Page 30 of Mark

Hayden purses her lips. “Freya’s sister is getting married to Freya’s ex-boyfriend. On this cruise.”

I whistle. “Shit, that’s messed up.”

“Why would I be dating Jaxon?” Faith asks, leaning over from the other table.

Hayden repeats what she told us, but my attention goes back to my neighbour, who seems just as tense with the new arrivals. She really doesn’t get along with her parents.

Forcing her to watch her ex-boyfriend and sister get married is cruel. And by the looks of it, she only has the woman sitting next to her on her side—if the scowl the old woman sends the parents is anything to go by.

Her behaviour towards me might be questionable, but I wouldn’t wish this upon anyone.

“Come on, Lake. Please.”

“I said no, Max, and if you ask again, I’m going to see if they’ll get me another room,” my aunt growls.

I watch them approach and see the exasperated look on my aunt’s face as Max opens his mouth again. “But I’ve always wanted to do this. It’s like… it’s like my dream.”

“So was the all you can eat buffet in France a few years ago,” she argues.

Max licks his lips, his eyes glazing over for a moment, before he shakes himself out of it. “But we are on a cruise. When will we ever get a chance to do this again?”

“Take one of the kids,” she orders.

“I don’t know what it is but the answer is no,” Hayden rushes out when her dad’s gaze lands on her.

“Sunday? Do you want to come with your favourite… Shit. What am I to her?”

Everyone pauses around the table, all of us thinking about it. “Wouldn’t she be your great niece?” Charlotte asks as she comes to stand beside us with Drew at her side.

“I don’t know but I’ll take it,” Max declares, holding his hands out to Sunday.

She goes willingly. “Max, don’t you dare,” Lake warns.

“It’s not like we’re on the edge, edge,” he argues back.

“Bring my granddaughter back, right now,” Dad warns.

“It will take two minutes,” Max assures him. “Lake, get your phone out.”

“What is he doing?” Mum asks, getting to her feet.

“He wants to re-enact a scene from the Titanic,” she mutters quietly, lowering herself into her seat. “I swear, I should have left him at home.”

I turn as I hear, “I’m king of the world!”

He’s holding Sunday’s arms out, who is standing on the bars in front of him. She’s laughing her head off, screaming, “Yay.”

“Max Carter!” Mum screeches, racing over. “Get her down from there now.”

I turn back around when I notice people are watching the scene play out. My gaze lands on Freya, who is watching on with a smile.

Maybe she isn’t as crazy as she makes out to be.

But when those magnetic lagoon blue eyes land on me, they narrow into slits, and I retract my last thoughts.

She’s definitely crazy.

Batshit crazy.

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