Page 97 of Beached Wedding

“I’m not upset!” Whitney yelled.

“Clearly.” I could feel myself wanting to climb aboard the reaction train, but I was also genuinely puzzled by how mad she was. This was Mom’s purview. Or the tween with an axe to grind, not the newly engaged woman who finally had her act together.

“Are you going to marryhimnow?” Whit asked with another wild wave at Fox.

“Maybe. Someday. Right now, Fox has a lot to sort out with Shane and the house. They might end their partnership.” I looked up at Fox. He wore an impassive expression, but he wasn’t completely unaffected by that hard fact. Now tension had crept into him. Defensive, maybe?

We were going to be okay, though. I was sure of it, even if my family wasn’t.

“Right,” Whitney said disparagingly. “So you’re shacking up with a guy who stole you from his best friend, one who is losing his businessandhis house. You’ll havenothing.”

“I’ll havehim. God.”

“Ash and I will be fine,” Fox said in a deep voice brimming with quiet affront. His fingers were biting into my waist. “Better than fine. I look forward to proving it to you.”

“And who’s picking up the pieces when that doesn’t happen?” Whitney charged.

“Why are you being like this?” I cried. “I was happy for you and Oliver. Why can’t you be happy for me?”

“Because you are breaking up the family.Again. And this time itisyour fault. This is bullshit. This is fuckingbullshit.”

I jerked, taking those words straight to the heart. Like a fuckingblade.

My gasp had Fox closing his arms around me protectively while Whitney shot into the bedroom and slammed the door.

Into the profound silence, Fliss said, “It’s okay. My mom is just upset. I think she got too much sun today.”

We all looked over to see her hugging Ryan, glaring at all of us while Ryan’s lip quivered.

“She’ll put money in the swear jar later.” Fliss rubbed the boy’s back.

“I’ll go see about collecting it.” Oliver set down his beer. “It’s okay, son.” He gave Ryan a reassuring pat on his way into the bedroom.

Fliss gave Ryan another hug, then stood and held out her hand. “I bet you we can talk Grandma into letting us have ice cream before dinner.”

“Take my wallet from my purse,” Mom said.

Fliss did, and kept Ryan’s hand as they walked out.

“Hey,” Fox said, loosening his arms then giving me another gentle squeeze.

I blinked wet lashes, trying to shake off my shock. My profound hurt.

“This is not your fault, Ash.” Fox pressed a kiss to my temple, so tender it caused a fresh fracture across the break that Whitney had put in my sternum. “You’re living your life. How people react is not something you can control.”

I nodded and hugged myself into him, pushing my wet eyes against his T-shirt, but I didn’t really believe him. Not after Whitney had saidthat.

“Pass me your sister’s wine?” Mom set aside the glass she had just drained.

Fox released me and reached for Whitney’s, handing it over while I swallowed and ran fingers under my eyes, trying to sniff back tears I refused to shed.

Mom looked thoughtfully at Fox. “He’s right. You can’t control how others people react or behave. I’ve tried. The swear jar barely works.” Her gaze hit mine, dry and grave. “You did not break up our family, Ashley. I had to make choices based on your father’s behavior.Hisbehavior. That was on him and we recovered.”

This wasn’t something we talked about often, but Mom had said something like this to me in the past. I appreciated hearing it again, but I was still hurt and angry with Whit.

This time itisyour fault. She didn’t blame me for the past, but she was sure as hell blaming me now.

I looked at the bedroom door, torn between walking in there to tell her to fuck herself or walking out altogether.

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