“My dad and I found a great spot. It's packed, but we have a perfect view of the stage." Amaya settled the tablet in front of her, and Aelin’s eyes snagged on the left side of the screen.
Ryan was there on the quilt. He wore a red polo shirt and a backward hat, his hands on the grass, propping him up as he leaned back.
"Aelin, did you hear me?" Megan's voice cut through her thoughts, and Aelin blinked, tearing her eyes away from the screen.
"Sorry, what?"
"I was saying that Tag's brother is trying to set their sister up with this guy who used to do adult review shows in Vegas."
Aelin blinked. "I’ve never known anyone who did adult reviews in general."
Megan laughed. "I keep begging him to send me pictures."
“Shirt on or off?” Aelin blushed when she realized Bailey wasn’t on mute and she was in the frame. Ryan glanced up at the camera.Had he heard that?
Megan kept talking, but Aelin’s eyes drifted back to the screen. Ryan was in a new position, sitting cross-legged. The screen tipped and angled so she could only see . . . the middle of him. His legs and part of his torso. He reached over and grabbed his water bottle, lifted it out of the frame, then set it back on the ground.
Aelin pretended to be watching something in the distance, realizing this wasn’t anI can’t see his face, so he can’t see mesituation.He could absolutely be watching the screen even though his face was higher than the camera.
Aelin wanted to interrupt Megan and tell her everything about Ryan and his wife Kara, but she couldn’t ask Bailey to mute her tablet in the middle of her conversation with Amaya.
She couldn’t wrap her mind around what she would do if she were in his shoes. Looking at Ryan, she wanted to tell him to move on with his life, but she knew it wasn’t that simple. If she’d been married to someone she loved?
That idea was equally ludicrous. She didn’t even know what that would look like, and even being married to someone like Clark, she hadn’t been able to turn off the idea of love or the commitments she’d made like a faucet. It had to be killed. Slowly.
She knew exactly what he meant the other night in his kitchen. Death would’ve been difficult, but at least he would have closure. If there was no way she was getting better, her diagnosis put them both in the worst kind of limbo.
Still. It didn't seem right that he should have to give up his entire life. That he should deny himself the possibility of starting over.
Something fluttered in her chest. If he did start over . . . what kind of woman would he want to start over with?
Something shifted in her field of vision, and she glanced up. Her whole body went rigid as Clark set up a chair next to Megan and Tag.
“You didn’t invite me this year.” He smirked.
Megan’s eyes flicked to Bailey sitting a few feet away and smiled tightly. “I didn’t know you’d be around.”
He laughed. “Because you asked?”
Megan folded her arms over her chest and shot Aelin an apologetic glance. Aelin’s heart beat like a rabbit. This was her mistake. She shouldn’t have come here with Bailey knowing they’d come here the past couple of years with Clark.
“I’m so glad this worked out, though, because I needed to give you information for our daddy-daughter date next time. I need you to pick up Amaya after.”
Aelin ground her teeth. Of course he did. That Saturday was the day before they were leaving town, which meant she couldn’t say a damn word about this request. He was being generous and letting her take Amaya for the week, missing his normal weekend with her. So now she had to do whatever he wanted.
“Just text me the address,” she said.
Clark reached out a hand. “Here. I’ll type in the time and place on your calendar.”
She frowned. “Uh, you can just?—”
“Aelin, please, don’t be difficult about this. It’ll be easier to type it in for you. There are some instructions for finding the place.” Clark’s tone made her want to strangle him.
Bailey looked up from her tablet, and Aelin smiled tightly. “Sure. Makes sense.” She swiped open her calendar and clicked on a new event, then handed it to him. Her heart jammed into her throat as she watched his fingers on her screen. It looked like he was typing. Was he swiping or entering information?
Aelin started to sweat. “I think?—”
“Damn it, I accidentally deleted it.” He looked up at her and smiled. “Can I make a new one quickly?”
