“Low blow, buddy.”
But he’s right. I’m being obtuse. I would never turn my back on any of the Frazer family. I owe them too much, love them all too much. If someone hurts one of them, they also hurt me.
“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” I say, hearing a noise behind me. “Look, I’ve got to go. I’ll call you and let you know what time my plane gets in.”
I hang up before Gabriel can say anything else.
Kris opens the kitchen door and steps inside, his hair dishevelled from sleep.
“Hey, sorry I woke you,” I say, walking towards him.
He smiles at me, inclining his head.
“Who was it?”
“Gabriel. I need to fly home.”
“What about Freya’s birthday party this weekend?”
I drop my head forward onto his shoulder.
“Something’s come up. I can’t ignore it.”
“So Gabriel calls, and you jump and leave. What about our wedding plans? Not to mention the full list of engagements we have this week.”
I lift my head and scowl.
“You’re really going to call me out on wedding plans when you went back to work yesterday and left me to deal with your mother?”
“That’s not fair.”
“No, it’s not. This is supposed to beourwedding. So far, your mother has done the lion’s share of the decision-making.”
“I thought you’d want the help. It’s not like you can arrange a wedding from thousands of miles away.”
“Help, yes, but she’s taken over. This is her wedding, not mine. We could have been married in the UK. Then I could have organised it.”
I move back until I’m leaning against the kitchen island, crossing my arms over my chest.
“You know that wasn’t practical with all my relatives.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose and squeeze. Not wanting to rehash the same old argument again.
Kris places a finger under my chin and tilts my face up towards his.
“You want to help Gabriel?”
I nod. “They’re my family.”
“What about me? Aren’t I about to become your family?”
“You are. But I owe them everything. More than you can ever understand.”
Kris looks at me, an expression I can’t quite decipher crossing his face. He drops his gaze and gives me a sad smile.
“I’ll tell the pilot to prepare my jet. It will be faster than trying to get on a commercial flight.”
“Thank you.”
