Page 19 of The Wrong Fiancée

The truth was, when it came to women like Felicity, there was a comfort in their predictability. She could talk about Ming vases and Edo-period scrolls with the best of them, and that had seemed like enough for me. You could take her to an art auction or a charity gala and never worry about her saying the wrong thing or looking out of place. But now, I couldn't help but wonder—was that why I'd chosen her? Because she made sense on paper and not because of deep feelings on my end?

My thoughts drifted to Elika, as they had been lately, more often than I cared to admit. She wasn't polished or society-approved. She probably couldn't walk into a Sotheby's event and network effortlessly.Butshe was passionate.Real. She didn't fit neatly into my world—case and point how she struggled with her uncle's family—and maybe that had been what scared me off all those years ago. Dante was right when he said I was into her. I was.

The last night we were supposed to spend together, when she didn’t show up, I nearly lost my mind, wanting to go find her so we could fuck one last time but knowing that if I did that, I'd want to stay longer with her, inside her.

In the end, her not coming over had been a blessing—because I'd been able to behave like I did with all my flings, say goodbye as nicely as I could, and get on with my life. And I had gotten on. However, I had thought about Elika on and off over the years—especially when I first started to date a woman. I always compared them with Elika—which was ridiculous because they were all better placed in society than Elika had been. Yet, I wished for the simplicity of the relationship we had. Walks on the beach. Drinking coconut water. Making love on the sand even when itgot into everything and everywhere. Laughing. Yeah, I remembered laughing a lot with her. She had a playful charm that complemented her zest for life. The woman I saw now seemed withdrawn, pulled back.

I knew even then she would be the wrong partner for me no matter what my dick said. But Felicity? She was a choice I'd made based on logic, on the life I thought I wanted. And now, as Theo sat beside me, saying more with his half-hearted sighs than he likely meant to, I felt a creeping discomfort settle in. Maybe I was shallow, too, just like Cristin, like Ginny.

"Felicity's got a way of making people feel like they have to measure up," Theo added, breaking into my thoughts, "Like you're not worth anything unless you can impress her."

I wanted to defend my fiancée, but I didn't have a higher ground to stand on.

I stared into the distance, feeling that knot of doubt tighten in my chest. Felicity had always been demanding—intellectually, socially—but I had seen that as a challenge, something I needed to rise to. Now, I wasn't so sure. Perhaps Theo was right. And perhaps Felicity wasn't the only one who had been measuring people—I had been doing it, too. And what did that make me?

"I'm sorry," Theo was contrite when I didn't respond to him, "I sometimes have no filter."

"Theo, don’t lose your honesty," I said. "In our world, having a filter is mandatory. If you can survive without one, you should. Now, to answer the question you didn’t ask—I’m guessing you’re dating Cristin because your parents expect you to."

Theo chuckled sheepishly. "Yeah, something like that."

"Don't date someone because it's expected of you."Advice you should take for yourself, Dean."Surround yourself with people who challenge you, make you better, more."

Theo looked glum. "I graduated from Yale, Dean. I’m always surrounded by people challenging me."

I shook my head. "No, they’re competing with you. Challenge is different—it’s constructive. That’s what I have with my brothers."

Theo nodded thoughtfully. "You're right. I come from a world that's competitive and pushy. I studied business because I was expected to. Not because I wanted to. You know, Sean didn't do that."

Sean was Felicity's younger brother. I'd met him a couple of times but hadn't had the chance to get to know him well.

"He thinks you're just like her other men." Theo raised his beer bottle in a toast. "I'll tell him you're not."

That explained why Sean had kept his distance from me. He was studying public policy, and I knew that bothered the hell out of his mother and sister. I couldn't understand the problem. If they had as much money as they did, why did it matter what Sean studied? As my father once told all of us,"Do what you want to do; that's why we have the money, so we can have our freedom." But we'd all ended up working for Archer Arts & Antiquities. I was the least business oriented, and Duncan was just a thug in a suit. Damian was our wheeler and dealer—shrewd and tactful. I loved the art, the discovery—not so much the acquisition of art galleries and distributors or all that other crap that Damian was ruthlessly into.

"So, what you're saying is that I should end it with Cristin?"

"No, man," I groaned, "What I'm saying is that you should make your own choices. You should think about what's right foryou."

"Yeah, I don't know how to do that," Theo confessed. "But I'm going to learn."

"If I can help, let me know." I'd mentored a fair number of young people, and I'd be happy to support Theo in any way that I could. "I have a question for you."

"Shoot."

"What's the whole issue with Elika?"

Now it was Theo’s turn to groan. "We all kind of grew up together. Elika and Noe came from less, and Fee and Cristin made sure they never forgot it. Noe’s your guys’ age, and Elika’s mine and Cristin’s. Noe went to the same private school as us, but Elika went to public school."

"How come?"

The bartender waved at us, and I nodded to him. Sure, we'd have another drink. We had dinner with the whole group at the steakhouse in the resort.

"Noe wanted to go to private school like Felicity and Sean, and Grant could only afford to send her and not Elika. I don't think Elika cared. The thing is that Grant wanted to show he was successful, and putting Noe in our school made him feel like he was. He had delusions of being a real-estate developer and lost a lot of money failing at that. He wanted to be like Sam—he wanted his Dad to see him as worthy," Theo explained. "Noe got her degree and managed a spa. She had a lot of ambition."

"I hear she's paralyzed."

"Yeah, she can't walk. I went to see her once at Ka Pono, feeling obligated. She was bitter and…frankly, an asshole to Elika. Like it's Elika's fault. Do you know why Elika works like a dog? She's paying foreverything. She used up all her savings; she was going to get a degree in art history, and she put all of that into Noe's rehab. So, now she works all the time. I even asked Uncle Sam if he could help, but apparently, Ginny told him not to. That man is so pussy whipped. I mean…wouldn't you find a way to help your niece?"

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