She turned just in time to see her mother walking toward the house.

“I’m going to go help my mother,” Louisa told Ally. She strode off toward the cottage, doing her best to avoid Cody, as if that were possible.

“Hey.” He was at her side.

She stopped. It was painful to look at him. How had they gotten here, with the past burrowing its way between them once again? She hated it.

“I don’t know how to do this,” he said. “I’m not sure where we stand.”

“I know.” She rubbed her forehead. “I’m sorry.” Her eyes wandered past him and saw that Marissa and Marley were both watching them with the same interest and worry as her father. The thought turned her stomach.

All she really wanted to do was drag Cody away from the rest of the party and kiss him until the sun came up. Had they been fooling themselves all along? Had they been doomed from the start?

“Did you talk to your mom any more—about us?” she asked, not really wanting to know the answer.

“A little.”

“And?”

“She’ll be fine,” he said flippantly.

“She doesn’t want us together.”

“Lou, I told you she just needs some time.”

“Maybe,” Louisa said. “But our families despise each other. We may never fully understand why, but that’s the truth of it.”

“Well, they’ll have to get over it. The last two days without you nearly killed me.”

Louisa’s eyes drifted back to Marissa. How arrogant she’d been to think she could put everything and everyone back together. As if they were puzzle pieces that simply needed sorting. “I don’t think it’s as easy as that.”

“Can you let me make this decision? It’s my family we’re talking about.” There was agony in his voice, and he gripped her arms with both hands. “I don’t want to lose you again.”

“I don’t want to lose you either, but I know how important they are to you—and I really don’t want to be the reason you lose anyone else you love.” But she also really didn’t want to lose him.

His sigh was heavy, pronounced.

“Let’s just get through tonight and then figure things out.”

He didn’t respond.

She inched back. “Okay?”

His nod was barely detectable.

At that moment, her mother walked out of the house, carrying Maggie’s birthday cake, lit up with candles.

Louisa slipped her arms from his grasp, but his hand slid to hers and squeezed. She forced herself to smile, though she was sure that smile was punctuated with sadness, and then she walked over to Maggie’s seat of honor and joined the rest of them in singing “Happy Birthday.”