She reached for her drink, taking a slow sip, trying to cool the flush in her cheeks. She wasnotstill thinking about the way Rush’s warm body had felt moving over hers, the way his thigh had slid between hers. The silky feel of his hair on her fingers as she held him to her breasts while he sucked and licked.
She pressed the glass to her cheeks as casually as she could manage.
And then the door opened again.
The cozy hum of the pub didn’t quite stop, but a subtle hush rippled through the room and the energy shifted, like someone had opened the door to let in a gust of something cold and unwanted.
Tucker. Oh, lovely. And he’d brought Madison.
She sensed his presence like a change in barometric pressure. Loud, smug, and utterly oblivious to the fact that he and Madison were not welcome faces. He struttedin, puffed up with his usual self-importance, and stomped the snow off his boots, one hand curled around Madison’s elbow.
Lily took them in at a glance; both looked tanned and well rested from what should’ve been her honeymoon.
How lovely for them. A complicated mix of emotions swirled through her. Grief and anger. Sadness and embarrassment. Hurt.
She focused on her breathing, slowly inhaling calm and exhaling tension—I am a still lake—and kept her expression composed, uncomfortably aware that every eye in the pub was watching her, Tucker, and Madison.
They stood there at the entrance just a little too long. No one greeted them. No one waved. Tucker, still wearing that cocky smile and Madison, less smiley and more subdued. She actually looked a little miserable, Lily couldn’t help but notice, being dragged along on Tucker’s arm. Her smile was brittle, and she wouldn’t meet anyone’s eyes. Guilt, or nerves. Maybe both.
Tucker searched the pub, and when he spotted her, his smile widened.
That smile—wide and polished and sharp around the edges—sent a warning straight to her gut. She knew that smile. Tucker could be charming when he wanted to be, but when he was feeling petty or mean, that smile was the opening shot. He always did have a massive ego.
Lily sat up straighter, lifted her spine, and straightened her shoulders.New Lily, she reminded herself sternly.
Tucker leaned down and murmured something to Madison, who crossed her arms and started biting her thumbnail, looking anywhere but at Lily. Then he steered them both toward the table.
Shit. She closed her eyes for half a second, searching for that inner strength she kept promising herself she had, but it felt slippery now and just out of her reach. When she opened them, hergaze went unerringly to the man across the bar, watching her intently with cool gray eyes.
She reached for the rose quartz around her throat and drew in a shaky breath.
I am a still lake.
“Lily,” Tucker said smoothly, arms crossing over his chest like he was settling in for a show. His gaze bounced between her and Bradley with mock curiosity. “This your new boyfriend?”
Bradley let out a loud burp.
Lily blinked slowly. The universe, it seemed, had a real sense of humor.
“Oh no,” Bradley muttered. He fished a folded white handkerchief out of his pocket like he was ninety and dabbed the sweat glistening on his forehead. “Thought I took enough anti-gas meds, but it’s hard to tell sometimes.” He looked at Lily apologetically. “IBS can be so inconvenient.” He scooted out of the booth with a groan. “Excuse me. I might be a while.”
Lily stared at the table, her fingers wrapped tight around her glass, her knuckles white. She could feel the weight of a dozen eyes on her—some curious, some protective, all watching, and she wanted to slide under the table and out the front door and vanish.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Amber and Theo making their way over to her from across the bar. Amber’s eyes were fiery, despite her awkward, belly-first waddle. She looked ready to brawl. Theo looked grim, already loosening his tie like he might need to drag his wife off someone.
Cap was heading over, too, weaving around tables with a thunderous look on his leathery face. Killian stepped out from behind the bar, drying his hands on a dish towel, his jaw tight as he eyed Tucker.
The cavalry was coming.
Which somehow made the entire situation even worse.
She could not handle her family coming to her rescue right now.
Tucker was practically cackling. “Didn’t think you’d have the guts to show your face,” he said, dragging Madison against his side like a trophy he’d won at the carnival.
“I mean, it’s not like we planned this little reunion.” Tucker’s grin turned smug, and his eyes glittered with something mean. “You’re the one who decided to make a public spectacle of yourself. But then, you always did love attention, didn’t you, Lils?”
Lily refused to rise to the bait. Not here. Not like this. But the words she wanted to scream trembled on her lips, and she pressed them firmly together, staring straight ahead as her hands curled into fists beneath the table.
