“Because this is more in line with what she truly wants.” Liam looked at her, smile sardonic and eyes sad. “It’s something I shouldn’t have messed with.”
The knot that had formed in Ella’s stomach unraveled, and she drew her first full breath since hearing Liam had a modified wish list. Until now, she hadn’t realized exactly how messed up she’d been. Not really. But this...this sudden about-face Liam was pulling? It eased her fears. Surely there was a reason behind it, but she wasn’t going to look for it. All that mattered was she’d suddenly found the confidence to move forward. “So what would you say to horseback riding on the beach or parasailing instead of snorkeling and diving?”
He was shaking his head before she had finished asking the question. “Groom has allergies. I’m not sure if horses fall under that umbrella, but I’d avoid it just to be safe.”
“Good to know.” Reaching across the table, she laid her hand over his, which was resting on the original seating chart. “Thank you, Liam.” There was more to those words than courtesy. There were layers of gratitude and an acknowledgment that she knew this was hard for him. She wanted him to know, to realize she understood he was struggling.
He squeezed her hand in return before pulling away. Looking out over the quiet beach, his mind seemed even farther away than his gaze. “Ella, do you know who my sister is?”
No reason to play games or be coy. “I have an idea.”
“Who do you think she is?”
“I’m guessing she’s Paige Jennings.”
He smiled. “Nope. Guess again.”
Ella sat farther forward and rested her crossed arms on the table’s edge. “I almost asked if you were sure,” she said with a small smile. “I was pretty sure myself.”
Liam’s gaze came back to her. “No idea, then?”
“I suppose she could be any number of starlets in Hollywood.”
He grinned. “Don’t let her hear you say that.”
“Now you’re scaring me.”
“My sister is Jenna Williams. Her fiancé—”
“Is Mike Feigenbaum.” Ella swallowed hard. “Award-winning actress meets the rookie MVP for minor league baseball and starting pitcher for Utah’s triple-A team, the Hellcats. An insanely fast, well-publicized romance follows, culminating in a proposal right before Mike opts out of his contract negotiations and very publicly becomes a free agent. He then moves to Hollywood to be with Jenna.” Flopping back into her chair, she shook her head. Or maybe it was her whole body shaking. Yeah, that was more likely. “Jenna Williams is your sister?”
“My father married Jenna’s mother when I was seven. They had Jenna when I was nine.” One corner of his mouth curled up in a tender smile. “I couldn’t stand her when she was born. But then, when she was about nine months old, she took her first steps...and they were toward me. She followed me everywhere after that. And when she began to talk? Good God, she chattered at me nonstop. It didn’t matter if I understood a single word she said. Like everyone she meets, she won me over by simply being herself.”
“Jenna Williams,” Ella repeated through numb lips.
“You’ll love her.” It was half statement, half command.
“I’m sure I will—if she’s even half as lovely in person as she has been in every interview I’ve ever seen. But why tell me now?”
She watched as something haunted passed through his eyes. “You need to know who she is.”
Ella heard the two words he’d left unspoken. To me.You need to know who she isto me.She scooted her chair closer to the edge of the pavilion and wiggled her toes until they were buried in the sand. There were a hundred things she could say, at least two dozen she probablyshouldsay, and not a single one seemed absolutely right.
As if he read her mind, Liam said, “I expected something...more.”
“More?”
“In your reaction to my sister’s fame.”
Ella shrugged. “I’ve dealt with celebrities before. And everything I know about her indicates she’s a delightful woman. I don’t know much about her fiancé, but I’ll meet him soon enough.”
At the mention of the groom, Liam’s face clouded over.
“So it was an understatement when you said you’re not his biggest fan.” Ella leaned over and picked up her mimosa, sipping the drink slowly as she considered what to say next. She needn’t have bothered, as Liam plowed through the opening she’d provided.
“There aren’t civil words strong enough to accurately convey my feelings toward the groom,” he snapped.
“Good thing you’re not the one marrying him, then.” The words hung between them before falling with an inaudiblesplat.