Page 64 of The Forever Promise

I pretended to listen to Daphne, smiling and nodding in all the right places, but I was distracted by my husband. More precisely, I was distracted by how distractedhewas. He’d barely noticed my dress, which was sexy to the point of being ostentatious. Under normal circumstances, he’d either be pawing me or telling me to hide behind him, so no one else saw my outfit—or both. But there was no reaction from him, no connection.

It was as though our afternoon at the guesthouse had never happened. Had he really had me in handcuffs only hours before, my face planted into the bed as he rode me? I’d come so hard I’d seen stars. He’d exploded inside of me, calling my name… And now he acted as if I wasn’t even there.

What. The. Fuck?Bryce was once again giving me emotional whiplash. The problem was that I might be too raw to be able to handle it this time. The pictures of Felicia online, the “spin” Olivia Jensen was putting on the whole thing, coupled with the fact that my father and Lydia had somehow dragged their sorry asses all the way to upstate Maine and had been talking to a lawyer about fighting me for Noah…

“Chloe,” Daphne was saying, “are you even listening to me? We’re here. Let’s go!” She flicked her ponytail over her shoulder and smoothed her jumpsuit. Daphne looked very pretty, her eyes sparkling with tasteful makeup, her lip gloss perfect. I wondered if she was shopping for a new baby daddy or perhaps Husband Number Two. Thinking about it made me feel tired.

“I’m listening—sorry, I spaced out for a second.” I forced a smile. “Bryce? Are you ready to go?”

He frowned and put his phone away. “Do I have a choice? I don’t feel like socializing tonight.”

“Me either.” I smiled at him, too, trying to show solidarity.

He didn’t smile back, but he held out his arm. “Shall we?”

“Ooh, I’ll take your arm, too. This’ll look good for the pictures!” Daphne went to Bryce’s other side. He grimaced, but he had the decency to let her hold on. Shaking off his pregnant mother-in-law was probably not a good look for the cameras.

Security went first, and we followed. As we exited the boat and started up the dock, it hit me. Daphne was excited and looking her best because of the paparazzi. The only reason Bryce was here, despite his crappy mood, was the same. Both of them wanted something from the exchange—some sort of advantage. They were both working the program.

Again, I was an accessory. I felt like a belt or some sort of handbag. Something to be posed with, flaunted, shown at a good angle in order to sell something. And I would be fine with it—I would do it gladly—if Bryce didn’t seem so distant. Fear and insecurity crept up, making me feel crazy.When was the last time he told me he loved me?

He hadn’t said it that afternoon. He’d just said that heownedme. And I’d been desperate to get him into bed, to get close to him because I wanted to feel connected. Having his big dick and his fingers inside me had been a connection, all right. And although I’d enjoyed it, it wasn’t what I’d been looking for.

“All clear, Mr. Windsor.” The head security guard came back after inspecting the party. “The paps are still out there on the water. I’ve already been in touch with the police, they’re keeping an eye on things.”

“Thank you.” We reached the end of the dock, crossing under an awning of greens and twinkle lights. Kelli Nguyen had outdone herself again. Her backyard was lit with fairy lights; an enormous table faced the ocean, set with a white tablecloth and gorgeous, colorful pottery place settings.

Daphne leaned across Bryce’s chest to talk to me. “Oh wow, she decorated with all the locals’ work. You see those dishes? There’s a potter in Northeast Harbor, she made those. And see the vases filled with sea glass?” She pointed to the table, where there were massive vases filled with colorful pieces of sea glass and bursting with flowers from Kellis’ garden. “An artist in Southwest collects it and makes those arrangements. Isn’t it stunning?”

“It is.” Under normal circumstances, I would be charmed, or at least overwhelmed, by Kelli’s decorations. But at the moment, I couldn’t care less.

Because at the moment, Felicia Jones was staring at Bryce from across the party.

Bryce pretended not to notice. I stared at Felicia, taking in her black dress, shiny hair, and annoyingly gorgeous face. As usual, she didn’t seem to register that I was standing there: she only had eyes for my husband.

I clenched my fists, ready to scratch those eyes right out.

“Oh boy. This is going to be a long night.” Daphne disengaged from Bryce. “Do you want me to get you a drink, Bryce?”

His face showed no emotion. “Might as well.”

“Chloe?”

“I’m fine, thanks.”

I forced myself to look away from Felicia. The tabloids might love it if I launched myself at her, but I refused to give in to the temptation. She’d been after my husband all summer. If Bryce could ignore her, so could I. She acted as though I didn’t exist—I should give her a taste of her own medicine. I didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of knowing she’d gotten under my skin.Screw her!

Instead, I watched as Daphne strode across the party, all eyes on her. She seemed to light up from the attention, the fact everyone was talking about our family, and the whispers about her pregnancy and the state of her marriage. Daphne blossomed under these circumstances. She passed by Mimi and Michael Jones, her nose stuck in the air. Mimi Jones’s face puckered with either hate, pain, or a combination of both. Michael Jones chugged his drink and looked anywhere but at Daphne or his wife.

“Why are they here, huh?” I asked. “And why is Felicia staring at us? Doesn’t she have anything better to do?” Like go have hot sex with that famous guitarist, or better yet, go die in a hole?

Bryce took a deep breath. He looked uncharacteristically uncomfortable.

“What is it?” What’s the matter?”

A long, heavy silence stretched out between us.

“Bryce? You’re kind of freaking me out.”

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