She glanced from his back to the windows of Robin’s house in the not-so-faraway distance. When she looked back to Clark, he faced her, a box in his hand.
She gasped, completely taken aback. Her eyes widened. “What is that?”
She hoped that it wasn’t what she thought it was.
Clark held the box out with one hand and took her by the waist with another. “Okay,” he said, lowering his voice to an almost tender level.
Isla covered her mouth with her other hand, looking back at Robin’s house, hoping Garrett wasn’t witnessing this.
How embarrassing.
“I was going to wait to do this for the date I had planned. But you ran off like a little girl before I had a chance. Despite your mood swings, there is something special about you, and I couldn’t leave the country without you knowing that. I always thought you’d make a nice Mitchell. What do you say?” Clark asked. “Will you be Isla Mitchell? Will you marry me?”
Isla was speechless. He opened the box to reveal a modest engagement ring with a single stone on a petite band.
Crap, it was the exact kind she would have wanted. How could he get it so right, yet be so wrong?
“Clark,” she began, her lips parting. She licked them, unsure of what to say as she stared at the glittering diamond. “I can’t accept this. I’m sorry.”
She really was sorry. Rejection didn’t feel good for anyone, even if he’d hurt her more than once.
Clark let go of her hand. His brows bunched in consternation.
“Tell me you didn’t leave me for that guy in there. Where did you find that guy anyway?”
Isla looked up, stunned by the hint of hurt in his voice. Her cheeks grew hot as his blue eyes searched hers for answers.
“You slept with him,” he said, his eyes narrowing. “Of course you did. Didn’t you?”
“Remember when I told you about my ex that died in the war?” Isla asked carefully. She closed the ring case and put a hand on Clark’s broad shoulder.
“Yeah. What about him?”
“That guy in there is my ex. Turns out he’s alive, and we decided to give our relationship another try.”
Clark frowned. “What? You’re not serious, are you? You haven’t seen that asshole in years. How does that work? He just pops back up like a fucking pimple and you go running back to him. Are you that desperate?”
“I can’t accept this ring, Clark. I appreciate it. I really do. But we were never right for each other. And yes, I was desperate. Once. That’s why I stayed with you for so long.”
“Nice one, Isla,” Clark murmured. He looked down at the sand, his shoulders slumping.
Isla couldn’t believe it. He really had fallen for her.
“I’m sorry. I really am.”
“Wow,” Clark said, standing tall and straightening his shoulders. “You really are a piece of work. You can just turn your emotions on and off like a light switch.”
Isla shook her head. “I’m sorry,” she repeated, at a loss for what else she could say. She just wanted him to leave.
“No. Don’t be sorry. Get some help. Something is seriously wrong with you. I gave you a home when you put on your little lost puppy act. But that’s what you are, Isla. An actress.” He turned away from her. “I hope that poor guy in there sees that before he falls for your act.”
She watched him leave, surprised by his words. The entire scenario was dumbfounding. After all of that turmoil, Clark loved her enough to propose. She never saw that coming.
Something he said alarmed her. Was he right? Was she just an actress using men to get what she wanted? Not with Garrett. It couldn’t be true.
Isla trudged through the sand back up to Robin’s house, trying to force Clark’s words from her head. This was not a time for doubts, not after the night before. But there it was...a tiny seed that Clark planted, and she feared that it would grow.
CHAPTER 11
Four years ago.
GARRETT HELD ISLA’S HAND as they approached the Laguna Beach Country Club. He was just as nervous as she was. This was the first time that he would meet her parents.
The infamous Peter and Rebecca Maxwell, senator and wife. Pillars of the community.
Tormentors of the girl he loved.
As they stood before her door, he considered taking her away. He honestly didn’t want or need their approval. He had planned to propose to her and made the mistake of telling her first.
Of course, Isla insisted on having her father’s blessing, as if it would keep him from giving her that ring.
Sighing, Garrett adjusted his tie, uncomfortable in his new suit and tight dress shoes. Anything for Isla.
He gave her a wink as she fiddled with her clutch. “Relax, babe.”
She inhaled and smiled. “Okay. I’m just nervous. My parent’s circle of friends and colleagues can be so judgemental. But, we are going to be fine.”
Garrett gave her hand a squeeze. “You think I care what anyone in here thinks of me? I have the most beautiful girl in Laguna Beach by my side.”
She blushed and he kissed her cheek.
The doors opened and a young woman with long blond hair checked the list to make sure they were invited to the event. Once inside, they were greeted by a server who handed them virgin daiquiris.
Isla drank hers with a giggle. “I have a tiny bottle of vodka in my clutch,” she whispered and Garrett shook his head.
“Let’s not give your parents another reason to think I’m a bad influence on you. Keep it in your purse.”
She groaned. “Boo. You’re no fun.”
“Shh,” he said as they walked down the long carpeted hallway to the Sage Ballroom. “We can drink later. Maybe we’ll be celebrating.”
Once they stepped through the archway and into the ballroom, Garrett’s brows lifted. It truly was like stepping into a fairy tale, his princess at his side.
“Wow,” he said at the size of the place.
It was bigger than his entire house, with windows and glass doors overlooking the expansive golf course and majestic walls of the canyon.
The scene was both elegant and intimidating, chandeliers lit above them, casting a golden glow on everyone and everything.
All eyes seemed to go straight to the young couple.
Garrett swallowed, his face growing hot with all of the attention they received. He hated how they looked at Isla and wanted to take her by the hand and leave.
“See,” Isla whispered as she leaned over to him. “We should have had a shot before coming.”
He wasn’t so sure that alcohol would have made it better.
He led her away from the silent scrutiny and around the perimeter of the crowd of ballgowns and tuxedos. Suddenly hot around his neck, he pulled Isla into a side hallway.
“Are you okay?”
Garrett nodded, leaning against the wall. He wanted to go home but had to do this for her. He knew that he didn’t fit in. He had a tattoo of an eagle on his neck that peeked out from under his collar. It was a target that singled him out despite his nice clothes.
“I’m fine. There are more people here than I thought.”
Isla slid her hands around his waist and locked them behind his back. In a yellow dress, her hair done up, she truly did look like a princess. Having her hold him soothed his nerves.
She pressed the side of her face to his chest. “Thank you for doing this, Garrett. I know it’s hard for you, but I need my father’s blessing. Do you know how much I envy Chrissy? She’s perfect. Never had a bad grade or a stupid rumor spread about her. No one ever treated her like less than an angel. At her wedding, the family was happy. Genuinely happy. I want that for ours as well.”
Garrett held onto her, resting his chin against her hair. “I’ll do it for you, Isla. But you’re perfect to me no matter what. And you always will be.”
“Promise?” she asked in a sweet whisper.
“I promise.”
“Isla,” Rebecca Maxwell called from behind her. “I h
eard you had arrived. What are you doing hiding out back here?”
Isla turned to her mother and straightened her posture. “Oh, Mother, this is Garrett Thorne. You know, the guy I was telling you about?”
Rebecca pursed her painted red lips, her brown eyes looking Garrett up and down, landing on the hint of a tattoo peeking from beneath his collar.
Garrett didn’t like how she looked at him. She was a tall woman, thin, with shoulder-length brown hair that curled just at the ends. He’d seen her in the paper and magazines and on TV before, and her hair always looked neat and shiny as if a personal stylist followed her around with a spray bottle. Not like his mother, who was more comfortable with ponytails and jeans and T-shirts.
“I see,” she said, a hint of disapproval in her modulated voice. “Well, let’s bring the boy to meet your father.”
Isla smiled, nodding eagerly as she motioned for Garrett to follow.
He took a deep breath and followed them back into the crowd. He just wanted to get this over with and go home. For two people who hated the thought of their daughter dating the son of a convict, an edgy Yorkshire-born boy, they never seemed to care that she’d been staying at his house for the past two months.
As long as they disapproved in public, who cared what happened when no one was looking?
The hypocrisy annoyed him, but he tried his best to not let it show on his face as everyone stared. They crossed the dance floor and heading to Peter Maxwell, who stood toward the back, just before the glass that looked out to the walls of the orange and red canyon.
Peter Maxwell ended his conversation with an older gentleman and turned his attention to the three of them.
Rebecca spoke first. “Darling, Isla has finally brought the Thorne boy over to meet us. And at a benefit no less.”
He didn’t like the way she said that but bit his tongue. The snobbery was thick in the air.
Instead of retorting, Garrett held out his hand to Peter Maxwell. “Lovely introduction,” he said, faking a posh American accent the best he could. “Garrett Thorne.”
Peter shook his hand, his grip tight and confident. Garrett had practiced his handshake, knowing how important it was to Isla’s father. It was as if he’d been coached for this day. Wear a tie. Polish your shoes. Give him a firm handshake. Try not to swear.
That last bit would be a tough one.
“Are you a charitable man, Garrett?”
Garrett lifted a brow. “I don’t follow, sir. What do you mean by the term charitable?”
“That’s right. This is a benefit after all. Did you come to donate? Or are you here to waste my time?”
Speechless, Garrett felt his face heat. It appeared that the niceties ended with his wife’s introduction. He considered his words carefully, keeping his emotions bottled inside. The worst thing he could do was perpetuate the rumors that he was a loose cannon, a violent man like his father.
“I hardly think that wanting to ask for your daughter’s hand in marriage is a waste of time. Do you? And while I don’t have thousands to donate to charity, I’ve been donating my time for four years at the animal shelter.”
Peter’s eye twitched, but he kept a smug smile on his face. “Is that so? The animal shelter.” He glanced at his wife, who smiled as well.
“Charming,” Rebecca said, the sarcasm dripping from what looked to be her freshly injected lips.
How could two people be so insufferable?
“Dad,” Isla said. “Please don’t insult Garrett. He is a good man. We just want your blessing so we can start our life together.”
“Is he, Isla? What is so good about him? Tell me and I might give my blessing.”
“He’d heading to the army. Isn’t that admirable?”
“Any reject can join the army. What else do you have?”
Garrett clenched his jaw.
Isla chewed her lip, her cheeks growing red, tears in her eyes.
Garrett took her hand into his. He should have stood firm and shielded her from this.
“Well, for one, he’s been taking much better care of me the past year than you ever have,” she said, and turned away, rage and pain in her eyes. “Let’s go, Garrett.”
“If you walk out that door, you are cut-off, Isla,” Peter said, firmly.
Isla shrugged. “Cut me off, Peter. You can’t touch the trust Grandpa Lloyd set aside for me. So...yeah. Do your worst.”
Together, they left the party.
Garrett couldn’t help his grin. Finally, Isla stood up to her parents.
He had never been so proud of her.
CHAPTER 12
Present day.
GARRETT WATCHED THE WOMAN he loved leave with the man she’d lived with and had been intimate with. It was a tough thing to witness and feel that he had no right to intervene on.
Why didn’t he stop it—shield her from what was sure to be more pain?
Once the door closed behind them, he looked to Robin as she paced her foyer, wringing her hands.
Garrett sighed, leaning against her wall. Two days back in Laguna and the drama was there waiting for him. “What’s his deal?”
He frowned at Clark’s response to him. The guy was aggressive. Overly aggressive for no reason. He thought of what he’d have done in the same situation if his girlfriend dumped him and was with another guy the next day. He wasn’t sure but knew he’d be less crass.
But then again, this was Isla he was thinking about.
Robin wrung her hands. Her tanned cheeks were oddly pale at that moment. “He’s going to propose to her.”
Propose. Garrett’s heart raced. Those words made his blood run cold.
“What? Where are they going?”
Robin shook her head. “She’s not going to say yes. I know that for certain.”
“Do you?”
“Of course. You’re back. Why would she go to the man who hurt her when the man who loved her more than any other is back?”
Garrett’s pulse quickened. “He hurt her?”
Robin pursed her lips, pausing her pacing. Her black cat meowed and she picked it up. “Let’s have a seat,” she said, avoiding his question.
“Tell me, Robin,” Garrett said, his jaw clenching.
He had a mind to go after Isla and Clark and send him away. He knew that the scenario in his head wouldn’t go that smoothly. He could tell from the way the guy talked and stood there like an arrogant asshole that he would want a fight—and Garrett would give him one.
“I will. Let’s just have a seat and keep calm. He’s not that crazy to hurt her in public. I know that much.”
“How do you know that?”
“Well, from what Isla tells me. He acts much differently when others are around. Civil.”
Garrett followed Robin from the foyer and past the kitchen to the open living area where cream-colored sofas shaped like rectangles lined the room. Tense, he sat down on the supple leather and folded his hands across his thighs as he leaned over, ready to get up and rescue her if he heard any raised voices.
He’d just gotten her back. He hadn’t expected to fight for her, but he would.
In a heartbeat.
“Tell me everything.”
Robin covered her face with her hands and groaned. “You know Isla just as well as I do, maybe even better. You know that she has her issues. She can’t stand to be alone. After you seemed to vanish, she went on a binge of sorts, just partying every night—”
Garrett stared at her, knowing what that pause meant. He knew where she was going with that statement. People called Isla a slut because they didn’t understand her.
Garrett knew why she did it. She was desperate to be loved, to feel something—some kind of acceptance and affection that she didn’t get from her parents. It hurt him to think of her falling into that pattern again. It turned his stomach to think of different man using her.
He squeezed his eyes closed. “You don’t have to say it. Isla slept around. I get it. Now, skip to the part where Clark enters
the picture.”
“When she met him, he actually pursued her beyond a one-night stand and they started to date. She moved in after a few weeks, and I thought that, finally, Isla is going to be okay. But after about a month, he started to be controlling, telling her what she could wear and who she could talk to.”
“Did he hit her?” Garrett didn’t care about the rest. But if that man put his hands on her, Clark’s life was over.
Robin nodded, tears in her eyes. “From what I’ve heard, and what I saw one time...he is a violent man.”
“Bloody hell,” Garrett said under his breath as he saw red.
He stood. His pulse quickened. His face grew hot. Without a word, he walked to the door and stepped outside. Just as he stood on the front walkway, he watched Clark storm to his car and get in.
Garrett wanted to rip him from the driver’s seat and smash his face in the white pavement. Instead, the man who hurt his woman pulled off and vanished down the road.
With all of his teeth.
Isla’s voice came from behind him as she entered the house from the back door.
She walked right up to Garrett, seeing the look on his face.
“I’m sorry,” Isla said, wringing her small hands.
He frowned. “About what? What do you have to be sorry for?”
“That you two had to meet. I had no idea he would come after me and try to win me back. I don’t even know how he found out where Robin lived. We won’t see him again, though. I promise.”
“Are you okay?” That’s all that he cared about.
Isla nodded, but something was different about her. She looked fragile, broken.
“You sure?”
“Yeah.” She took a step back when he reached for her. “I just want to take a long shower if that’s okay.”
He didn’t like this change. What did that bastard say to her that made her revert from a strong woman to a timid girl?
“Of course,” he said, softly. All anger dissipated, replaced by concern for her.
She faked a smile and turned to Robin. “Guest room, okay?”
Robin nodded. “Yes, hun. There are fresh towels in there, and your favorite bodywash.”
“Thanks, Robin,” Isla said, her voice sounding drained.