Absorbing my frustration.
I take another swallow of wine and keep going.
“I did everything right, you know?” My voice catches, but I plow on. “Followed the rules. College. Marriage. Kids. I read the articles. I took care of myself, kept the house perfect, paid the bills on time, remembered birthdays, packed everyone’s lunches with notes, for God’s sake—who does that anymore? I thought if I did everything you’re supposed to, I wouldn’t end up… in the middle of the ocean on a boat built in the fifties with a crew running around like paparazzi, telling you to smile while you hold up your barf bag.
“Instead of the perfect party, we ended up with what?” I demand. “Drinking warm peach margaritas rimmed withsalt, eating tacos that tasted great, sure—but who knows what was in the water they washed those pans with? We’ll be lucky if no one catches malaria or some tropical disease. And all because I didn’t check their Better Business Bureau rating.”
I look at him then, because I can’t help it. “The website lied.” The wine makes the words feel soft and sloshy.
I take another swallow, the glass clinking as I set it down. “What if the winery in Ensenada isn’t legit either? What if we all end up on some true-crime documentary about the bridal party that?—”
“Ash.” His voice cuts clean through the noise, quiet but final. But that’s not why I fall silent.
His hand is on mine, warm, anchoring me when everything inside is spinning.
Beckett, in this moment, makes me feel safe—even knowing there are still things he hasn’t told me. And it’s… scary.
“The winery’s legit,” he says softly. “Remember? Luna and Noah went down there last winter.”
“Oh.” I blink, my brain catching up. “Right. I guess.”
He isn’t dismissing me. He isn’t even disagreeing. He’s just… looking at me. Giving me one hundred percent of his attention.
I smile, tired. “I like you like this, Beckett. Without your head buried in your laptop. Without your phone glued to your ear.”
For a second, something flickers across his face—like he’s standing at the edge of a confession. His jaw tightens.
“You think you’re too smart to fall for it,” he says.
“What?” He’s lost me.
“Scammers. Lies.” His voice is low. Then quieter, almost to himself: “Until you do.”
I tilt my head, wishing I maybe hadn’t had that third glass of wine. What am I missing here?
But he’s already looking away, clearing his throat. “Anyway,” he says, “You don’t need to worry about your sister. According to Luna, you are not only the best maid-of-honor a girl could have, but also the best sister in the world. She was having fun, babe. Didn’t you see her doing the limbo? And your mom’s friend—Babs? God, that was hilarious.”
I almost smile. “That was before the barf bags came out.”
He grins faintly. “Yeah, well, there’s no pleasure without pain, right?”
I roll my eyes, but he squeezes my hand again before letting go.
“Your sister knows how much you love her,” he says quietly. “You know that, right?”
“Yeah.” My voice comes out small.
He nods once, stares out at the water, and then exhales. “So… what’s up next, and what can I do to help? Blow up balloons? Make centerpieces? Consider me all yours. Except for tomorrow morning ‘cause I promised the boys we could go on the go-karts again.” He smiles proudly. “They’re both actually pretty good drivers. We have a couple Mario Andrettis in the family.”
“Oh, God. I refuse to think that far ahead.”
But then Beckett grows serious again. “I mean it, Ash. You’ve taken on a lot. What can I do?”
And that pulls me right back to the reason we’re here. Luna’s wedding.
“Hold that thought.”
THE VEIL
