"So you haven't come to your senses, then," she says. "You're still persisting with this disgusting relationship."
Anger surges through me, and I struggle to maintain my composure, only because my mother would love more than anything to elicit a reaction from me. That would be exactly what she wants, and I'm not inclined to give her anything she wants. "It's ironic that you find mine and Delaney's relationship disgusting when you're obviously with this little troll here."
Anja's eyes narrow as she looks at me. "You leave her now, or you're out of my will."
"Is there anything left?" I ask. "I'd always just assumed you spent it all on vodka and cigarettes."
"You smoke?" Orange guy, formerly silent, speaks, looking at her in shock.
"No," she says, her voice terse.
"Oh, she does a lot of things I'm sure you're not aware of," I say. "Yoga is only the newest fad. Mother, I'd appreciate it if you would write me out of the will. That way I can trust that I'll never have one of these little visits from you again."
"You've always been an ungrateful little shit," she says. "You're nothing without me. I raised you."
"Yes," I say. "Despite your best efforts to the contrary, you raised a son who through some twist of fate was able to land a girl like Delaney. And I don't mind telling you to just go fuck yourself."
"You don't talk to me that way," she says, but I turn to head back to the pool.
"I'm calling up to the housekeeping staff now," I say. "I'm sure it would be best if one of the security guards escorted you while you pack up your things."
She unleashes a barrage of curses at me, but I'm not listening as I return to the lounge chair beside Daniel.
"Well, that was dramatic," he says.
I settle back against the chair and close my eyes. "I'm Gaige O'Neal," I say. "Would you really fucking expect anything less?"
Later, I sit in the oversized chair in the guesthouse living room. Delaney sits on my lap, snuggled up with her face buried in my neck. A year ago, if you'd have told me that I'd be happily cuddling with a girl, much less Delaney Marlowe, I'd have told you to go fuck yourself. Yet, here we are. And it feels good.
"Daniel said he conned you into laying out by the pool with him today," she says. "He was totally scoping you out."
"Well, I'm a hot piece of ass," I tell her. "Make sure you don't forget it."
Delaney giggles. "I'll try not to," she says. "So Anja showed up, huh?"
"With the yoga instructor she's seeing, Paul or something," he says. "Your poor father."
She's silent for a minute. "I think he might be more relieved than anything, honestly."
I pull her away from me and look at her carefully. "You think there's actually hope for us, then?"
"Like, happily ever after and all that?" she asks. "I don't know if it'll work, Gaige."
"Well, shit, at least no one can say you're not honest." I bristle at her words.
"No," she says. "Let me finish. I don't know what the future holds or anything like that. I don't know if it'll work. But I know that when you find someone that makes you think about the future that way, you have to jump with both feet, and give it a shot."
"You're such a fucking romantic," I say.
Delaney slaps me. "It's not going to be all rainbows and sunshine, you know," she says.
"God, I fucking hope not," I tell her.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Delaney
Two years later
"Oh my God, Gaige, hurry up!" I yell upstairs. "We're late for the wedding! The limo driver is literally standing outside the front door!"
Gaige walks down the stairs dressed in a tuxedo, looking so hot I swear my panties should be melting off. If I were wearing any panties under this dress. But I'm not, at Gaige's request. It's totally inappropriate, but then Gaige and I were never really all that appropriate, I guess. He gives me that cocky grin of his, and wolf whistles. "Whoa. Look at you."
"Good?" I spin around in the dress, a wine-colored floor length gown with an off the shoulder neckline.
"Great," Gaige says, sliding his hand around my back and dipping me back as he kisses me. I slap him on the arm, and he pulls me back up.
"Don't mess up my hair," I tell him.
"I'm thinking of taking you back upstairs so I can mess up a lot more than your hair," he says. He flicks his tongue over my earlobe and I swat him away.
"You're going to have lipstick all over you, and you know Robyn will kill you," I tell him. "And my father will kill you if you make us late for their wedding because you're debauching me."