Page 92 of A Promise For Tomorrow

Liam notices my friends grilling me and chooses to make himself scarce. He takes a seat with the boys. Lexi, being the odd girl out, gives Conor a quick kiss before skipping over to us. She drops down on the chair across from us.

“What gossip did I miss?” Her blue eyes are wide and eager, waiting for the dirty details.

“We were just going over how Liam has been eyeing Madison’sassall day. And don’t think we didn’t notice his big paws gripping you right under your luscious breasts,” John teases.

My jaw drops as I spin my head to look at him. “He wasnot. The poor guy barely fits on a Jet Ski by himself, let alone with me in the front. I’m sure he was afraid of falling off at the speed I was going.”

“Sure.Sure. Keep telling yourself that,” Simon chimes in.

“Have you guys been introduced to Madison’s husband?” Lexi drops the bomb.

Audible gasps erupt from the two of them. John goes as far as to clutch his chest. “You’re married?” he squeaks.

“Alexis,” I growl, narrowing my eyes at her.

“And not to Liam. So Diego, your mysterious billionaire boyfriend is actually your husband?” he ponders, pursing his lips and narrowing his eyes.

“Yes,” I admit. No use lying to my friends now. “We didn’t start off great as you may have heard the other night. I have filled you in on the minor details, but I think you can fill in the gaps with how we ended up.”

“It’s not our place to judge who you choose to love. As long as both you and Alexis are treated right and they make you happy, that’s all we care about,” Simon says, patting my leg reassuringly.

“They do. Trust me, Simon, those men would start a war for us. Diego already did for Maddy,” Lexi chirps.

The guys look at me for confirmation on that and I just smile and shrug. He technically did. And he would do it again. Any of them would. Butterflies swarm my stomach and heavy emotion sits thick in my throat.

Diego should be here right now.

Like chocolate,I am practically melting into this massage table. My limbs feel ooey gooey and all that tension is finally gone. These Egyptian cotton sheets are extremely soft against my freshly scrubbed skin.Note to self: Ask for the thread count. We need these for our bedroom.

The salty, relaxing scent of the ocean wafts into the cabana that Lexi and I are getting our treatments in.Now this is what I needed.

Conor and the men went golfing. The rest of the guests are spending the day poolside enjoying some sun and mojitos. My sister Mikayla texted me earlier, excited to actually spend time getting to know Diego.

Little does she or my father know, he is currently in Federal custody.

She and my family should be arriving around dinner time tomorrow. The rehearsal dinner starts at 6 PM. Part of me is hoping to avoid that conversation until the wedding the following day.

“I’m thinking we need to schedule massages weekly, Madison. What do you think?” Lexi moans her approval.

I turn my head to look at her. Her blonde hair is cascading offthe table and her eyes are closed. “I agree. This is heaven,” I mumble as the masseuse works on a knot in my shoulder blade.

“Are you holding up okay?”

“As best I can be. Antonio and Liam spoke with Lindsay today. She believes things could swing in our favor, but it might be a while before then.”

“Least there is hope. Hang in there, girly.”

My eyes close and I relax back into the bed, freeing myself of the cage my thoughts are being held captive in.

I wakeup with a feeling of coming off anesthesia, all disoriented and groggy. The masseuse gently taps me on the shoulder. “Mrs. De La Cruz. We are finished now. We hope you enjoyed your spa day.”

“Loved it. Thank you, Charles,” Lexi beams. She hops off her table and comes over to me, collecting my hand in hers. “Time to go see the boys. Con just texted me saying they are waiting for us by the pool.”

When the Earth stops spinning, I join her, tossing on my bathrobe and sandals. We walk down the beach and back towards the house to discover not only the guys hanging there but my entire family.

Fuck.

“Maddy!” Mel shouts, running towards me.

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