Ivy rears back in horror.
“That’s right, Mother. I’m going toask herto marry me, and there is nothing you can say that will change it.”
I turn my head to the corner, watching as tears gather in Pepper’s eyes. Shock is mixed with pain and longing on her face, and she’s doing nothing to disguise it. Randall and I exchange a look, both understanding it. No one else has noticed, but it’s plain to see. I can’t say I’m hugely surprised.
Garrick clasps my hand in his. “You are dead to me,” he tells his mother as I watch Pepper flee the room. “I am done making excuses for the shitty human you are. You need to take a long hard look at yourself, Mother, before you end up alone.” He looks down at me, pain and resolve stretched across his strained face. “Come on, we’re leaving.”
We don’t speak as we exit the room, leaving devastation in our wake. Garrick strides forward with purpose, like he can’t wait to put distance between us and this disaster. Up ahead, I spot Pepper slipping into the bathroom. “I need to use the toilet,” I tell Garrick when we reach the front door. “You go ahead.” I stretch up and kiss his cheek. “Get the car started, and I’ll be out in a few minutes.”
“Stevie.” He takes my hands in his. “I am so incredibly sorry about all this. I am ashamed and appalled at the way she has treated you. We should never have stayed. I should have made that decision the second we arrived when I saw the Montgomerys were here.”
“I made the choice to stay, Garrick. You were willing to leave, and you did your best to defend me. This isn’t your fault, and you need to stop apologizing for that woman. I’m done trying to seek her approval. She’s your mother. What you do from here is your decision, but I will not be making any more effort, and I won’t be having any contact with her ever again. I will not put myself through another nightmare like this one.”
“I would not expect you to,” he agrees, clasping my face in his hands and pressing a kiss to my brow. “I love you.” He pecks my lips. “Go to the bathroom, and hurry. I need to get out of here before I’m tempted to murder my own mother.”
The door to the bathroom is unlocked, and I slip inside, quietly closing it behind me. Resting against the solid wood door, I wait for the woman in the voluminous red dress to turn around and face me.
I could have left without confronting her, but I need to know.
Pepper is leaning against the counter, face forward, with both hands propped on the marble, her gaze fixed straight ahead as she stares into the mirror.
Tension bleeds into the air as she slowly turns to face me with tearstained cheeks and red-rimmed eyes.
I wet my lips and clear my throat. “How long have you loved him?”
“Forever,” she whispers.
“Does he know?” I don’t think Garrick does, but I have to ask. I need to know if he’s just in denial.
She shakes her head. “He’s clueless. I’ve ensured it.”
“Why?”
“He doesn’t see me like that. Not yet.”
“Ah.” I push off the door, knotting my hands in front of me. “You are biding your time. Waiting for the right moment to make your move.”
“That was the plan, yes.” She straightens her shoulders and brushes the moisture from under her eyes. “But I waited too long. You’re different than the other girls he has dated. None of them were a threat. None of them were worthy of him, and I mistakenly believed you weren’t either. But I was wrong.”
“His mother would disagree.”
“Ivy is a bitch and a snob, and what she did to you today was despicable.”
“Yet you said nothing. All of you just sat there and let her treat me like that. You may not have gone out of your way to hurt me, Pepper, but you wanted me exposed. You were hoping to benefit by letting Ivy do the dirty work. If Garrick was free of me, you could finally make a move.”
Her chest rises, and she audibly gulps as she stares at me. “You are right,” she admits. “It was wrong of us to sit there in silence. Mom would never undermine her best friend in front of an audience, and Daddy values Ivy’s connections too much to go to bat for someone he doesn’t know. Randall is a stranger, and he couldn’t speak out for fear of upsetting Daddy.”
“But you could have. Yet you did nothing.”
“I am sorry for not intervening, Stevie. I should have called her out on her treatment of you.” Remorse undercuts her tone and flashes on her face, but I have no clue if it’s genuine. These people are skilled manipulators, and she grew up in a world where it’s acceptable to trample over everyone and everything to achieve the end goal. I doubt Pepper gives a flying fuck about me. All she cares about is Garrick.
“What do you think Garrick would do if he knew you purposely chose to remain silent for personal gain?”
“He may not know the real reason why, but he’s disappointed in me. As his friend, he would expect me to take your side.”
Yes, my boyfriend would. Hopefully, now he’ll see her true colors and want to end this charade of a “friendship.”
“I’m shocked Garrick stayed,” Pepper continues, “but that was you, wasn’t it? You didn’t want to back down.”
