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“Not here,” she said. “Today’s about them. Not us.”

He liked the word us on her lips. Yes, she’d hissed it, but us indicated she thought of them as a unit. The “not here” meant she’d give him a chance to explain.

After Roberto gave them the signal that he’d nailed the shots, Julia clapped to get everyone’s attention.

“Okay,” she called. “Our ride is waiting at the trailhead.”

On the van, Julia made sure to sit next to her aunt Mary.

Carson sunk into the seat next to his uncle Bill. In the movies, romantic apologies were this huge thing with boom boxes and last-minute flights and extravagant gifts.

None of that would impress Julia.

He could stand up on this bus and make a big show of an apology, but she’d explicitly said to keep the focus on their parents. She’d probably kill him for doing it with an audience, too. No, he had to adhere to her instructions, or she’d put up more walls between them.

Sometimes the only option was to do nothing.

During the ride to the resort, the driver regaled them with Maya lore. Carson alternated between checking his phone for messages, glancing at Julia, who was currently rubbing the tattoo on her forearm, and the lush Belizean forest fading into Azul Caye’s bustling streets.

“Here we are,” Julia said as they arrived at the resort. “Jim and Michelle have requested no formal introductions or announcements, so head in and have a good time.”

The driver hopped out to open the van’s sliding door. The air still carried a light sulfuric tinge, but they hustled everyone inside fast enough for it not to matter.

“Carson?” Holly caught his elbow.

“Hi,” he said. “Anything wrong?”

“Not a thing. The accommodations you requested yesterday are well in hand.”

“I never had a doubt,” he said. “Thanks.”

“You’re most welcome. Enjoy the party.”

He’d try. Inside the event room, the only empty seat at Julia’s table was between Aunt Mary and Danny. As he pulled the empty chair out, Aunt Mary scooted backward.

“Switch with me,” she said. “I’m sure you two need to discuss wedding logistics.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Julia said.

With her back to Julia, Mary winked at him. “Of course I do.”

He understood why Julia loved her so much.

After helping Mary into her chair, he sat in the one next to Julia.

She murmured, “Not here, either.”

Conversation swirled around the table as they enjoyed their ceviche, which was better today than it had been when they’d sampled the menu.

Soon, the waitstaff busily swapped out soup bowls for the main course.

As everyone else oohed and aahed over the pepper jelly–glazed snapper or pork tenderloin, Julia gaped at the meal set before her.

A chicken sandwich with plantain chips on the side.

Alex pointed at Julia’s meal. “Did you offend the chef when you chose the menu?”

Tentatively, Julia reached for a chip.

“I never offend anyone. I like simple fare better, which Carson knows.” She glanced toward him. He detected a slight hesitation, but something changed in her eyes.

An opening.

“Carson, could you pass the hot sauce, please?”

That she asked him for the sauce instead of leaping across the table to get it herself was a sign she was thawing toward him. Wasn’t it?

“Good evening, everyone,” the band’s singer announced. “Let’s welcome the bride and groom to the floor for their first dance as a married couple.”

As Michelle and Dad took to the parquet, the reggae band struck up “Love Will Keep Us Together.” The first night here in Belize, when he’d checked out the club the concierge recommended, he’d known this was a must-have band as soon as they played this song.

Because Dad couldn’t stop, wouldn’t stop with the yacht rock.

They looked right together as he led her around the floor. Together, in love, solid. The guests applauded as the song ended and Dad dipped Michelle.

Show-off.

“The bridal party is invited to join the happy couple.”

Bo and Alex took off like a shot toward the floor.

“Care to dance?” Carson asked.

“Not really.” Julia dropped her napkin onto the table. “Let’s get this over with.”

Hmph. Maybe she wasn’t thawing.

On the floor, he slipped an eager hand around her waist. “We need to talk.”

“Oh, that’s not true.” Her touch on his shoulder was light. “We can dance silently.”

Still a ballbuster. “I lied last night.”

“You’ve lied a lot more than last night. But go on.”

There was no time for anything but coming clean, fast.

“The Paramore thing. I panicked. I didn’t invite anyone to my room besides you. Dad got cold feet, and I was trying to talk him through it.”

“I know. Mom told me about it this morning.” She stared past his shoulder. “But you didn’t trust me.”

“I should have. He and I have been each other’s sounding boards for so long, it took me a minute to realize the only person he should’ve been talking to was your mom. That pattern—where he and I are each other’s first confidantes—that’ll take time to unlearn.”

“That’s the thing, Carson. You’ve got patterns I can’t…” Julia bit her lips closed. “Never mind.”

“Say it,” he demanded. “Don’t worry about hurting my feelings or how it looks. Just say what’s on your mind.”

She glared at him. Finally, direct eye contact.

Not the ideal sort, but he’d take it.

“You’re a liar, Carson Miller. That first night in LA, I asked you one simple thing—did you know Michelle was my mother. You said you didn’t. Danny said you knew months ago.”

He faltered mid-step.

Ah, fuck. He’d been so focused on Mary, he’d forgotten he told Danny, too.

Carson searched her gaze. “I didn’t want to open a can of worms. If I admitted at the engagement party that I knew Michelle was your mom from day one, then Michelle would’ve asked why I didn’t say anything to her .

I was hoping, since it was ten years ago, we could’ve treated it like water under the bridge. ”

“We probably could have. My mom knew who you were and gave you the benefit of the doubt. She thought you might’ve grown up a bit.”

He blinked. “She did?”

“Yes. Carson, your desperation to make everyone like you twists you in knots. You hold on to truth that you think might make you look bad instead of trusting people to give you grace. Like the bet you had with Danny about asking me out.”

Carson missed another step.

“But I honestly wanted to go out with you. Does it matter that it was part of a bet?”

“Are you kidding?” Julia closed her eyes, and a cloud passed over her face. “Of course it matters. I wish you’d just told me the truth.”

“But it was ten years ago.”

“We’re not talking about ten years ago.” Julia sighed.

“We’re talking about today and how you keep telling me what you think is easiest for me to hear.

You don’t trust me, Carson. To understand or to find my way to forgiveness.

You hide and smooth and dodge and sanitize to manage people, hoping your charm erases the problem if you get caught.

As much as I want you, I can’t accept that, Carson.

I respect myself too much, which is why this is over. ”

She pulled away, leaving him with his heart bleeding on the dance floor.