After saying our farewells to Alfred and Evelyn, I led Ava out of the kitchen and toward the back staircase, the route that gave us the best chance of dodging Veronica and disappearing back into the party without anyone knowing we had ever left. I didn’t want Ava to suffer Veronica’s displeasure on my account.

“That was harder than I expected,” I whispered to Ava as we entered the stairwell. “Lying to Alfred and Evelyn feels so wrong.”

“I feel terrible about it, too,” Ava said quietly. “They were so kind and welcoming. Are you sure we can’t tell them the truth?”

I shook my head. “I can’t dump more stress on them when they’re already putting in extra hours due to this party, and then our wedding. Since his heart attack, Alfred’s supposed to be taking it easier, but he never does. It’s not in his nature.”

“What about after the wedding, when things settle down? Couldn’t we tell them the truth then?”

“Some secrets are better kept. I don’t think I could bear to face their disappointment in me for lying to them—they think I’m better than that. But I can’t take the lie back now—what’s done is done.”

We exited the stairwell, emerged on the second floor, and walked down the hallway that led to the front of the house. As we approached the entrance to the oceanside room and the party, Veronica emerged from the crowd with my half brother, Aiden, who I hadn’t seen since Christmas. Aiden was wearing one of the fashion-forward suits that he favored these days, which, to my eye, made him look like a pretty-boy fop. Not that Aiden had given a shit about my opinion since passing his eleventh birthday or so, when he’d sussed out how his mother felt about me and learned to use it to his advantage.

Veronica marched toward us with a grim expression on her face, with Aiden trailing behind her.

“Thanks for nothing,” she said in a low voice, her lips tight with anger. “What’s your excuse for abandoning your engagement party to slum around the kitchens?”

I met her gaze and, out of consideration for the nearby guests, kept my voice quiet. “You know perfectly well that I always make time to see the Mortons.”

“Everyone’s aware of your attachment to our butler and housekeeper,” Aiden said. “But couldn’t you have waited to go downstairs until the party was over? The Andressons wanted to meet you and Ava, and we couldn’t find you. You put Mother in an embarrassing position. Your behavior was disrespectful and rude.”

“Thank you, Aiden,” Veronica said, glaring at me. “Ronan, don’t waste your breath with explanations, because there’s no excuse for your inconsideration. When are you going to grow up and take your social responsibilities seriously?”

Before I could respond, Ava faced my stepmother, ignoring Aiden altogether. “Now isn’t the time for this,” she said quietly. “Instead of arguing about responsibilities, we should be seeing to them. Ronan and I are back now, and we’d be delighted to meet the Andressons—or anyone else you’d like us to meet.”

Ava’s voice was polite but firm, and before Veronica could respond, Ava turned to me. “Shall we get back to the party and our guests?” she said. “I’d like a glass of champagne.”

I held out my arm to her. “Let’s go.”

She took my arm, and we walked past Veronica and Aiden and toward the oceanside room, where the party appeared just as we’d left it—a cheerful din of voices, music, and clinking glassware, and a crush of well-dressed Hamptonites gossiping and drinking my father’s booze. As we entered the room and moved into the crowd, Ava whispered against my ear. “Is Aiden always such a smarmy little ass-kisser?”

“Mostly,” I said. “But he’s at his worst when his mother’s around.”

“I suppose she’s his audience,” Ava said. “He even looks kind of like a male version of her—although he’s very handsome.”

“As a kid, Aiden wasn’t so bad,” I said. “Like me at that age, he was obsessed with Star Wars, which used to be a bond between us. But then he grew into a bratty teenager, and since finishing his MBA at Wharton last year, he’s been insufferable. Veronica’s pampering only inflates his oversized ego.”

“Ivy League MBAs tend to emerge from school that way,” Ava said. “But over the next few years, exposure to real life should bring your brother down to earth.”

“I wouldn’t count on it,” I said, scanning the crowd for a server. But then I spotted an unwelcome face in the crowd. “Damn it. My stepmother’s really outdone herself this time.”

“What’s she done?”

“She’s invited Larissa Storrow—a woman I had a fling with one summer during college. See the tall blonde in the champagne-colored gown? That’s her.”

“Your college flame’s an attractive woman,” Ava said. “I like her dress—look, I think she’s spotted us. She’s coming our way.”

After confirming that Ava was right, I turned back to her. Before Larissa reached us, I needed to prepare Ava for what was about to come.

“You need to know that ever since that summer, Larissa despises me and rarely misses an opportunity to humiliate me in public. Veronica knows this, which is why she invited her.”

Ava leveled me with a look. “Quickly—give me the gist of what happened between you and Larissa.”

Reluctantly, I confessed the embarrassing truth. “A two-week fling when I was nineteen. I moved on—she didn’t. I handled it badly; I hurt her feelings—and although I’ve apologized more than once, she’s never forgiven me.”

“Don’t sweat this,” Ava said quietly, tucking her arm into mine. “If she goes there, we’ll deal with it together.”

Ava meant well, but she’d never seen what Larissa was capable of, and I steeled myself as she approached, with a gleam in her eye that told me everything I dreaded most was about to unfold.

“Hi, Ronan,” she said brightly, before turning to Ava. “And you must be the fiancée.”

I introduced Ava, who extended her hand to Larissa. “Pleased to meet you,” Ava said. “Thank you for celebrating our engagement with us.”

“I wouldn’t have missed it for anything,” Larissa said. She gestured toward the crowd. “As tonight’s turnout proves, all of Southampton’s curious to meet the woman who’s snared one of our most elusive bachelors.” She gave Ava a querying look. “Ronan and I were an item at one point—but I suppose you’ve heard all about that.”

“I have,” Ava said. “Before we met, Ronan and I both dated other people, so there was romantic history to be shared on both sides.”

Larissa leaned toward Ava and lowered her voice. “Romantic is the wrong word for your fiancé’s history, I’m afraid. Unless your idea of romance is having a man seduce you, dump you, and then put the moves on your best friend.”

As usual, she’d gone straight for my throat. “That was many years ago, and we were both young,” I said quietly. “Can’t we move beyond the past?”

“I moved beyond it long ago,” Larissa said airily. “But I consider it my duty to warn Ava about what she’s getting herself into.”

“Then consider that duty completed,” Ava said coolly. “Like all of us, Ronan made his share of youthful mistakes, but he’s been honest with me about those mistakes, and I trust him completely.”

Larissa’s face flushed, and although she kept her voice low, its tone took on an edge. “Don’t be ridiculous. The only person you’re fooling is yourself. Ronan Kingsley’s the last person on earth anyone should trust.”

“Really?” Ava said quietly, staring her down. “Who made you the expert on my fiancé? When was the last time you had an actual conversation with him, instead of trying to make trouble? You’re the one who’s fooling yourself, Larissa. You say that you’ve moved on—but you’re the one who’s stuck in the past, trying to get back at Ronan for something that happened over a decade ago. Grow up, and stop living in the rearview.”

“Fine,” Larissa snapped. “If you’re too stubborn to hear the truth, there’s nothing I can do to save you from your own stupidity. One day, he’ll betray you—and when that day arrives, I look forward to watching you suffer, just like I did.”

And with that, she turned and stalked away.

“Sorry about that,” I said. “And thank you. You handled her a hell of a lot better than I’ve ever managed to do.”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Ava said. “That woman needs therapy or something. Seriously. Didn’t we all have a messy adolescent romance or two?”

“I had a lot more than that,” I said. “It wasn’t until my midtwenties that I got better at setting the expectations of the women I dated.”

“That’s normal,” Ava said. “When I look back at my nineteen-year-old self, I cringe too. There was so much I didn’t know.”

“My stepmother will do anything to make me look bad,” I said. “Larissa’s just a convenient weapon.”

“I know,” Ava said. “In a way, I feel bad for her. She seems emotionally unstable, and it was cruel of Veronica to invite her tonight and use her in that way.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” I said. “Once the wedding is behind us, I look forward to avoiding my stepmother for a very long time.”

Ava squeezed my arm. “You and me both.”

I smiled at Ava, feeling fortunate to have her at my side. In the last half hour, she’d faced not only Veronica but also Larissa and shut them both down. Ava was quick on her feet, she wasn’t easily rattled, and she always had my back. I couldn’t have had a better partner.

Just then, a server appeared with a tray of champagne. I took two glasses and handed one to Ava.

“Cheers,” I said, clinking my glass against hers as I spotted Aiden coming our way. “And drink up, because you’re going to need it.”

She sipped her champagne. “Any particular reason?”

I lowered my voice. “My bratty brother.”