The wedding was in a week. Only seven more days. I could barely stand it, but my brain kept helpfully counting down to the catastrophic disaster I would be forced to bear witness to.
As I walked into the office, I was committed to maintaining the illusion that my life wasn’t quietly falling apart, but I wasn’t here to work. I was looking for Alex, determined to finally give him a piece of my mind.
Last night, when I’d really thought about the events of the last month or so, I’d realized exactly how livid I was at him. That hadn’t faded overnight.
As luck would have it, I found him walking with our younger brother, Zach. Jesse was a few feet away, looking like he wasn’t loving being introduced to a job he hadn’t applied for and didn’t want, but he was following them around anyway.
Zach saw me first, grinning as I approached. “Hey, bro. We’re just showing Jesse the ropes.”
Jesse nodded like he was following, but I could tell he wasn’t. He seemed bored out of his mind. “We’ve even been to Sales. Hooray.”
“Will!” Alex said, ignoring Jesse’s utter lack of enthusiasm. “Perfect timing. Why don’t you take over? It might be better if you showed him around properly.”
I stopped walking and looked him right in the eyes. Then I shook my head. “What’s the point of giving him a tour? He’s just going to pretend he understands what we’re explaining, whether it’s true or not.”
Zach snorted, but Alex ignored him too. “You know the systems better than anyone. If anyone can help him understand, it’s you.”
“That’s debatable,” I said. “Sorry, but I can’t do it anyway. Can I grab you for a second, though?”
Alex frowned. “Now?”
“Yes,” I said. “Now.”
His eyes narrowed slightly as he nodded. “Sure, yeah. Okay. Zach, keep going.”
Zach gave a half salute. “Thrilled.”
I didn’t wait, just turning and heading to the nearest conference room, trusting Alex would follow. Once he was in, I closed the door behind us, locking it for good measure. I didn’t want to be interrupted and most of my siblings—all, actually, except for Charlotte—were in this building right now.
As soon as word spread that I’d pulled Alex in here, looking the way I probably did, one or more of them would come to investigate. Or stir the pot. I wasn’t putting up with either. Not today.
“Okay,” Alex said, folding his arms as his gaze drifted to the lock I’d clicked on the door. “This seems serious. What’s going on?”
I didn’t bother trying to phrase it politely or to soften the blow. “I can’t let Eliza marry Jesse.”
Alex’s eyebrows shot up. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“You heard me.”
“No, I heard the words,” he said, stepping forward slightly. “I just don’t understand why you’re saying them.”
Because I couldn’t exactly sayI’m in love with her and I’ve already ruined everything, but I’d like to ruin it differently now.
“The marriage shouldn’t happen,” I said instead. “Not like this.”
Alex’s eyes narrowed again, all the way to slits this time. “Is Jesse trying to pull out?”
“No.”
“If this is some kind of stunt you two cooked up?—”
“It’s not a stunt,” I interrupted sharply. “Since when do Icook up stunts? Come on.”
“Then what is it?” he shot back. “Because from where I’m standing, it sounds like you’re trying to interfere in something that doesn’t concern you anymore.”
“It concerns me when she’s the one getting hurt.”
Alex’s mouth twisted. “She’s getting hurt? How?”
