Page 102 of Weddings, Revenge & Fake Dating

Regardless, I take his words the way he meant them. He wanted them to stab and twist into me so hard that I would run away, but he doesn’t hold that sway over me anymore.

My body vibrates with a new kind of superpower. It’s anti-Roman, or maybe it’s anti-asshole.

“You can’t hurt me anymore.” I remain unmoved by his fake declaration. In fact, I’m on the verge of a maniacal laugh, like a real villain.

“Last night at the luau, my groomsmen overheard your argument with Nathan. I know your relationship was fake. I was right, you’ll never get over me, and no other guy is ever going to want you.”

Roman’s delusional and toxic words strike again. This time, though, they can’t break through my new armor. Maybe I believed them at one time, but no more.

Like they’ve been called to duty, Nathan’s strong arms wrap possessively around my waist.

Warmth travels from the spot of our contact and heat surges through my body. Like it always does, it electrifies me with a current of power. He’s always here when I need him.

“Everything okay here?” he asks.

“You don’t have to act anymore,” Roman tells him.

Nathan smirks. “That’s the beauty of it. I was never acting. Without realizing it, you gave me an amazing gift. You gave a guy like me an opening with the hottest, coolest woman ever, and now that I have her, I’m not letting her go.”

“Then why are you both still here?” Roman asks, scowling.

This is what I’ve been waiting for, a chance to tell him Sophia isn’t coming and the wedding is off. The news will wipe the smug expression off his face. It may be petty, but it feels good to be the one who puts him in his place.

I pull in a breath. “Funny you should ask, because⁠—”

“I’m here! I’m here! Roman?”

Sophia’s frenzied voice cuts me off. We turn and find her barreling for us, gripping the length of her wedding dress while balanced over pink stilettos.

“Finally.” Roman throws his arms in the air. “Where were you?”

Before Sophia can respond, Roman dismisses our conversation, takes her hand, and leads her down the stairs in a flurry of white fabric. Sophia glances over her shoulder and grimaces at us. The two are halfway to the altar before I swivel to Nathan with a WTF expression.

“How did she get out?” I ask, frustrated. The coffin was secured. Before we left, I tested it several times.

Freddie appears at my side.

“You’re not going to believe this. Sophia was stuck in the coffin when I woke up,” he says like he saved the day.

I jab him in the arm. Why did he pick today to be the hero? The little creep.

“Ouch.” Freddie rubs his skin. He looks offended, but then he says, “I like it.”

As he pops his brows at me, Nathan captures him in a headlock and gives him a well-deserved noogie. I take the stairs two at a time to chase after Sophia. Behind me, Freddie screams for help.

I catch up to the bridal party in the garden where the ceremony is set to take place.

Guests relax when Roman appears. He takes his place on the dais at the front with his groomsmen. Dex stands by his side as his best man, appearing uncomfortable. He tugs at the collar of his shirt.

“What should I do?” Dex mouths when our gaze connects. Then he makes a pushing motion near Roman’s back.

I shake my head. Too many phones capturing the moment. Though I put a pin in the idea, just in case.

The bridal party lines up. The ladies are too distracted by the parts they must play to notice I’m not dressed for the wedding. I’m barely dressed appropriately for a run to the local dump.

Holding a bouquet of flowers, Natasha takes her position at the back of the line. As I pass, I stare her down. Turns out, Nathan fired her last night after the way she treated me, which is likely why she ran to Sophia with the scandalous details. It was pure retaliation.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve showing up here,” Natasha says.