My father crossed his arms over his chest, looking to me and ignoring my wife. “We’re concerned. This is all so sudden. And it’s clear her family still has an issue with you. They haven’t even come over here to speak to us.”
I looked up to the ceiling. These people were more impossible than I thought. Jalisa had a right to want to stay away. “Funny, don’t recall seeing you get up and talk to them either.”
Isabella leaned into Tola and loudly whispered, “I give it a year.”
I was going to unalive my whole family. I didn’t recall them being this awful before. “Really, Isabella? Would you like to put money on that?”
Jalisa cleared her throat, fake smiling at my older sister. I could feel her struggle to maintain her cool. We could both be hotheads when it came to defending our relationship to others. Even when fake. “Ok, you’re being inappropriate, but I don’t mind taking your money since you’re being all sorts of disrespectful right now. How much do you want to gamble?”
My youngest sister, Rami, looked over to Jalisa with a pleasant smile, her green eyes seemingly kind, but I knew better. “We’re sorry, Jalisa,” she began, tossing her brown hair over her shoulder. “It’s just that you weren’t there after you called it off with Ivan because he allegedly wasn’t good enough for you. We were stuck picking up the pieces. He was a drunken, depressed mess for so long. Then you come back and we’re afraid he could get hurt again. We have concerns.”
For the first time, Jalisa’s smile faltered. She couldn’t tell them the truth about why she broke up with me and instead had to look like the elitest noble they’d always believed of her. Isqueezed her hand, wishing she could read my mind. To know I had her back. Even telling them the truth would do no good because it would justify their hatred of her family even more and make them want to take some sort of action. They wouldn’t see the breakup as her protecting me or even care.
“I know you all have concerns,” I started. “But I don’t. Jalisa and I have talked. We both made mistakes before. I wasn’t innocent.”
Nepa made a pfft noise. “It’s easier with an ice dragon.”
She really didn’t care that Jalisa was standing right there. I was going to have to cut this off. “No, it’s easier with the person you love. I wish that for you some day.”
“I wish the same for you.”
Jalisa huffed, letting go of my hand and pointing a finger at Nepa. “And I wish you’d leave. Why are you even here?”
Nepa adjusted in her seat, eyes narrowing. “Because we are supportive family.”
“Well, your version of support is severely lacking. And another thing-”
I gripped her hand, trying to reign her in. I loved her zeal, it meant she cared. Or so I told myself. “Wife, I think I’m ready for some cake. Let’s go.”
She gave another tight smile to the rest of the table and turned away with me.
“Make sure you treat him well this time, Jalisa,” Nepa called. “There won’t be another chance.”
Jalisa turned slightly to say something back, but I gently pulled her to me. “Ignore them. This will be the last time they talk to you like this. I swear.”
“Oh, I’m not worried.”
I knew that was because she thought this marriage would be over by the time we would have to see them again. She was wrong about that.
She blew out a breath. “I need a break.”
I raised her hand and kissed her smooth skin, loving that I was allowed to sneak in so many kisses. “Can you break with me?”
She nodded silently, and we left the space.
“I’m sorry about my family,” I stated, following her down the hall.
She cocked a brow. “You, apologizing for your family? That’s a first. But don’t be, I understand their anger. Although I did want to punch your cousin in the face.”
She stopped several doors down from our party. We entered a dressing room, and she quickly collapsed on the couch, not worried about wrinkling her dress, as I closed the door.
She kicked off her heels and then folded her legs underneath her. “This is intense. I think I’m going to go home now. Can you handle the rest of the party?”
I snorted before sitting down beside her, closer than I needed to be since there was space left on the couch. “No, I can’t. This is your mess. You have to stay to clean it up, love.”
She rested her head on the back of the couch, looking pensive. I tapped her chin. “What’s on your mind?”
“What happened to you after I left?”
