The first signs of disaster occurred around the time I realized there was someone who was not Tennessee inside the room, while I was lying on my stomach, my ass completely visible to whoever was there.
“Hello, Mrs. Costello! We have good news for you and your husband.”
“You do?” I heard Tennessee ask. “What is it? Did Mrs. Warren have a stroke?”
I turned my head slowly at the same time I dragged the cover over my ass. Not that I wasn’t proud of my buns of steel, but flaunting them was pure vanity.
The staffer let out an uncomfortable giggle.
“No, Mrs. Warren is fine. Your husband has expressed his desire to leave the cruise early and move from the Elation to the Ecstasy. We told him that it might not be doable. Well, we are extremely happy to inform you that it is. We’ll be making a stop at Green Turtle Cay in a few hours, where you will be able to switch cruises. I took it upon myself to check with the control center aboard the Ecstasy personally, and they can accommodate you. We only ask that you check out by eleven, so we can get all the paperwork ready.”
There was a brief silence, followed by the sound of Tennessee clearing her throat.
I felt like a complete jackass.
Not that she didn’t know I’d tried to get off of this ship when we had just found out we were stuck together, but the timing couldn’t have been more horrible.
To be honest, I didn’t even want to join our families at this point.
Now that I had Tennessee all for myself, the prospect of rubbing and licking each other’s genitals for six more days seemed much more appealing than playing golf and bridge with Wyatt and Dad.
“Thank you.” I caught my childhood crush standing straight as a ruler in front of the representative, wearing one of her trashy before outfits. “I appreciate it. We’ll make sure to check out on time.”
After she closed the door, Tennessee began packing her things silently. I flipped on my back, my cock swinging up, ready to reacquaint itself with Turner again.
Shut up, cock. We have bigger fish to fry.
“It was before,” I said hoarsely.
“I don’t care.” She was stuffing all of her old clothes into her bag but made no move to take the new ones I’d bought for her.
“I had no idea we were going to hit it off. Or that you felt anything other than pure disgust toward me.” I sat up, running a hand through my hair.
“Desire is not a good enough feeling to lose family time over.” She shrugged, trying to look unfazed. “And it doesn’t matter, anyway, because it was going to end in six days. So really, who cares?”
I did.
I cared.
“We can forget this conversation happened,” I suggested.
I meant the one with the cruise staffer.
“Sure. Or the days before that,” Tennessee said, referring to the talk we were having right in that moment.
There was no more talk after that when we checked out, got off the Elation, and boarded the Ecstasy.
Some ecstasy it was.
Later that evening, Tennessee and I were sitting around a large dining table, joined by the rest of our families. I sat in one row with Wyatt, Mom, and Dad, and she was with her own parents, Trinity, and Bear.
Bear looked so much like Rob, I did a double take the first time I saw him. The kid was a replica of my ex-best friend, dimples, chestnut hair, and all.
He wore a denim shirt and black jeans, and I had to say, he looked like a well-off kid from a good family. It made me feel guilty that it surprised me.
I remembered Tennessee mentioned that she bought his clothes. Anger slammed into me. How could I not see it all those years I’d ignored her? How she always put her son first? How she prioritized making people (other than herself) look like a million bucks?
“What are you playing these days, kiddo? Fortnite?” Wyatt asked Bear.
“No flicking way.” Bear shook his head, munching on a tip of a French fry. “I’m more into the story of the game. Character-building. Stuff like that. Fortnite is all about running and shooting aimlessly. I need context.”
“So what are you playing?” I interjected. I used to be big on video games before I became the town’s healer and saver full-time. “If not Fortnite.”
Bear turned to look at me for the first time. I wondered if he knew about his mother’s deep dislike toward me, at least until a few days ago, but judging by his blank face, he had no idea.
“God of War.”
“Isn’t that the game where the characters are a father and son?” Wyatt shoved a whole rib into his mouth, smacking his lips together as he ate.
“And so what?” Bear frowned defensively. “It’s still good.”
“If you like God of War, you are going to love Assassin’s Creed,” I commented.
“I know.” Bear’s eyes lit up as he turned to me again. “I’m saving up for it.”
“I have it.”
“You do?”
Wyatt seemed relieved to be able to get back to conversing with my dad about football.
I nodded, and because apparently, I was not above shameless manipulation, I added, “Anytime you wanna play, just let me know. I have a game room with every console you can think of. Air hockey table, too.”
I shot a glance at Tennessee.
Her neck immediately extended, and she put her hand on Bear’s arm.
“Honey, Dr. Costello is just being polite.”
“I’m not being polite.” I popped a piece of chicken into my mouth. “If he wants to come play, that’s perfectly fine with me. We’re practically going to be family now.”
“That’s entirely unnecessary.” She shot me a faux-polite smile.
“Just trying to be a good brother-in-law.” I flashed my teeth right back at her.
“So how did you survive Nessy for four days, anyway?” Mrs. Turner twisted toward me in her seat, chuckling lightly. “I hope she didn’t give you too much trouble.”
The only trouble Tennessee was currently giving me was the fact that she was back to wearing Pretty Woman clothes and was drawing attention from every male in the dining room of the Ecstasy.
“We were perfectly civil.” I shot my childhood crush a look, daring her to defy me.
“Perfectly,” she said with a sweet smile.
“Well, I apologize if she caused you any…discomfort.” Trinity shifted in her seat, looking boring as white paint drying on a wall in her nun-like black dress. Had she always been this…yeah, come to think of it, she had.
Anger began slithering its way back into my system.
I didn’t like the way Tennessee’s family was bringing her down. Or the way she shrank like a wilting daisy, even with all of her hair and bright colors and red lipstick, when they spoke.
“No discomfort whatsoever.” I pinned Trinity with a dry, casual look.
Trinity visibly winced. “Of course. She is great. My favorite sister.” She laughed, resting her head on top of Tennessee’s shoulder. “My only sister, too.”
Hilarious.
Also, she should definitely not quit her day job, which she was at risk of losing anyway, because her boss—me—had her ass in a sling.
Tennessee stiffened, looking the other way.
“Everything went fine?” Now her dad asked her directly, like I was covering up for her. He seemed to be the type to repeat whatever his wife was saying.