“What is he talking about?” Jaylen asks.
“Jay,” I start, but Daniel cuts me off.
“So, it was fake,” he says. “I had a feeling.”
“What was fake?” Jaylen is losing his temper at this point, and the rest of the room is just watching in silent discomfort.
“You’re going to love this, St. James. Your sister and your business partner here showed up to my wedding as a couple.”
“I know,” he says. “Ash told me about it beforehand.”
“As amarriedcouple,” Daniel adds, and I really think I am going to be sick.
Jaylen turns to look at us, and I shake my head. “We aren’t,” I insist. “It was–”
“It was fake,” Daniel says again.
“Of course it was,” Ash says, losing his patience. “I wouldn’t marry her without my best friend knowing.”
“But you would sleep with her without him knowing.” Daniel says, and Ash’s eyes go dark. Jaylen huffs a laugh before looking at us again. Ash’s face is like stone, but the expression on my face reveals everything.
“This is not the time or place for this convers–” Ash starts, but Jaylen chops the sentence in half.
“So it’s true,” he says. Then he looks at me, and my chin quivers. Jaylen nods. “Got it. Awesome. Well, enjoy the rest of your night.” He lifts his glass, downs the rest of his champagne, and tosses the glass to the side while walking out of the room.
Chapter 38
Harper
Idon’t know what to do.
Part of me wants to make sure Ash is okay and his night isn’t ruined. Another part of me wants to smile at guests and apologize for “whatever that was” before I clean up the glass. A big part of me wants to punch Daniel in the face.
My instinct to go after my brother overrides everything else, and I take off after Jaylen. The main room is still slammed, and I have to bob and weave through the crowd. I’m only able to see the back of Jaylen’s head as I follow after him to the door.
People are staring and whispering as I push past them, apologizing as I go. I’m sure the frantic look on my face as I run through the speakeasy calling after my brother isn’t helping keep the chaos at bay, but right now, the only thing I care about is him.
“Jaylen!” I shout as I reach the main door. “Jaylen, wait!”
But he doesn’t. He is already headed up the steps to street level, pressing past the line of people waiting under heat lamps to get in.
“Jaylen,” I call again as he stomps toward his car. I am in heels, a shitty choice for all-night bartending duties and chasing someone on an icy street. Catching up to him seems fruitless, soI yell, “Jaylen! Please stop!” My voice is filled with desperation, and it seems to be enough to stop him. He turns around and stands still, his expression full of anger and hurt.
I stand in front of him, panting from running and shivering because of the cold. I didn’t think to grab my coat, and now I am standing on a dark street in nothing but a cocktail dress at 12:30 in the morning in the middle of winter.
“Are you sleeping with him?” he asks, wasting no time.
“Jaylen,” I plead, but he cuts me off.
“Are you sleeping with Ash?” he demands.
“Jay, I can explain,” I say as my eyes fill with tears.
“Well, then you better start explaining. Not that I can think of anything you could say that could make this okay.”
I swallow hard. “We told Daniel we were married at his wedding to get him back for cheating–”
“I don’t give a fuck about any of that,” he says. I hug myself, both from the cold and how upset I am. “You lied.”
