Page 74 of You Are Cordially Invited

My gaze was met with hurt, grief, and utter confusion.

“Are you saying you don’t want to marry me?” he asked in a coarse whisper. “That you don’t love me? Is that why you kept telling me it wasn’t too late to walk away, because that’s what you wanted? Did you feel you couldn’t tell me?”

Oh shit.“No! It’s nothing like—”

“Was it because you thought I might not walk again?”

“No. Stop.” I grabbed his hand and kissed the back of it. “I love you more than ever. And Cory, and everything about our life. I don’t give a fuck whether you’re walking or in a chair.”

More confusion. “Then, why?”

“Because I’m an idiot. Because I fucked up, Reuben. I panicked. With you being injured, the baby, Cory, the wedding. I thought about all the people flying in, the deposits, the caterers, the press. All of it, and I just fucking panicked.”

“And my father?”

I stared at him, then closed my eyes for a second. “Someone told you.”

“The point is, why didn’tyoutell me?”

“Because you were—” I waved a hand over him. “You didn’t need—”

“No, becauseyoudecided that I didn’t need to know.”

Shit.“Yes,” I admitted glumly. “Because I decided. I was trying to—”

“Protect me.”

“Yes.” The air whooshed out of my lungs. “Turns out I suck at it.”

His lips twitched.

“But as my mother has so painstakingly pointed out, that might’ve been just an excuse. I wasn’tcoping—Jesus, how hard is it to say those three words?” I grumbled. “And I guess I was trying to get some control back, in the wrong way, as it turns out.”

Anger flared in his grey eyes. “Very definitely the wrong way. I might not have been in the best headspace to help, Cam, but I wasn’t unconscious. And I deserved to fucking know and not just be sidelined.Myfather,ourlife,ourbaby,ourwedding.” He eyed me pointedly and I wanted to crawl under a rock.

“That particular point may have been made several times today, already,” I muttered.

He fell quiet. I stole a glance and tried to pick up on his mood, but he was still guarded. Then he turned my hand and threaded our fingers together, and a tiny spark of hope flickered in my chest.

“We had time, Cam, for fuck’s sake. All you had to do was talk to me. I’ve been thinking as well, believe it or not. Kind of hard not to with it only four days away. And it was pretty obvious the original plan might need tweaking—”

I snorted. “Right, tweaking.”

He scowled at me.

“Sorry.”

“But we could’ve worked something out.”

“Like I said, I wasn’t thinking clearly. I don’t get overwhelmed, Rube, you know that. That’s not me. Other people get overwhelmed. I sort them out. I line my eyes, dust off my fierce, and hand someone their arse on a plate. Just like in the ER.”

“So, how’s that working out for you?” He actually smiled and I almost fist-pumped the air.

I narrowed my eyes. “Not so great at the moment.”

He snorted and shuffled a little closer. “Well, let me let you in on a little secret, Cameron Wano. Our lives together, you, me, and Cory and hopefully this new baby—”

Does that mean you’re not dumping my sorry arse?

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