“Yeah, yeah. Since we’re all here, I have some news of my own to share,” Liv replied.
“Is it gonna piss me off? Because I can’t take another plot twist.”
“No, it won’t.”
“Then what is it, bighead?” I inquired.
Liv scoffed. “Well, a couple of months ago, I found out that I’d been nominated for a DAISY Award. It’s like a big deal for nurses who go above and beyond. And I got word about a week ago that I actually won.”
Lex let her smile swing free as her brows rose in a slow arch. “You won? Oh my God, congratulations! Why didn’t you say anything when you first found out?”
“Because the ceremony was supposed to be on your big day, and I was not about to overshadow that.”
“Hold up. Were you gonna skip getting one of the biggest accolades of your career to watch me marry a fuckboy? You really are my best friend.”
Liv chuckled. “Yeah, well, now that I don’t have to do that, we can all go to my awards ceremony.”
“Of course! I can’t wait to scream my head off for you!”
“Me too. Congrats, Sis. I’m proud of you!”
“Thank you.”
“Now this gives us a good distraction for your parents since there’s no more wedding.”
“As long as they get to dress up and step out, they’ll be fine,” Liv confirmed.
We all shared a lighthearted laugh. It was the first normal thing that’d happened since our secret blew up right in front ofour eyes. I was relieved it was out, though. Now, all we had to do was tell my parents.
After smoothingthings over with Liv, she left to go grab us all some breakfast. By the time we ate and the sun came up, I finally started to get tired. Liv left Oak’s house, and he agreed to take me home since no furniture had been delivered to his spot yet, and I wasn’t feelin’ sharing an air mattress when I had a perfectly good bed at home.
At first, the ride was silent as if we were both shuffling through the thoughts in our heads. I kept my gaze fixated out of the window, watching the city go by. It wasn’t until he spoke up that I twisted my neck in his direction.
“I don’t know about you, but I feel relieved now that Liv knows about us.”
I nodded slowly. “Me too, kinda. I thought she was going to disown us, forreal.”
“You and me both. The look on her face was diabolical.”
A sigh of relief slipped past my lips. “As happy as I am that I didn’t end up marrying Pat, I’m still nervous about what your parents will think if we make things official too quickly. I know it’s probably a stupid thing to be worried about, but I am.”
“My parents love you, Lex, period. Ain’t nothin’ to be worried about. They want you to be happy. That’s everyone’s top priority.”
He was right. My wedding wasn't the first to be called off at the last minute, and I was sure it wouldn’t be the last.I just didn’t want to lose anyone’s support or have them look at me differently. But the Gray family had always been in my corner. I didn’t see that changing anytime soon.
“You’re right,” I stated as my phone began to vibrate in my lap. I flipped it over to see Pat’s mother calling. My eyes rolled skyward, and my heart stalled. “Shit,” I mumbled.
She was the last person I wanted to speak to. He’d probably told her that I’d panicked and was the one who broke his heart and ruined everything. I didn’t want to keep having to explain what happened between Pat and me over and over again like a broken record, especially when I knew whose side she was already on.
“Who is it?” Oak inquired, sensing my apprehension as the phone continued to vibrate.
“Pat’s mother. I assume he’s told her his own watered-down version of the story by now.”
He scoffed. “Then don’t answer. You don’t owe her shit. He ain’t your problem no more; he’s hers. She gotta deal with the fucked-up son she raised.”
Oak was right yet again, but there was still the nagging feeling of inconveniencing his family, who’d invested financiallyinto our big day. I wasn’t ready to hear the disappointment in her voice about our breakup or them losing money on deposits, all because her son was unable to stop passing out his dick like Halloween candy. So, I let the phone vibrate in my lap until it stopped, then turned it off completely.
Everybody’s gotta have boundaries, right?
