Page 139 of The Bachelor

More tears were dripping, and I didn’t stop them. I didn’t even catch the ones that rounded her lips.

“It’s horrible; it’s wrong. I despise myself for not telling you. Camden has one half of my heart, and you have the other, and to know that this was going to hurt you has completely shattered me.” She reached for one of the napkins that had been placed by the tray of food under the windows and dabbed at her eyes. “I know what you’re going to say. You’re going to say if it shattered me that badly, why did I do it? Why did I continue to do it? Why didn’t I come clean earlier?” She put her hand on top of mine and continued, “I couldn’t stop it. He’s everything I want, everything I’ve always wanted, and I followed that half of my heart, knowing how much it was going to destroy the other half. I should have told you sooner—I know that—but I couldn’t. And I’m sorry. I’m so, so fucking sorry, Hannah.”

The flight attendant returned with a tray of drinks, placing two glasses beside me and another two next to Oaklyn. “I’ll check back after takeoff. We should be leaving any second.”

I raised the glass to my mouth and swallowed down several gulps, keeping my eyes on my sister.

She was glancing between Oaklyn and me.

Back and forth.

With such an unreadable expression.

“You two had quite a lot of assumptions going into this, didn’t you?” She crossed her legs, moving her hands to one knee. “You assumed I would be dead set against your relationship. You assumed you wouldn’t get my support. Oaklyn, I know you’re assuming this is going to be the end of our friendship. Why?” Her tone lightened, and so did her expression.

Even her questioning was peculiar, given that Oaklyn and I were guilty as hell.

“Do I need to remind you of the conversation we had our sophomore year in high school when I came into your room after the hot tub party? You know, when you told me to stay the hell away from Oaklyn and the rest of your friends and we pinkie swore on it?”

She licked across her lips, almost like she was trying to hide her grin. “Camden, that was ten years ago.”

With my hand back on top of Oaklyn’s, the other around my vodka, I locked my grip on both and replied, “And? That was the ultimate promise between us. I didn’t think it had an expiration date.”

“And, even at that age, you were on a mission to sleep with every girl you laid eyes on. I wasn’t going to let one of my besties become the topic of any locker room. So, yeah, I banned your ass from dating any of them. But we’re not kids anymore.”

I pounded the rest of the booze, set down the glass, and reached for the full one. “What the fuck are you saying, Hannah?”

“I’m saying that once the bachelor found the right woman, I knew you’d be consumed with her. I knew you would love her. And I knew she would become the one.”

I shook my head, trying to make sense of this. “Okay …”

“For you to be happy and in love, that’s all I want.” A smile tugged at her lips. “And to hear that the person you’ve chosen is the girl I love more than anyone in this world, I couldn’t be more excited.”

“Hannah,” Oaklyn cried out, “oh my God, I love you—”

“Hold on.” Before my girl turned mushy and threw herself out of her seat and hugged my sister, I needed to make sure I understood what I’d just heard. “Are you saying you’re all right with this?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” She pointed at me. “That doesn’t mean I’m happy about the lies—I’m not.” Her finger moved to Oaklyn. “And I don’t appreciate not being told and having to fake a trial just so I could bust you two this way”—she winked, an expression that told me she was so pleased with herself—“but I hear the reasons you gave me, and after talking with you two, I can understand them much more even if I don’t like them.”

All this built-up anxiety.

All this worry.

Was really for nothing?

“You sneaky fucking bastard,” I groaned. “You really didn’t have to be in court?”

“Camden,” my sister sighed, “this is one of the many reasons why I’ll always be a better litigator than you.”

I drove my hand through my hair, tearing at the strands. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing right now.”

Oaklyn was out of her chair in seconds, closing the distance between her and Hannah, and their arms wrapped around each other.

And as my sister looked at me from over Oaklyn’s shoulder, she said, “You hurt her, and I will kill you. I don’t care that we shared a womb; this girl means everything to me.”

“I know.” I nodded, finally giving her a smile. “You have nothing to worry about. I promise.”

TWENTY-NINE

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