Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 133213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 666(@200wpm)___ 533(@250wpm)___ 444(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 666(@200wpm)___ 533(@250wpm)___ 444(@300wpm)
Kala’s eyes lit up. “Seriously? Because my mom threatened me with a bunch of stuff I’m scared of if I screw this up for you.”
Only one person had screwed it up, and he wasn’t here to feel her wrath. She gave her cousin a smile. “Seriously. It’s not like your dad’s not packing. There’s a reason there are no metal detectors. I would be a heinous misogynist if I didn’t allow you to defend us simply because you’re wearing a dress.”
Kala breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank god. You’re the best, Car. I’ll be back. Lou’s got my emergency pack in her car.”
She did not want to know what Kala considered emergency supplies for a wedding. Something lethal, for sure.
Kenzie turned as her twin walked out yelling for her bestie. “She’s right, you know. You are the best.”
Carys held up a hand because her cousin had a very specific look on her face. The one warning Carys she was about to get all emotional and girlie. Girlie in the best way, in the way only women ever truly got with the people they loved. “Do not make me cry.”
She’d cried enough. She’d cried every day for the last month, hiding out in the call room at the hospital so Aidan wouldn’t see her. He was being strong. She had to be strong, too.
“Don’t ruin her makeup. We can tell her how amazing she is and how grateful we are to have her in our lives when she is not wearing a pristine white dress and hasn’t spent two hours on hair and makeup,” Tash said with a sigh, sitting down on the luxurious couch. “But she is. Amazing. So now the question is why she didn’t let us get dressed in here with her.”
“Well, the room is pretty small,” Carys tried.
Kenzie’s pink hair was in an elegant updo. “It’s huge and literally built for like eight women to get dressed.”
Carys turned back to the mirror, taking a long breath. “Kenz, I’m barely holding on. I can’t lose it today.”
Kenzie moved in behind her. “And if we were in here, you would?”
“If my closest family and friends were in here, I would…” She blinked, forcing herself to stay calm. “I would think about him, and that’s not fair to Aidan.”
If she let herself truly feel the gravity of the day, she would melt down, and she wasn’t about to do that to Aidan. She had to think about the man who actually loved her.
The man who also needed Tristan. Was she forcing Aidan into a position where he had to choose? Would he resent her for the rest of their lives? Would he wonder what could have happened if they’d waited longer? Fought a bit harder?
Why was she having these thoughts now? It was her wedding day. It was supposed to be the best day of her life and she was plagued with doubts.
Kenzie had tears in her eyes. “I love you. I could kill him for you. Well, I could let Kala do it. She wouldn’t mind getting her dress dirty, but I think I look really good.”
She turned to her cousin. This might be the right time to ask a few very specific questions. “Is he involved in something dangerous?”
Kenzie’s gaze didn’t falter. “Yes. Yes, he is, but it doesn’t mean he should shut you out. My father would never shut my mom out. He wouldn’t care about clearance. I’ve tried to talk to him.”
And this was why she didn’t blame her cousins. She put a hand on Kenzie’s shoulder. “I know. I know you didn’t bring this down on us. Tristan chose this. If he’s worried he’ll lead us into something dangerous, well, he forgot who my family is.”
“He forgot who his family is,” Tasha corrected. “I assure you his mother wouldn’t let herself be left out of things. Even if they were dangerous.” Tasha frowned. “Sorry. I meant to not mention anything about Tris. You should know we’ve all registered our disapproval.”
Kenzie stepped back, and she was the one on the edge of wrecking her makeup. Tears pooled in her cousin’s eyes. “Are you sure you want to go through with this? It might only be a couple of weeks. I understand more about the situation now. I can’t talk about it, but I think we’re going to fix this.”
Ah, so he’d been a secretive bastard with everyone. She’d rather thought that was part of the problem. Her cousins, for all their ability to keep secrets, wouldn’t leave her dangling if they had any wiggle room. The fact that Kenzie was letting some light through meant she’d only recently discovered whatever games Tristan was playing. “I don’t want to put you in a bad position.”
“We’ll tell you what we can,” Tasha promised, sitting up and offering the seat next to her.