Page 65 of Unmoored

“Yeah. Nothing’s happening,” Kieran hastily chimes in. “Are there more nibbles?” There must be more nibbles—do you need help?”

If there’s a bad acting award, I’ll give it to every single one of them. Besides, it’s already way too late. Meghan raises a hand and drops it. “Go!” she calls out.

And just like that, the dominoes are falling. The sound of the drone grows louder as it takes off the barge. I turn around, searching for a way out. But I don’t see one—and instead of curious stares, all I see are phones in front of people’s faces, all pointed our way.

The violinists start playing, and George ducks down to hide behind the enormous floral display.

Eden’s voice is louder. “What the fuck is happening?—”

I can’t stop myself. “Just stay inside, Eden!” I have to pray that he’ll listen to me. But a second too late, I realize my mistake.

“Murph?!”

There he is, shouldering his way past my brothers and onto the deck, his face lit up with this painful mix of confusion and hope and… god, I don’t even want to think about what else.

He’s beautiful. And I wish I’d kept my fucking mouth shut.

I’m frozen—right in the middle of the floral arch, in front of all the tacky fake garden accoutrements, with violinists playing a soft love song.

“Murph?” Eden repeats, his mouth hanging open.

“I… It’s not what it looks like.” It’s half a defense and half a warning. I hold out my hands, palm-out, like I can physically push him right back into the boat to hide from this mess I’ve made.

I just want the ocean to swallow me whole. I don’t fuck up often. But when I do… I ditch the man I’m falling for at the last minute, in order to deliver his ex straight to him… on a flower-strewn platter, with live orchestral accompaniment.

Eden might be accident-prone, but if there’s a bigger way to fuck up… I can’t think of it. Whatever Eden thinks is going on, he’s about to find out the truth.

I just have to pray that there’s a way back.

ChapterTwenty-Four

EDEN

Whoa.This is… way,waybeyond what I imagined Murph was planning.

Unless he’s proposing… but that’s a little fast, especially for him.

Something is really off. Besides the horrible twelve-foot-tall arch, the violinists, and the fake vines trailing through the water, that is. At first, I thought I must have had one too many of Kieran’s mixed drinks.

“Okay,” I finally manage to call back to Murph as I stare at him. “So, if it’s not what it looks like… because I don’t know what the hell this even looks like…”

Behind us, there’s the roar of another bathtub approaching, but everyone nearby is too busy staring at us to cheer them on. The swelling violin music almost drowns out my voice, and even the sound of the boat. Murph mouths something at me, but I can’t figure it out. And a lady in a suit with a clipboard is steering him out of sight.

“Wait, what?—”

“Eden Meyers,” says a voice over the crackly megaphone.

A chill runs down my spine, straight to the tips of my toes.

No. No way.

I thought I’d left him behind. I thought I’d finally,finallyoutrun the shadow that tried so hard to destroy me, and cut me off from everything I love. But… here he is again.

George steps out from behind the floral arch, wearing a thousand-buck suit and a million-megawatt smile.

“Wh-What?” I squeak, my nails biting into my palms. At last, it all makes sense… but now, I just wish it didn’t.

“I’m probably the last person you’re expecting to see. But I know how I feel, and I’m finally ready?—”

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