Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 59004 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 295(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59004 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 295(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I pull it out, hoping like hell it’s Troy. However, it’s not.
Beth.
I swipe the notification to read the message.
Call me, please!
“Ugh,” I mutter, not really in the mood to talk to her. I also know that I’ve been MIA for a while now. Her wedding is coming up soon, too. She probably wants to talk about the bachelorette party—the one I still haven’t planned. I hit the call button beside her name before I can change my mind and put it up to my ear.
“Hey you!” she answers on the second ring. “Oh my god, where have you been? I know you said you were on vacay, but are you still gone? I miss you.”
I smile. “Well, I’m still gone. It’s been nice to get out of the city for a while. I could get used to the fresh air. You should try it sometime, but I miss you, too.”
“Please tell me you’re coming back soon, right?”
“Yeah, I’ll be back soon,” I say, even though I have no idea if that’s the truth. Dad made it seem like this was almost over, but I don’t know if I can believe that.
“Good, I need you back.” Beth sounds tired. “Daniel is being so ridiculous about the wedding, and I’m having second thoughts.”
“Wait… what?” I don’t hide my confusion. “Second thoughts about the wedding? Or… or Daniel?”
“The wedding,” Beth says quickly. “He just thinks I’m going too over the top, and now he’s saying he’d rather have something more intimate with me. Honestly, Liz, I wish that’s what we would’ve done from the beginning, but it’s too late now.”
“No, it’s not,” I reassure her. “You should do whatever you want to do. If you don’t want a big wedding, cancel the venue, take a trip, and elope. Live a little. Take some risks.”
“Do you know how pissed off everyone would be if we did that? My parents are actually coming to the wedding. If I cancel, I’ll probably never see them again.”
I frown. “And why does that bother you? Your stepfather is a—”
“I know,” she cuts me off. “It’s not about him. I want to see my mom.”
Oh.
“Okay, well, maybe just scale the wedding back.”
“I want to prove to her I can have a big wedding, though.”
I place my hand against my forehead, pressing against it in frustration. “It seems like no matter what I say, you’re unhappy. So, I guess you’ll have to do whatever you want.”
She sighs heavily. “I’m sorry. I feel so torn between everything. What would you do if you were me?”
I think about it for a moment, trying to picture my wedding. I don’t even know what that would look like, but as I close my eyes, it fills with the image of Troy in a tuxedo at the end of a long white aisle covered in rose petals. Ugh.
“Liz?”
“Sorry, I was just thinking. You know I don’t have any experience with any of this.”
“Exactly, so that gives me a fresh perspective from someone not tainted already. Tell me what you’d do.”
“Well, if I had to choose between my dad and the man I loved…” my voice trails off as the gravity of my words hits me in the chest. “I would… I would choose the man I love because that’s my family, too. Daniel is just as much your family as your mom is—maybe more so.”
She’s silent for a moment. “I guess I never thought about it like that.”
“Yeah, Daniel is your family by choice. The two of you chose each other.”
“I knew you were the person I needed to call about this. I think I will back out of the venue and do something crazy.”
I smile. “You know what? Do it, and have a fucking blast, too. You deserve the best love story ever.”
“You know, you do, too, Liz.” Her voice softens. “I keep hoping that you’ll find that person who lights your fire like Daniel does for me. I know you never go out on dates, and your type is difficult to pick out, but I want to see you get out there and take risks, too. Whatever man you choose will be the luckiest guy in the world.”
“Thank you.” My mind again fills with Troy, and then I start to wonder. Could I possibly… already… be… in love? I shake my head at myself. That makes no sense.
No one falls in love this fast, right?
“When you get back to the city, we can discuss the details of the bachelorette party. It just might need to be postponed if we decide to go on a trip or something.”
“Okay,” I smile, trying to push the jealousy away. I know I shouldn’t be, but I wish Troy and I could love each other out in the open.
CHAPTER 18
Troy
“We need an arranged marriage between our families.” Vitali’s words hit like a train to my chest, rattling every inch of my body.