Ben laughs, thinking I’m joking, and then he looks around and sees everyone’s faces.
“Oh Lucas.” Kendall reaches out and grabs my hand.
“No big deal, Kendall.”
As if that wasn’t enough shit for one day, Karma threw me one morefuck off. The Red Coats toting British boy band invades.
That drummer who has his hand nearly on Ava’s ass, T, and the fuck who seems a little too fond of Tessa, Zach, breeze on in.
I look and see Logan standing within earshot. He looks angry.
“Excuse me.” I smile and even pat Ben’s back when I walk away.
?
Logan heard what Ben had said and was pissed. I talked him down and sat with him in front of the fire during dinner, away from everyone else. Maddox came over and sat with us. His buddy, T, came over, too. Logan seemed to loosen up and actually enjoy himself after that.
I, however, do not enjoy watching Zach Taylor and Tessa standing away from the entire group, lost in conversation. But there is fuck not I can do about it. So, I walk out to the lighthouse, the place I went to all those years ago, trying to stop Tessa from saying “I do” to the man whose life we are celebrating tomorrow.
I stand on the rocks as the waves slowly connected with them. The sunset is a beautiful pink color, and the light blanket of clouds cover little of it. I sit on the rocks, taking it in.
What a couple of days it has been. Ashley, Ben, Zach, all of who I would love to release every ounce of anger that has built inside out on, but can’t.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
I look back and see Tessa’s father, John, behind me.
I stand up. “Sure is.”
“How are you holding up?”
“I’m good. How are you?”
“Great. It’s actually good to see everyone here supporting Tessa and the kids.”
“Yes, it is.”
“Lucas, I am sorry about you and Ashley.”
“It’s fine.”
“Hurts, though, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah, it does. But what do you do? Stay strong for your kids.”
“Yes, you do.” He stands, looking out over the water. “Even your adult kids. My girl worries about you.”
“I don’t want her to.”
“I know you don’t, but she does. She was scolding Ben—”
I laugh. “I thought I had played that well.”
“Regardless, he was wrong.” We stood for a few minutes more in silence. “You ready to head back?”
“Sure.”
NINETEEN