“Not everything is about you, Jane,” Jessica says, rolling her eyes and looking to Kate for agreement. I’m staring at Kate too, tears welling in my eyes as I’m mentally begging her to defend me the way I always defend her. But she stays painfully silent as she looks between me and Jessica.
“It’s because of me,” Reid says solemnly next to me. Jessica’s eyes flit to his, a rage still in them. She tilts her chin higher in defiance. “Right? You’re mad that I wasn’t interested in you all this time and now I found someone I actually have feelings for and you can’t stand that it’s not you.”
Jessica scoffs now. “Yeah, like you’re legitimately dating Jane. Of all people. Of all the Sinclair sisters.” She gestures to Kate, who is still standing in silence, fidgeting with her engagement ring while watching Jessica fight this battle.
My fingers itch to just grab her hand, tug her inside, talk to her alone and sort this mess out because I feel like now it’s a Reid and Jessica battle, and the two of us don’t even need to be involved.
But before I can get a word out, Reid says, “Screw you, Jessica.”
Her jaw drops. “Excuse me?”
“Okay everyone, that’s enough,” Kate finally intervenes. My heart completes crumples as she puts a hand on Jessica’s shoulder and says, “You don’t need to be so cruel to her. She’s just trying to look out for me.” Then her gaze turns to mine and sharpens. “How could you keep a secret like that from me the week of my wedding? I thought we told each other everything.”
“I wanted to tell you?—”
“But you didn’t. Jessica did.”
“I told her to give me the chance to tell you first, but I didn’t want to distract from you this week.”
She shakes her head, then drops her hand from Jessica’s shoulder and takes a step back from me. “I just want some space right now. I need to process my big sister keeping secrets from me.”
I’m frozen in place as my sister walks off with Jessica tossing a look at her over her shoulder. My heart that felt so full this morning suddenly feels like it’s going through a steam roller.
My little sister just chose her roommate over me. She didn’t even let me explain. She ambushed me with Jessica hiding around the corner. And she just . . . left. After everything I’ve done for her, not even for the wedding but for our entire lives, and she gets mad at me forthis? This was the exact reason I was keeping it a secret, and now it’s all blown up in my face.
I’m still frozen in place, eyes wide and breathing stilted, as Reid grabs my hand. He has to tug to get my feet to move, but I follow him.
He leads me through the maze of greenery in the backyard. The sound of birds and scent of flowers in the air and the cover of shrubbery has me finally coming back to reality and breathing normally. When we’re halfway into what feels like a labyrinth, he stops suddenly, turns, and envelopes me into a tight hug. The contact alone is like a switch to the emotions I’ve spent decades locking up.
Feeling abandoned, forgotten, never good enough.
A sob wracks through my body and Reid strokes my hair as I let the wave of emotions run their course. He murmurs soothing words in my ear, patiently waiting and comforting me until it passes.
Finally, I pull my face from his now tear-soaked shirt to look at him. A mix of concern and sympathy flash in his as he studies me. Reid brushes a lone tear from my cheek.
“It’s alright,” he whispers.
“You didn’t have to say anything to either of them,” I say through a sniffle. “It’s not your fight.”
He rests both hands on my shoulder. “It is my fight. I will talk to her again if I have to. And I will probably talk to her very loudly. Do you know why?” I don’t move, don’t so much as lift my gaze to his. He hooks a finger under my chin to make me look at him. His blue eyes are alight with a fire that makes me melt. “Because I will always fight for you. Even if that means fighting your family. You saythe word, and your battle is mine. And we will fight it together.”
I draw in a ragged breath.
“And we will probably win.”
I sputter a laugh, causing the corner of his mouth to lift triumphantly.
“You seem confident about that.”
“We make a great team.”
The word “team” ricochets through my heart, and I realize I could very well get used to it. Me and Reid on a team. A pair. A couple.
Chapter 26
Ithought I’d only have to have my sister dictate what I wore once this entire wedding process, but as it was now, she has chosen what I wore to her couple’s shower, her bachelorette party, and, apparently, the rehearsal dinner. I haven’t spoken to her since the fight this morning, but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to wear a different dress and risk yet another fight at her rehearsal dinner.
Which is fine by me because it at least is incredibly flattering.
