Page 8 of The Wedding Crush

Shit.

My mind graduates to full-blown panic. Is he sick?Is Mom?

Think.

Damn, that’s why she skipped Bermuda for a high tea with friends and family. She’s preparing. This could be the last time I see my mother, and I’m late because I was sitting in the car listening to a mediocre motivational speaker give pointers to the modern man on getting back in the game after divorce.

I’m a horrible, selfish person.

My attention shifts to his shaky hands, his slow, shallow breaths. “Is Mother okay?”

“It’s not that kind of emergency. Everyone in the family is fine,” Dante says like he senses I’m one hop and a skip from going off the deep end.

He knows how tightly I’m holding on to what family we have left.

“Jesus, Dante.” I close my eyes for a beat, shoving aside those unthinkable thoughts. “You can’t make vague comments like that and expect me not to jump to terrible conclusions. Just tell me what the hell is going on.”

Eyes lowered, he squares his shoulders to me.

“I need your support.”

“Anything.”

A few seconds pass as Dante stares at me like he expected pushback. The ease of it all not sitting well with him before he backtracks.

“First, tell me why you’re late,” he counters.

Nice deflection.

I huff out a laugh. “Let’s not do this. Are you going to tell me or keep up this half-hatched guessing game?”

Dante shoots me a sidelong glance that pleads,humor me, but my nerves can’t handle the suspense.

“Out with it, D.”

But then he doubles down.

“Why were you late?”

“Why are you dodging the issue? We’re not standing in the corner of this tent because you were concerned with my whereabouts.”

Thankfully, Marco has my back.

He lifts a challenging eyebrow and taps his watch. “D, do you really want to waste more time?”

“Yeah, tick tock,” I say.

But Dante persists, and I’m not foolish enough to believe he won’t hold out on principle.

“As if everyone doesn’t already know.” I shrug. “Carina posted a picture with her new boy toy.”

Dante and Marco snicker.

“Oh, is that not manly enough for you two?” I shake my head. “Her sidepiece, fitness influencer boyfriend. Is that better?”

Marco presses a fist to his mouth, failing horribly at masking his laugh.

“Whatever.”

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