Page 82 of All The Way Under
Her voice is tired. She’s been dealing with me because I’m angry with everyone else at the moment. There’s no way Bianca wasn’t in on the proposal. I bet she and Bitsy schemed for a week straight about how it would play out. Those crazy bitches actually thought I’d say yes to Archie with Brody, a real man, my man, standing right next to me.
“The way it happened gives me nightmares. I still can’t believe he had the gall to ask me.”
“I heard he had a change of heart about breaking it off with you when he realized that not only did you have Wyndham money, but you were also independently wealthy and made your own fortune with ATWU,” Bronwyn explains. “It makes it worse. These guys are the pariahs of society, I swear. I bet he went to his girlfriend’s house the second he left here.”
I scoff and wipe my nose on my sleeve.
“You know Bitsy had a hand in this. She probably told him about ATWU and how I was branching off on my own. There’s no way he’s smart enough to read the news,” I hiss. “He got through college on the Beaumont last name, manipulation, and cocaine. For the first time in my life, I have a real man to compare him to, and there’s no comparison, Bronwyn. Like, none at all. Brody is patient and real. So real it aches because I know I hurt him.”
“No, Archie did. The people we’re surrounded by hurt him.” Bronwyn exhales. “I know what you mean. When I first met Edmund, and he didn’t try to manipulate or gaslight me, it confused me because we’re so used to that callous behavior thatit’s normal. I know what you mean when you say real. I promise you.”
“I know you know. That’s why I hate you,” I say, laugh-snorting. “You got out of here, and you got love.”
“Okay,” Bronwyn says. “Answer this question right, and I’ll go talk to Brody.”
I sit up in bed and get lightheaded. “Ask it.”
“If I tell him you said no to Archie and you are madly in love with him, will he be able to lie to the press sufficiently? Like, if they ask him, how do you feel about Saylor’s engagement to Archie, will he be convincing enough? I know he’s a SEAL, and they’re supposed to be experts in handling stuff like this, but I’m here to tell you he was anything but cool, calm, and collected when I was talking to him during the proposal.”
She pauses. I wait on bated breath to hear more.
“He was crushed, Saylor. I don’t think he has any sort of self-preservation when it comes to you.”
I’m already nodding. “He can lie. He can be mean. He won’t answer the questions. I’ll go on the date and smile for the damn photos, if that’s what they want, as long as you go talk to him and tell him I miss him and this had to happen.”
My sister shakes her head sadly.
“Why are you sad?”
“I feel bad for you. I know how hard you’re going to have it. Mom and Dad followed their hearts, but it almost feels like that right wasn’t granted to us. You remember the hard time I got for marrying Edmund, even though he was wealthy? He wasn’t Mom’s first choice. You choosing Brody is going to complicate things. Especially for him.”
Her brown eyes meet mine.
“Are you saying we should break up?” I ask, mouth ajar, unable to process.
“No, because I know you’re too deep for that, but know he’s the one who will make the sacrifices, Saylor.”
My stomach sinks. “I don’t want him to make any sacrifices for me.”
She blinks once, then again.
“Therein lies the reason we’re guided to the multiple-choice options in our world. It’s easy for both parties when it makes sense. Mom isn’t as callous as you think. I’m not defending what she did, only giving you the reason she might have allowed it to happen in the first place. Sometimes it’s not as simple as it should be when money gets involved.”
I shake my head. “I don’t want easy. I want him. He’s the right person for me in all of the ways. He sees me, Bronwyn. The person who I really am, not what I present to people to hide. I’m sick of pretending I’m someone I’m not. I’m myself with Brody, his brother, and Catherine. It was freeing to just be able to be myself without any false pretenses. If you have that with Edmund, you must want that for me too.”
“I do. That’s why I’ll go against Mom and their PR firm for trying to fix the mess you got us in in the first place.”
“Hey, this isn’t just my mess. The Wyndham attorney situation heightened it.”
She nods. “That’s true.”
Bronwyn throws my covers back, exposing my bare legs. I’m wearing one of Brody’s T-shirts and panties.
“I’ll go tell Brody if you want me to, but Saylor, have you truly thought of the consequences he’ll face for being with you? I love you more than anything and want you to be happy, but I need to know you’ve thought this through before we complicate things more. You’re an educated woman. I trust your judgment implicitly, but sometimes love has a funny way of blinding us to things we should see.” She clears her throat. “You see, right?”
I stay silent. I turn from my sister and look at the ocean view from the tall, expansive window. Standing from the bed, I run my hands through my tangled, long hair. It’s a mess.
Everything is a mess.
