Page 31 of Forged By Sacrifice

BRAT: **puke emoji**

ME: Again. Why you don’t have a boyfriend. Pirates are supposed to be hot.

BRAT: Do we need a press release about you being gay?

ME: That’s just rude to the gay community. They wouldn’t want me.

BRAT: You’re right.

ME: Love you.

BRAT: Love you, too. Be safe, for real.

I looked over at Truck. “Dani says the family would rather see you than me.”

“Well, that’s because they're smart.”

The master bedroom door crept open, and Eli emerged. He looked like I felt. Tired and gritty.

“Hey, thought I heard your voices,” he said.

“I’m just heading out. Truck here has decided to come with me because I’m the best friend,” I teased.

“That’s it. You’re both out of the wedding.” Eli pretended to growl.

“I hadn’t agreed to go with the douchebag yet, but if I’m out of the wedding that easily, maybe I should,” Truck said, getting up and shoving things into his bag.

“You want us at that wedding; you need us at that wedding,” I teased, using my very best Jack Nicholson voice.

They both groaned.

“We use words like honor, code, loyalty…” I continued, and Truck threw a shoe at me.

“Just go with him. We both know we’ll only hear whining for months if you don’t,” Eli said.

“I don’t whine,” I retorted.

Once Truck was packed, we hugged Eli and told him to give Ava a hug also.

“And Georgie? Should I be sharing the hugs with her as well?” Eli asked with a knowing look. Both my friends knew me better than I ever gave them credit for. They knew I was running with my tail between my legs. It killed me a little, knowing that I may very well look back on this moment someday and be filled with regret for what could have been.

But it wasn’t enough to make me stay.

Georgie

YOU SAY

“I keep fighting voices in my mind that say I'm not enough,

Every single lie that tells me I will never measure up.”

Performed by Lauren Daigle

Written by Ingram / Mabury / Daigle

Hushed voices brought me from my sleep, but when I emerged from the bedroom, it was to find only Ava sitting with a bag of candied ginger at the counter. I made my way to the coffeepot.

“Morning,” I said. “Where is everyone?”

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