Page 125 of He Loves Me Knot

“Dress?” Elle crossed her arms.

“I’m so sorry about the mess with it all. Liddy was guarding that dress with her life before security came and stole me away, though. She’s a good sister,” Sergio said.

“Yeah, the best,” Elle said sarcastically. Her gaze nearly skewered both Liddy and Callum.

Sophia had stepped back, but her expression seemed to show she was rather enjoying this.

Fuck it.He had to tell Sergio to keep his mouth shut before he said anything else, even if it meant exposing the truth about Liddy’s and his fake relationship to Sophia.

“Mae, suave un toque. Ellos piensan que nosotros somos una pareja. Por favor no diga nada mas,” Callum said quietly.Hold on. They think we’re a couple. Please don’t say anything else.

Sergio gave him a baffled look.He didn’t know I spoke Spanish, clearly.

“No, I want to hear what he has to say, Cal.” The spark of anger in Elle’s eyes was unmistakable. Liddy shrank back.

“Um—” Liddy pulled away from Sergio and grabbed Elle’s arm. “Can I talk to you? Alone?”

“Actually, no.” Elle’s eyes flashed. “I think Quinn will probably be interested in hearing whatever you have to say. I sure as hell am.” Her face reddened. “What in the hell is going on, Liddy?”

The jig is up.

Liddy squirmed. “Callum and I have something to tell you.”

“Can we take this to the beach?” Callum asked, glancing at Quinn with a pleading look. He was distinctly aware of Quinn’s family watching the scene unfolding with curiosity.

Liddy was red-faced and already speaking, “So Sergio and I met on the plane ride from London, and I mentioned to him I had your dress. We got to talking and exchanged numbers, but after I got my bags, I needed to go to the bathroom and asked Sergio to watch the dress. And then I thought he stole it, only he didn’t.”

Elle’s brows drew together. “I’m not following any of that.”

Sergio cringed sheepishly. “I didn’t know you hadn’t told them, Liddy. I am so sorry.”

Callum kept his gaze trained on Quinn. They were attracting attention. And given Logan’s involvement in all this, he doubted Quinn would want the whole thing handled indiscreetly. “Please. Let’s just go farther down the beach, at least.”

Sergio, who’d irritatingly had his arm on Liddy’s shoulder, pulled away. “I’ll wait up by the office. Pardon.” He gave Liddy a sympathetic look, then started back the way he’d come.

Sophia smirked at Callum, then followed Sergio.

Now’s her chance to ask Sergio anything she wants.But he wasn’t about to leave Liddy’s side to save face.

Elle and Quinn hadn’t moved.

So much for being out of view.

Callum came closer to Liddy, who appealed to him with glossy eyes. “Let me try to summarize, if I can. Liddy brought your dress with her. Before we’d got all our bags, Liddy went to the bathroom. When she came out, Sergio, who’d been holding the wedding dress, had vanished. Turned out Logan had left a bag of marijuana in the dress bag and a security dog detected it.”

“Logan?” Quinn repeated, then shot his brother a hard look.

Fuck.From the way that Logan shrank back, even at the distance, it was clear Logan knew what they were talking about.

“Okay.” Elle pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “Where is my dress, guys?”

“At the airport.” Liddy stepped closer to Callum.

Isla stood cautiously from the lounger, looking worried. Everyone around the pool was staring at them.

Elle palmed her forehead. “I have no idea what’s going on. Why would you lie to me about Isla bringing the dress? And the whole thing about you forgetting it, Callum?”

“We didn’t know Sergio hadn’t stolen it,” Liddy said in a soft voice that was barely audible. “I thought he did, and Callum covered for me—in exchange for me pretending we were dating.”

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