Page 58 of Harbinger

“Your friend.”

Grabbing my arm, Ronan turns us around to walk in the other direction, making sure we come face-to-face with Jeffrey and his wife, Rebecca.

“I’m so sorry,” I say as I brush his shoulder.

He looks at me, trying to figure out where he knows me from. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him. I think the last time was ten years or so ago.

“Sydney?” he asks, grabbing my arm as I go by.

Twenty years ago

“We have to go, Sydney,” my mother tells me as she wraps me in a hug. Tucking my wild curls behind my ears, I cross my arms, my mouth turned downward in an aggressive pout.

“I don’t want to go over there,”

“We all have to do things we don’t want to do,” she sighs.

“I don’t like him,” I sit on the floor, desperate to stay home.

My mom’s eyes turn hard, and all I know is that I’m about to get in trouble. “Your dad is going to be mad.”

“Dad is always mad.”

My mom sits next to me, wrapping her arm around me as she pulls me close. “I didn’t want this life for you, you know,” she whispers.

I don’t know what that means.

“Someday, this is going to be yours, and I want you to be stronger than I was. But right now, we have to do this.”

I look up at her, watching as her green eyes shimmer. I want to be as beautiful as she is someday.

“I don’t want to go, mommy.” I feel panic set in, tears welling in my eyes.

“We have to be at Jeffrey’s at five, my love. Come on.”

Ronan whips around, his back stiff, fire in his eyes as he looks at Jeffrey’s hand around my wrist. My breathing has quickened, my vision blurring as memories surface. Memories I’ve tried so hard to suppress my entire life.

Loosening his grip, Jeffrey’s hand drops down to my hand, grabbing my fingers.

“Jeffrey?” I ask, plastering the biggest smile I can possibly muster onto my face. “What are you doing here? It’s been forever!”

He doesn’t smile. Instead, he looks to Ronan before I feel his finger brush against my ring. His eyes drop down to my hand in surprise, his eyebrows furrowing.

“It has been a long time,” he says, refusing to meet my eyes.

“How’s the company doing?” I ask him, making sure my voice sounds confident. Proud, even.

His eyes dart to mine, searching for something he’s not going to find. “It’s going well. We were so saddened by your parents’ sudden departure. They’ve been missed.”

Bullshit.

“I’ve been missing them lately, too,” I tell him, taking my hand away from him and placing it on Ronan’s chest as I sink into him. He wraps an arm around me, letting me do what I have to do.

Jeffrey’s eyebrow shoots up as his wife looks at him. “I’m sure you do,” he says, not sounding too convinced. “And who is this?”

“This,” I start, running my hand up Ronan’s chest to his cheek, pulling his face down to meet mine, and planting a kiss on his lips. They’re warm against mine. Firm and smooth. For a fraction of a second, I want to keep kissing him. I pull away, watching as he runs a finger over his lips, smiling. “This is Ronan, my husband.”

“Husband, huh?”

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