Ben glances at me, his smile warm, before turning back to Paisley. “I’d love to. Thanks, Paisley, and congratulations to you both.”
The small glimmer of hope Cade sparked at dinner now ignites as Paisley includes Ben in such an important familyevent. Having him there means everything to me, and I know Paisley understands that.
“This calls for a celebration! I’m sure we have some bubbly somewhere,” my mom announces, pushing back her chair and heading to the kitchen. She returns moments later, a bottle of Prosecco in one hand and as many glasses as she can manage in the other.
“I’ll grab the rest,” Ben offers, standing.
“Thank you, Ben. They’re on the breakfast bar,” my mom says with a grateful smile.
As Ben leaves the room, Nash seizes the moment, leaning forward across the table. His voice is low but firm. “Ben’s not invited to the wedding.”
My heart sinks. “What?”
“He’s not invited,” Nash repeats, leaning back in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest.
Paisley glares at him. “What are you doing, Nash? Ben is your sister’s boyfriend, and I already invited him.”
“Well, I just uninvited him. It’s my wedding, and I don’t want him there.”
Paisley exhales sharply, clearly exasperated. “What about what I want?”
“This isn’t what you want, it’s what Ash wants,” Nash argues.
“Enough,” Mom hisses, shooting a wary glance toward the door. “You can discuss this later, when Ben isn’t here.”
“There’s nothing to discuss,” Nash says stubbornly.
“Oh, there’s plenty to discuss,” Paisley retorts, frustration clear in her voice.
I catch Taylor’s eye, and she offers me a small, sympathetic smile.
“Did what I said earlier mean nothing to you, Nash?” my dad asks with a sigh.
“This is my wedding, Dad. I don’t want some random guy there.”
“He’s not some random guy,” I argue. “He’s the man I’m falling in love with. But you know what? If you won’t accept him, that’s fine. He won’t come to the wedding. As much as I want to say ‘screw you,’ and not come either, I could never do that to one of my closest friends. I’m coming for Paisley, not you.”
A heavy silence settles over the room, broken only by the scrape of my chair against the wooden floor as I push back and stand. All eyes stay locked on me, the tension palpable, just as Ben walks back in.
“I hope I got enough…” Ben trails off, his gaze sweeping over everyone as he picks up on the tension in the room. His eyes land on me. “What did I miss?”
I step forward, gently taking the glasses from his hands and setting them on the table. “I’ll tell you outside.”
“We’re leaving?” he asks, his brow furrowing.
“Yes.”
I lace my fingers with his and start toward the door, but he hesitates, his grip tightening just enough to stop me. “Wait,” he says, searching my face. “I don’t know what happened while I was in the kitchen, but can’t we figure this out?”
Tessa’s voice is soft, almost pleading. “Wecanwork it out. Please don’t go, Ashlyn.”
I let out a disbelieving laugh. “You really think we can stay after that, Mom?”
Her face darkens with anger as she whips around to face Nash. “Do you see what you’ve done? Your stupid, overprotective bullshit is driving her away. Is that what you want?”
My eyes widen in shock. I don’t think I’ve ever heard my mom swear.
“Of course not!” Nash exclaims.
