Page 81 of Love, Hate, Love

Leah was tugging on my arm, but I couldn’t make it that easy for this man or he’d be running his mouth all night. No, it needed to be taken care of now, before he ruined this event, or tried. I’d drown him in the river before I let him ruin anything for Leah.

“We good, or was there something else you wanted to say?” I asked, not budging from my spot.

“What else would there be to say?” Greg asked, playing stupid and attempting to save face.

I nodded at his floozy, giving her the benefit of the doubt that maybe she didn’t realize the trash she’d arrived with.

I steered Leah toward the dance floor.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Dancing?” I curved an arm around her waist as I moved us around the dance floor. As if on cue, a slow Eric Clapton song came on.

“You know what I mean.”

“I’m not letting that little shit think you’re unhappy, sitting here alone and pining away in a depression, even if you are.” I waited, watching her eyes, hoping she’d tell me she wasn’t that miserable here. She smirked. It was enough that I’d take it as a win.

“By the way, I slipped an extra couple bills into Cassie’s wedding gift just as a thank-you for this dress. That girl knows what works,” I said.

“Don’t tease me. I know it’s a lot.” She looked at the crowd, a pretty pink flush across her cheeks.

“There’s a lot, and then there’s this.”

“You’re not funny.”

I wasn’t trying to be. She had no idea how utterly captivating she was, but I didn’t think she was quite in the right space to hear it, either.

“You sure? I think I’m quite funny. Maybe we should take a vote?”

“Votes don’t work out so hot for you,” she said.

But she laughed. I wasn’t oblivious to the reception she seemed to be getting from some of this crowd, but here she was, chin up and facing them like none of it fazed her.

“I know you bribed them last time. I’m positive of it. I just haven’t been able to gather proof of it yet,” I said, hoping to lure more laughter out of her.

The music stopped and Leah’s gaze narrowed in on a spot over by the bar.

“Oh no.”

“What’s wrong?” I glanced over and spotted Alec, who was staring very intently across the party at a red-haired bombshell.Shit.“You’re the one who told me to invite him.”

“I know, and I’ll go handle it.”

“I’ll come with you.”

We turned to head over, and Elijah appeared. He was dressed in a fine suit with a piece of hay stuck to his arm.

“Kade, I need you to come down to the barn for a second. Princess is acting up again.”

“Go check on her. I’ll handle this,” Leah said, already walking off.

* * *

Leah

We hadn’t even madeit halfway through the wedding and Alec was locked on to Missy like a heat-seeking missile.

He turned to me. “Leah, who’s that woman?” Recognition flashed as he squinted. “Wait, isthatMissy?”

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