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“If he can’t see what’s right in front of his face,” Dad whispered, “then he’s a blind fool, and he’s not worthy of my daughter’s love.”
“Daddy.” She looked up at him. “He’s a great guy. You know he is.”
Dad’s head bobbed up and down. “I do know that. But maybe there’s someone even better for you.”
She sniffled. “Maybe.”
He hugged her again and whispered, “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
A sudden clinking noise came from across the room, and everyone’s attention turned to Franky, who was hitting a horseshoe against a metal stake as he pointed at Sebastian and Genevieve. “Show us the love!”
“You’re supposed to clink glasses,” Skylar pointed out.
“I improvised,” he replied. “Now, pucker up, you two!”
Sebastian dipped Genevieve back and planted a kiss on her lips, and everyone cheered. The groom then left his bride’s arms and snatched the horseshoe from Franky, clinking it again, looking in the direction of Gus and Merritt.
Gus waved Sebastian away. “This is your wedding, Bash.”
“Hey! We didn’t get to do this for your wedding. Come on!” Sebastian said.
Skylar couldn’t have agreed more. She so wished they could’ve been there for Gus and Merritt’s wedding, even if it was a simple courthouse affair.
The room filled with chanting. “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”
Gus looked over at Merritt and shrugged his shoulders, then took her face in his hands and planted a quick kiss on her lips.
“Booo!” several people bellowed.
So he kissed her again, this time with purpose, and everyone cheered them on until they were pretty much making out, oblivious to anyone but each other.
Dad cleared his throat loudly, which made Skylar laugh, and Gus and Merritt’s kiss finally came to an end.
“See.” Dad bumped Skylar’s arm with his. “That’s what you need. Someone who adores you the way Gus adores Merritt.”
Everyone worked into the evening to finish all the tasks Genevieve and the wedding coordinator had given them, and before they knew it, the barn had been transformed. When the others began to disperse, Skylar went in search of Adelia, who she’d seen head into the stables with Gus. She really needed someone to talk to, besides her dad.
As she approached the stall at the far end, she heard Adelia’s laughter. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of, Gus.”
“I’m not ashamed of something that isn’t true. Merritt and I are married in name only. You know this. And when the year is up, we’ll part ways, just like we planned.”
Skylar gasped, and they looked over at her, standing frozen outside the stall.
“Sky! I didn’t mean for—”
“Is that true?” Skylar’s eyes bounced back and forth between Gus and Adelia and landed on Gus. “Your marriage isn’t real?”
The guilty expression on Gus’s face spoke for itself, and Skylar shook her head disappointedly. “I can’t believe you would do this. What were you thinking?”
He let out a deep breath. “I was thinking I wanted to be taken seriously for once, that I wanted you all to see that I’m not the bad seed after all. Yes, I’ve made many mistakes, but I’ve changed, and I wanted a chance, but nobody would give me one. So, I found a way to clean up my image and show you all that I was capable of being a good guy.”
“By using Merritt?”
“She’s using me too.”
“How?”