Page 93 of On the Rocks

But that wasn’t who my mother was. She was sound, peaceful, logical, and patient. She was the most nurturing and intelligent woman I knew — and what she’d told me to do was the right thing.

I had to let Ruby Grace go.

Now, I only had to figure out how.

Ruby Grace

I wondered if I should just stay there at the bottom of the pool.

It was quiet down there — peaceful. The sun’s rays only barely reached me, and the water was thick and blue, my hair floating around me like a red tide. My chest was burning, thirsty for air, but I starved it a little longer.

I could just stay there.

I could stay there until I ran out of air, and then I’d never have to get married. I’d never have to rise to the surface and face the life I had cornered myself into.

I’d never have to look into Noah Becker’s devastated blue eyes again.

It had been the absolute worst week of my entire life.

At home, everything went on as it would have. Mom made last-minute wedding adjustments, Dad worked all day and told me each night how excited he was for me, and Anthony held me like he loved me, kissed me like he cared — and remained completely oblivious to what I knew about his true feelings.

And I hadn’t seen Noah.

In so many ways, he felt like a ghost to me now. I wondered sometimes if he was even real at all, if I’d imagined the events of the entire summer. But the bruises were there on my heart, the scars on my lips where his had burned mine — I felt him everywhere, like he was a permanent part of me, though I’d never see or speak to him again.

I closed my eyes, my heart all but convinced to succumb to drowning. But, my feet kicked without permission, forcing me toward the top of the pool as my lungs set a fire inside my rib cage. When I broke the surface of the water and inhaled, my body rejoiced while my heart cried out against the injustice.

I opened my eyes.

“Trying to break your third-grade record?” Annie asked, swinging her feet in the water and rubbing sunscreen on her exposed belly.

“Looked more like a poor suicide attempt to me,” Betty chimed in, floating her arms up overhead before leaning to one side. It was part of the warm-up in Noah’s water aerobics routine he’d been teaching there, and my heart squeezed at the memory, urging me to go back down for another try.

“Ding-ding-ding,” I said, pointing at Betty. “We have a winner.”

Annie frowned, exchanging a glance with Betty before she let out a sigh. “Okay, you’re not even allowed to joke about that.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, swimming to the edge where she sat. I laid my head on my arms, letting the sun warm my back. “I must be so miserable to be around right now.”

“You’re not,” she assured me. “But, I do hate this for you. It’s four days before your wedding. You should be glowing, and happy, and have literal heart eyes popping out of your head like a cartoon.”

I nodded. “I know.”

“She also shouldn’t be marrying that no-good, two-timing prissy son of a dirty politician.”

Annie laughed at Betty’s remark, and I tried to smile, but it felt like trying to run fast under water — impossible.

“Seriously,” she said when I didn’t respond. “What exactly is your plan here? You’re just going to marry this man and then… what? Divorce him after your father’s debt is paid?”

I shook my head.

“Annul the marriage?”

I shook my head again.

Betty was adjusting her swim cap, and she let it snap against her forehead, lowering her goggles and blinking several times as she watched me. “Wait… you’re not actually planning onstayingwith him… are you? As in, marrying him, having his babies, being the dutiful politician’s wife he wants you to be?”

When I didn’t answer, Annie cringed and Betty fumed, shaking her head and holding up one old, wagging finger. “Oh, hell no.”