But I let her down.
She needs space.
I’ll check on her soon. After everyone else smothers her. When she’s alone.
“Howdareyou not tell our daughter—”
I spin and look Gail Kingston straight in the eye. “She’s a grown-ass woman who’s smart, kind, generous, and gorgeous, and she deserves way better thanallof us.”
The Kingstons gape at me.
“And don’t fucking throw stones when you live in a goddamn glass house,” I growl directly at Charles.
Both of the Kingstons go pale.
Uncle Owen claps.
Takes me a half-second to realize Aunt Brenda’s clapping too.
Doesn’t matter though.
When I look back at Emma, she’s gone.
So are her bridesmaids.
So is Dad.
“This is all your fault, you fucking—”
Chandler doesn’t finish yelling at me either.
Don’t know if one of his disappointed family members got to him, or if I finally managed to train myself to not hear his voice.
All I know is that I’m done here.
Done.
It’s time to pack up my cats and go home.
36
Laney
The very worstsound in the world is Emma crying.
It’s like if rainbows smelled like sulfur. Or if unicorns were assassins. Or if chocolate tasted like liver.
“I just wanted to get married and have babies and get dogs and live a normal life,” she sobs. “Buthe let Theo go to jail for him. Andno one told me.”
“I’m so sorry, Em.” Sabrina’s crying too as we hustle Emma back to the resort and away from all of the prying eyes and the few guests who were clearly recording the meltdown on their phones. “I didn’t mean—I shouldn’t have—”
“Kept that from me for ten years?” Emma shrieks.
Okay.
This is worse.
This isdefinitelyworse than Emma just crying.
