We start moving toward the exit when a blood-curdling scream pierces the air, freezing us mid-step. We turn to see Asher, his face flushed crimson, struggling to pull Kenzie away from Alex and Tracy. Kenzie’s knuckles have gone white from her vise-like grip on both women’s hair. Tracy’s sleek updo is now a disheveled mess, and Alex’s carefully styled curls tangle between Kenzie’s manicured fingers. The three women twist and writhe like a grotesque sculpture, their dresses bunching and wrinkling as they flail against each other.
Harper rushes toward them, her silk dress flowing behind her like water, and I follow, knowing she can’t separate this human knot alone. “What is going on?” she cries, her voice cutting through the chaos.
“They ruined everything!” Kenzie wails.
“Let go, Kenzie,” Asher pleads, wrestling to pull her back.
Alex and Tracy scream, and Harper grabs Kenzie’s wrists, squeezing gently. “Let them go, Kenzie.”
Reluctantly, Kenzie releases them and throws her hands up in defeat. “Are you happy now, Harper? You officially win.”
I grab both Alex and Tracy, holding Alex in one arm and Tracy in the other as they lunge toward Kenzie. My concern shifts from them to Harper, who stands right in the middle. The last thing we need is for her to get hurt in this chaos.
“Kenzie, I can’t win something I’m not playing. You shouldn’t have to deal with this on your wedding day,” she says firmly.
“Don’t let her off that easily!” Alex protests. “She stole everything from you.”
Harper turns, hands on her hips. “Did you ever consider that crossing a line doesn’t make you better than Kenzie? You didn’t get back at her. You humiliated all of us.”
Tracy stops struggling in my grasp and lets out a sigh. “We didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
“I know you thought you needed to get revenge for me, but I didn’t want this. I told you that. You thought it was a joke, but do you know how humiliating it was to hear the reverend say my name instead of Kenzie’s? You crossed the line four sabotage attempts ago.”
“You’re not going to like what comes next,” Alex warns.
Taking a risk, I let them go. “What else could you have possibly done?”
“We may have changed the cake.”
“What?” Kenzie cries, her voice rising in disbelief. “What did you do? What did you change it to?”
Crossing her arms, Harper clenches her jaw. “Go and get something she can eat. Now. I don’t care if it’s pie. Youwillbring something back for her.”
“But Harper—”
“Go!”
Her tone is stern but not unkind. I feel a rush of admiration for her, envisioning her as a mother to our future children. It is incredibly sexy.
“What did they do?” Asher asks, confusion etched on his face.
“They made it a chocolate cake,” Harper replies. “That explains why Greta was so insistent on giving me a different cupcake for Gina’s wedding. She thoughtIwas allergic to chocolate.”
“They hate me that much?” Kenzie asks, tears streaming down her cheeks.
As much as I feel for her, a part of me thinks she deserves this. If the roles were reversed, she would have gone to great lengths to sabotage Harper’s wedding.
“Kenzie, you aren’t a good friend,” Harper says with a shrug. “While they shouldn’t have done half of what they did, you need to step back and see why they acted like this.”
“You’re blaming me?”
“I’m saying you need to take accountability for your actions. No one has ever targeted you. Most of what people do is a reaction to you.”
Kenzie laughs, incredulous. “I can’t believe you’re blaming me for this.”
“If that’s your takeaway from what she’s saying, maybe they didn’t go too far. They’re just karma’s helpers,” I interject.
“I’m sorry your wedding day was ruined, Kenzie. I truly am.”
