Olivia shuddered and, overwhelmed by the intensity of her sudden need for him, leaned back with a laugh. “I guess I’ll take that as a yes, then?”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWOMarigold
Marigold told Jonathan she’d meet him at the yacht club, but by the time she arrived, it was already a quarter to five. Guests were gathered on the lawn, dashing in and out of the club to use the bathroom and escape the heat. It was the worst place in the entire universe to have an emergency discussion about the state of their relationship.
There weren’t many places to remain out of sight on this side of the island, which was swept mostly bare by the fierce ocean winds. There were only a few houses spread far apart, separated by expanses of sandy rock and scrub. But there was one place where the guests surely wouldn’t venture, so Marigold texted Jonathan to meet her there.
When she descended the weathered wooden stairs built into the bluff, she spotted a man in a tuxedo sitting on a step facing the ocean, a bottle of whiskey on the ground next to him. Before she could call his name, he glanced over his shoulder, then roseto his feet to face her. She wasn’t sure what tipped Jonathan off to her presence; he surely hadn’t heard her quiet footsteps over the crash of the waves on the rocks below.
Marigold scanned his face for some sign of how he felt, but his eyes betrayed nothing.
“I’m so sorry,” Jonathan said as she approached him. “That was… I have no idea what I was thinking. I was upset and confused, but there’s no excuse for…” He sighed and let out a bitter laugh. “I can’t believe I’d ever do something that shitty.”
“I’m sorry too. It was ridiculous that I never told you that I was married before, and even crazier that I lied about what was going on the last few days.”
“Yeah, but you did that to protect me, even if was a misguided attempt. What I did… that was pure selfishness.”
She lowered herself onto the step, reached up for Jonathan’s hand, and pulled him toward her. For a moment, she felt him resist, then he sat down next to her, close but not quite touching. The two inches between their bodies felt as vast as the slate-gray ocean stretching out below them. “I wasn’t just trying to protect you,” Marigold said. “I was also trying to protect myself. I was scared that you’d change your mind about marrying me if you knew I was the type of person who’d elope with a stranger after two weeks.”
Part of Marigold hoped he’d contradict her, but instead he waited a long moment and said, “Yeah, that was a lot to process.” He must’ve sensed that his words had stung, because he took Marigold’s hand and squeezed. “Sorry, it was just too much to take in on my wedding day.”
She squeezed back. “Tell me the truth,” she said, meaning it. “If I’d told you earlier, before we got engaged, would it have changed how you felt?”
He fell quiet as he considered this. That was something she’d always appreciated about Jonathan, how he wasn’t afraid to think before he spoke. “It’s hard to say. I wouldn’t have minded that you’d been married before—that’s not a big deal. But, yeah, knowing that you’d eloped with someone you barely knew… I think it would’ve made me question if you’d givenusenough thought.”
“Even though we dated for two years before we got engaged?”
“I’m not saying it’s rational. It’s mostly because of my own insecurities—I always thought, always worried, that I’d tricked you into being with me. That at any moment, you’d come to your senses and realize you’d made some terrible mistake.”
“What are you talking about? How could you havetrickedme?”
“It was always just hard to believe that you’d choose me.”
“Jonathan,” she said, full of sudden tenderness for him. “What are you talking about? You’re kind, brilliant, and handsome. You’re the catch of the century. I never felt good enough for you!”
He laughed and there was less bitterness in it this time. “Well, this is a sticky wicket, isn’t it?”
She smiled and nudged him the ribs. “Okay, never mind, I can’t marry you now. That just gave me the ick.”
His turned to her, his expression grave again. “Seriously, though. What do you want to do about…” He gestured toward the yacht club. “All this?”
Marigold took a deep breath. “I can’t do it, I’m sorry. I can’t marry you.”
“I understand.” His voice was full of sadness and regret, but there wasn’t any perceptible pain.He doesn’t want to get married, either, Marigold realized.He just wanted to give me the chanceto call it off first.A gentleman until the very end. “I think… I think that’s the right choice.”
Marigold exhaled, feeling suddenly lighter than she had in days. “So what do we do now?”
“I guess we go up there and tell everyone.” He picked up the bottle of whiskey, took a sip, then passed it to her with a smile.
She accepted it with a laugh and followed suit. “I might need a bit more of this first. Tess is gonna go nuclear.”
“Whatever, she’ll still get paid. No biggie.”
He took the whiskey bottle back from her and took another sip. “So, ready to face the music?”
Marigold turned toward the yacht club, listened for a moment, then laughed. “I can’t believe there’s literal music to face. How long do you think they’ve been playing for?”
“Guess we’ll find out when we get the bill.”
