Chapter 30

Chapter Thirty

If Liddy had thought the car ride from the airport had been uncomfortable, it paled compared to the trip she was taking right now.

The tension in the car was thick, rigid. Nearly impenetrable. Elle was barely talking, which only made Liddy feel worse, and she could feel her sister's eyes boring into the back of her neck. Confessing to lying had never been part of the plan—and now Liddy felt increasingly stupid for having lied.

And that was on top of the awkward, two-minute conversation she'd had with Sergio, where she'd tried to tell him she wasn't dating Callum but her family thought she was, while trying to come up with a way to explain their date wouldn't be happening.

God, I feel horrible about all of it.

A rainstorm had broken out as they'd left La Hacienda. Now rain poured down the windshield, the wipers moving as fast as they could. At Sergio's advice, they'd taken the coastal road, which Callum had informed them would take longer. But apparently a mudslide had taken out part of the main highway with the storm the day before, which was why Sergio had shown up early. He'd been worried he wouldn't make it on time and leave Liddy waiting for him.

Because I should have canceled the date with him before today. Or never agreed to it.

"I have to go to the bathroom," Elle announced from the back seat, her arms crossed in irritation.

I can't remember the last time I saw Elle so angry. It was expected, though.

Callum's gaze flicked into the rearview mirror. They'd already stopped twice for that purpose and had only been on the road for an hour. If Callum was frustrated at the delay, he didn't show it, and Liddy imagined he must feel bad about all this.

But then again, what do I know about his feelings?

Callum seemed to try his best not to have feelings. Whatever emotions he did display were more like reflexes.

"You want to stop right now?" Callum asked.

"Sorry, mate," Quinn said apologetically.

"I heard that," Elle said, crossing her arms. "Don't apologize to him. He doesn't need an apology. I'm pregnant and I have to pee. That's not something you should apologize for."

Right. The pregnancy.

Quinn grimaced and looked back at his wife. "Darling, I'm not apologizing for you having to use the facilities."

"Yes, you are. And honestly, if I have to stop every five minutes, then that's how it's going to be. Callum's a big boy, he can handle it."

Yeesh. She'd never heard Elle be so rude like this. But Elle was also angrier than Liddy had witnessed in a long time.

"I'm not sure there's a place for us to stop right now, Elle," Liddy said gently. They were in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by jungle, and it was raining. "But there might be a town soon?" She looked hopefully at Callum, then added in as cheerful of a tone as she could, "At least we have GPS and phones this time."

Elle stared at her, then looked at Callum. "So was anything that you two told me the last few days true? Anything? You're not a couple—but you went above and beyond to convince us you were. And I still don't really get why Callum forced you to pretend you were dating. So . . .?" She arched a brow.

She's really furious.

And I hate this so much.

"This isn't Liddy's fault," Callum said, speaking to Elle through the rearview mirror. "It was my idea to lie, my idea to buy some time while we tracked down Sergio. She wanted to tell you the truth, but I thought it would be more stressful for you. Sophia and I broke up years ago and, because my mum has always loved her, she didn't take the news well. I didn't want to give her any reason to attempt a reconciliation."

"So you're just a liar." Elle held his gaze for a moment, her eyes narrowing. Then she glanced at Quinn. "Did you know this about him?"

"I think Callum and Liddy were trying to make the best of an unpleasant situation," Quinn said, gripping her hand. "Though obviously it would have been preferable to just tell us the truth."

Liddy gave Quinn a guarded look. He'd been kind throughout this all—which wasn't surprising—but he also risked irritating Elle, which wouldn't be good.

"Preferable? That's putting it mildly. I can't decide who I'm more frustrated with—Callum for manipulating Liddy the way he did or Liddy for not trusting me and letting Callum make a fool out of her and using her for some . . . duplicitous vacation fling."

Liddy stiffened. A fool out of me? That's a bit . . . much.

Then annoyance rankled her. Stressed or not, hormones or whatever it was, Liddy was also sick of tiptoeing around her sister, feeling like she couldn't have a conversation with her.

The car slowed and Liddy looked over at Callum. He nodded at the road, which had disappeared from view. Instead, the path of the dusty inland road, a river flowed toward the sea, swelling from the rain.

"What the hell?" Liddy asked.

Callum grimaced. "I should have known this would happen. I've had to go through the rivers on this road before and avoid it in the rainy season—but usually October is the worst time for this, not June."

Quinn leaned forward from the back seat. "You mean to tell me this happens on a regular basis?"

Callum stopped the car. Rain pounded on the windows. It was so bleak.

Elle peered through the windshield. "Where's the road gone?"

"The river swelled and went over it. We have to go through it to get to the other side," Callum said, his voice unusually quiet.

"Through the river?" both Elle and Liddy said nearly simultaneously.

How is that even possible?

Callum shrugged. "It happens during the rainy season. We should be fine, but I'm going to wade out there, make sure it's not too deep."

"Wait, what?" Liddy set a hand on his shoulder. "Isn't that dangerous?"

For some reason, a smile curled at the corners of his lips as he met her gaze. "It'll be fine. There's an umbrella in the back if you want to help hold it over Elle so she can . . . relieve herself." He nodded toward the trunk area.

"Let me go with you, mate," Quinn said as Callum opened the door.

"Please don't get killed and leave my baby fatherless," Elle said, a hint of anxiety in her voice.

Quinn winked at her, then stepped outside.

As both men walked forward in the rain toward the swollen river, tense silence settled between Liddy and Elle.

Liddy gritted her teeth, then said, "Listen, Elle, I'm sorry. I really am. I didn't mean to cause you more stress."

"I just . . ." Elle studied her. "None of this is like you. What are you trying to prove? And to whom?"

Good question.

Why had she felt the need to prove so much lately?

She didn't have an answer for that. "You know, why don't I get that umbrella and get Quinn to help you. I'll see if Callum needs anything, that way you don't have to worry about your husband drowning on top of everything else."

Something unreadable flashed in Elle's eyes, then she nodded.

Liddy couldn't get out of the car quickly enough.

She hurried over to Quinn and handed him the umbrella. Callum was already wading into the river, his back to them. "Why don't we switch?" Liddy said as brightly as possible.

Quinn gave her a look of surprise, then squeezed her shoulder. "It's going to be all right."

As Quinn went back, Liddy stared at the gushing brown water just a few feet away. She took a few cautious steps into it.

After the tension of the morning, standing in the river with rain dripping down her face, soaking her shirt was . . .

Relief.

More than anything, she wanted Callum to tell her everything would be okay. That they would be okay. Not that there even was a "they." But with their fake relationship exposed to more people, it all felt so close to being over. Just when they'd barely gotten started.

She splashed out into the water and grabbed Callum's hand. "Wait?—"

He turned toward her. "What are you doing?"

"I don't know. You were just standing there and . . . I just wanted to be here with you. I don't know why."

He smiled sadly. "God, you're so beautiful. You know that? Especially when you're fearless."

Her stomach roiled. Why does it feel like he's going to push me away again?

She grabbed his hands, interlacing her fingers with his. "Thank you, Callum. For everything you've done this week. I'm sorry Elle is mad at you, but I just want you to know—I'm not. And I don't care what she or anyone else thinks."

He raised a brow. "Is that so? What about Sergio?"

"Ugh, don't remind me. Hopefully he got the hint and went home." She didn't want to rehash that stupid argument right now.

Liddy shook her head, trying to clear some of the rain from her face. Feathery strands of hair stuck to her cheeks. "Why does stuff like this keep happening to us? We're seriously going to drive through a river in our car? This is like the Oregon Trail or something."

His fingers tightened on hers. Leaning down, he kissed her forehead, then her lips with gentle pressure. "My life was nothing short of boring before you came into it, Lydia Winnick."

Then he tilted his head toward the car, his heart wreathed in a turmoil he didn't dare display. "And yes, we're going to drive through the damned river." He held her hand as they started back. "The water is just at my knees. We should be fine. In theory."

"In theory?"

He grimaced. "Unless we drive into an area of the river that's deeper than I can see. Then the engine will flood. And with the water moving like this, it could push the car out to the sea."

She grasped his hand tighter. "What?" She looked warily back at the rapid flow. "Um, maybe I shouldn't ask but are there any creatures I should be worried about out here?"

He gave her a rueful smile. "Crocodiles. Snakes. But I doubt we'll encounter them."

She squealed, then yanked him back toward solid ground.

Elle and Quinn were quiet as they got into the car, and Liddy didn't meet Elle's gaze. Muttering a silent prayer, her fingers tightened around the seat belt as Callum put the car into first gear and crept toward the river.

"I can't believe we're doing this," Elle breathed.

Quinn scooted closer to her sister and held her hand. "It's fine. Callum wouldn't do this if the water was too deep."

"But you can't just drive a car through a river." Elle stared out the window as they pushed slowly into the water.

"Happens all the time here," Callum said dryly.

The front two wheels were in. Liddy looked out the side mirror as the back tires left what was once the road.

Slow.

Steady.

Her heart rate surged. She breathed out slowly, focusing on the path forward as Callum kept going. Not that there was an actual path.

Keep going.

He rolled the window down and stuck his head out. She didn't have to ask what he saw. The water level was rising up the side of the car.

Dangerously high.

Elle looked horrified. "Oh my God. What happens if the water goes too high?"

"The engine floods," Quinn said, squeezing her knee comfortingly.

"And then?"

"Then we push the car to higher ground and wait for a tow," Callum said in a matter-of-fact way, as though he hadn't just told Liddy the other potentially hazardous possibility.

A phone rang and Liddy glanced back to see Elle take hers out. "It's Kat." Then Elle's face looked stricken. "Oh man, she's going to kill me. We were supposed to be going to The Four Seasons today."

"You don't have to answer it," Liddy said. "She'll be fine."

Elle gave a strangled laugh. "Who are you, and what have you done with my sister? The Liddy I know respects and loves schedules."

"Schedules be damned. We have a wedding dress to rescue."

They were in the middle of the river now, and Liddy held her breath. Of all the men in the world, she wouldn't have expected her boss—who looked so good in a business suit and managed his team of twenty-five so professionally—to also be someone she had complete confidence in during an adventure like this.

But I do.

All four wheels seemed to lift off.

Fuck, no.

Elle might not know what was going on, but Callum shifted in his seat, giving Liddy a worried glance.

"Cal . . ."

They were still gliding forward in the water.

Seconds ticked by, lengthening in her ears with her pulse.

Liddy set her hand on his shoulder.

Hit the ground. Hit the ground.

Then a bump, and the front tires hit land again.

She breathed out, her heart rate slowing.

"Did we . . . float?" Liddy asked, meeting Callum's eyes.

"Float?" Elle's jaw dropped open.

Callum cringed. "Just for a second. But I have to warn you—this isn't the only river we have to cross on the coastal road."

"Oh my God." Elle squeezed her eyes shut. "I don't even want to wear that damn dress. It's long-sleeved and fluffy, and I just didn't want to hurt Quinn's mom's feelings, but I hate it." She huffed, her knuckles white. "Are we going to die trying to get a dress I don't even want to wear?"

Seriously?

They were on land now and Callum pulled the car to safety, then stopped it. Turning around, he arched a brow at Liddy.

We've been killing ourselves over a dress Elle doesn't even want?

If it hadn't been so damn ironic, she might just have cried. A smile played at Liddy's lips, and then she threw her head back and laughed. "You've got to be kidding me."

Her laughter seemed to be contagious because Elle started laughing, wiping her nose tearfully. "I don't—I don't know why it took me so long to say anything." She met Quinn's eyes. "I don't want to wear that dress, Q. I don't."

Quinn smiled, a tenderness in his gaze that Liddy only hoped someone would look at her with someday. "Then don't wear it."

Hallelujah. A tight feeling choked Liddy's throat. Maybe it had taken Elle a bit too long to come around and admit it, but . . . I was right. And Liddy had finally broken through to her sister, too. Maybe it had been her speech while Callum and Quinn had been outside of the car, and maybe it had been the emotional river crossing—but either way, thank God.

Then Elle squeezed Quinn's hands, turning in the seat toward Liddy. "I'm sorry. I've been a jerk to you. And Callum. And you're right. The Four Seasons is beautiful but not what I wanted. I want to get married on the beach we picked. Even if there's no music and the food isn't from a Michelin-starred restaurant."

No need to make Elle eat humble pie.

"Does anyone really feel full after eating at those places, anyway? They give these unsatisfying, tiny portions," Liddy said, snickering. "I swear the last time you and Quinn took me to one of those places, I went home and ordered a pizza because I was still hungry."

"It's true." Elle dug in her purse for a tissue.

"And, the fact is, you're already married. You may as well do whatever you want. It's not like the countess can raise an objection to you two being married during the ceremony."

"She wouldn't anyway," Quinn said wryly. "She loves Elle."

"I'm sorry I was so mad. I'm sorry. You're right about everything, Lid, and you're the only one who even tried to tell me."

Liddy sniffled. "I wish I could hug you right now."

Elle laughed lightly. "There's just one problem." Elle swiped through her phone. "This rain seems like it doesn't want to let up. The forecast for the next few days is awful, including the morning of the wedding." She held up the weather app she'd opened. "See? Kat showed me this yesterday."

Liddy took the phone and swiped through the app. "There's a window tomorrow evening that doesn't look too bad."

"The wedding's on Thursday, though." Quinn shifted in his seat.

"But everyone's already here, aren't they? Why wait? If I've learned anything on this trip, it's that everything you're expecting can change in an instant." Liddy's eyes settled on Callum's.

His jaw tensed.

"I mean . . . I guess we could do the wedding tomorrow night." An excited look came over Elle's face. "Q—what do you think?"

"I think that whatever makes you happy is exactly what I want."

Liddy smiled and set her forehead against Elle's. "I have an idea of how we might make everyone happy. Including Kat. Just leave everything to me, okay?"

"Uhh. . ." Callum squinted at Quinn.

Quinn just gave a low chuckle, shaking his head.

"I hate to be a bother," Callum said, clearing his throat. "But are we still going to the airport?"

Elle sniffled again and shook her head. "No. You know what? Forget it. Let's just leave the dress there, and Liddy can pick it up on her way home. I'll just tell Quinn's mom that it didn't arrive, and she'll have to accept it. It's the best way to let her down gently."

Now who's the liar? Liddy didn't dare say anything, though. "Let's go back to Samara."

"Perfect." Callum turned the steering wheel. "All we have to do is cross the damn river. Again."