Page 114 of For the Promise

She huffs. “I did not pee my pants!”

“You two are sweet, and I love you to bits, but things are changing. You’ve got a little one on the way.” I nod to Paisley’s still flat stomach. “And you’ll be busy with a dozen foster kids soon.”

“I wouldn’t say a dozen,” Dakota mutters.

“And I’ll be the best aunt I can possibly be.”

But I won’t be their sister. Once again, I’ll be alone with no family. Silly me. I was so anxious to find a family, I didn’t hesitate to embrace the idea of being a sister to the Raider brothers. I should have kept my heart encased in steel.

“I never should have married Jaxon.”

“Your ex never should have sued you for half your inheritance,” Paisley says.

“I really know how to pick men, don’t I? Maybe I should join a convent. Do nuns brew beer? There are monks in Belgium who brew beer, why not nuns? I could open up a convent and start a brewery. I’m going to call it the brewing nuns. Would we get tax breaks for being a religious organization even though we brewed beer for profit?”

“Good question. Usually—”

Dakota holds up a hand to stop Paisley. “Are you seriously discussing opening a nun brewery right now?”

“I think the proper term would be convent brewery.”

She moans. “I had to become best friends with two women who brew beer.”

“Don’t feel bad. I didn’t give you a choice.”

“Blossom!” Jaxon calls as he knocks on the door.

“Who told him where I am?” I whisper. “If Harper sold me out, I’m going to prank her so bad. She’ll wish she never messed with a woman with a chemical engineering degree.”

“I doubt Harper sold you out,” Paisley whispers back. “Jaxon is an islander. He knows there’s a secret entrance in here.”

“And you didn’t exit out the front door,” Dakota adds. “Where else would you be?”

In the bathroom, crying my eyes out.

“Blossom! Can we talk?”

Is he kidding me? He wants to talk now? After he humiliated me in front of his entire family. Entire family? Scratch that. The entire bar? Hell. The entire island of Smuggler’s Hideaway probably knows by now.

“Do you want to talk to him?” Paisley asks.

“No way.”

She pats my shoulder. “I’ve got you.” She walks to the opposite wall and pulls a bottle like a lever. The wall slides away, revealing a door.

I rush to it but pause with my hand on the handle. “Where will I go? He knows where I live.”

“Go to Prohibition Beach. He’ll never follow you there. It’s where the family had Eli’s birthday party before his dad left.”

I feel a ping of sympathy for the fourteen-year-old boy who lost his dad. Losing your dad sucks. I know all about it. Except my dad didn’t choose to leave me. He was taken from me. Having your dad choose to leave you must hurt worse.

I shove those thoughts away. I am not seriously standing here feeling sympathy for the man who threw me away withouta second thought. We all have our histories, our issues, our trigger points. It doesn’t give Jaxon an excuse to tell me we’re getting our marriage annulled in front of his family.

I thought he chose me. I thought he wanted me. Wrong again.

“Blossom. Can we talk, please?” Jaxon asks through the door and spurs me into action.

“Prohibition Beach. Got it.”

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