A few hours later, Maddie left to go back to the hotel where she and Hardeep were staying and Kaelin smothered a yawn. “I should go too,” she said just as Avery’s cell phone buzzed.

Avery set down her wine and picked it up. “Hi, hon,” she said, surprise tingeing her voice. Then she frowned. “What?” Her voice changed to sharp. “Are you serious?” Then Avery bit her lip and glanced at her mother. “Oh, honey, okay,” she said, smiling, but Kaelin could see how tight that smile was. “Um…okay, we’ll be there in a little bit.” She listened, her eyebrows drawing down and her eyes flickering. “Yes. Yes. Got it. Okay, bye.”

She closed her phone, still smiling toothily. “Kaelin, hon, are you okay to drive?”

“Yeah. Of course.”

“The guys want us to join them for a drink.”

Now it was Kaelin’s turn to frown. “You’re kidding. Now?”

“Yes. Come on.” She grabbed Kaelin’s hand and yanked her up off the couch. Kaelin stumbled a little and scurried after Avery’s long strides.

“Avery!” her mother called. “Where are you going?”

“Just out for a drink,” Avery snapped over her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Mom, won’t be late. You go on to bed. It’s a big day tomorrow.”

Kaelin grabbed her purse and Avery hustled her out the front door. Her car was parked on the street and she dug for her keys in her purse. “What’s going on?” she asked.

“Hold on. Get in the car.” Avery’s voice was tight.

Kaelin started the car and put it into gear. “Where are we going?”

“To the police station. Scott’s in jail.”

Margot washed her face and brushed out her hair, looking at herself in the mirror. Without her makeup she looked washed-out and tired. She clicked off the light of the ensuite bathroom and moved into the bedroom where Ken lay, reading a magazine.

“The dinner was nice,” he said, as usual not effusive with his praise.

“Thank you.” She climbed under the covers.

“And you looked beautiful.”

Her head whipped to the side to stare at Ken. “Ah…thank you.”

He laid down the magazine and closed his eyes. “Margot.”

“Yes?” Her heart stuttered.

“I don’t want you to leave me.”

Pressure built in her chest and her eyes ached. “I don’t want to leave you. But I can’t go on like this.”

“But why? I don’t understand…you have the perfect life. You can do whatever you want to do…”

“I can’t do whatever I want!” Outrage had her sitting up straight, staring at him. “Are you kidding me? Our whole life is what you want me to do! You want me to belong to the country club, to associate with the wives of the other doctors, to host dinner parties. You want me to do charity work, and not that I begrudge the children’s ward at the hospital one moment of my time or one cent that we’ve raised, but that’s what you want! When I want to go to the carnival, we can’t because it’s not done. When I want to drive around to the wineries in the hills and taste wine, we can’t do that because it’s too touristy. When I want to go for a walk on the beach in the moonlight, we can’t because you have to get up early the next morning. When I want to travel, we can’t because you can’t take time off work. I can’t do anything I want!”

He opened his eyes and stared back at her, eyebrows drawn down.

“And on top of that, you don’t even want me anymore,” she cried, fingers curling into fists. “I try so hard to stay in shape, to look nice for you, and you don’t even care!”

She almost felt sorry for him at how shocked and uncomfortable he looked at her outburst. “I…I do care.”

She remembered his compliment from moments ago, not the first he’d ever given her but the first in a long time.

“You care because you want me to look good so you look good!”

“That’s not true.”

“It is true. Don’t deny it.”

He closed his eyes. He couldn’t deny it. It was true.

“But I do still care about you,” he said. “I love you, Margot.”

Her eyes stung and she blinked at him through a blur of tears. “Oh, Ken.” He reached for her then, and she fell against him, tears falling. “I love you too. I do. But I need more.”

He tipped her face up and kissed her mouth, once, twice, then longer, deeper. She sank into the kiss, slid her arms around his neck and kissed him back. She still loved the feel of his arms around her, strong and warm. A tingling started down low inside her, quickly turning into a sharp ache of desire. She still loved him.

His hands moved on her body, sensitizing her skin, her breasts.

“You are beautiful,” he murmured against her mouth. “Margot. We’ll figure this all out.”

At that moment, she thought maybe they could. He rolled her to her back and moved over her, heavy and warm on top of her, solid and reassuring as they made love. It was familiar but still hot, comfortable but still exciting. He knew just how to make her come, and she writhed beneath him as pleasure rippled through her, held him tightly through his own release. These moments of closeness were what gave her hope, what made her think they could get through this. They’d had marital problems before—what couple didn’t?—and if it hadn’t been for their physical intimacy, she wasn’t sure they would have made it. Maybe they’d make it this time too.

When she’d been twenty years old, pregnant and scared, he’d seemed so mature, so responsible, like someone who would take care of her forever. And he had, in so many ways. Why did she want more? Was there something wrong with her, that this life of money and privilege wasn’t enough for her?

“I love you, Ken,” she whispered.

“I love you too.”

“I know I’ve been stressed about the wedding. And about Tyler coming home.”

“It’s okay.”

“I was so looking forward to seeing him,” she murmured, her fingers rubbing over Ken’s shoulder. “But he hasn’t even wanted to talk to me.”

Ken was silent. No, he wouldn’t talk about it. She knew it. She swallowed a sob, her disappointment at how things were going with Tyler almost choking her. Tomorrow was the wedding. It was probably her last chance to try to connect with Tyler, to tell him how she felt, if he’d even bother to talk to her. The next day he would leave again, and what would happen after that?

For some reason, the wedding and making things up with Tyler had gotten all twisted up in her mind with making a new start, with things being better, with the rest of her life being different, and she had a dismal, creeping feeling that it wasn’t going to work out that way. Tyler wanted nothing to do with her, and Avery was getting married and going back to Los Angeles, and the rest of Margot’s life stretched out in front of her empty and barren and terrifying.

Tyler sat in the Mapleglen police station, head in his hands. Somehow he just knew this was going to end up his fault. Meanwhile he had a black eye and the groom was in a holding cell. Christ.

He hadn’t wanted Scott to call Avery. He was sure they could have figured out a way out of this without his sister ever having to know her future husband had been stupid drunk and gotten his ass arrested. Now she was on her way there and oh man, there was going to be shit hitting the fan. He groaned.

Hardeep let out a snore, passed out in the chair next to him. Nick’s hand rubbed Tyler’s back, but just briefly. And then Avery came tearing in, all outraged blonde hair and blue eyes. Kaelin was right behind her. Shit.

Tyler surged to his feet and met his sister.

“Where the hell is he?” she demanded. “And what the fuck is going on?”

“Sshh, calm down,” he said, taking her hands. “He’s fine.”

She snorted. “He may be fine now, but just wait. Jesus Christ, what the hell were you guys doing, Tyler?”

“Well, um. We went to Fitzgeralds. ’Cause, you know, you have to go there when you come to Mapleglen.”