Page 2 of Hush, Hush

Shrugging, I dutifully ignore her attempts to pull me into a debate. I don’t think our money is dirty like she does but flaunting it when I’m not the one who earned it makes me uncomfortable. I’ve always felt the need to prove myself as an Astor. Eden’s the same way except with one major difference: she’d rather not be an Astor at all.

Instead of allowing her to lure me in, I close my eyes and let the sun’s heat and the soft rolling of the boat relax me again.

“I hope Dad stops fucking his mistress before the Forbes get here.”

I open one eye, glaring at her. The heavy tint on my sunglasses does nothing to erase the furious expression on her face though. The older she got and the more she saw, her distrust of our world heightened. “I’m sure he will,” I tell her, trying not to think about our father in bed with one of the female deckhands. When I was ten, and first discovered one of my father’s lurid affairs, I divulged the secret to Eden. We marched into our mother’s room and told her everything we knew, expecting something monumental to happen. A fight. An argument. By telling her, we thought she’d get him to stop.

The exact opposite happened. She did nothing, and he still continues to philander with anyone who has a nice size chest and a decent pair of legs. In fact, our mother’s not even on this trip, probably to allow him time to sow his oats or whatever disgustingly ridiculous excuse she gives him.

Iwon’t live like that. I’ll put up with a lot by being an Astor, but a cheating spouse isn’t one of them. I want a partner for life.

“You’re so casual about it,” Eden fumes.

I sit up, cross my legs, and stare at the near image of myself with one big difference. Eden has always had a fire in her eyes that I lacked. A spark. An impassioned sense of right and wrong. Me? I just try to do better to deserve all the accolades my family gets. “Eden...”

“Delilah...” she drones as if she’s already preparing for my lame speech. Crossing her arms, she peers away, jaw working. A second later, she gives me an apologetic smile.

I cling to that grin, hating that she’s so affected by what our parents do. Their actions are not ours. “You know I don’t like it either. There’s nothing we can do about it. Dad’s not going to change anytime soon. Plus, what he does in his spare time has no impact on his feelings for us.”

“Did you read that in a self-help book?”

I smirk at her. “No, my therapist.”

“Even better.”

I watch as she mulls over my words, biting her inner lip. “Seriously, though. Dad loves you. Dad loves me. Let him and Mom deal with their crap.”

She huffs, but she’s a little lighter now. “He should realize we’re smart enough to understand what’s going on. He acts like we’re still little girls.”

I’m not sure I get the difference. Even if he hid his transgressions better, he’d still be doing it. Either way, though, what he does is not my responsibility to worry about.

“Speaking of guys being dicks,” Eden helpfully changes the subject. “I bet you can’t wait to see Keegan.”

My stomach clenches at his name. Keegan Forbes. Only the handsomest man I’ve ever met. He was the cutest boy on the playground, and he only got better with age. Dimples. Muscles. A smile that could talk your panties off in a heartbeat.

The problem with Keegan is, he knows he’s hot stuff and takes advantage of it whenever he wants.

I have a love/hate relationship with him. As in, I’ve loved him my whole life, from the moment he dragged me out of his family’s pool lifeless when I was just four years old, until now. There are times when I’ve hated him. Except, that’s not completely accurate. It’s more like I hate that I love him. He's chauvinistic, cocky, and his ego knows no bounds. However, the Keegan I know is a generous, kind person. He’s just hidden beneath some very unsexy traits right now.

“You know, you don’t have to marry him,” Eden states firmly.

My cheeks blush. A rush of simultaneous panic and want flutters over my skin. “We’re not engaged.”

Rolling her eyes, she sighs. “You know what I mean. You can have anyone you want, business decisions be damned.”

Eden’s never liked Keegan. At first I thought it was jealousy, but I’m pretty sure it’s because he represents everything she doesn’t like about being a descendant of old money, of being a caretaker to fortunes regular people can only dream of. He’s proud. He’s self-centered. And let’s face it, he’s coddled.

I’m just waiting for him to grow up, blossom into his true potential. Eden thinks I’m blinded by duty. The Forbes and the Astors have an understanding, an agreement that Keegan and I will end up together, thereby expanding our wealth. I’ve never minded. He saved my life, after all.

“I know I can make my own decisions,” I tell her honestly, thinking back on mine and Keegan’s tumultuous history. He was my first kiss. My first dance partner. The first boy to make me stay up all night crying. He’s a lot more to me than just the guy my parents expect me to wed. “Just be lucky he didn’t have a younger brother, so you’re safe,” I joke.

“Are you kidding?” she laughs. “We’re never safe. I’m pretty sure Mom still has a hard-on for me and Oliver.”

“Do mom’s get hard-ons?”

She leans back, shrugging. “If they do, Mom has one for me and my best friend.”

Methinks she might be protesting too much, but she’s also so hyper focused away from anyone with money that she could be overlooking him all together. It’s clear her “best friend” likes her. “That’s because Oliver is a prince and has a British accent. She probably thinks your little Astor heirs will run around with accents too.”

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