Page 66 of One Night in Hawaii

“Will you bring up those cookies?” Penelope asked.

“Absolutely.”

I grabbed my phone and walked into my bedroom and closed the door. I made the call I had been debating making for a week. My heart pounded in my chest as I listened to the phone ring. When it went to voicemail, all that excitement faded. I didn’t leave a message.

I had tried. At least I knew that much.

I put my phone back on the counter and grabbed the chocolate chunk cookies Penelope requested. I heard my phone beep just as I was headed back up. I checked it and found a text message from Archer.

“I’ll see you soon,” I read the short message aloud.

My heart soared. I didn’t know his definition of soon, but I couldn’t wait. I was thrilled. I put my phone back and carried the cookies upstairs with a smile that wouldn’t go away.

“Here you go.” I gave her the cookies.

We settled in and enjoyed the gentle rocking of the boat. The two of them opened a bottle of wine and snacked on grapes and cheese while I daydreamed about my future. As the sun began its descent, casting a golden glow over the water, we all fell into a comfortable silence. The peacefulness of the moment enveloped us, and I felt a deep sense of contentment.

As the boat gently sailed back to the shore, I felt a new hope for my future. I truly hoped it included Archer.

27

ARCHER

Istood in the entryway of my apartment, watching Ashley as she took pictures of the small room. She moved around, snapping away as she rambled on about all the décor updates she wanted to make once she officially moved in after our wedding.

The sun was setting outside, and the fading light of the day cast a golden glow on Ashley’s dark hair. It was in one of its many styles, for she was always changing it, always trying new things, her head never quite the same twice in a week.

I had seen her move around the room hundreds of times before—she had been living with me for months, since the day we got engaged—yet somehow, this felt different. Perhaps it was the knowledge that I had of her secret. I saw her differently. She wasn’t the woman I thought she was. I never really had a high opinion of her, but I had some feelings for her. I wasn’t dreading marriage to her.

Regardless, my heart sank as I watched her move around the room. I knew I could never make things right between us. I knew of her betrayal. I almost convinced myself I could marry her, but after seeing Matthew’s smug face, I knew there was no way I could go through with it.

As Ashley continued to move around the room, I let my gaze wander to the window. I watched the sun continue to dip below the horizon, leaving the sky a deep navy blue. There was something about the beauty of the night that made me yearn for a fresh start, a way to forget about the deception and betrayal of the past.

Shiloh was my fresh start. I didn’t have a clue how to make it work, but I was going to try. I had to. It was like knowing the sky was blue and money was green. I knew I had to make things work between us. She was my shot at true happiness. I wasn’t going to let that pass me by.

“What do you think?” Ashley asked and held her phone out for me to look at the screen.

“I think that’s never going to happen,” I replied.

“You don’t like it?” she pouted.

“I don’t care one way or another.”

She laughed, but it was fake. She was doing her best to pretend everything was normal. I sometimes wondered if she was a sociopath. How could she practically stab me in the back and smile to my face?

“Fine, we’ll talk about it later. I have an appointment with Franco. He’s booked out for the next year, but for us, he’s making an exception. We have a meeting next month. You’ll need to put it in your calendar.”

“What are you doing?” I asked her and sat down on the couch.

I pulled out my phone to see if I had a response from Shiloh. The message had been marked with a heart, which made me feel like I got a long-distance hug. I smiled and stared at the picture of her I saved with her contact information. She was just walking out of the water with her blonde curls hanging in thick blocks around her face. I always found her the prettiest when she was in the water or emerging from it.

“Did you hear me?” Ashley’s shrill voice pulled me from my little fantasy.

“No.”

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Nothing.”

---