulder straps capped off the dress beautifully. Brigid had returned, almost at the last minute, refusing to speak of her time away but promising a full accounting of her absence. Caroline, as per usual, had forgiven her and they all toasted with champagne while getting ready.

  “Caroline, you look like a princess.” A regal throwback to the Grace Kelly era. Classic, elegant, and unreachable.

  She pivoted, admiring the flare of the skirt, before embracing Delaney tightly. “I wish this had been you. I’m so sorry I ruined your week.”

  “And I’m glad you brought me back to life,” Delaney whispered in her ear, hugging her, believing the words as she never had before.

  Caroline pulled back and gestured for the other two women to join the huddle. All the women hugged, holding for several long moments but none pulled away, as if reveling in the renewed sense of sisterhood they’d recaptured that week. When they separated, Delaney saw the same tears in her eyes reflected in the other women.

  “We may move away and we may not see each other for many years, but we can never, ever grow apart. Agreed?” Caroline’s voice was fierce and strident.

  All the girls laughed, wiping tears from their eyes, and nodded.

  “Now, let’s get you married!” Delaney said.

  Delaney stood next to Caroline under the gazebo, Anna and Brigid arranged out from her, witnesses to the wedding of two of their best friends. Thank God Brigid had made it back in time for the wedding. Everything had been repaired from the storm, the gazebo built brand new, thanks to Grady and his construction talents. Flowers had been woven around the trellis to mimic the roses that once grew on the original. The sky was blue and cloudless, a gentle breeze cutting the late afternoon September heat. The day was absolute perfection, right down to the sunset, exactly as Caroline and Matthew deserved.

  Exactly as Delaney had once imagined her own wedding day.

  The music started again and Caroline and Matthew walked down the aisle, finally married, smiles as big as the sun. Ethan stepped up and held out his hand for Delaney. She paused and looked at it for a moment, weighing if she should take it. She stretched out her hand and placed it in his, the strength of his fingers curling around hers, assuring her of safety. She raised her eyes and met his, seeing relief and something else in his gaze, sadness, nerves, fear? She gave him a questioning look but fell into step next to him. She pasted on a broad smile and faced the people who had rejected her years before and stood tall and proud, back where she belonged, at Ethan’s side.

  The pictures were interminable, no rest, no privacy, and lots of tension between everyone. They each put on a good front for the bridal pair, but there were cracks in everyone’s facade, leading to irritated snaps and angry outbursts. By the time they were all announced into the reception, Delaney was desperate for a drink and some solitude.

  She headed for the bar as soon as she was free. “Cosmopolitan, please. Two.”

  The waiter nodded and started to mix. Delaney turned to the crowd and a voice caught her attention.

  “Delaney Winters? Is it really you? Brady said he thought it was you walking with Ethan but I said no way. You left Houston years ago, breaking up with Ethan and were flat broke. No way you were here.”

  Delaney closed her eyes momentarily, sending up a brief prayer for strength. She bared her teeth in her best imitation of a smile and faced Mackenzie Allyn, no wait, Allister now. She had married Brady Allister a few years back. “Mackenzie, so nice to see you again. You’re looking well.”

  “It really is you. I’m shocked. I had no idea you and Caroline were still friends.”

  Delaney arched an eyebrow. “And why would you be surprised? Caroline is a true friend, not one to abandon people for social gain.”

  Mackenzie’s face paled, then two dark red spots bloomed on her cheeks and her eyes narrowed. “How dare you. You think you’re better than me, always thought you were. But now I hold all the cards and you are beneath me.”

  She grabbed her husband’s arm and dragged him away with one last targeted look at Delaney, who raised her first Cosmo in a mock salute and drank it in one long swallow.

  Yes, drunk was going to be the only way to get through this.

  “Making friends?” Ethan’s low voice spoke in her ear. “That wasn’t well done of you. Wasn’t she one of your closest friends in school?”

  “Only until the scandal. Then she turned on me like a hyena scenting a dead antelope.”

  Ethan leaned against the bar, sipping a glass of whiskey, a smile on his face. “You’re obsessed with African predators.”

  “Maybe it’s because I’ve had to watch out for them the last five years.”

  He tipped his head to her. “Touché. Now, what did my father have to say last night?”

  She ignored his words. “You and Cami looked very friendly last night.”

  He gestured with his glass to the room. “Do you see her around?”

  Delaney followed his gaze and saw her sitting with Kira, who didn’t look happy. “She’s with your family.”

  He took her hand and raised it to his lips. “But not with me. I’m with you. Forever.”

  “Ethan!” William gestured to Ethan, who grimaced.

  “Duty calls. Try not to be an antelope.” He kissed her quickly on the lips and strode across the ballroom toward where his father stood with several other men, probably discussing financial matters.

  She nodded and picked up the second Cosmo, sipping it as she surveyed the room. What was her next move? Where could she go and not have to deal with any stress? That was when she noticed something odd. People were casting sideways glances at her and murmuring. Immediately, she was cast back in time to the first charity event she had attended after the arrest.

  Ironically enough, it was at the same museum where she now worked. Her and her mother had planned the event and, while her mother couldn’t leave the house, she had begged Delaney to represent the family and handle the affair. No one spoke to her the entire evening. Whispers swirled around her as she made her way around the event, coordinating the wait staff and serving crew.

  Things hadn’t changed that much.

  She moved through the crowd, people parting like the Red Sea for Moses, and the whispers began.

  “Can’t believe she would dare show her face here.”

  “Did you see her with Ethan? I can’t believe he would be that stupid.”

  “I heard Ethan is going back to his father’s firm.”

  “We’d better move our investments before anything happens.”

  Delaney kept her head high, providing no indication that she had heard the voices. But William’s words haunted her.

  Ethan will never be free as long as he is with you. You can only drag him down.

  She met Ethan’s questioning look across the room. She smiled reassuringly at him and headed for the bridal party table, where Anna sat.

  “Who kicked your dog?” Anna asked as Delaney slumped into the chair. Her eyes followed Delaney’s path. “Well, shit. Nasty gossips. Screw them all.”

  Delaney sighed. “Was it too much to hope that things would have changed in five years? What’s your excuse for pouting?”

  “Don’t you remember? I’m the original bitch,” Anna grumbled.

  “I thought you left Bianca St. John behind for the week. What happened?”

  Anna glowered at her. “That fucking news article.”

  Delaney froze. “News article?”

  “It’s not about you, don’t worry. This one is about me and my bitchiness. One of those damn tabloids wanted to be the one to spill the gossip about Passions not renewing me. Now I have no job, no real options yet and no Wyatt. Banner wedding day, isn’t it?”

  “At least Caroline and Matthew are happy.” They watched the happy couple circulate the room, beaming in their love.

  “Better not let Caroline see you two moping.” Brigid spoke from behind them. She slid into a seat and sipp
ed her scotch.

  “Scotch? I guess you really are a more manly lawyer than woman.”

  Brigid shrugged. “Can’t beat ’em, join ’em. Besides, I like the taste. And this is truly excellent.” She took another sip then fixed a stare on the two women. “So, what’s got you down? I thought you and Ethan were all set.”

  “People are being mean,” Anna confided.

  Brigid stared at Delaney, who shifted in her seat, embarrassed. “So what? People are always mean and stupid. Who cares? Ethan loves you and that’s all that matters.”

  “Not exactly. He’s moving back to Houston.”

  “Awesome! Isn’t that what you wanted? I mean, I love you, but I can’t see you a farmer’s wife.” Brigid’s brow furrowed.

  “Me neither but the scandal.” Anna leaned forward and whispered to the other woman.

  Brigid waved her hand. “So past tense. It’s forgotten.”

  “Not quite.” Delaney filled them in on her conversation with William and the article. “It’s like a time machine, five years ago all over again. I can’t ever outrun the past. And I can’t go back again. So, what do I do?”

  Brigid and Anna exchanged glances, then Brigid spoke. “Do you think that will matter to Ethan? Wait, is that why you broke up back then? Gossip?”

  Delaney nodded, misery a knot in her chest. “I couldn’t ruin his life like mine was. I thought that was all in the past, that we could be together, but he insists on coming home to Houston to help his father with the business, and people are clearly not accepting of me.”

  “You’re going to let his father split you up again? This is between you two, not him. You should talk with Ethan and see what he wants to do.”

  “He’ll never walk away, no more than he would have before. He doesn’t need a wife whom everyone questions.”

  Anna gripped her hand. “You didn’t steal that money, Delaney. It wasn’t your crime. People are just being nasty. You can weather this storm.”

  “I can’t ask Ethan to do that.”