It’s then Presley’s words come back to me. “I think Raven has some things to say to you. It seems your heart to heart a few weeks ago didn’t go as well as we thought. She’s a beautiful woman, and I know why you love her like you do.”
Fuck! Why didn’t I see it?
“Beautiful woman… love her like you do…”
The words ring in my ears as I stalk to
the picnic table. “What the fuck happened?” I demand to know.
My eyes go to Cruz first. “Reese wasn’t sick, was she?”
He shakes his head, confirming what I already suspected.
“We didn’t know she was there. It was unintentional. Swear!” Ember starts to cry. “But I saw the look of devastation on her face and knew she heard everything.”
Jimi and Gabe come up beside me in support. Jimi speaks first. “Abbi, someone needs to tell him.”
She nods and looks at me with tears in her own eyes. “Presley overheard Raven talking about your time in Paris this morning, along with some other stuff. We didn’t know Presley was in the bathroom in the camper.”
“Number one, Presley knows I was in Paris with Raven. Number two, the camper is a fucking bus, but there’s still only one-way in and one-way out. How’d you not know?”
“Man, calm down.” Jimi puts a hand on my arm. “Abbi’s not the enemy here.”
“Sorry.” I wave him off. “Tell me what else.”
“Finn, I think you should be asking me what happened. I’m the one who did this.” Raven’s broken voice comes from behind, and I turn to find her hanging on Declan, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“What did you do?”
“I was talking to the girls about how she was too good to be true and this was moving too fast. She’s practically a guardian of a five-year old girl. You’re so awesome, and I think she’s using you!”
I let her words sink in, the fury in me building. Max and Tripp move to my side.
“What else did you say?”
Raven looks tearfully at Declan, who tucks her to him and whispers something in her ear. She swallows hard and avoids meeting my eyes when she speaks. “It started out harmless. We were talking about how great the weekend was going. The conversation shifted to you and Presley. Abbi mentioned how in love you seem, and Ember agreed. When they asked me my opinion, I said she’d be lucky to be loved by a man like you. I told them I was fortunate to know how it feels to be loved by you, and if I wasn’t so lovesick over Declan, I’d have never let you go.
“Then, I said if she was still shacking up with you in a few weeks, she’d hear about our trip to Paris and how you loved me enough to send me back to Declan, even though I was unsure at the time where my relationship stood.”
Declan’s face is flat and void of emotion. I can tell how hard it is for him to stand by and relive this drama from a few years ago. Regardless of this, I don’t give a shit.
My knees go weak, and I stumble a bit as bells ring in my ears in horror. “YOU SAID WHAT?” I scream, the anguish on Presley’s face filling my mind. “How could you?”
“I didn’t know she was there!” Raven defends herself, but it falls on deaf ears.
I look around for the only woman I trust and find Ember. “Ember—“
“On it, Hero. I’ll pack your stuff now.” She shuffles away with Robbie.
I turn to Raven, the girl I’ve loved in different ways for most of my life, and swallow the disgust in my throat. For the first time ever, I’m filled with disappointment.
“Did you use the words ‘shacking up’?”
“I did.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I yell. “She’s not some two-bit whore I picked up on the side of the road. She’s an accomplished professional in her field. She’s a sister, a daughter, a loyal aunt to a little girl who lost her dad!”
Raven jerks.