Page 76 of Weddings, Revenge & Fake Dating

“Wolf, can I call you Wolf?” She removes her glasses and cleans the lenses with a table napkin.

He nods with a quirked lip.

“I’ve had one serious relationship, and it was with Jeanie’s father. We were together for one year before he cheated on me, and I didn’t find out until the fifth year. Then I tried to change his ways for the next five. If you’re counting, that’s ten years of my life wasted. Ten! He knew how to play my heart. Because of that, he flew in and out of our lives like a snowbird. Do you remember, Tweedledee?”

Mom regards me, but I’m already reliving the painful past.

Dad promised us the world and then left repeatedly. Eventually, my parents divorced. That’s when he dated step-Satan, who’s technically not a step anything. Little Sophia was part of the package. Eventually, Dad left them too. After that, we don’t know where he went. For all I know, I could have sixteen more Sophias out there.

That’s a terrifying thought.

“I remember.” I flick the corner of the menu with my fingernail.

A thought unravels in my mind. Did my abandonment issues make me hold on tighter to Roman? Was I waiting for him to repeat my dad’s pattern and return to me?

Considering, I stare into space for a few seconds.

Mom pats my arm. “I promised myself I’d never let another man control me, and I’ve kept that promise. I warned Jeanie not to get married, but here we are.”

“Here we are.” My voice turns monotone as a daydream flashes behind my gaze. It features me tackling Mom into the pool.

The server places new drinks on the table. He slips Mom his number.

Instead of taking it, she stands and asks if he can help her to her room. “I’m feeling faint.”

As she rises from her seat, she covertly winks at us. Mom leans on his shoulder for support as they stroll away.

Nathan takes my hand. “I’m sorry you went through all that.”

“It was a long time ago.”

The reality is, no relationship is guaranteed. We must enjoy the people we care about while we have them. And I intend to do that with Nathan. If I’m lucky, he can make me forget why I came here. I attempt to perk up.

“How do you feel about threesomes?” I ask, thinking this new adventure might lift my mood.

34/

nathan

Threesome Musketeers

I can’t help but notice changes in Jeanie’s behavior. She’s quiet, reminding me of our original meet and greet in the elevator right after Roman’s verbal attack. Back then, she had slipped into a shell of her quirky personality.

That’s how she looks now. Lost. I want her to know she’s not alone.

“My mom was like your dad,” I say, taking a guess at why she’s upset. “Though the last time I saw her, I was five. She left my brothers and me at O’Hare airport in baggage claim before flying to Mexico with a stranger she met at the airport bar.”

“Baggage claim?” Jeanie snaps out of her daze. “Five!?”

“Seems she had literal baggage to get rid of. Three little bags, to be exact.” I chuckle darkly. “That’s why my grandmother raised us.”

“It hurts to think about Dex moving away for college, and that’s on purpose. He’s my everything.”

“Though I can’t say it didn’t affect me, I think I’m better without her lifelong influence. Instead, someone who’s strong and selfless raised me.”

“As an adult, I agree,” Jeanie says. “But that’s a hard sell to a kid.”

“It is.” I nod. “But I’m considering this new therapy to get past it.”