Chapter 6

CHAPTER6

Charleston International Airport

Charleston, South Carolina

“Ireally don’t like you right now,” Morgan bit out as she was forced to stand there, watching as Eric made a show of getting more comfortable on the bench that she’d rightfully claimed as her own until the reminder that she drank too much the night before sent her running for the bathroom.

“Use your anger,” Eric said in an ominous voice as she glanced from the large group of tourists waiting anxiously for a taxi to take them to their hotels to the lovely bench that the big jerk that wouldn’t let her sleep on the way here now occupied.

Narrowing her eyes on the large bastard, Morgan slowly nodded, deciding that was a good idea as she reached for her backpack so that she could shove it up his-

“Now, where were we?” Eric asked with a satisfied sigh as he reached over and grabbed her hand and yanked her down next to him, earning a mumbled grunt and a new glare, one that should properly convey just how close she was to committing violence.

“Why are you in my seat?” Morgan demanded even as she gestured for him to move his ass.

“Why aren’t you consoling me in my time of need?” Eric countered as he shifted his attention to the small bag of potato chips that she grabbed from the vending machine that she’d really been looking forward to…once her stomach stopped doing that thing that had her swallowing hard as her gaze shifted back to the bathrooms, that is.

“Didn’t we already discuss this?” Morgan asked, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth as she sat there debating returning to the surprisingly lovely bathroom where she could pray for a quick death in peace when her head chose that moment to start spinning. Definitely never drinking again, Morgan decided, even as she found herself wondering why she was being glared at again.

Blinking, Morgan asked, “May I help you?”

“You can start by telling me why you’re not seeing to my needs,” Eric said, keeping his eyes locked on her as he finished off the last chip while she sat there, debating getting in one of those taxis and making the six-hour trip south to start her new life where she wouldn’t have to worry about the large bastard stealing her food again.

“Or,” Morgan said, shifting to get more comfortable as she decided to ask the one question that she’d been curious about since he announced that he was taking Amber on her dream honeymoon after making his life a living hell for two months until he gave in, “you could tell me why you decided to give in to Amber’s demands to spend your honeymoon on a cruise ship when just the thought of getting on a boat makes you sick?”

She watched as Eric clenched his jaw, causing a small muscle to bounce as he bit out, “Because it’s the dream.”

“Spending a week curled up in the fetal position is the dream?” Morgan asked in disbelief as she thought about that time that she went with Eric to a water park and-

Nope.

She refused to think about that, especially when her stomach was still struggling with the aftereffects of consuming several unidentifiable shots of alcohol last night with Trevor and all the pastries that she thought would be a good idea to consume before their flight. The reminder had her placing her hand over her stomach as she willed it to stop whatever it was that it was doing that was currently destroying her will to live. She was never drinking again, and definitely never with Trevor, Morgan promised herself as she slowly exhaled as her gaze shifted back to the line of tourists waiting for a taxi and noted that the line was getting smaller.

“It will be fine,” Eric bit out as Morgan decided to close her eyes and slowly breathe through the nausea as the warm South Carolina sun made everything somewhat better.

“Here,” Eric said a few minutes later when she felt something cold pressed into her hand. Frowning, Morgan opened her eyes and mumbled, “Bless you,” with a sniffle as she opened the can of ginger ale and took a tentative sip and nearly sighed with relief when the gingery goodness coated her poor stomach.

“Better?” Eric asked, his lips twitching with amusement as he watched her.

Nodding, Morgan mumbled, “Much better,” as she took another sip before asking, “What will be fine?”

“The cruise,” Eric said, shrugging it off as he dropped his head back against the wall and-

“Is that my neck pillow?” Morgan demanded as she watched him close his eyes as he settled in more comfortably.

“Mine now,” Eric said with a satisfied sigh.

Nodding slowly, Morgan decided that a lovely walk was what she needed to settle her stomach. With that in mind, she took one last sip of ginger ale before she stood up, grabbed her backpack, and snatched her neck pillow back before turning around and made her way to join the group of tourists waiting for taxis, leaving the annoying bastard behind. She-

“I’m curious about something,” Eric said as he joined her.

“Why I haven’t killed you yet?” Morgan asked, blinking up at the large man that was going out of his way to piss her off for some reason.

Shrugging it off, Eric said, “I just assumed that you haven’t figured out what to do with my body.”

“Oh, no, I have a plan,” Morgan assured him as she reached up and pushed her glasses back up her nose. “Uncle Jared helped me come up with it when I was six after I told him that you stole the cupcake that I was planning on sharing with him.”

“Why am I not surprised that you betrayed me?” Eric asked with a long-suffering sigh and a sad shake of his head as they stepped in line.

“Because I learned from the best?” Morgan asked with a pointed look up at Eric as she shifted her bag over her shoulder, only to murmur, “Thank you,” when Eric reached over and took the bag from and put it over his shoulder before he grabbed his bags again.

“There is that,” Eric murmured, not really sounding all that concerned to discover that she’d been planning his demise since they were six.

“Are you going to tell me what you’re curious about?” Morgan asked, pushing her glasses back up her nose as they moved up in line.

“I’ve been wondering why you were doing shots with the asshole last night,” Eric said, taking her by surprise, mostly because she’d thought, hoped really, that he forgot about that.

“I was enjoying the festivities?”

“At a party that you weren’t even planning on attending?” Eric drawled as he shot her a look that told her that he had absolutely no plans of letting this one go, which admittedly was a bit of a problem for her.

Clearing her throat, Morgan said, “I’m sorry. What were we talking about?”

“Why you’re refusing to tell me why you let my cousin talk you into doing shots,” Eric murmured, gesturing for her to start talking.

Swallowing hard, Morgan went for, “I don’t remember?” since admitting the real reason that she’d allowed Trevor to talk her into doing shots would only bite her in the ass. Granted, when she decided to go to the dinner rehearsal, she hadn’t planned on drinking, but when Trevor handed her a shot of whatever it was that was in that small glass, she decided that getting drunk sounded like a wonderful idea.

Mostly because she didn’t think that she would be able to go through with telling Eric that she was in love with him without a little liquid courage. She should have just left, but…

God, she was an idiot.

For the past few weeks, she’d focused on putting her plans into action as she did her best not to think about what she was about to do, the fact that she was never going to see him again or the fact that he was about to marry another woman. She had everything planned, including her excuse for skipping the rehearsal dinner. When the time came, Morgan made sure to let Eric know that she had a migraine, knowing that when he got in after the dinner that he would leave her alone so that she could sleep, buying herself a little more time before he found out that she was gone.

Everything was going as planned, she had her bags packed, her gas tank full, and watched Eric leave through the window, and then…

She realized that she was never going to see him again.

That’s when she panicked. It was also right around the time that she realized that she had nothing left to lose and decided that it was now or never. That led to her grabbing the black cocktail dress that she bought a few years ago on impulse, doing her hair and make-up, and after that, it took Morgan another hour to work up the courage to get in her car and make her way to the incredibly expensive restaurant that Amber’s parents reserved for the dinner rehearsal.

The entire drive over there, Morgan focused on one thing, finally telling Eric the truth so that by the time that she walked into that restaurant, she was ready to say the words that she’d been struggling to hold back for years, and that’s when she saw Amber. She-

“There’s just one more thing that we need to handle before we go to the hotel,” Eric said, drawing her attention to find him watching her with a look in his eye that didn’t bode well for her.

Not. At. All.