Page 39 of Operation Annulment (Silent Phoenix MC)

thirty-three

Kate

“ S o, we’ll take it from the top. Just do what you did before.” The wedding coordinator kneels and marks the tile floor with tape before ushering us all outside again.

I shiver and jump up and down to warm up my limbs. My sister would pick the coldest time of year to get married. Little Ricky stands a few feet away, fidgeting in his dress shirt and checking out Dakota’s best friend, Ava.

She’s pretending not to notice, but the slight smile on her face gives her away. I can’t imagine that ever working out—he’s so rough, and Ava, well, she’s not.

Kind of like me and Nate…

Nope, I’m not going there today.

I made a commitment to Dakota, and this weekend is all about her. I even left my cell phone at home since Nate seems to think that ‘I never want to speak to you again’ is the same as ‘Please call and text me constantly.’

If he thinks he’ll wear me down, he’s wrong. We were nothing more than star-crossed lovers, doomed from the start. As if Nate shared the same wavelength as me, I woke up to a Shakespeare text message this morning.

Nate: Madam, you have bereft me of all words. Only my blood speaks to you in my veins.

I had to Google it to discover that it was from Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice . The male character, Bassanio, tells his lover, Portia, that the day he takes his ring off will be the day he dies.

Smooth, Nate. Real subliminal.

“Do you need anything?”

I look up to Dakota standing right in front of me. I’ve got to quit letting my thoughts take over.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that? It’s your big weekend.”

She waves her hand dismissively. “I should probably be more concerned with how things are going, but I’ve got him, so I don’t even care what happens from here on out.” She looks over at Zane and smiles. He’s deep in conversation with Jeremy over something and doesn’t even look up.

What if Dakota’s feelings are stronger than Zane’s?

What if he hurts her?

I pull her into a hug, squeezing her as tightly as I can. I just want to keep her safe from everything—it’s all I’ve ever wanted. “Are you sure you’re ready for this? It’s a big commitment.”

She narrows her eyes. “It is? Because I heard you could just catch a flight to Vegas and do it. You don’t even have to remember it. Of course, I’m ready, Kate. I love him.”

I gesture toward the building. “Let’s find a room and talk. I won’t be long.”

She agrees, and we sneak past the wedding coordinator as she works to get the music keyed up again.

I find a small room and close the door behind us. “Look, I know you think you’re in love. I get it. Sometimes, lust is confusing, and you get caught up in the moment. I just don’t want you to make a mistake because you’re pregnant and feel you have no other options.”

Dakota gives me a strained smile. “Wow, okay. I don’t even know where to begin with this.

You realize that Zane asked me to marry him before he knew I was pregnant, right?

And as for this being nothing more than lust, we’re not all you, Kate.

You fell in love, and it didn’t work out—you don’t have to shit all over my happiness in the process, though. ”

Zane asked her to marry him before he knew.

That can’t be right.

I try to hug her again, but her jaw is set in a hard line, and I’m a little afraid that she’ll hit me.

“I’m not trying to cause a fight, Dakota.

And, for the record, I was never in love with Nate.

It was just sex. I need you to evaluate what you and Zane have in common besides the physical stuff.

Don’t rely on a man to make your dreams come true. ”

She brings a hand up to rub at her forehead. “The night before the wedding is when you decide to drop this on me? And I thought Jackson was the world’s biggest asshole; you might just take the cake on this, though. I have more than enough money to make it alone, and so do you, for that matter.”

I shake my head. “How do you figure that?”

“Because our father made sure of that. He wanted to make up for all the money we lost to Nan and Pops. Oh, and I’m supposed to tell you to quit reporting it as an error to your bank. I forgot about that. Pregnancy brain, am I right?”

The money was mine the entire time?

I can’t accept money from Grey, can I?

It’s dirty.

It would also make my life so much easier.

I cross my arms over my chest while taking a deep breath. “Dakota, don’t end up like our mother. Don’t be so eager to have a family that you end up losing them. Just think about it, okay?”

She stalks away from me and out of the darkened room, slamming the door shut behind her .

I scrape a hand roughly over my face, trying to erase any traces of tears. When I rejoin the rehearsal, everyone is waiting in their correct places.

“Okay, we’ve got sister here. Let’s run through this, and then it’ll be time for the rehearsal dinner.”

Zane gives me a questioning look while Dakota incinerates me with her eyes.

I think it’s safe to assume that the rest of the night will be miserable.