Page 26 of One Week in Paradise

It’s our last full day in Jamaica, and we’re spending it together as a group. Penelope has organised a bamboo rafting experience along a nearby river.

We’ll spend the afternoon navigating our rafts down a three-mile stretch of river before heading to a nearby village for lunch.

I’m excited to get off the resort one last time, but I’m mostly excited to spend the day with Cash as a real couple.

For the first time since we arrived in Jamaica, our relationship isn’t a facade.

I’m so excited to finally spend one day on this trip the way it was intended. I don’t even mind when I arrive in the lobby to find that Lacey and Danny are the only people waiting there.

I’ve come down early, leaving Cash back in the suite to finish up in the shower, hoping to spot Penelope to ask if there’s any chance Cash and I can get a last-minute reservation at The Blue Mahoe this evening.

Last night, as revelatory as it was, wasn’t exactly the height of romance, and I’d like a redo.

I want Cash and me to have a happy memory in Jamaica that doesn’t end with me in tears or us awkwardly avoiding each other for days.

But Penelope’s not there.

Lacey looks up at me as I approach. Her lips curl into a sneer when I drop into the empty seat next to her. I can’t bring myself to care.

Cash knows the truth now, and I have nothing to hide. Lacey has no power over me anymore.

‘I’m impressed, Bailey.’

I glance over at her. We’ve been sitting in silence for the last few minutes, and I hadn’t expected her to break it. ‘What’s that?’

‘I said, I’m impressed .’

‘Impressed with what?’ I ask, deciding to take the bait if only to end whatever the hell this is. My gaze slides to Danny, and he gives me an imperceptible shrug as if to say he has no idea what’s going on either.

Lacey looks ridiculously pleased with herself as she brandishes her phone in front of me. ‘You certainly have a type, don’t you?’

‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.’

The sound of sandals slapping against the cold tile flooring snatches my attention away from Lacey.

‘ Bailey !’ Sara sings my name as she steps, arm in arm with Meera, into the lobby. They’re followed by Bea and Marcus, who both give me a wave when they spot me.

‘Hey, girl.’ Bea leans down and pulls me into a one-armed hug. ‘You look great.’

I beam up at her. After this trip, I’m determined to make sure I stay in contact with Bea, Meera and Sara. ‘Thanks. You do too.’

‘Where’s Cash?’ Meera asks as they all drop into the empty chairs around us.

‘He’s just—’

‘He’s probably on the phone with his girlfriend .’

My head snaps up so fast. I’m surprised my neck doesn’t snap. Everyone stares at Lacey, identical looks of confusion mirrored across our faces. Even Danny looks uneasy, like he’s not entirely on board with whatever Lacey has planned.

I don’t know what’s going on either, but I know I don’t like it. ‘What the hell are you talking about?’ I ask.

‘Stop playing dumb,’ Lacey says with a roll of her eyes. ‘I’m sick of it. This good girl act you’ve been playing this entire holiday.’ When nobody responds, she waves her phone wildly in front of her. ‘How am I the only one who sees this? She’s a fucking fraud.’

Does she know? That Cash and I have been faking our relationship this entire time? But how?

‘ Lace ,’ Danny says sharply.

‘No, babe, I’m sick of it! She’s a dirty little liar, and she’s got you all wrapped around her finger!’

‘ Lacey , chill!’ Bea says. She shoots Lacey a ferocious glare that sends a cold shiver down my spine. Remind me never to get on Bea’s bad side. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about, but you’re doing entirely too much.’

‘Yeah,’ says Meera. ‘Whatever your problem with Bailey is—’

‘My problem is that she’s a fucking cheater.’

‘Again with this?’ I snap, finally reaching my limit. ‘I already told you; Ethan was cheating on me too. I didn’t know what was going on. I don’t care if you believe me or not. That’s the truth.’

‘But it’s not the truth, is it?’ Lacey snarls. ‘If that were the truth, you wouldn’t have tried to crawl back to him, would you?’

I stiffen slightly but hold my ground. ‘I don’t have to explain myself to you.’

‘Why do you even care?’ asks Bea.

‘Because I’m sick of girls like her!’ Lacey jabs a finger in my direction. ‘They have no sense of loyalty to other women. They have no respect for themselves or the relationship they’re destroying.’

‘ I didn’t destroy anyone’s relationship. Ethan did that all by himself.’

‘And what about Cash’s relationship?’ Lacey sneers. ‘What about his girlfriend? I suppose you’re innocent in this one too?’

‘ I’m Cash’s girlfriend!’

She brandishes her phone again, and this time I can see what’s on her screen. It’s Cash’s Instagram page. The name @CASHMONEY93 jumps out at me, and I easily recognise the only two posts on his page.

‘What—’

Lacey taps on the ‘tagged pictures’ tab, and the page suddenly fills with rows and rows of photos.

My heart stops for a second or two.

‘No,’ Lacey says slowly, carefully. ‘ This is Cash’s girlfriend. Her name is Naomi, and by the looks of it, they’ve been together for about six months.’

I snatch Lacey’s phone from her hand and frantically tap through the photos.

She’s right. There are almost six months’ worth of posts from someone called @naomi_xoxo in Cash’s ‘tagged pictures’ tab.

He’s not in all of them. Some of the photos are of fancy-looking plates, clearly taken on date nights, and Cash has been tagged as a knife or fork.

But there are plenty of photos of them .

My stomach twists as I land on a photo of them together at a party. She – Naomi – is curled up on Cash’s lap, leaning into his chest, with a soft smile on her face. Cash’s arm is wrapped around her waist, hand resting on her upper thigh.

I look at the post date.

Three weeks ago.

Bile rises in my throat. Lacey says something, but I don’t hear. I can’t hear anything except for the sound of my own thudding heart.

God . Is there something wrong with me? Something fundamentally wrong about me that makes me only attractive to men like this? Is this my future? My destiny? Always the side piece, never the one ?

My vision blurs, and I stumble against the wall. This cannot be happening to me again. Not with Cash, of all people. It can’t.

I can hear the muffled sounds of Bea and Sara jumping to defend me, but I can’t bring myself to respond.

My heartbeat quickens even more, and I clutch at the wall behind me.

It’s getting harder to breathe. Each breath that manages to come out is shallower than the one before.

I take several large, gulping breaths, hand pressed tightly against my chest as I try to coax some air into my lungs. It doesn’t work.

All I can hear is blood rushing through my veins as I struggle to breathe. My chest feels tight, and my legs begin to buckle.

I can’t do this. It’s too much. I can—

‘Bailey,’ Cash says.

For one long moment, everything around me seems to freeze. Lacey’s yelling quietens to a muted whisper, my heartbeat slows down, and I can breathe again.

Cash is standing by my side, one arm wrapped protectively around my shoulders, squeezing lightly as his thumb rubs soothing circles over my collarbone. His brows are knit together with worry, and I can see the question already forming on the tip of his tongue.

I lock eyes with him and remember what he told me last night.

I will never hurt you, Bailey.

Not like Ethan.

Not like anyone.

You can trust me.

I take a deep breath and collapse into his embrace. I bury my face in his chest, relishing the way his strong arms come up to circle me in a tight hug, and I decide that he’s right.

I can trust him. And we need to talk.

Before anyone else has the chance to speak, I lunge for Cash’s arm and drag him away down a small, dark corridor. As we disappear from their sight, I hear Lacey starting up again, trying to convince the others that I’m the evil slut she’s made me out to be in her mind.

‘Bailey?’ Cash asks, worry tinging his tone. ‘What’s happened?’

I wait till I’m sure we’re out of eavesdropping distance from the others, then grind to a halt and turn and face him. I cross my arms over my chest and try to steady my breathing.

‘Who’s Naomi?’

Several emotions flurry across Cash’s face. Surprise. Worry. Anger. Irritation. He settles on a weird mix between surprised and irritated.

‘She’s my ex,’ he says tentatively. ‘Why?’

I feel a small bit of relief at how readily he gives up that information. I’d half been expecting him to deny any knowledge of the name. ‘Lacey seems pretty sure that she’s your girlfriend. Your real girlfriend.’

Irritation morphs into anger. His face twists into an uncharacteristic scowl, and he glances over his shoulder as if he expects Lacey to be behind him, sneering at us. ‘ What ?’

I tell him what just happened with Lacey before he arrived, and I watch as the anger on his face melts into panic. He takes a step closer to me, grabs my hands and presses them against his chest.

‘I would never do that to you.’

That tightness in my chest eases up.

‘I won’t ever do that to you.’

‘I know,’ I whisper. And it’s the truth. I know down in the deepest parts of my soul that Cash would never hurt me like Ethan did. ‘But why was she posting you only three weeks ago?’

Cash sighs. ‘I didn’t know that she was still posting. I told you I don’t use Instagram very often. I mainly just kept it to check in on you every now and then. You know, as the leader of your fan base and all that.’

I laugh, and the sound seems to cut through some of the tension that’s been building. I immediately feel a little lighter, and he can’t help but crack a smile too.

‘We broke up about two months ago. It wasn’t…

amicable.’ He pulls a face, and suddenly the grimace from last night when he mentioned dating other people makes sense.

‘She still wants us to get back together, but it’s not happening.

I’ve got her blocked on my phone, and I guess that’s why she’s still tagging me in things on Instagram.

She’s still trying to get my attention somehow. ’

‘Why’d you break up?’

‘It was a toxic relationship. Let’s just put it that way.’

I can tell he doesn’t want to say any more – not yet anyway – and I don’t push. I know all about toxic relationships, and I know he’ll tell me when he’s ready.

‘I swear, Bailey, that’s the truth. You can even ask Dane. He’ll tell you.’

I hold up my hand to stop him. ‘I trust you, Cash. I just needed to hear it from you.’ I lace our fingers together and give him a little squeeze.

He pulls me into a long hug, burying his face in my hair. When we eventually pull apart, his signature sunshine smile is back. ‘You’re my world, Bailey,’ he murmurs. ‘I hope you know that.’

My heart feels like it’s about seven sizes too big for my chest. I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve Cash and his love, but I’m going to hold onto him for as long as I possibly can.