Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Lucien
Talia holds out her phone to take a selfie of us with the jungle as a backdrop.
“Incoming,” I whisper, turning to kiss her.
She takes two pictures of us kissing, then tucks her phone back into the canvas cross-body bag that rests on her hip.
“That energy drink is really helping,” she says. “I could carry you the rest of the way to the top if you want me to.”
I smile and shake my head. “Yeah, good luck with that.”
It’s been five hours since the jellyfish branding, and the pain is finally manageable. This morning, we went to a rinsing station, and it helped, but Talia had to go buy more vinegar and pour it on the stings in our hotel shower.
I stood there in my underwear, and it took all my self-control not to bitch and moan the entire time.
I’m not sure even Loki would’ve gotten himself stung by jellyfish on purpose.
I was showing off for Talia, and I’m only functional because of the prescription-strength pain reliever she had in her bag.
Now we’re on a group hike with the bridal party, and the rest of them are doing a scavenger hunt. Talia and I just wanted to enjoy the scenery.
“So how did you two meet?” Audra’s bridesmaid, Kayla, asks us from nearby.
I smile at the memory of Talia scowling at me in her Unabomber hoodie at the bar where we met.
“I was hitting on another woman and Talia shot me down.”
Talia laughs at my description. “His pickup line was so cringe. He asked her if her name was Anesthesia.”
Kayla groans.
“I didn’t use that line, I said I had a friend who was going to use it.”
Talia gives me a pointed look. “But you didn’t. Which actually makes it worse.”
I grin and take her hand. “Yet here we are. You can’t get enough of me.”
“Enjoying my leftovers, Beaumont?” Kyle calls out from ahead of us.
Hurt flickers across Talia’s face and I release her hand. Kyle’s around twenty feet in front of us, and he doesn’t even know I’m coming when I slam into him from behind and we both land on the ground.
“What the hell?” Audra shouts.
I land a punch to his gut that makes him grunt. The pain from the jellyfish stings reignites, but I just keep punching. I roll so I can get on top of him and pound his face, more feral than I’ve ever been in any hockey fight. The punches he’s getting in don’t even register.
“Don’t ever talk about her.” I grab the collar of his shirt and pull him up from the ground. “If her name ever comes out of your mouth again, I’ll break your fucking legs.”
Something pummels into me, sending me flying. I’m buried beneath something heavy and I can’t breathe.
It’s not until Kyle’s groomsman gets off me that I realize it was him. His name’s Brad, and he weighs a solid two hundred and fifty pounds. Another groomsman is on the ground with Kyle, holding him back.
“Enough!” Audra yells, standing in the space between me and Kyle with her hands out.
She looks unhinged, a vein visible in her forehead. When she turns to face Talia, her expression is murderous.
“You brought him here to ruin our wedding, didn’t you? You can’t stand the idea that he’s happier with me and that you were rejected.”
I shove Brad’s arm off and walk away, my blood boiling. If I wasn’t the kind of man who’d never raise his hand to a woman, I’d be all over Talia’s bitch of a sister.
“I don’t care whether or not you two are happy,” Talia says, shrugging. “I’m with Lucien now, and that’s why I brought him.”
Audra stomps over to Talia, pointing right in her face. Hands on my hips, I watch her every movement. If she touches Talia, we’re going to have a problem.
“Everything’s been a goddamn disaster since you two got here! I’ve been puked on and humiliated! My fiancé has jellyfish stings all over and he’s going to have a black eye and a fat lip during our wedding ceremony!”
Talia raises her chin and fires back. “So you’re saying we made Kyle seasick?”
Audra scowls and stomps her foot. “No, but the jellyfish thing was him!” she points a finger with a long red nail at me. “And the fight!”
I put my hands in the air. “He knew damn well that was going to happen. Talking shit about Talia is a ‘fuck around and find out’ situation.” I glance around at the shocked faces of the bridal party. “Anyone else got something to say?”
Kyle’s on his feet now. He wipes the back of his hand beneath his bleeding nose and sneers at me.
“Fuck you, Beaumont.” He spits on the ground. “You’re all cheap shots and empty chirps. I’m ready to finish what you started.”
“No!” Audra cries. “I don’t want you standing at the altar in a fucking neck brace, Kyle! Your jacked-up face is already going to ruin enough.”
Kyle’s torn between coming for me and keeping his bride-to-be happy.
“Hey babe,” I call, glancing at Talia. “You mind if I fight him?”
“Not at all.” She smiles. “Your balls belong entirely to you.”
Audra lets out a bloodcurdling scream that shuts everyone up.
“Stop! Ruining! My wedding!” She looks around at everyone, her eyes wild. “Tomorrow is my day, and I will personally dismember anyone who ruins it.”
Talia and I exchange a quick look of concern.
“I think Lucien and I should go back home,” she says softly.
“No!” Audra cries. “Every fucking member of my fucked-up fucking family is going to be in my wedding pictures! That includes you, Talia.”
Talia’s lips part with surprise. “I’m not going to be in your wedding photos. That’s ridiculous, given my history with Kyle.”
"You’re still my sister.” Audra’s voice breaks with emotion.
Talia sighs softly. “Yes. And if you need a kidney or something like that, I’m in. But don’t ask me to stand there and smile for your wedding pictures.”
“I thought you’d moved on,” Audra says smugly, crossing her arms.
“I have.”
Her gaze flicks to me, and something in her eyes makes me walk over to stand beside her. I take her hand, my inner Loki playing chess while Audra is playing checkers.
“It’s not what you think,” I say. “It’s not that she hasn’t moved on. She just didn’t want to upstage your wedding with our news.”
“Your what?” Audra’s eyes widen.
I squeeze Talia’s hand, telling her to play along. “We’re engaged.”
Audra’s jaw drops. “You’re what?”
Kyle scoffs and turns away, swearing. I only wish I’d thought of this play sooner.
“Yeah, and when we visited my family last month, they wanted Talia to be in our family pictures since she’s my fiancée. I think Talia just feels torn because of that.”
“I do.” Talia nods her agreement. “It wouldn’t be right for me to be in the pictures without my fiancé.”
“Okay.” Audra furrows her brow, considering. “Then I guess—”
“Don’t say it, Audra,” Kyle barks. “Do not fucking say what I think you’re about to say.”
She ignores him. “Then I guess Lucien will need to be in the pictures, too.”
“Jesus Christ!” Kyle puts his hands on his head, coming unglued. “No fucking way am I letting that happen.”
Talia squeezes my hand. We’re lucky we get to see such a dramatic performance without even having to pay for tickets. And it’s starring the two most deserving people I know.
Audra approaches Kyle, and even though she’s trying to talk quietly, we can still hear her. “I’m in charge of the wedding details, remember? You said you’d marry me in Antarctica if I wanted.”
Kyle’s seething. “I’d rather do that than have Lucien motherfucking Beaumont in our wedding photos.”
“Well, you want your kid-diddling stepbrother in our photos, so I get to have my sister and her fiancé.”
“Holy shit,” Talia whispers.
“Real nice, announcing that about Greg to everyone.” Kyle wipes his bleeding cheek with his hand.
Audra holds his gaze, her steeliness reminding me of Talia. “Fuck kid diddlers, Kyle. Everyone should know he’s a perv who hid cameras in a dance studio bathroom.”
“Jesus,” Kayla says. “Is he allowed to be at this wedding? Will there be kids?”
“No kids,” Audra seethes. “I had to tell all my friends and family no kids, all because of Kyle’s registered sex offender cousin.”
Things are spiraling even further out of control than I hoped for.
“Fine,” Kyle grinds out. “Talia’s boy toy can be in the goddamn pictures.”
“Good!” Audra brightens, her smile a little scary. “Then it’s settled. And you two are going to be brothers-in-law, so you’d better find a way to get along. Now let’s finish this scavenger hunt. The photographer will be waiting for us at the end.”
Talia and I linger, letting the others resume the hike. As soon as they’re out of earshot, she throws herself at me in a hug, burying her face in my shoulder to muffle her laughter.
“You’re an evil genius,” she says in my ear. “I thought this trip would be hell, but instead we’re making core memories I’ll love for the rest of my life.”
“I thought your sister was gonna lose it,” I say in her ear.
“She gets stressed out about things being perfect.”
I chuckle softly. “Then she’s in for a lifetime of disappointment with Macintire.”
“You’re the best, Lucien.” She pulls back and meets my eyes, her gaze warm. “I mean it. You’ve been the most amazing friend to me on this trip. I’ll never forget it.”
A friend. After all this, she still thinks of me as just a friend. I don’t let my disappointment show.
“We should catch up,” I say.
She falls into step beside me and we return to our hike, the view of a black sand beach like nothing I’ve ever seen before.
I thought we were both feeling something, but now I don’t know. Maybe it’s just me.