18. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

A day at the beach with six squealing, giggling, merry children was the morphine to her crippling pain. Justine couldn't keep the smile from her face even for a minute.

Emme's mood shifted exponentially, and she still seemed to "lead" the other children, but she did so with a steadfast grace and so much patience, Justine knew without a doubt that this child was going places in life. She just needed the adults around her to cut her some slack. And now that Bennett knew how his daughter felt, maybe she would get that slack.

Even though she told the kids she was staying behind to get a water bottle, they were all quick to call her out and ask where the bottle was.

Crap .

"No worries," Jake said. "I can grab one from the pub kitchen." Then he beelined it for the back of the house, using the supplier door, only to return a minute later with a nice, cool recyclable bottle for her. He was pleased as punch with himself too, which only made his gallantry all the more adorable.

They set up on a flat, sandy part of the beach with a big blanket, and umbrella that Dom came down and erected for them. Then the kids got busy with some serious castle and river building. Apparently, it was absolutely essential that your castle have a moat that was fed by the ocean. So a river needed to be dug for the water to flow in and protect the King and Queen.

Justine dove in with vigor. She got down in the sand with the kids on her hands and knees, groaning and growling when a side wall caved in, then high-fiving with the rest when they finally reached the sea with their river. Thankfully, the tide was on its way in, and nearly in all the way, which was perfect for river building.

She was busy working on filling up some buckets with sand so they could flip them over for the castle when people moving toward the beach caught her eye. One of the three was Bennett. The other two were a couple. And judging by the way the woman kept a protective hand on her belly, she was most likely pregnant.

Envy shot through Justine in a startling way and she leaned back on her heels to collect herself.

The man's figure was also really familiar. His height, the wave of his hair. Even the way he stood. Fresh fear collided with the envy inside her, creating a dangerous froth.

Tad stood like that. Tad was about that height. Tad had a natural wave to his hair just like that man did.

It couldn't be though. No way. Anywhere but here.

"You okay?" Emme asked, tilting her head at Justine and narrowing her brown eyes beneath her pineapple-covered beach hat.

Justine nodded. "Just got a little lightheaded."

Working at a hospital, she saw pregnant women all the time and maybe felt a small pang of envy, but nothing this alarming. She also felt anger. Anger that Ashli was pregnant with Tad's baby. Tad said he was fine with the fact that Justine couldn't have children. He said he never really wanted them anyway. But deep down, she knew he was just saying that. That he wanted kids. She'd overheard him talking to his mother about it once and how disappointed he was that he'd never have a natural child. One to call his, and only his. That if they had children, they would likely have to adopt.

That was all false. They could easily use a donor egg and his sperm. Heck, one of Justine's super fertile sisters would probably donate an egg, then lord that over Justine's head for life.

It was like an extra stab to her hostile uterus hearing those words out of his mouth.

Well, now he was getting what he always wanted. A natural child. One to call his, and only his.

"Now, we'd have to time it with the tides, but that shouldn't be too much of a problem," Bennett's voice echoed over from where he and the couple stood beneath the pub patio on stilts. "But I think we could position fifty chairs here on the flat spot, put the arch where the kids are, and you'd have a spectacular backdrop."

"Ooh, I just love it."

That voice.

Justine recognized that breathy, ditzy voice. The one that was entirely put on, because Justine knew what the home-wrecker really sounded like.

She glanced up just enough from beneath her big, floppy hat only to have her stomach plummet to her feet.

It was Tad and Ashli.

Now she really felt lightheaded.

She'd also never been more grateful for this enormous hat on her head and how well it could conceal her face.

She absolutely did not want them to see her.

Trying her best to tune out the ringing in her ears and the threat of a stroke in her brain, she strained to listen to more of their conversation.

"Do you know what the tides will be?" Ashli asked. "I really want to get married while my dress still fits."

Wait, what?

Tad and Ashli were getting married? Here?

Justine's muesli spun her stomach.

"We can check on the tides." Bennett said. "And if they're not cooperating, we also figure we could put the ceremony on the balcony above. Then we could move the chairs and tables back to it, and leave the dance floor inside. Both are options we can certainly try to make happen," Bennett went on.

Silas let out a cry of imminent disaster just as one of the river's side walls collapsed again. "Not again!" He growled. "Justine, can you help me, please?"

Justine froze.

Please, please, please don't let Tad hear her name. Please let the wind carry Silas's words out to sea.

She covertly checked which way the wind was moving and, thank Hippocrates, it was blowing away from Tad and Ashli. Chances are he didn't hear Silas say her name.

"Justine, help!" Silas pleaded louder.

She snapped out of her fog and dove in to help the little guy as he struggled to keep more of the sandy wall from collapsing into the river. He giggled while they did it, because it was all in fun, but Justine was in a pure state of panic.

She couldn't look up again at Tad. She couldn't risk it.

But boy did she want to.

Surely, Bennett wasn't actually entertaining the idea of holding their demonic wedding here. It would curse the land and restaurant for eternity. The bonding of such two evil spirits had to bring bad juju. And she wasn't normally a spiritual person, but the universe wasn't going to overlook something so glaringly sinful and malicious, and not smite those involved with horrendous repercussions.

Eventually, their voices drifted away, and when she finally dared to look up, they were gone.

But her fear was there to stay, as was the damper on her glorious beach day.

She tried to rally as best she could for the kids. But it wasn't easy.

They took a break and had snacks, then got back to work on the castle and moat. She pitched in like before, but her heart wasn't in it. The smile on her face was tough to keep up, and her heart hurt.

By the time they all decided to call it for the day, everyone had rumbling bellies, bodies covered in sand, and a contagious case of the yawns.

"Great first day of summer break," Silas said, holding Justine's hand as they climbed the hill up to the house. "Let's do this every day."

"Totally," Jake and Griffin agreed.

"I want to pick wildflowers and read in a hammock tomorrow," Emme said.

"I want to blow bubbles and do chalk tomorrow," Aya said.

"Me too," Talia agreed before yawning.

They reached the house where Bennett, Clint, Jagger, and Brooke greeted them along with the travel trailer—as promised.

"You up for yoga tomorrow morning again?" Brooke asked her, running her hand over the back of Talia's head in adoration.

Justine nodded, but her mind was back on the beach and seeing Tad and Ashli.

"You three are with me," Jagger said to Wyatt and Dom's boys. "Dads will be up around seven to tuck you into bed. But I figured grilled cheese, veggies, and the new Super Mario movie until they get here."

The boys cheered.

"You know, neat freak Dom will not be happy to find sand everywhere," Bennett said with a chuckle. "Probably want to hose them off in the backyard like animals first."

That didn't seem to deflate the boys at all. They whooped and raced toward Wyatt's backyard.

Clint, Brooke and Talia disappeared into their house, which left Bennett, his girls, and Justine.

"Your new casa," Bennett said, dipping his head toward the travel trailer.

Her smile was brittle. "Do you mind if I shower in the house before I pack and unpack?"

"Not at all."

They headed indoors, making sure to brush off as much sand into the gravel before they entered the house.

"What's for dinner, Dad?" Aya asked, before another yawn.

"I thought I'd ask Emme what she wanted," he replied, giving his eldest daughter a heartfelt look.

Aya's brows furrowed. "Why Emme?"

"Because," he simply stated.

Aya pouted slightly.

Emme seemed pleased. "We haven't had quesadillas in a while. If it's not too much trouble."

"Quesadillas it is," he announced, shifting his focus to Justine. "You'll join us?"

Justine bit her lip. She didn't want to interfere with his work. She also didn't want to tell him what to do, or who to do business with. But he needed to know, right? He needed to know that he was potentially jumping into business with Satan and his mistress.

"I, um …"

The girls looked at her with hopeful gazes.

"Please," Aya begged.

Emme blinked big, brown, puppy-dog eyes at her.

"Sure," she finally said. "I do need to shower and pack though."

"Dinner's an hour away anyway," he said, completely unaware of the cyclone brewing inside of her. "Lots of time." Then he took off to the kitchen, whistling.

Justine dragged her feet up the stairs and into the shower where she washed away all the sunscreen, sand, and sweat from the day. But she couldn't wash away the mantle of anger and grief that wove itself into such a tight tapestry around her chest and throat that it threatened to cut off her breathing.

Here she was, trying to find a new course for her life, a new purpose, and forget all about Tad and Ashli, and they appeared right where she wanted them the least. Right in her happy place. In her place of respite and peace. They spoiled her beach day with the children.

And it wasn't a one-off either. They would be back.

For a wedding!

But when?

Would she be gone by then?

If not, she'd make sure she was anyway. She'd eat the cost of the rental and book the first flight to Amsterdam or Timbuktu. She didn't care where. She just needed to get away from them. Clearly, this hippy island was not far enough.

When she came out of the bathroom, the sound of bickering little girls filtered through her solid wood door. Only this time, the bickering didn't sound referee worthy. It sounded almost playful.

She let out a sigh of relief, dressed down in a pair of comfy plum-hued sweats that cropped mid-calf, a sports bra, and a black tank top. She quickly put her hair in a plait that cascaded over her left shoulder, slathered on some after-sun moisturizer, and braced herself for the conversation she absolutely needed to have with Bennett.

She found him in the kitchen, flipping stuffed, folded over tortillas in the cast-iron frying pan.

"I have to tell you about this amazing opportunity that landed in our lap," he said, taking a sip of beer from the bottle.

Everything inside of her grew tight.

"This couple emailed me this morning asking if they could get married here. We don't offer weddings—though we want to if we get Bonn Remmen's land—that is our dream. But apparently this was where they spent their first weekend away months ago and basically fell in love. Their story is really sweet, actually."

Sickly sweet. Like aspartame. Poison.

Bennett kept talking with his back to her as he tended to the quesadillas, entirely unaware of what was transpiring behind him. She couldn't see herself, but all the blood had to be draining from her face. Her cheeks were cold, her belly threatening to revolt. She was seconds away from leaving a pile of pretzel crackers partially digested on his kitchen floor.

"She's pregnant and they want to have the ceremony soon so she can still fit into her dress. They also want cabin five. But I talked to Cameron and my brothers, and we all think we can make it happen. Wyatt is really excited about creating a menu and Dom is on board for the bar and restaurant. We just need to come up with a fair price." He spun around to face her, a metal spatula in his hand and a big grin on his handsome face. "This is like the answer to all of our money problems. It will basically pay for the repairs to the cabin. And it will be like a beta-test for when we get Bonn Remmen's land and actually do weddings for real." He'd been so caught up in his own glee that even after facing her, it took him a moment to see that she wasn't as happy for him as he probably hoped.

His smile dropped like a stone in a pond and his thick brows furrowed. "What's wrong?"

She swallowed. "Y-you can't hold their wedding. Not them. You … you just can't. You're making a deal with the devil. It's a big, big mistake."

His brows pinched together in the middle so tightly now that they touched. "What? Do you know them?"

Before she knew it, the entire story poured out of her. She barely took a breath and was crying by the end, but as much as it hurt to relive it for a second time in just two days, it also felt good. Like a weight had finally been lifted from her shoulders. She'd kept this a secret from Bennett, thinking he'd judge her for making such a stupid mistake, for killing her patient and letting her emotions get the better of her. But now, she didn't care. He could judge her. He could hate her—though she really didn't want him to—but he just needed to know the truth about the people he was getting into business with.

By the time she was done, his jaw hung slack, and he'd burned one side of a quesadilla.

Emme and Aya also bounded into the kitchen, fresh from showers and asking how long dinner would be.

Bennett just continued to stare at her, spatula in the air, mouth open.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Silence pounded in the air between them. His expression was unreadable.

Sure, he was shocked, but there were other emotions at war within him as well.

"What's going on?" Emme asked. "You both have weird faces."

"Can I have cereal?" Aya asked. "I don't want quesadillas."

That seemed to snap Bennett out of his trance and he fixed his gaze on his youngest child. "Nope. Quesadillas and veggies for dinner. Take it or leave it. I know you like them. So you're just being stubborn."

Aya crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. "I don't know why Emme got to pick."

"Yeah, and that's why you don't want them. I get that you're disappointed, but tomorrow you can choose dinner."

She perked up a little. "Sloppy Joes!"

"Done." He pivoted his gaze back to Justine. "I would like to discuss all of this with you further. Can we do it once the children have gone to bed?" His tone wasn't unkind but there was something stern there she wasn't sure of. Not an edge, but she knew she couldn't deny his request, or even negotiate.

So she nodded. "Yes, of course." Now she felt like an idiot just standing there. "I … I'm going to go pack."

"I'll help!" Emme announced climbing back out of her chair.

"Me too," Aya echoed, which caused her sister's eyes to roll.

They followed Justine upstairs. Not that she really needed help. And the girls didn't really help. They just rolled around on the bed and peppered her with questions about her life.

"Why don't you have a husband?" Aya asked.

"Why don't you?" Justine retorted.

Emme snorted.

"Because I'm seven!" Aya blurted out in disbelief. "I'm not tall enough."

Justine stowed her smile. "Right. My mistake. Well, I don't have a husband because I just haven't found the right person yet. I do want someone to share my life with. They just haven't come into my world yet." That wasn't entirely true. Bennett was the perfect candidate, but she couldn't tell his kids that.

"What about our dad?" Aya asked.

"Yeah, you and our dad get along great. He's not married anymore," Emme agreed.

Justine's cheeks got hot, and she dropped her chin to her chest, focusing on packing her suitcase with clothes from the dresser. "Your dad is very nice and we do get along."

"Then marry him. Then you'll be our mom and never have to leave. Every day can be a beach day." Aya shrugged and nodded, like it was all that simple and she'd fixed Justine's biggest problem in life.

"You could do doctoring here," Emme added.

She wasn't fit to be a doctor anymore .

"Dad!" Aya called out, startling Justine.

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to marry Justine?"

Justine buried her face in her hands.

"Uh …" Came Bennett's voice.

"Yes or no?" Aya said with impatience.

"Not right now," he said slowly.

Aya's brows shot to her hairline. "That wasn't a ‘no.'"

Both little girls giggled with delight then started doing more yoga poses—mostly snail, plow, and variations of happy baby—on the bed.

"Dinner's ready," Bennett called out.

Oh great, now she had to go back down there and face him after his daughter tried to betroth them. Just freaking great.

The girls hopped off the bed.

"You coming?" Aya asked to Justine.

"I need to use the washroom first. You two head down. I'll follow."

The sisters shrugged, then left her alone.

She took a couple of deep, fortifying breaths, holding her exhale for a few more counts each time to engage her parasympathetic nervous system and calm her raging brain and heart. Eventually, things settled as best they could. She used the washroom, washed her hands and reluctantly headed downstairs where Aya was trying to convince Bennett that a summer wedding between Justine and him would be perfect, and that she and Emme and Talia could be flower girls.

So much for deep breathing and extended exhales.

Her pulse spiked again, her face was on fire and that spinning, nauseous sensation was back in her gut.

Bennett's eyes met hers as she entered the kitchen. There was no smirk on his full lips, no glimmer of amusement in his eyes. All she saw was confusion and … was that regret?

Probably.

He probably regretted ever meeting her. Because if she hadn't come to the island, if they'd never met, his cabin probably wouldn't have flooded And even if it did, he could easily repair it and hold the wedding for Lucifer and the Witch here without her begging him not to.

No matter where Justine went, bad things happened.

Maybe she needed to just pack up her SUV and leave the island. Leave the McEvoys alone and end her reign of inconvenience over their peaceful little village.

Aya patted the seat beside her. "Sit beside me, Justine."

Justine glanced again at Bennett.

The look of confusion was still in his eyes.

Confusion and regret.

"Unless you'd rather sit beside your future husband ," Aya said, dragging out the last word then cheekily bobbing her eyebrows up and down.

"Aya, enough," Bennett said firmly.

His daughter rolled her eyes, then picked up a slice of her quesadilla and took a bite.

Justine's heart palpitated heavily against her ribs, and she swallowed, unable to look at him.

"I just think you'd make a great husband for Justine," Aya said with her mouth full, not listening to her father's order to stop talking about it, whatsoever. "She wants a husband. You need a wife. We need a mom. We all get along. It makes sense."

"Love doesn't work that way," Emme said with impatience of her own. "You need to be in love to get married."

The awkwardness that hung between Bennett and Justine was more than she could bear. She stood up from the table. "I'm actually not really hungry. I think I'm going to start moving things to the trailer if that's okay?"

Aya and Emme pouted.

Bennett nodded.

"Sorry, girls." Then she booked it back upstairs.

"Well, now you've done it." Emme chastised. "Now they'll never get married."