She sounded so damnably happy...
Leaning forward, he propped his elbows on his knees and raked his free hand through his hair. “Travel safe, squid. You’re all that matters, you know.”
“Don’t worry so much,” she chastised. “I’ll be there soon enough and you’ll see.”
“Jenna,” Liam wheezed. “I gave our father my word that I’d look out for you, ensure your happiness before all else...” He couldn’t finish that particular train of thought because a new realization was barreling down on him at breakneck speed.
What if I’m wrong—wrong about the groom? Wrong about stopping the wedding? And, God save me, wrong about what would truly ensure Jenna’s happiness?
If he was wrong, his sister was about to pay the price for his mistake.
But he’d seen Mike treat Jenna poorly, and more than once. His boorish behavior, lack of manners and general indifference had soured Liam on the man. There was no undoing the damage. He had to protect Jenna.
“Leem?” she prompted.
“I only want you to know you have options. Even if you’re pregnant, we can—”
“I’m not pregnant, Liam,” Jenna said in as sharp a tone as she ever took with him. “Would you please relax? It’s going to be fine. After all, you said so, and who would dare defy you?” She sighed. “We’ll be there soon, Liam. Please stop worrying. Mike is my one. I know what I’m doing.”
Liam remained silent, unsure what to say in the face of her frustrated plea.
Jenna took the decision out of his hands, disconnecting the call without a goodbye.
Liam was left holding the phone, still wondering what he should’ve—could’ve—said that stood even a remote chance of making things better between him and Jenna. Things couldn’t be broken now, before the rug was pulled out from under her.
With their father gone and her groom likely to bail when things got tough, Liam would be the only one there to help her pick up the pieces of her dream.
Even though he was the one who would shatter it.
CHAPTER NINE
ELLASATATthe beachside bar, the seating chart for the wedding dinner spread out in front of her. Her initial notes had stipulated no bride and groom table—Jenna and Mike had wanted to sitwiththeir guests. The revised arrangement had guests clearly segregated, each one labeled “B” for bride or “G” for groom. The two groups had been seated in different locations, each one opposite the new table where the bride and groom sat. Alone. The arrangement made little sense. It felt wrong, far too unlike the original plans.
Shoving her hands through her hair, a low growl escaped her. Should she follow Liam’s revised plans and ignore the inner voice that was screaming at her to disregard his changes? Surely Liam wouldn’t screw her over. What could he possibly gain from ruining his sister’s wedding? More than once he’d said that he wanted his sister’s happiness above all else.
But things weren’t adding up, and Ella couldn’t swing many more changes. Not with the wedding so close. The resort—thanks to her relationship with Arvin—had been willing to extend a significant rate reduction for horseback riding on the beach. Liam had never answered her about substituting horseback riding or parasailing for the dive trip, so she’d chosen horseback riding based on his notes. No one indicated a fear of animals. No one claimed any allergies. So she’d offer two excursions, each with the bride and groom present, and guests could choose which one they wanted to participate in. That would work.
Letting her gaze drift over the seating arrangement, Ella traced her fingers along the far table, the one labeled with the groom’s guests, then finger-walked across to the bride’s guest table. The groups were small, but... “This can’t be right.”
“What’s wrong with it?”
She looked up sharply into eyes the color of luxurious dark chocolate—sweet but with a bite.
Liam’s brows drew together. “Ella?”
Shaking off the ridiculous wanderings of her mind, she focused on the moment at hand. Now was the time to get this mess straightened out. Ella had a short window of time left to make sure everything was in order for the Wednesday morning walk-through and Wednesday afternoon excursions. Then? The wedding.
Two. Days.
The butterflies in her stomach took up dogfight maneuvers, zipping left and then right, flying up only to plummet to the depths of her belly. Rather sickening, all in all.
“Ella?” Liam repeated.
“I have two days to piece together what you say your sister wants versus what her personal assistant said she wants. I have to make sense of this and make it work, Liam, because anything less could potentially doom me to planning children’s parties for the rest of my life.” Running her hands over her face, she traced the lines marring her forehead and the grooves etched alongside her mouth. She had to look as haggard as she felt. “This is wrecking me. I’m going to need a week at a spa just to undo the damage the stress is doing to my skin. I swear I’ve aged five years in four days. This is ridiculous, Liam.”
He sank into a canvas sling chair and scooted forward, pulling together the plans she’d scattered around her. It took him seconds to organize them, but then he seemed to hesitate. With careful consideration, he folded up the sheet he’d given her and moved the original plan to the top of the pile. “Trash the seating plan I gave you and go with the one my sister’s assistant originally laid out.”
Ella started and then sank back into her chair. “What? Why?”