Page 142 of The Wrong Groom

“There was a confrontation with her family,” I tell them. “And Travis.”

“Whitaker?” Reid says sharply. “I thought you told that fucker⁠—”

“Yeah. He didn’t exactly get the message.” I breathe out through my nose, my jaw tightening. “This whole mess… it’s because of him.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s the reason I had to divorce her.”

I start to explain the situation to the two of them—Vérité’s tax evasion scheme, how the Beaumonts implicated Alexis, how Travis came to my office to blackmail me into the divorce, and how I’ve been working with lawyers to get Alexis in the clear. As I speak, Reid’s face darkens even further, and Dominic clenches his fists at his sides. When I’m finished, Dominic utters a short curse under his breath.

“What the fuck?” He runs a hand through his hair. “Why didn’t you tell us about it? We could’ve helped you!”

“I wanted to,” I admit. “But I couldn’t. I had to handle it myself before anyone found out—before Travis went public. He had his finger on the trigger. I couldn’t let him get wind of what I was doing until it was done, or he was going to ruin her.”

Alexis stirs in her sleep, murmuring something unintelligible. I run my thumb over her knuckles, and after a few seconds, her breathing evens out once more. At least I have the power to comfort her in some small way.

“And her parents?” Reid asks, his lip curling. “They were going to frame her?”

I nod. “Her name was all over the documents. If the truth came out, she would’ve taken the fall instead of them.”

“I can’t believe that.” Reid shakes his head. “I know our parents weren’t perfect, but the Beaumonts make them look like goddamn saints. I mean… everything Dad did, he did to protect us. And Beaumont was willing to send his daughter to prison.”

Silence falls over the room as all three of us digest that. Then Dominic breaks it with a pointed cough. “So… you and Alexis…”

“I don’t know,” I say, answering his unspoken question. “She’s not exactly happy with me.”

Reid’s expression twists into a grimace. “I wouldn’t be, either.” I shoot him a glare, and he shrugs, unrepentant. “What? You kind of fucked up.”

I can’t argue with that. I sigh, raking a hand through my hair. “Yeah, I did.”

Dominic leans back against the wall, tucking his hands into his pockets. “So, what’s your plan? Just wait for her to forgive you?”

“I don’t expect her to just forgive me. I lied to her. I hurt her.” I glance down at Alexis, my chest tightening. “I don’t know how to fix this.”

Reid opens his mouth to respond, his expression now sympathetic, but before he can say anything, Beckett enters the room. Peyton is hanging off one of his arms, looking marginally more cheerful. In his other hand, he holds three king-size packs of Skittles.

“Per your request, your Highness.” He lifts his chin, tossing me one of the bags of candy. He slips another to Peyton. “And one for the princess.”

Peyton giggles and skips back over toward me. I give Beckett a grateful nod.

“I owe you one.”

“It’s Skittles.” He shrugs, tearing open his own bag with a raised eyebrow. “It’s not like I took a bullet for you.”

Reid snorts, and Dominic shakes his head. “I hope you can fix things, Gabe,” Dom says, his tone serious despite the note of levity Beckett brought to the room. “She’s good for you.”

“Yeah,” I say heavily.

“Seriously,” he presses. “We’ve all thought so for a while. She’s got a good heart. And she actually puts up with your brooding ass, which is a miracle in and of itself.”

Beckett grins. “Yeah, she makes you almost tolerable. It’d be a damn shame to lose that.”

I throw a Skittle at him. He catches it and pops it into his mouth.

“You two need to watch your language,” I mutter, pulling Peyton back into my lap. “There are young ears here.”

“Don’t worry, Daddy,” Peyton says innocently. “I don’t say any of the bad words.”