Page 32 of The Grump I Loathe (The Lockhart Brothers #3)

“Half Moon Bay is only a thirty-minute drive,” Max pointed out. “Besides, half the office is here. The rest of us figured why not just come up early and make a weekend of it.” He grinned. “We’re going out tonight.”

I shook my head. “Traitor.”

Max threw his head back and laughed. “As if. I’m not here to crash the wedding. You got me in the divorce. Ali knows that. I’m here to drink my weight in wine and make memories I can’t remember come Monday.”

I grumbled, crossing my arms as an ache twinged in my chest. I didn’t know everyone was showing up. This situation with Eddie felt even more complicated than it had before.

Max nudged me. “See, this is what I mean. If you’re going to look all stressed and depressed over the woman, why not revoke that stupid policy and just go public with her?”

I clenched my jaw, considering throttling him. “Quiet,” I hissed. “ Also, there’s no need to change the policy because there’s nothing to go public with.”

Max snorted. “Sure. I see the way you two look at each other. You literally keep M&M’s on your work desk now.

Don’t even tell me there isn’t something .

And if it’s something, I don’t see a point in denying yourself that happiness to stick to some dumb work rule you made up to preserve Leigh’s feelings. She’d understand.”

I gestured to the ballroom where the wedding rehearsal was happening right now. “It isn’t some arbitrary rule,” I growled. “It’s about preventing the havoc romantic relationships always seem to wreak on LockMill.”

“Maybe you and Leigh just had a run of bad luck,” Max said. “Third time’s the charm.”

I scowled. “Don’t you have to go check in or something?”

“Yeah, but I also think you should have a real talk with Eddie about what’s going on. Because the only thing worse than this blowing up in your face would be losing Eddie because you were afraid of it blowing up in your face.” He clapped me on the chest, then set off for reception.

“What do you mean? What’s going on?” I demanded but couldn’t wait for an answer because the ballroom door opened and Ali and Sawyer rounded up the necessary guests for dinner. I cracked my knuckles, plastered a smile on my face, and headed into the room, resigned to getting through the weekend.

I found my seat, and Grace plopped down beside me, flicking her name card on her plate. I shoved all thoughts of Max and Eddie aside as I watched her shoulders slump. “What’s up?”

She pouted. “Nothing. ”

“How’d rehearsal go? You know where you need to stand and everything?”

She shrugged. “I guess.”

“What is it?”

She picked at the tablecloth. “Next time I want to go to Italy with Grandma. I don’t want to be a flower girl at any stupid weddings.”

I curled my fingers against my palm, my eyes flickering in Ali’s direction, barely holding onto my frustration. I didn’t know how Ali could be over there, schmoozing and laughing with her guests as if she didn’t have a care in the world while her daughter was clearly struggling.

I didn’t want to have this conversation here, but if not now, when?

When she’d totally ruined her relationship with Grace?

When she was begging me to explain why Grace had gone no-contact with her?

Because I knew Ali really would be crushed if Grace cut ties.

Ali might not be the best at managing her relationships—or her time, or her schedule—but I knew she loved our daughter.

I held my tongue through dinner, but the moment the table cleared for cocktails, I followed Ali, catching her at the bar.

She cocked her head, arching her brow in a way that was so similar to Grace it made my chest ache harder. How could she be so like her daughter and let this distance build? “Thanks for getting Grace ready,” she said.

“What happened during rehearsal?” I asked.

“What do you mean?”

I gestured across the room to Grace. “She’s in here for an hour, and now I can barely get a word out of her.”

Ali bristled. “So Grace is upset, and it’s automatically my fault? ”

“You have to try with her,” I said. “You have to take the time to explain things to her. To give her the attention she needs.” I lowered my voice. “If you can drag yourself away from Sawyer long enough.”

“Jealousy is not a good look on you,” she snapped.

“This isn’t jealousy. This is me telling you that you’re going to lose your daughter if you don’t figure something out.”

“Connor, there are forty people in here, all asking me different questions, all demanding my attention. And that’s just for the rehearsal.

That’s not even the wedding day. I’m already running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

Can you just give me one weekend where you’re not berating me for?—”

“It isn’t just one weekend though,” I hissed. “It’s every missed weekend lately. Every phone call you forget about. Every time you cancel on her. I know you’re off living your big new life, but when the hell is Grace going to be a priority?”

“I think that’s more than enough,” Sawyer said, stepping between us to park himself in front of Ali. He was tall, with the kind of judgy smile that made me want to punch his teeth in. “This isn’t the time or the place, Connor.”

“I don’t think you get any say in how or when I speak about my daughter with her mother,” I said. Grace was the victim here, not Ali. “And if either of you could take a second to actually notice and care about how much Grace is hurting, we wouldn’t need to keep having this fight.”

“It’s funny how your idea of protecting Grace always seems to involve other people getting caught in the crossfire,” Ali muttered.

I opened my mouth to fire back, but a strange, forced smile appeared on her face as a man walked up to the bar. “Mr. Singh!” Ali said loudly. “So glad you could make it. ”

The fight in me immediately deflated as Ali greeted the CEO of Pavilion Games—the same distribution company I was meeting with on Monday.

I glowered at her wondering why he was attending the rehearsal dinner.

Ali had likely heard through the gaming circles who LockMill was signing with, and the fact that she was using this as a way to avoid talking about Grace made the blood boil in my veins.

She knew there was no way I’d make a scene in front of Singh and risk the deal.

What a fucking joke this was .

I gritted my teeth and made nice with everyone until I could make my excuses, slipping back to Grace who was jabbing the pudding she’d been given for dessert with her spoon.

“Hey, you want to get out of here?” I asked. “We can rent a scary movie and get a bunch of junk ordered to the room.”

She sighed. “Okay, fine.”

This isn’t working , I thought, watching her shuffle out of the ballroom, looking absolutely dejected.

I’d given up hoping that Ali would get her head out of her ass on her own.

And with Sawyer around all the time—with no apparent interest in engaging with Grace at all—Grace was right to be worried about seeing Ali less.

And there was nothing I could do about it unless I was prepared to make this a fight again.

Guess it was a damn good thing I had my lawyer on speed dial.