Page 77

My heart hurts as they leave the room. The thought of having normal family gatherings to go to—with all the joking and bickering and love—it’s something I always wanted.

How am I going to tell them none of this is real?

CHAPTER22

Griffin

Ishouldn’t be nervous. This is just a technical operation, that’s all. But as I shake my friend’s hand, a manager at the town hall, thanking him again for squeezing us in, I can’t help the nerves rattling through me.

“You okay, buddy?” Jude asks when he leaves.

“Why wouldn’t I be okay?” I bark.

I finger the rings in my pocket. This morning, while my sisters absconded with Sasha, I headed down to Quince River Jewelers, where I picked up a couple of basic bands.

I can see Jude hiding his stupid smile. “Only a few minutes ’til she’s here and you become a married man.”

“I need to take care of something,” I say tersely, striding out of the room. Jude’s the only one here right now, and he’s pissing me off. Even though he seems like the most clueless of my siblings, I swear to God he’s the most emotionally insightful. I don’t usually worry about him reading me, because normally, I manage not to emote at all around him.

It’s impossible right now—I’m like a goddamned open book I can’t keep closed.

The town hall lobby is busy, with people coming in and out the main doors, lining up at the counter to pay parking tickets and ask for directions to various departments.

I pull my phone out of my suit pocket.

I let Ford know what was happening this morning, but I haven’t told Lionel. A big part of me wants to show up there tomorrow and flash him my ring. I want to see his face when he knows I’ve locked in Sasha’s protection.

Except for that other thing.

This will be a knife in my boss’s heart. As bad as things are with him right now, I don’t wish that pain on him.

I tap his number.

I wait for three rings, then four. “Shit.” He’s not going to pick up.

Then the ringing stops and he’s there. “Kelly.”

No sense beating around the bush. “I wanted you to know I’m getting married today, Lionel.” I tense, waiting for his response.

There’s a long pause. “I see.”

“To Sasha Macklin.”

There’s a longer pause where I swear I hear the absence of his breath.

“We’ve been seeing each other and I decided to make it offi—”

“Bullshit.”

“Excuse me?”

“You don’t care about Sasha Macklin. You’re doing this to get back at me.”

No, he’s reading this all wrong.

“I care about Sasha. It’s why I’m marrying her.”

A beat passes, then Lionel says, “You think I could have prevented what happened to Laura.” His voice cracks on her name.