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Authors: Darcy Burke
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biggie? Any compassion he felt for her in this situation completely evaporated. He might’ve resolved himself to the marriage being over, but her total disregard for what they’d shared, no matter how fleeting, was a low blow.
“We actually met on New Year’s,” he said. “And the Vegas trip— five weeks later —wasn’t entirely drunken.”
Tori threw him a glare over her shoulder. “Sara, can we talk aboutthis later?”
“You should talk about it now,” Sean said quietly. “Dylan will show me around.”
Dylan made eye contact then, and Sean saw the flash of relief in his gaze. “Sure. Come on.” He turned and exited into the sanctuary.
Sean moved past Tori, pausing to whisper, “You’ll be fine. And whether you want me or not, I’ll be here for you.”
He could feel her tension like a cool, stiff breeze,but it was her problem to manage. He followed Dylan into the sanctuary and then outside.
The bright sunlight drove Sean to pull his sunglasses from his front shirt pocket. He slipped them on and glanced at Dylan. “Where are we going?”
“Let’s head down to the Ridgeview.”
He started across the parking lot toward a gravel road that was just wide enough for two cars to pass each other. Here inthe States it would be considered narrow, but back home it was just a normal country lane.
Dylan launched into an overview of the phases of construction. Sean listened, but part of his brain wondered what Tori and her sister were talking about. Was Tori throwing him under the bus? And what was this going to do to his TV show now? If she painted him as some sort of jerk, his chances at nabbingthis special would be dead in the water.
When they reached the craftsman-style house at the end of the lane, Dylan turned to face him. “I’m sorry, I have to ask. Why didn’t you tell anyone you were married?”
“I wanted to, but . . . ” He had enough respect for Tori to let her dictate the narrative—to a point. He’d see what she said and correct her if she did in fact drive over him and leave himfor dead. “It was Tori’s decision.” That wasn’t throwing her under the bus; it was the truth.
Dylan, who’d also donned a pair of sunglasses, took them off as he went to the front door of the house. “It’s just such a shock. Which I’m sure you realize.”
“I do.” Sara’s expression had said everything, including how hurt she’d been by Tori’s secrecy. “I was hoping she might come clean this week,but not like that.”
Dylan unlocked the door and looked back over his shoulder at Sean as he opened it wide. “When did this happen exactly? The wedding, I mean.”
“The beginning of February.”
Dylan winced. “Ah, I think I’m beginning to understand.”
“Yeah, the timing was pretty awful.” He didn’t say it was because of Alex’s death, as it was clear that Dylan knew.
“Sara and I first hooked upthe week before Alex committed suicide. It was a one-night thing, but I sometimes wonder if it wouldn’t have been if he hadn’t died.”
Sean paused as he moved into the house. “Really? That must’ve put a damper on things.”
Dylan nodded. “Then when we hooked up again a few months later, we kept it on the down low. The family, including Sara, was dealing with so much. It just seemed like the rightthing to do.”
“I get that. I had no problem giving Tori plenty of time and space to work through things. I ended up spending six months on a project in Europe anyway, so it seemed like Fate was giving us what we needed to weather the storm.”
“So, you’re together now then?”
Sean made a sound that was half derisive laugh and half scoff. “Doubtful.” His mind went back to Tori and Sara. “Will herfamily be angry?”
Dylan blew out a breath and cocked his head to the side. “I don’t know. While I’ve gotten to know some of them pretty well, this is uncharted territory. Well, maybe it isn’t. Kyle and Tori were pissed at first when they found out about me and
“We actually met on New Year’s,” he said. “And the Vegas trip— five weeks later —wasn’t entirely drunken.”
Tori threw him a glare over her shoulder. “Sara, can we talk aboutthis later?”
“You should talk about it now,” Sean said quietly. “Dylan will show me around.”
Dylan made eye contact then, and Sean saw the flash of relief in his gaze. “Sure. Come on.” He turned and exited into the sanctuary.
Sean moved past Tori, pausing to whisper, “You’ll be fine. And whether you want me or not, I’ll be here for you.”
He could feel her tension like a cool, stiff breeze,but it was her problem to manage. He followed Dylan into the sanctuary and then outside.
The bright sunlight drove Sean to pull his sunglasses from his front shirt pocket. He slipped them on and glanced at Dylan. “Where are we going?”
“Let’s head down to the Ridgeview.”
He started across the parking lot toward a gravel road that was just wide enough for two cars to pass each other. Here inthe States it would be considered narrow, but back home it was just a normal country lane.
Dylan launched into an overview of the phases of construction. Sean listened, but part of his brain wondered what Tori and her sister were talking about. Was Tori throwing him under the bus? And what was this going to do to his TV show now? If she painted him as some sort of jerk, his chances at nabbingthis special would be dead in the water.
When they reached the craftsman-style house at the end of the lane, Dylan turned to face him. “I’m sorry, I have to ask. Why didn’t you tell anyone you were married?”
“I wanted to, but . . . ” He had enough respect for Tori to let her dictate the narrative—to a point. He’d see what she said and correct her if she did in fact drive over him and leave himfor dead. “It was Tori’s decision.” That wasn’t throwing her under the bus; it was the truth.
Dylan, who’d also donned a pair of sunglasses, took them off as he went to the front door of the house. “It’s just such a shock. Which I’m sure you realize.”
“I do.” Sara’s expression had said everything, including how hurt she’d been by Tori’s secrecy. “I was hoping she might come clean this week,but not like that.”
Dylan unlocked the door and looked back over his shoulder at Sean as he opened it wide. “When did this happen exactly? The wedding, I mean.”
“The beginning of February.”
Dylan winced. “Ah, I think I’m beginning to understand.”
“Yeah, the timing was pretty awful.” He didn’t say it was because of Alex’s death, as it was clear that Dylan knew.
“Sara and I first hooked upthe week before Alex committed suicide. It was a one-night thing, but I sometimes wonder if it wouldn’t have been if he hadn’t died.”
Sean paused as he moved into the house. “Really? That must’ve put a damper on things.”
Dylan nodded. “Then when we hooked up again a few months later, we kept it on the down low. The family, including Sara, was dealing with so much. It just seemed like the rightthing to do.”
“I get that. I had no problem giving Tori plenty of time and space to work through things. I ended up spending six months on a project in Europe anyway, so it seemed like Fate was giving us what we needed to weather the storm.”
“So, you’re together now then?”
Sean made a sound that was half derisive laugh and half scoff. “Doubtful.” His mind went back to Tori and Sara. “Will herfamily be angry?”
Dylan blew out a breath and cocked his head to the side. “I don’t know. While I’ve gotten to know some of them pretty well, this is uncharted territory. Well, maybe it isn’t. Kyle and Tori were pissed at first when they found out about me and
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