“Hello?”
“What the hell is going on, Riley?”
“Hi, Oscar. Nice to hear from you, too.”
“You’remarried? Are you out of your goddamn mind?”
I roll my eyes as I exhale through my nose. “What can I say? I’m high on love.”
Oscar sounds like he’s practically choking on his own breath. “You can’t be serious. Whatever game you and Kieran Sullivan are playing, it stops,now.”
“I’m not playing any sort of game.”
“Bullshit.”
Oscar is seething, and I can’t deny it cheers me up just a little.
“Kieran and I are in love. So, we decided to elope.”
I glance up and catch Jace’s eye in the rearview mirror.
His expression is unreadable, but I know full well he’ll be retelling this entire conversation to Kieran the moment we get home.
“How could you do this? Do you have any idea what kind of position you’ve put us in? Sean O’Keefe is going toburyus.”
“That’s not really my problem. If you and Rion hadn’t tried to auction me off to him in the first place, I wouldn’t have been forced to turn my back on my family.”
He laughs bitterly. “You really expect me to believe that you and Kieran are in love? Riley, be serious. This wasn’t some whirlwind romance. This was amove. A calculated, reckless,stupidmove.”
“Believe what you want, I don’t care anymore. But just know that Ronan is taking care of Sean, so you don’t need to worry.”
“How very generous of him,” he spits. “Jesus. Does Kieran even know what you’ve dragged him into?”
My stomach twists at the mention of his name. “I have to go. And unless you’re calling to congratulate me or tell me you’re accepting my marriage, don’t call me again.”
“Riley—”
I hang up the call.
By the time I get home, my hands are still shaking. I storm straight up to my room and slam the door behind me before tossing my bag on the floor and collapsing on the bed.
I’m so tired of being told what to do and of second-guessing every decision I make. But most of all, I’m tired of trying to figure out Kieran Sullivan.
The sex meant something to me. But instead of feeling empowered by my choice, it left me feeling like an idiot for believing that what Kieran and I had could have been real.
I lie, staring at the ceiling until a text from Lucy lights up my phone, and I quickly swipe open the screen and scan the message.
Lucy:Tequila is secured. Be here at 7. Wear something slutty.
Maybe a party isn’tthe worst idea, after all…
