I grunt. "Sure, I am."
She throws her hands up and steps backward. "Brax, don't do this."
"Do what?"
"Pretend everything is fine."
"Everything is fine."
She lets out an incredulous sound. "It's two days before our wedding!"
My chest tightens. I lean against her counter. "Are you bolting?"
Her head jerks back. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me."
Her jaw tightens. "You think I'm going to bail?"
"I'm not the one freaking out."
"I'm not... You're twisting things!"
"Am I?"
She paces once, twice, then spins to face me. "You think you're so perceptive."
"I think you're rattled."
"I'm not rattled." Her voice lifts a notch too high for that statement to hold any weight. "I'm realistic."
"About what?"
She asserts, "Your family is going to hate you."
My heart thumps hard against my chest cavity. I've thought about it a thousand times, and she's right. I have no idea how Finn will ever accept her or what will happen between us once I marry Valentina. But I snort and retort, "They'll get over it."
"Will they?"
"Yep. What else is wrong?" I ask.
She looks away.
"Dammit! Look at me and tell me," I demand.
She slowly faces me. She bites her lip and blinks hard. Then she claims, "You're going to hate me."
I stare at her, frozen mid-breath.
"Stop staring at me like that," she demands.
I order, "Say that again."
"You heard me."
"No. Say it again."
She grips the edge of her sweatshirt, tugging the fabric hard. "You're going to hate me for life."
