Page 9 of My Wife

“Shit.”

I glance over at Tommy. While I’d been staring at the boat, he pulled out his phone. “Something wrong?”

He frowns down at the screen. “Aaron just ditched us.”

“What? You mean he’s not coming?” I didn’t get a buzz on my phone. Even though I know there’s no service on the island, I brought it with me because, well, it’s habit. “He cancel through the group chat?”

Once I agreed to this when he sprang it on me two weeks ago, Tommy set up a group chat specifically for those of use who were taking the trip. It made it easy to discuss who was paying for what, what time we should meet at the harbor, if anyone else needed to leave early like Tommy and I did, and what we were bringing for food. As of this morning, everything seemed good to go, and the last messages I received were Summer and Madison showing off the matching set of nails they got for our trip.

Summer got blood-red on her inch-long nails. Madison went for adorable little pumpkins drawn on her much shorter ones. Violet apologized for not being able to make the appointment the night before.

I painted my own nails black because, well, I wasn’t invited, was I?

Tommy shakes his head, curls rustling gently in the breeze. “Nah. I guess, since I’m the one who set up the weekend, he sent the message straight to me. Here. Look.”

Aaron M

Hate to drop this last minute on you, bro, but I’m not gonna make the ferry at all today. I picked up a chick at the bar last night and she’s still with me. Gonna spend the weekend with her. Maybe the week, too, if I get super lucky.

Tell everyone not to have too much fun without me.

I snort as Tommy slips his phone into his back pocket. Same old Aaron. “I’m surprised he didn’t try to get her an invite so he could shove her in Vee’s face.”

“Maybe it’s for the best that he’s a no-show. Don’t forget. Vee and Chase both used the work excuse for why they’d take the ferry over later. If they wanted to be alone before we even got there, I’d hate to shove that in Aaron’s face. Watching your friend get with the girl you loved… it fucking sucks, especially when you know she was better off without you.”

Oof. Looks like Halo Island might be stirring up some bad memories for both of us. For me, it marked the night my entire life changed when my mom died. For Tommy, it was the beginning of the end of our high school relationship.

I’m clutching onto my suitcase with my left hand. With my right, I find Tommy’s. “I’m here now.”

And if we both know that I wouldn’t be if Clay hadn’t died, Tommy is so horrified at what he just said, he doesn’t mention it.

Instead, he squeezes my fingers. “Cyn, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean it.”

Yes. He did. But he didn’t mean to make me feel guilty for things that happened in the past that I can’t change. Since I’ve reconnected with him, he’s never brought up our past in such a way, and as his eyes dart over my face, checking for my reaction, I know he’d take back his words if he could.

Letting go of my suitcase, I cradle his jaw, rubbing my thumb over his scruff. The simple kiss to his lips is my way of accepting his apology. He sighs against mine, murmuring my name.

I draw away. “Come on. We don’t want to miss our ride.”

His next exhale is one of relief. “Right. Let’s go.”

Mulligan—always just ‘Mulligan’—hasbeen running this ferry my whole life. When I was a kid, taking random weekend trips to the island with my mom before its lake stole her from me, he seemed ancient. That’s nothing compared to now.

His hair is white. His face is made up of wrinkles so deep, his watery brown eyes are easily hidden among them. The faded blue cap with the embroideredcaptainon the front is frayed along the brim. He walks with a slight stoop, but as Tommy and me board the ferry, he takes my luggage from me without any trouble at all.

“That makes four of you’se,” he says, his voice cracking as he adds my case to the much larger stash that has to belong to Summer and Madison. “Find a seat if ya like. We’ll be getting underway in a minute or two. Then I’ll make sure to finish your party with the last three.”

Four of us. Tommy. Me. Summer. Madison. Chase and Vee are coming later tonight, and considering even someone like Mulligan could see that Tyler and Summer have been having marriage trouble lately, I guess he decided to take the evening trip, apart from her. Did Aaron actually show a hint of maturity by calling down to the harbor and canceling his ride in favor of his booty call? I guess so, unless he got in touch with one of the others to do it for him.

It’s possible. I’ve always been on the outskirts of this friend group. If it wasn’t for Tommy asking me out freshman year, I wouldn’t have been part of it at all. Summer and Madison have always been besties, and Vee lived on the same street as Tommy growing up. Tyler and Clay were on the football team with him—running back and kicker to Tommy’s quarterback—and Aaroncame with Vee, just like I was a package deal with Tommy. And Chase…

When you’re rich, good-looking, and arrogant, you just weasel your way into any group you want, I guess.

Five years away from them didn’t make it any easier for me to rejoin the group. Summer takes every chance she gets to remind me that I left Gullhaven, and as her echo, Madison says the same shit. Of all of Tommy’s other guests, these are the last two I’d have picked to take the ferry ride out to Halo Island with, including Chase—and isn’t that saying something?

But I’m here for Tommy. He wants to give me new memories,bettermemories of the island. It’s only three days. I can do this.

Ican?—

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