The saddest part of all is that he has no idea I’m up here with one of the honored guests. A band tightens around my heart and I wish I had my mother’s scarf. But tonight isn’t about me, my father, or Toad Prince Todd and Princess Papaya.
Nope. The man of the hour just walked through the doorway.
Or not.
Instead of the person I expect, Todd strides past the tables. He points at me and then my father, who shakes hands and accepts a certificate from the speaker onstage.
Todd approaches me. “We have unfinished business.”
All I hear is static in my ears as shock rushes through me because this wasn’t how tonight was supposed to go. Yes, I contacted Todd to help me locate someone we thought was MIA. But he’s obviously using the opportunity to get back at me.
Grey’s expression turns to stone and he gets to his feet. “You have no business here unless you’ve come to reckon with—” His hands ball into fists.
The other guys on the team get to their feet.
Declan says, “All of us.”
Wolf cuts his eyes at Todd.
Chase glances around the room and I follow his gaze to see the rest of the Bruiser players on their feet.
“You stole my wife,” Todd accuses.
“Todd, you’re nuts if you think I was going to marry you after what you did.”
“You humiliated me. Left me at the altar.”
I can’t deny I feel the heat of a lot of eyes on me. “There was no way I could make myself walk down the aisle after I found you and?—”
“Todd, what are you doing? I thought you said—” Princess Papaya struts toward Todd and then stops. She looks my husband up and down if it took her a moment to place him out of context. “Grey? What are you doing here?”
He narrows his eyes because it’s obvious to anyone that she’s not the brightest bulb. “This is a private team event.”
The other guys step forward, ready to escort out the unwelcome guests.
“The plan wasn’t for my father, my ex-fiancé, or Princess Papaya to crash our party.”
“I couldn’t resist,” Todd hisses.
“Leave my wife alone. Leave this building, now,” Grey grinds out.
“Your wife? Do you know anything about her? Do you know why she married you? It was all fake.”
Then the Ice King himself inserts himself into the situation. “And your intentions to marry my daughter were genuine?”
Todd shifts from foot to foot because Princess Papaya already did the honors of outing their affair in front of all our wedding guests, which made me feel slightly less guilty about not making it down the aisle.
But I am fresh out of embarrassment and am going to handle this thing like a boss. A mom-wife-girl boss hybrid.
Until the other day, I didn’t know Grey’s ex’s name was actually Princess, er, Princess Papaya, which the castaway man at my wedding shouted as he chased after her. The man I was hoping would be here instead of the others.
My ex glares at me and goes on to say, “It’s my understanding that yourI doswere rather unusual.”
“I love this woman and honor our vows, which are none of your concern.” Grey’s jaw ticks.
My father says, “Everly.” It’s not a question or even a greeting, really, more of an acknowledgment. Proof of life.
“Father.”
