Page 80 of Bridesmaid to Bride

“Yup. On it.” Skye’s palms are up.

“No, Kat, I’m not leaving. This could give Dad a heart attack.” I fold my arms. “You have to stop.”

Kat looks at my dad. “What is she talking about?” When she realizes he can’t answer her, she takes the ball out of his mouth.

The second it’s out, Dad yells, “For God’s sake, Eva, my heart’s fine! Now get the hell out!”

I gasp, folding my arms. “Paige said she overheard you talking to Anne about retiring because of your health. And that’s why you needed to rush me into the firm.”

“What? No! Anne is retiring for health reasons. And I was upset about that because she’s going to be extremely difficult to replace. She’s been with me for over twenty years. Now go.”

“Oh.” The word comes out like a strangled gasp. Questions balloon in my head: Why did Dad rush my contract? Why did he push me so hard to date Foster?

Skye and West start to leave, but I’m frozen in place. West grabs my arm and tugs at me as my insides shrivel. “Right. We’re going,” I say, but don’t move.

Skye shakes her head. “Look, Eva, I’ve been in this scenario with your dad before, but this is even pushing my boundaries.”

“Let’s give them their privacy,” West says a little too softly, looking like he’d rather face a firing squad than this for one more second.

“No one goes anywhere.” The fire in my belly stokes to an inferno as I lock eyes with my dad, feeling a wild sense of liberation bubbling up inside me. I scoff, taking another look at the chains, the leather, and the hypocrisy laid bare. “All these years, you’ve been dictating my life while you indulge in yours.”

Dad’s face goes purple as Kat ties his robe over his waist to cover him. “It can wait, Eva—”

“Nope,” I interrupt, already feeling the weight lift from my shoulders. “It can’t—and I have your undivided attention where you can’t storm away.”

West’s hand lands gently on my shoulder. “So, we’re doing this now?”

“I think so,” I say, still scarred from the view. But screw it—I want answers. I fish out my inhaler and take a puff before I say, “Yeah. We’re doing this now.”

I shoot Dad an incredulous look. “Look at you. Mr. Suit-and-Tie, shackled to a dirty pipe with Miss Whip-Your-Ass as you threaten to take away my inheritance if I don’t do exactly what you want when you want it.”

“Enough, Eva!” Dad’s face is reddening quicker than a lobster in a boil.

I cross my arms. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did I offend your delicate sensibilities? Because last I checked, being chained up by Goldilocks isn’t exactly chapter material for finishing school.”

“Neil, get your daughter in line before I do,” Kat interjects, but I wave her off.

I plunge on. “You pushed me toward Foster and ordered I sign your contract by Sunday. If you aren’t retiring, why the hell did you do that?”

“Because it’s damn time you get serious about your life. Stop screwing around.”

“Screwing around—like with West. Because he doesn’t fit the mold.”

“That’s right.” Dad’s scowl is deep as he looks at West. “And why are you here? I thought I made it clear you weren’t to see my daughter anymore.”

I gasp and put a finger up to West, indicating that he shouldn’t respond to that. Then I look back at Dad and seethe, “Wow. How dare you?” I swallow hard, needing a moment to process that. Now it makes sense why West looked like he’d seen a ghost last night and sent me away.

I shake my head, my voice scratchy when I say, “I was ready to give up everything for you, Dad. Everything. Paige told me you need to retire for your health, and I was about to sign your offer. I was going to come back to New York and even give Foster another chance down the road so he and I could work together to take over the firm. All for you.”

Dad’s nose flares. “And you still should.”

“Why? Because it would please you?”

“Eva, I’m doing all this because I care about you. You know I love you,” he says, his voice even but firm.

“Love me?” I can’t help the bitterness that seeps into my tone. “Do you? Because from where I’m standing, it feels more like I’m the runner-up in some twisted family pageant.” I wait for him to dispel my doubts, to say the magic words that prove me wrong.

But he doesn’t. He just sits there, his face hardening into a mask of anger.

---