“I…I…” I stutter, not sure how to finish the sentence, so I change routes. “I have been thinking, and I decided that you are lying to me.”
“Am I now?” he asks as he switches to push-ups. “About what?”
“About why you–” my words catch in my throat as I watch his back flex with each rise and fall. His shoulders arch into an M shape as he presses. “Why you did this?”
“Are we really having this conversation again?” he asks through the strain of the push-up.
“Yes. We are. Because you haven’t admitted to anything, but I know the truth,” I tell him, trying not to stare and failing.
“Which is?” he groans.
“Jaylen.”
“Harper,” he shakes his head.
“No. I know he had something to do with this. You literally have no other reason to go to this extent. No matter what is going on between you and Daniel, all of this–”
“Harper…”
“You and Jaylen both hate Daniel, and because the two of you basically share a sixteenth of a brain cell and always have, he sent you to stop the wedding.”
“That’s funny,” Ash says as he comes to his knees, switching back to burpees. “Riddle me this: why wouldn’t he just come out here and stop the ceremony himself? Why go to the trouble of sending me?”
“Because, you’re–” I stop talking when Ash stands in front of me, towering over me like a sweaty, heaving, breathing statue of male pheromones. “Bigger.”
Ash grins down at me with a slow head nod, and I let out an exasperated sigh and storm off. If he’s not going to admit it, I am going to prove it.
“Hold that thought,” I say as I grab my phone and punch in Jaylen’s number. He answers on the second ring.
“Hey, sis. It’s early. Can I call you back in a–”
“This was all your idea, wasn’t it?” I snap.
“I’m not following,” he says. I can tell by the sound of his voice that I woke him or interrupted something. Either way, he’s in a bed and probably not alone.
“Don’t play dumb, Jay. I know you sent Asher here to kidnap me.”
Jaylen lets out a confused laugh, and I can hear sheets rustling. “What are you talking about?”
“You sent Ash to Costa Rica!” I say. But I’m sure he already knows.
“Costa Rica? Why would I send Ash to Costa Rica? Jesus, sis, are you drunk?”
“To ruin the wedding!” I blurt out.
“I told you he doesn’t know anything,” Ash chimes in as he lunges across the room.
“Harper, what’s going on?” Jaylen asks.
“What’s going on is Daniel and I came to Costa Rica to elope and your sidekick here barged in and ruined everything,” I say.
“Hold up,” Jaylen says, and based on his tone, I’m starting to think maybe Ash was telling the truth. “Put me on speaker phone.”
I let out a breath and do as he says. The cat is out of the bag now, I guess, and I’m the one that freed it. This just keeps getting better and better.
“Ash, is that true?” he asks. “Was Harper really about to marry Colby?”
“Yep,” he answers mid-lunge.
