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“I’m not getting any younger,” I began, “my biological clock is ticking—”
“That’s no reason to marry some random guy,” Ollie insisted, his face scrunching up.
“Dax isn’t a random person. He’s someone I know. Someone I’m comfortable with.” I looked at my dad. “Youknow him as well. You even like him.”
Dane snorted, his head rearing back. “Not now I don’t. He wants my daughter to marry him as part of apact.He’s asking you to throw away any chance you have of finding something more, and he clearly doesn’t give a shit what that means for you.”
Alicia lifted both hands. “I think we should all just take a breath.”
“Take a breath?” echoed Ollie, disbelieving. “Are you even hearing what Addie’s saying? Wait, neither of you two look surprised,” he commented, glancing from her to Sabrina. “You knew?”
Not wanting him to verbally lay into them, I quickly cut in, “Alicia’s right, taking a breath would be helpful. There’s no need to rant at me.”
He threw me an incredulous glance. “No need? Seriously? I feel like I don’t know you right now. Like your IQ dropped overnight.”
Bristling, I raised a warning brow. “Careful, Ollie.”
Vienna slid forward in her seat. “What hemeansto say is that he’s a little too shocked by your news to be calm right now. I’m sure you’ll admit that you wouldn’t be cool and composed if either Alicia or Harri had made this announcement.”
“Probably not,” I readily admitted. “But I’d hear them out and try to understand why they’d reached their decision, not vilify them for it or act like they’re stupid.”
My mom gave me an appeasing look. “No one thinks you’re stupid, Addie. You’ve always made good, solid decisions. We’re all simply struggling to understand what made you reach this one.”
“Yeah, I don’t get it,” said Harri from her spot beside Marleigh, her voice not confrontational, merely baffled. “You’ve always been so determined to find what Mom and Dad have.”
“Which is not this,” Dane practically bit out. “Far from it. I can’t understand why you would even entertain this idea.” His eyes narrowed. “Is he blackmailing you?”
I almost rolled my eyes. “Of course not. He asked. I promised to consider it. Which I did. And this is the choice I subsequently made.”
“I get that you’re hurting over what Grayden did,” Marleigh interrupted. “But this is a bit of an extreme way to respond to it.”
I frowned. “This has nothing to do with Grayden.”
Marleigh gave me a skeptical look. “You’re sure of that? Because it sounds like you’ve taken Dax up on his offer as a fuck you to Grayden.”
I felt my face harden. “You really think I’d do something like that?” I asked, my voice flat. “That that’s the kind of person I am?”
Marleigh winced. “I don’t mean to insinuate that you’re cruel or spiteful—”
“But that’s what you’re doing. Thanks a bunch.”
“She didn’t mean it that way,” Ollie told me, putting a protective hand on her shoulder. “She’s just worried that you’re saying yes for the wrong reason. I happen to agree with her theory. It makes the most sense.”
Sabrina sighed at him. “If you’d only listen to what Addie has to say instead of leaping on her, you’d understand why you’re incorrect.”
“How can younotbe against this?” he demanded of her, plopping his fists on his narrow hips. “Wait, don’t answer that. I forgot who I was talking to.”
Tamara’s back snapped straight. “It is not wrong that she likes to take risks in life, Ollie,” she said, sitting on Sabrina’s other side. “Do not insult her because you are angry at something else.”
“Really, everyoneneeds to take a breath,” Alicia again declared.
Dane began pacing. “Bottom line, Addie, you deserve better than an empty marriage. Surely you want more for yourself.”
“Unless you’re going to tell us that you and Dax have feelings for each other?” Vienna probed. “That would make it different.”
I could point out he and I had a connection based on sexual chemistry, but I didn’t really want to talk about thatto my parents.“Such feelings might grow,” I said, though I figured the best we could really hope for was that we’d develop the warm companionship I spoke of with Brooks.
A muscle in Dane’s cheek ticked. “They also mightnot.”
