Caroline sighed, then forced a smile. “I bet you have a lot of questions.”
“A fair amount. Am I free to ask them?”
“Of course. I have no secrets from Rick.”
Cocking an eyebrow he said, “Oh, I see. Okay, then. My first question is ... to put it bluntly ... did you have sex with Wickham at your sister’s wedding?”
“Yes. Twice.”
“And, just for the record, do you remember the last thing I said about him?”
“I do, and I should have taken your caution more seriously. I regret it. There were plenty of others I could have pursued to restore my confidence after you made it clear—by omission—that you were still in love with Elizabeth.”
He’d facepalm if it wasn’t rude, but he continued listening to her, following a disappointed sigh.
“Did you sleep with my cousin to get back at me or to restore your wounded pride?”
“We never had sex. Not even once.”
“Interesting.”
“You’re telling me!” she said. “It wasn’t that we didn’t want to. We almost did ... three times, but ... didn’t.”
“Then why didn’t you? Usually, nothing stops your craving.”
“Darcy, we didn’t hook up because you’re my blood, and I respect you,” Rick said. “I’m not in the habit of shagging soon-to-be family, no matter how intoxicating she is. We deferred to the side of honor and integrity, wanting to speak with you first because we both love you.”
“I gotta say ... I’m shocked. Thank you for that.” He paused, gaze switching from one to the other on the opposite side of the desk, then furrowed his brow. “Beanz, I’m baffled as to why you lied about us having sex on the beach.”
“Because ...” she shrugged. “I thought if there was a doubt about my getting pregnant, you wouldn’t break it off—and I was also covering for being a jackass by having a quickie with Wickham after the reception.”
His gaze switched back to Rick.
“If you’re wondering,” Rick interrupted, taking Caroline’s hand in his. “I am aware of Wickham, and others, and that the two of you have a marriage contract. Upon reviewing it, we both understand and accept that Caroline broke the agreement by sleeping with Wickham before you broke the pact in Paris with your ex-girlfriend, thereby rendering it null and void.”
“Actually ... no, Beanz didn’t break it first,” he graciously said, leaning forward, suddenly humored by the whole thing.
“What?” Caroline and Rick said at the same time, heads snapping to attention.
“What you don’t know, Beanz, is that before you arrived on the beach, Lizzy and I made love throughout the night until sunrise. So allowmeto take responsibility for breaking The Marriage Pact before you. Further, I knew you were on birth control and responsible enough to have a backup as stated on page sixty-eight, subpart five point two. Pregnancy wasn’t on the table. If anyone was going to get pr—um—um ... . Sorry, Beanz. I didn’t have any intention of things going sideways in our plans, and I know you counted on elevating your financial situation.”
“You rat! You cheated!”
“I’m not entirely the rat. Wickham’s the true rat here, pursuing you when he knew we were engaged. I may have uncharacteristically broken a contract, but you sent me to Paris entirely aware of my vulnerability when around Lizzy. Why did you do that?”
“Because.”
“Because you wanted to be with Rick? Caroline, you should have mentioned your interest in my cousin before showing upat my aunt’s birthday party on his arm. People talk and form all sorts of ideas, you know. My aunt views life in black and white legalities. Betrayals are her abhorrence.”
“Rick had nothing to do with me sending you to Paris. Sorry, Rick, but ... we justhappenedon the day you left when we ran into each other outside Bergdorf’s. He likes Thai food ... and has dimples and a motorcycle and isn’t afraid to let his hair down! Look, the truth is, I wanted you to make up your mind—me or her. And if I lost you, at least I’d have the painting as compensation.”
“And someone to take my place.”
“No! You’re my bestie, Darcy! I wanted you to choose happiness, which I assume you did because, well, you look so ... like you finally got laid! I planned on the Seurat so I could eventually turn a tidy profit, not because I loved it. Falling in love with Rick after only a few dates was a total mindscrew, and to be honest,” she looked at Rick and smiled, “he’s the one.”
“I see,” he said, internally relieved and incredibly happy for her.
“Are you upset?”
