Page 20 of Nothing Breaks Like A Heart

"Yell at me," Ethan ordered. "Make it look like we're arguing."

"I…" Licking my lips as they got closer, I said, "How dare you come to my wedding and try to cause trouble? You need to leave, Mr. Stark."

He gave me a nod of encouragement, then said, "I'm not leaving until you answer my questions. You didn't want to talk inside, so here we are. There's no one around. Tell me what you know about the fire."

"I don't know anything about it. I've said that a million times."

"I don't believe you."

"I don't care what you believe. I'm going inside. My husband is waiting."

"Your husband is a liar," Ethan said coldly.

His words made my heart lurch. For a moment, I'd forgotten we were pretending, and my fury flared to life. "He’s not a liar. I trust him completely. Who I don’t trust is you."

"Hey," Colin said sharply as he approached, his expression hard and wary. "What's going on out here? Are you all right, Lauren?"

I swallowed the knot in my throat and forced a smile. "I'm fine," I said, wondering where Allison had gone. "Mr. Stark was just leaving, and I was about to go back to the reception. Maybe you could walk with me?"

"Of course." His tone was calm, but his eyes flicked to Ethan with a hint of suspicion. "Let's go."

As I moved away from Ethan, I couldn't help wondering if I wasn't trading one suspicious person for another. While I knew what Ethan had doubts about, I had no idea why Colin had been arguing with Allison in the woods or what he'd meant when he'd told Allison she was going to ruin everything.What was everything?

And Allison had told Colin that there were things he didn't know, and that Andrew hadn't had to take things this far.

What things? Had she been talking about my marriage to Andrew?

Colin had told her he trusted Andrew, so it didn't sound like he had as many doubts as she did. But then, he was Andrew's friend, and I didn't really know who the hell she was.

"That's the insurance investigator, right?" Colin asked, interrupting my thoughts. "What were you doing with him, Lauren?"

"He started to ask me questions inside, and I didn't want the cameras to capture any of our conversation, so I came out here with him."

Colin shot me a look. "Questions about what?"

"The hotel fire six months ago. He's been suspicious of both me and Andrew because we were the only people in the area at the time, but you know the story."

"I do. And I know both you and Andrew have talked to Mr. Stark several times about that night. What is he hoping you're going to tell him now?"

"I have no idea."

As we neared the party, I slowed my steps, wondering if I dared to ask Colin anything about Allison, but that seemed way too risky. "Thanks for saving me," I said.

"No problem. I'm actually glad we have a minute alone. I haven't had the chance to tell you that you're making Andrew a very happy man. In fact, I don't believe I've ever seen him so content."

"Really? I mean, I feel that way, too, but a lot of my friends think our relationship happened too fast."

"It's what you and Andrew think that matters. I've known him a long time, and when he knows what he wants, he goes for it. So far, I've never seen him make a bad decision."

His words struck me as a little odd, as if I was some prize that Andrew had wanted to win, but I was so on edge, I couldn't trust that I was interpreting anything the right way. "Well, thanks."

"Sure. Hey, your friend, Harper. She's single, right?"

"Very single. And really great, in case you were wondering."

"Good to know," he said as he ushered me inside the reception.

The dance floor was still packed, couples swaying together to yet another love song, but I didn't see Andrew or Allison, and that made me both happy and worried about where they might be. But then I saw Andrew cutting through the crowd to reach me, a smile lighting up his face when our gazes met.

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