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I’d never seen them visit the hotel before, not even back when Uncle Fred owned the place. It was an unspoken agreement between us. For instance, I never went to Zach’s garage or Mairéad’s clothing store.

I tried to convince myself it wasn’t anything to do with me. After all, lots of locals were interested in seeing what the Balfe brothers had done with the place. But then Zach’s gaze lifted, landing on me, and something about the glint in his eye told me he’d come on my account. If I had to guess, he’d seen me with Tristan at the Harbour Bar that night, sensed the chemistry between us, and decided he couldn’t possibly allow me to move on without making himself part of the equation.

I actually scoffed at the thought.

Six years. Six bloody years it had taken me to untangle myself from everything Zach had done to me, to finally trust myself enough to let another man get close. And now, just when I’d started to believe I might actually be capable of something real again, he was back to mess it all up.

Because, of course, he was.

This was Zach all over. Selfish. Petulant. Convinced that whatever was happening in my life somehow still belonged to him. My decision to stay single all these years had never been about being heartbroken over him. If anything, ending our relationship had been one of the strongest things I’d ever done. But Zach had always envisioned himself the main character. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d spent the past six years congratulating himself on being so unforgettable that I’d supposedly been ruined for every other man.

Apparently, the idea that I might simply have been living my life, and now might actually be happy without him, was something his ego couldn’t tolerate.

“Rinnie, how are you?” he said, standing from his chair to greet me.

“Zach, Mairéad. I see you’re enjoying our new cocktail menu,” I replied, keeping my tone neutral.

“This one is delish,” Mairéad said, holding up the bright pink drink, and I did not fail to notice the glittering diamond ring on her finger. It looked vintage.

Ah, so that explained it.

Zach had finally popped the question, and he wanted the ego boost of letting me know. There was a time early in our relationship when I would’ve loved for him to get down on one knee and propose, but that dream died long before we’d ever broken up. In fact, I couldn’t think of a worse fate than for a woman like me, who had absolutely zero desire to play the submissive to his dominant, being legally bound to him for the rest of my life.

Then something bizarre happened; I felt a release from within, a feeling of pure relief that Mairéad was the one marrying him and not me. Not only that, I was truly grateful that the world had conspired to put Tristan back in my path because being with him was joyful and life-affirming, while being with Zach, I’d been a living ghost, lying to myself each day.

“I see congratulations are in order,” I said, my smile genuine.

If I wasn’t paying attention, I might’ve missed it, but I saw the barest hint of annoyance cross Zach’s face when he saw how completely unaffected I was. He wanted me to feel regretful, to be reminded of the great catch I’d walked away from. It wasn’t as deep as him wanting me back or anything so serious. I was certain he had deeper feelings for Mairéad than he’d ever had for me, but sometimes, people did these little things to boost their egos, show off, as it were, without any true introspection on why they were doing it.

“Thank you,” Mairéad gushed. “We’ve set the date for December. A winter wedding, and of course, you’re invited.”

“Very kind of you,” I replied, absolutely no intention of attending, though I was almost tempted just to see her dress. Given how amazing she looked on a regular day, I could only imagine what sort of outfit she’d have planned for her wedding.

“There you are,” came a voice, and Tristan appeared, his warm hand coming to rest on my lower back. Heat swirled around my belly. “I’ve been looking for you all over.”

“I was just congratulating our guests on their engagement,” I said, motioning to Mairéad’s ring. Tristan’s gaze met mine, and we shared a brief moment of silent communication.

His face said, Dick move coming here.

Mine replied, Yep. But that’s people for you.

Zach’s attention went to the placement of Tristan’s hand, and I saw the moment all his hopes for the evening fell apart like crumbling bricks. That was what you got when you came out looking for an ego boost at the expense of your ex-girlfriend. You got a nice big dollop of a karma to go with your cocktail.

“Ah, an auspicious occasion,” Tristan said. “Congrats. I’ll have our bartender bring over two glasses of bubbly on the house.” He bent closer, his mouth at my ear, lips gently brushing my skin when he said, “My parents were asking for you. They’re in the restaurant and wanted to know if we’d like to join them for a bite. I said I’d ask as I’m sure you’ve barely had a chance for a break all day.” His voice was intimate, full of affection, and it was clear for all to see that we were involved.

“Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“You know my parents adore you,” he said, making it sound like our relationship had been going on for a lot longer than a couple of days. I appreciated him coming to my rescue, but to be honest, I wasn’t very bothered about Zach bringing Mairéad here to celebrate their engagement on opening night. I was long past feeling anything when it came to my ex, but I will admit it was rather thrilling that Tristan was making a show. Perhaps I wasn’t so immune to playing some little games myself. The way Mairéad looked Tristan up and down, her face betraying that she found him attractive, was certainly a boost to the old ego.

“In that case, yes, I’d love to join them,” I said, turning back to Zach and Mairéad. “Congratulations again, and enjoy your night.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Zach said, deflated, as Tristan led me away, his hand never leaving my back. It felt like a brand, burning through my clothing.

“Did your parents really invite us to join them?”

He chuckled. “No, they left hours ago, though my mother did pester me with questions about you. She has this innate ability to sense romantic chemistry between people. As soon as she saw us interact, she basically knew everything. It’s annoying, but well, I was happy to tell them we’re seeing each other. Oh, and they do want me to bring you to dinner at our house some evening, so prepare yourself.”

“I’d love to have dinner with your parents, but maybe not just yet. Give it a few weeks. Oh, did you know that your dad remembered me?”