Page 118 of Bride By Initiation

I glance at it and groan.

Dante: What have you done, Sean?

My cell buzzes again.

Liam: Get over to my house now.

Dante: We need to talk. Your mom and I are still in town. This isn't a request.

Liam: You've made a bad mistake. We need to fix it.

Dante tries to call me. I send him to voicemail just as Liam calls. I send him there too.

Brax points out, "They're not going to give up."

I close my eyes and sit back, trying to think about how to get around this, knowing the shit show is just about to start.

Brax drops me off, asking, "Do you want me to come up?"

"No, not right now." I reach for the door but my phone buzzes again. I glance at it, and my stomach drops.

Fiona: You married Zara?

A close-up of Zara and me kissing after our vows, with my hand on her cheek and wedding band on full display, fills the screen.

"Fuck," I mutter.

Another text arrives.

Luca: You're a dead man walking, Sean.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" I grit through my teeth.

"What now?" Brax asks.

I show him my phone.

"Shit."

"Yeah. Shit is right."

Brax's tone turns serious. "I wouldn't want to be on Luca's bad side."

"Gee, thanks for your helpful comments."

"Sorry."

"Whatever. He was going to find out at some point," I say, starting to open the door, then pause. I turn back toward Brax, asserting, "We're eventually going to need to figure out how to let each other know what's going on. You know that, right?"

He nods. "Trust me, bro. I don't like this either."

I hold my fist out, and he bumps it. I exit the car, enter my building, ride up in the elevator, and go into my apartment.

Zara's still asleep. I open the blinds and slap my hands together, booming, "Time to get up."

She flutters her eyelids. "What's going on?"

"Time to get up," I repeat, and pull the blanket off her.

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