Skye felt a hole open up in her stomach. She stood up, tried to appear as casual as possible even though every muscle in her body was extremely tense, and walked to where Marla was waiting at the stern rail.
“Skye,” Marla hissed, leaning in closer than necessary so only Skye could hear. “You need to get a handle on Lucy. We can’t have this come out. You know how important it is for us to finish the show. The network is breathing down my neck. You know what TV drama looks like; don’t make me spell it out.”
Skye crossed her arms over her chest. “I thought youwanteddrama.”
Marla’s face twisted, and a vein ticked at her temple. “I wanted tension between the contestants, not the bachelorette fucking one of them.”
Skye nodded slowly, because nodding was easier than arguing. But the instant she looked back at Lucy, her throat tightened. The hurt, the frustration, and every tiny betrayal stacked up over the past few weeks. Every timeSkye had ignored Lucy, thinking it was for her own good, it had actually hurt hermore. Enough was enough.She couldn’t keep quiet anymore, and she knew the moment she started talking, half of America was going to see this.
Clearly, Stanley wouldn’t miss the chance to spin it into a scandal. Skye knew deep down that whatever she was about to say next would be replayed, memes would be made, and gossip would spread faster than wildfire. But she didn’t care. This wasn’t about perfect storylines or great ratings anymore. It was about finally telling the truth and finally admitting everything she kept inside.
Skye straightened her spine and took a breath that felt way too big for her lungs. “No!” she blurted.
Marla blinked. “What do you mean, no?”
“I can’t keep doing this,” Skye said, her voice rising so loud it carried across the deck to every single camera trained on her. “First, you and Stanley forced me into this role because the real bachelorette couldn’t bother to show up. Then Alexis finds out about me and Lucy and decides to blackmail me.” Skye didn’t need to go into all the lengths Alexis had gone to keep herself in the show. She knew the confessionals would tear her apart later anyway. Skye would make sure of that. “And now you, Marla, are forcing me to finish the show like nothing’s wrong. You want me to pretend everything’s normal when I’ve already made my choice. You’re right, Marla… it’s not fair to the other contestants what I’ve done, but it’s also not fair to anyone to keep lying either.”
She swung around to where Lucy and Amy were still sitting, frozen on the deck. Amy, who had a slice of melon halfway to her mouth, blinked rapidly. Lucy, whose mouth hung open, had just dropped a cracker onto her thigh.
“Amy,” Skye said, first turning her attention to her. “I need to apologize to you.”
“Skye,” Marla warned, looking like she’d been stung by a thousand tiny bees. Her jaw tightened, and her lips pressed into a thin, furious line.
But Skye didn’t look at her. She couldn’t. She needed to be honest. For the first time in a long time, she needed to say what she felt.And she didn’t care if every word she spoke was being captured by cameras, which would be aired on television for everyone to see.
“Amy,” she said again. “I haven’t been fair to you or the other contestants. You signed up for a chance at love, and I should’ve given you that chance.” Her chest tightened, but she forced the words out. “But instead, I crossed a line.” She took a deep breath and exhaled the words. “I slept with Lucy. And it wasn’t just once.”
Amy’s lips parted, and her lashes blinked fast.
Marla let out an exasperated groan, but Skye was adamant about saying what she needed to say. She needed to let the truth out. Even if it meant she would lose her job. Even if it meant America would see the blurred lines she’d crossed and how she’d twisted rules and trust alike by sleeping with Lucy when she knew that she shouldn’t. She just couldn’t keep up the charade anymore.
“I’m sorry, Amy,” Skye added, her throat tight. “I’m sorry to all of you for leading you on, and for letting you all think there was even a chance to be the one. Because the truth is, all this time, I’ve been falling for Lucy, and I can’t deny it anymore. I can’t deny that I’m falling in love with her.”She shook her head, feeling rather helpless.
Lucy’s breath hitched.
Skye turned to face her, and the rest of the world blurred at the edges until it was only Lucy. Wide-eyed, stunned, beautiful Lucy.
“You,” Skye said in a voice that was trembling slightly from the adrenaline. “It’s always been you. You’re the one I think about when the cameras shut off, when I can’t sleep, when I start convincing myself I don’t deserve something real. I took this job thinking if I buried myself in work, if I kept chasing something that looked important, maybe I wouldn’t notice how empty I felt. But I hate it, Lucy. I hate the long hours, the fake smiles, the constant pretending. I hate who I’ve become.” She shook her head, her neck hot and cheeks burning. “But then I got suckered into the role of bachelorette and I met you and suddenly I couldn’t pretend anymore. You’ve made me laugh when I didn’t want to. You see through me when I’d rather hide, and it’s terrifying.” Her chest rose and fell in uneven breaths. “Because I haven’t felt this way about anyone before.”
“But you feel it for me?” Lucy whispered. She’d been sitting frozen beside Amy, but then suddenly she wasn’t. She stoodup and took a step forward, toward Skye.
“I do,” Skye replied. “I’m in love with you, and—”
She didn’t get to finish. Lucy crossed the space between them faster than a heartbeat and grabbed two fistfuls of Skye’s dress. She pulled her close, and their lips met in a rush. Skye let out a startled laugh against Lucy’s mouth before sinking into it. Her hands flew to Lucy’s waist. The world tilted, and her heart hammered so fast it was ridiculous. But she didn’t care. Lucy kissed her like she’d been waiting for years, like she had no intention of ever letting go.
Gasps from the production crew rippled across the catamaran. Marla said something in the background, but Skye barely registered it. Lucy’s lips were too soft, too insistent. Her breath mingled with Skye’s, and her fingers threaded up into Skye’s hair. All she could think about was getting off this boat and somewhere alone.
Lucy pulled away just a fraction. “I’m in love with you too,” she muttered, barely moving away enough for Skye to study her face. “I fell for you the moment I met you.”
Skye chuckled and swept her hands up Lucy’s sides. “Really,” she said teasingly. “Well, I’m glad I made quite the impression on you then.” Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Amy stood up. A lump suddenly thickened in Skye’s throat. As perfect as this was, she still couldn’t help the guilt creeping along her arms and legs.
But Amy didn’t look upset. On the contrary, she was grinning.
“Makes way more sense now,” Amy said, strolling toward them as if she had all the time in the world. “I should’ve seen it coming.”
“What makes sense?” Lucy asked, snapping her head back.
Amy laughed and turned to face them both. She pointed a finger at Lucy and shook her head amusedly. “Why you’ve been a total wreck since night one.”
