I shook my head. “Mom said she had.” My stomach twisted. “I’ve spoken to Vicki, the other bridesmaid. When it comes to Beth, I don’t wish her ill; I just can’t talk to her yet. Talking to Skylar at the hotel was enough.”

Van’s fingers gently ran through the length of my hair. “I’ve said it before, Butler’s an ass.”

“We had a house being built. It wasn’t done.” I sighed. “I imagined hosting large gatherings there.”

Van reached for my chin, pulling my eyes to his. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“I’m sorry that you’ve been hurt, Julia. I’m here if you want to vent or lament. I didn’t hurt you, and I never want to be someone who does, but just because you’re away from your family and friends, know that I’m here. You’re not alone. You never will be.”

An unexpected tear rolled down my cheek.

Van wiped it away with his thumb. “Seeing you cry breaks my fucking heart. I won’t lie; it also makes me want to ruin him and his entire family.”

“He has a baby to support. Ruining him would hurt an innocent child.”

Van turned toward the window, staring out toward the frozen bay. His jaw was set and his expression hard to read. I didn’t know if he was thinking about what he could do to hurt Skylar or if his thoughts were about something else light-years away.

Before I could ask, he wrapped his arm around me.

Instead of the silence that settled around us feeling awkward, it was comforting as I laid my head back on his shoulder. The t-shirt against my cheek was soft, and his shoulder beneath was hard, the perfect pillow. “I don’t need to celebrate the holidays.”

It was as if my words brought Van back from his thoughts. “I have to go into the office tomorrow morning. It’s Saturday and Christmas Eve. Half the exchanges will be closed before I arrive. It doesn’t matter how much of a workaholic I am, I can’t conduct business when everyone else around the world is unreachable.” He kissed the top of my head. “That means that I’ll be back a little after noon. Unless...”

“Unless what?”

“You can come into Ashland with me. You can walk around the city, get coffee, go to the bakery, and get out of the house.”

“I don’t want to.” I turned to him. “Margaret said I looked familiar. After I talked to my dad, I realized why. Pictures of Skylar and me have been blasted all over the business news outlets—cable networks and social media. The news of our canceled wedding was the cause of the first dip in the value of Wade. Wade’s PR tried to counter it with fake news of us working out our problems.”