“Yeah,” I replied, not wanting to put a damper on his weekend. “You ready to get hitched?”

Woods grinned and turned his gaze to Della, who was standing at the bar fixing herself a glass of water. “More than anything in my life. I’d have married her sooner had she let me. But Della deserves a fairy-tale wedding. I wanted to give her that.”

Della turned to look at Woods as if she knew we were talking about her and smiled at him sweetly.

He slapped my knee and stood up. “Good chatting with you, but I’ve got to talk to my beautiful fiancée in the back room about something.”

Woods was gone before I could reply. He wasn’t taking her into the back room to talk. Chuckling, I turned my attention back to Bethy, who was sitting between Harlow and Blaire. Smiling. Really smiling. She was happy. Whatever they were talking about made her smile. I had missed that smile so damn much. She never smiled for me now.

Grant moved over to sit down beside Harlow, with his baby girl tucked close to his chest. Harlow said something to him, and he grinned and leaned over to press a kiss to her lips. I watched Bethy as she took in their happiness. There wasn’t resentment in her face. But there was longing. It made me ache. I hated knowing Bethy was alone. I hated that she wouldn’t let me near her.

The pilot came over the speaker and told everyone to prepare for takeoff. Rush walked over and took Blaire’s hand, pulling her with him to sit in a more private area. Bethy looked lost in that moment. Like she wasn’t sure where she fit in now.

Thad took the now-vacated seat beside her and said something to make her smile. I wanted to knock his pretty-boy teeth down his throat and thank him at the same time. He’d seen what I had seen, and he’d gone in to fix it. She would let him. He hadn’t broken her heart.

I leaned back in my seat and buckled my seat belt like everyone else. I rested my head against the back of the seat and closed my eyes. I couldn’t sit here and watch Thad entertain Bethy for the next two hours. I was glad he was there for her, but watching it was too hard.

When Della and Woods had told everyone we would all be put up in our own private huts, I had expected something less luxurious. This was far from a hut. I stood inside a small house that sat directly on the clear blue water. There was a walkway to the main part of the island and to the other “huts.” Stone walls and a fireplace were only part of the surprising accommodations. The entire house was open on all four sides, giving me a water view wherever I looked. At night, the walls came down at the touch of a button.

The king-size bed that sat in the center of the room was surrounded by white gauzy shit that hung from the ceiling. I set my duffel bag on the bed and walked out to the water to get a good look at my surroundings. This was definitely a fairy tale. Woods hadn’t been kidding. He’d gone all out.

Movement to my left caught my attention, and I turned to see Bethy walking out of the next hut over, wearing a bikini. She hadn’t noticed me yet, so I stepped back inside, just out of sight. I watched as she coated herself with sunscreen before lying down on the double-teak lounger. There were only two huts on each of the twenty extensions from the island. My only neighbor was Bethy. She wasn’t going to like this, but I wasn’t going to let her know right away. I’d wait until it was too late for her to ask for another hut.

I sat down on the glorified beanbag chair inside so I could watch her without her seeing me. She glanced around once, and I grinned from my hidden spot. Then she turned over and untied her top. Fuck. I couldn’t see her, but just knowing I’d get a view of her tits if she sat up was enough to keep me on edge. I silently prayed she would have to reach for something. Soon.

She had undone her bikini straps for me once. But I’d lost that girl, along with her adoring gazes. Pain sliced through my chest whenever I thought of never having that again. I wasn’t going to lie, I had looked for it elsewhere. When I knew I would never have Bethy again, I had tried to recapture that feeling I’d had with her. I had tried with so many women. But even the ones with stars in their eyes never measured up. They weren’t Bethy.

It had taken me six long years to face the fact that I would only ever want her. Coming back to Rosemary Beach and seeing her with Jace, I had told myself her happiness would be enough for me. But it hadn’t been. I had wanted more. So I’d left Rosemary Beach again, not wanting to ruin what she had with Jace.

But my leaving hadn’t helped anything. It had only made things worse.

I never should have returned. But I had, and I couldn’t change that now.

I wasn’t leaving Bethy again.

Bethy

This was easier than I’d expected. The peace and quiet were perfect. I felt the warmth from the day’s sun on my arms and legs as I walked toward the luau on the main part of the island. This wasn’t the rehearsal dinner—that would be tomorrow night. This was Della and Woods’s version of a bachelor and bachelorette party. Woods had been adamant about not having one, and he didn’t want Della to have one, either. He wanted to party with their friends as a couple, not celebrate apart. So we were doing it island-style at a luau. The coconut tops and authentic grass skirts that Della had delivered to our huts were a surprise. I had to admit they were more comfortable than I’d imagined. I was glad I’d gotten some sun on my arms before putting on the top.

Tiki torches lit the way as I walked toward the gathering crowd.

“Hello, Bethy.” Tripp’s voice startled me, and I turned to see him; he was wearing a pair of board shorts and nothing else. He had several tattoos now. I didn’t want to study them or admire them, so I tore my gaze off his naked chest and turned back around.