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“You would have killed me.”
“At the time, yes. In retrospect, maybe it would have been for the best. To be frank, I don’t like Derek. No, that’s not true. He’s okay; he’s just not right for her.”
“Of course he’s not. He left on a business trip days before their wedding. He doesn’t love her.”
Dan shakes his head. “And Perrie doesn’t love him. I figured that out in the first five minutes.”
“She says she does…”
“She probably wants to because marrying him would be easier since he’s not you. I admit she’s attached to him in some way I don’t understand. But I’m not blind; I know her heart has been yours for a long time.”
“Do I have your blessing, then?”
Suddenly, Dan smiles and thrusts his hand toward me. “A thousand percent. You’ve always felt like family. It would be nice to make it official.”
A two-ton weight just lifted from my chest. “Thanks. It would be great.”
“Got a plan? She’s a stubborn thing. She’s going to keep marching ahead with this wedding to Mr. Metrosexual unless youmakeher change her mind.”
“I’ve got some ideas, and I might need your help. But I’ll get back to that. Since we’re clearing the air… Speaking of not being blind, I know about you and Hannah.”
“Seriously? Oh, thank fuck.” Dan’s visible relief is almost comical. “I have been wracking my brain for months to find a way to tell you.”
“You two and your incessant eye-fucking made it obvious over New Year’s Eve. I suspected way before then but…”
“It’s funny. You and I have both been worried that the other would think we’re too old for the women we love. After all, I’m thirteen years older than Hannah.”
I shrug. “My younger sister is very much an adult. If you two make each other happy—”
“We do.” He winces. “She’s pregnant. Seven weeks. We just found out last Friday. I was going to propose anyway, but we should speed things up now. With your blessing.”
It’s impossible to stay in my chair for that news. Dan gets to his feet, too, and we share a long bro-hug. It’s the most emotion I’ve seen out of him in a decade, and I can’t help but think my sister has been good for him.
“You got it. But dude, this is weird. If it all works out, you’ll be both my father-in-law and my brother-in law.”
“It sounds creepy.” He laughs. “But I can’t think of anything better than Hannah and me finding a place together to raise a rugrat or two. I’ll be a better father this time because I’m ready and I know all the ways I fucked up the first time. Plus, if you convince Perrie to be your wife, she’ll be back for good.”
“Not if, when. I’ll do whatever it takes to convince her to marry me. But I have to be honest, words aren’t working.”
“Ah. So…you’re plotting something underhanded? That’s something I’ve always admired about you, that talent to know when and how to be thoroughly unscrupulous.”
That makes me laugh. It sounds funny coming from upstanding Dan. But he’s not wrong. “I’m thinking truly down and dirty…”
“Tell me. I’ll see how I can help.”
* * *
Three days later
Perrie
My wedding is tomorrow and nothing is anything like I imagined. Except my bestie, Kayla, all of my college friends let me know they won’t be able to fly in last minute. They’re too busy or broke. Turns out my high school friends and I don’t have that much in common anymore. Most are either still in college or think I’m crazy for settling down so young. So no epic bachelorette party for me, which is actually fine. I’m not into exotic dancers or drunken party games. But my fiancé is still out of town. My dad has been conspicuously absent for hours. And Hayden is who knows where. I thought at least one of them would spend my last night as a single lady with me, but no.
I feel wretchedly alone.
That’s not precisely true. I have plenty of regrets to keep me company. They’re piling up and telling me that every choice I’ve made has been wrong.
My phone dings, interrupting that cheerful thought. I glance down to see a text from Derek.
