Evie crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t think Raquel would like seeing you hanging out with me, and quite honestly, I don’t think you and I have anything left to say to one another.”
He exhaled a deep breath and met her gaze, the determination she saw swirling in the depths making her uncomfortable. “Evie . . . I just wanted to apologize about what happened in the past.”
She arched a brow and didn’t bother making anything easy on him. “You mean having an affair with my cousin while you were in a relationship with me?”
He clenched his jaw at her blatant, unvarnished response. “Clearly, that, yes,” he admitted, his spine stiffening. “I have a lot of regrets about what I did and the choices I made. I’d do anything to go back and change what happened because it should be you I’m marrying, not Raquel. I’m so fucking miserable. If there is still any chance left between us . . .” He spoke quickly, then let the words trail off, but it was clear what he was asking.
He wanted her back, and Evie had to resist the urge to laugh in his face. “Miserable or not, you asked Raquel to marry you. You put a ring on her finger, which is a commitment, Graham.” Clearly, something he had no concept of.
“Raquel pressured me for the engagement,” he said defensively. “I’d leave her in a heartbeat if you and I could go back to what we had together.”
She stared at Graham, wondering if he was for real. But he looked dead serious, and she was so done being used by men. After being treated like a queen by Eric this weekend, she knew she’d never settle for anything less in the future.
“Just in case it’s slipped your mind, what we had together was three years that ended in lies, deceit, and betrayal, and that dishonesty negates anything good that came before,” Evie said, watching as a spark of irritation flashed in his gaze, which had no right being there when she’d been the one wronged. “And the fact that you’d even think I’d want you back or take you back is ludicrous. I don’t want you, and I have more pride and self-worth than that.”
Her words were equivalent of the slap across his face that she’d never had the chance to give him when the truth had come out, and he knew it, too.
“Yeah . . . she really does have more pride and self-worth than that,” Eric said casually from behind them as he strolled in their direction, clearly having heard their conversation. When he reached Evie, he handed her one of the bottles of water, then slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “I mean, why would she settle for a hot dog when she has filet mignon on her plate to eat?”
Graham’s face reddened at the insult, and Evie had to bite her bottom lip to keep a lid on the snicker threatening to spill out of her. Realizing that Graham was no match for Eric, verbally or physically, he spun around and strode off toward the cabins.
Once he was out of hearing range, Evie glanced at Eric in pure amusement. “Filet mignon? Seriously?”
“Damn straight I’m serious,” he said, grinning at her. “I’m Grade A Prime beef all the way, baby. Every. Single. Inch.”
She couldn’t disagree, and laughed at his quip. God, she was going to miss his humor after this weekend. Who was she kidding? She was going to miss everything about him.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The bright, colorful fireworks bursting across the dark night summer sky signaled the end to the family reunion weekend. Evie sat on a blanket between Eric’s updrawn knees, leaning back against his chest with his arms wrapped around her midsection. She felt both contentment and sadness . . . two highly conflicting emotions, and unfortunately, she knew which one was going to ultimately win. The contentment she felt in Eric’s arms was temporary. The sadness would be far longer lasting once they parted ways tomorrow.
Never would she have ever believed that she’d fall for a guy who’d never had a girlfriend, avoided commitment like the plague, and had a profile on a Boyfriend Experience app. Those were three solid reasons why bringing Eric to the family reunion should have been simple, casual, and uncomplicated, for both of them. A one-and-done transaction with an easy goodbye when they returned home and to their separate lives.
But there was nothing simple or straightforward about her feelings for Eric. He was funny and caring and affectionate. But he was also a complex man beneath that easygoing charm, with scars and fears that ran deep. And after he’d spent thirteen years living his life one way to make sure he didn’t hurt either himself or any woman the way his sister’s death had shattered him, changing that mindset would be like moving a mountain.