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“Yeah, I see that,” Dane grumbled.
Vienna slid him a dirty look. “She gets it from you.”
He frowned at her. “You’re just as stubborn—don’t blame me.”
I cut in, “Very soon, I’m going to be standing at an altar beside Dax. You can all be there for that, or you can miss it to make a statement of disapproval. Whatever. But the wedding will go ahead whether you’re there or not. You’ll achieve one thing only if you miss it—you’ll hurt me.”
Ollie’s shoulders sagged as a pained look crossed his face. “You’re so good at emotional blackmail.”
Dane threw Vienna a quick look. “She gets that from you.”
“I will be at the ceremony,” Harri piped up. “Nothing could keep me away. Though I expect to be made a bridesmaid—just making that clear.”
Alicia smiled. “I told her the same thing.”
“I’m her maid of honor,” declared Sabrina, raising her hand proudly … like I’daskedher.
“Self-proclaimed maid of honor,” I muttered, earning myself a haughty sideways glance from her.
Silence fell for long seconds, but then Vienna blew out a long breath and said, “I might not fully understand why you’re going down this road, Addie, but I’d never miss your wedding day. Neither will your dad. Will you?”
“No,” Dane grunted. “But I’ll be walking you down the aisle under protest.”
“Understood.” I looked from Ollie to Marleigh. “Well?”
They exchanged a resigned look.
“We’ll of course be there,” Ollie told me.
Marleigh nodded. “Please don’t ask me to be a bridesmaid, though—I don’t look good in dresses.”
“You really don’t,” agreed Sabrina. “But Ollie does.”
His eyes went wide. “What?”
“I’ll never forget how cute you looked in the little dress me and Addie put you in when you were a toddler,” Sabrina teased … leading to a mini argument.
As the voices went up in volume, Alicia leaned into me and quietly said, “That went better than I thought it would.”
“Oh, don’t think they’ve all resigned themselves to this,” I told her, my voice equally quiet. “Mom, Dad, and Ollie will do their best to change my mind between now and the wedding.”
Alicia’s brow creased. “I’d like to be able to contest that, but I can’t. They’re going to be a problem.”
“Yup. They just won’t bother yelling again, because they know it won’t get them anywhere. They’ll try other tactics.”
None would work, though. And when they finally realized that, they might well change their minds about attending the ceremony. I supposed that time would tell.
Chapter Eight
Driving down my road the following day after a grocery grab, I slowed as I approached my house. The scene upahead made me frown. Even with the large crowd that had gathered, I could see a silver convertible smushed up against a lamppost, which now stood at a wonky angle. Sat on a nearby bench, a young man pale as death held a white, bloodstained cloth to his head.
Riding shotgun beside me, Alicia strained to get a better look. “Doesn’t seem that anyone was hurt, thank God. What do you think the odds are that Thaddeus is completely sober right now?”
“Not high,” I replied, pulling into our driveway. Our twenty-one-year old neighbor was spoiled rotten and impossibly reckless. He’d been pulled over by the cops in the past for driving while drunk. He was never held accountable due to his parents being close friends with the sheriff, and that was part of the problem—he had no incentive to change his behavior.
He was such an idiot at times that he’d actually once heckled my mom while blitzed as he’d seen her exit my home. She’d only snorted at him.
Thinking of Vienna made me remember the call I’d received from her earlier …
