Page 4 of Bit's Bliss
“We decided not to go through with it.”
That wasn’t exactly how it went. Tiernan, the man who was supposed to be my husband by now, hadn’t discussed it with me. Instead, he’d sent my father.
One week ago today—the morning of our scheduled wedding—my dad had knocked on my bedroom door, asking if we could talk. When I told him to come in, he took my hand, pulled me to the bed, and we sat on the edge.
“I’m sorry, Eb. I know it’s hard to imagine now, but in the long run, it’s for the best,” he began.
What should’ve come as a shock when he told me Tiernan had changed his mind and the wedding was off, hadn’t. That in itself surprised me.
Sure, I was pissed, particularly since the man I was engaged to for over a year hadn’t had the decency to break things off in person or even call to tell me himself. Deep inside, though, I was relieved.
“Did he say why?” I’d asked.
“He had a change of heart.”
How many times had I felt the same way? Except, unlike him, I hadn’t been brave enough to call it off.
“Right. If you don’t mind, I’d like to be alone.”
He let go of my hand, stood, and left the room.
“I’m sorry to hear that,”I heard Brix say, tearing my thoughts from one of the most humiliating days of my life.
“Don’t be. It was for the best.”
After glancing over at the table where my father sat next to his latest paramour, currently talking his ear off, I decided to speak to the woman helping Alex with the auction, settle my bid, then leave.
“Excuse me,” I said to Brix. I hadn’t taken three steps when I was approached by the women who would’ve been my bridesmaids had there been a wedding.
“Oh my God, Eb. What was that about?” asked Isabel Van Orr. Like me, her mother had passed away a few years ago, and she and I had bonded over our losses. Admittedly, we hadn’t been close prior to that despite our fathers being best friends, and knowing each other for most of our lives. There’d been several occasions when her concern for me felt unauthentic, as if under a facade, she took pleasure in my misfortune. Not just mine—everyone’s.
“Are you okay?” the other woman, Justine Norman, asked. Her family was hosting the event this year at their winery.
“I’m fine.”
Isabel folded her arms. “What is wrong with him anyway?”
My eyes met Justine’s, and she rolled hers like my father’s date had. Except I knew it wasn’t meant for Trevino. We’d commiserated more than once about how judgmental Isabel could be.
“I, uh, need to take care of the bid payment. I’ll talk to you later.”
As I walked away, I saw Isabel raise a brow. I was sure Justine was about to get an earful either about Trevino or me, or maybe both of us.
“Hey, Eberly,” said Saffron, the woman helping Alex with the event. I watched as she shuffled through a pile of papers. At one point, I’d thought about volunteering too, but the truth of the matter was Alexis Avila-Butler intimidated the hell out of me. Not only her. That so many people did had been one of many issues between Tiernan and me.
I was too young, too naive, too innocent,too easily intimidated. The irony was that no one made me feel less secure than he did. Not to mention, he’d never once gone much beyond kissing me. If myinnocencebothered him so much, he’d had every opportunity to do something about my total lack of sexual experience.
It was one of hundreds of things I wished I could talk to my mom about. I often wondered what shewould’ve thought of Tiernan had they met. Reflecting on our brief courtship, I knew she probably would’ve encouraged me to run far and fast in the opposite direction. It was a yardstick I should use in the future. What would my mom have thought? I knew how she felt about Trevino Avila.
“Out of all the brothers, he’s my favorite,” she’d said one day when we were at a wine industry event the family was hosting at Los Caballeros.
“Why?” I’d asked.
“I prefer the strong, silent type,” she’d responded, winking. “Like your dad.”
I shuddered, thinking about it. My father was a good man; I’d never doubted it. But even once I’d gotten to know Trevino better after I started working for him, I never would’ve said he was anything like my dad.
“Here it is,” said Saffron, pulling a sheet from the pile. “The wiring instructions are at the bottom. We’re asking donations be finalized within ten business days. If you need more time, let Alex or me know.”
