Page 19 of Alistair

When she felt like she could speak without screaming wordlessly, she said, “He shouldn’t be coming. He’snotmy plus-one.”

“But he was on the invite list,” Penny insisted.

“Thenyousit with him.” She shook her head. “This is crazy. Why on earth would you think I’d be okay with this?”

Silence filled the room.

Geneva, looking extremely uncomfortable, said, “I’m…going to run out to the store and pick up the rest of the organza bags and ribbon for the gift bags.”

When Geneva was gone, Maggie’s mom cleared her throat. “Honey, he was such a nice guy. He had a great job and he was handsome. This could be the chance to rekindle things between you, set things right.”

Maggie took a step back as disbelief washed over her. “He cheated on me!”

“Oh come on, Maggie. I think you’re being a little dramatic about the whole thing. Plus, it’s been over a year. You should let bygones be bygones, it’s not good to hold grudges,” Penny said. “And besides, Brian sees Seth at work all the time and Seth has been saying how he was looking forward to the wedding. It’s why I never took him off the attendance list. And it’s not like you’re seeing anyone.”

Maggie kind of wanted to cry.

And she also wanted to scream.

She’d known that her family hadn’t really understood just how much he’d cheated on her, how he’d blamed his infidelity on her as if she was the one who had helped him tumble into bed with other women during their relationship. She’d been hollowed out by his behavior, made to feel small and insignificant, and it hadn’t just been him, it had been her family too. After feeling like she was finally starting to heal, now this was thrown at her.

“As a matter of fact, I have a date for the wedding,” she said. She hadn’t planned on asking Alistair to come because they’d just met, but she sure as heck was going to invite him now.

“You do? You didn’t tell me. Your plus-one was for Seth,” Penny said.

Maggie inhaled silently and gathered her thoughts.

She loved her sister very much, but their ten-year age gap meant they weren’t as close as they could have been if the age difference hadn’t been so great. She hadn’t really pondered what her sister thought of her until just this moment, when it was clear that Maggie’s desire to be free of the asshat who’d cheated on her wasn’t as important as Penny’s seating chart and her inability to tell someone to fuck off.

Maggie smiled. But she knew it was a weird and probably spooky smile because Penny and her mom both gave her startled looks.

“I’m seeing a guy and I was planning to bring him to the wedding. However, as much as I love you, Penny, I won’t be coming to your wedding if you’re going to force me to sit next to a man who treated me like garbage.” Penny opened her mouth and Maggie put her hand up. “I’m not done. It’s your wedding, you can invite who you want. But I’m telling you right now that I won’t be there if Seth is at my table, period. The plus-one wasmine to use, and when I broke up with Seth, he shouldn’t have even been kept on the attendee list whether he works with Brian or not. I’mfamily, Penny. You should have had my back in this.” She dropped her hand and sighed. “You don’t want to disinvite him, that’s on you. But if you want me there, he’s going to get moved to another table.” She stared at them in silence, as all she’d said hung in the air between them.

She was holding onto her sanity by a thread, worried that her sister might choose Seth over her, because she didn’t want to be the bad guy and tell him not to come.

“Oh, fine,” Penny said with a huff, pulling Seth’s name from the table and slapping it onto one on the other side of the ballroom. “Are you happy?

As if she should be grateful her sister had done so little.

“It’s a start,” Maggie said.

She turned and grabbed her purse from where she’d hung it from the chair.

“Where are you going?” her mom asked.

“I’m going home.”

She stalked away, trying not to let the tears fall until she was out of the house and by herself. She didn’t want them to know just how hurt she was by their actions. She wasn’t sure she thought they’d done it on purpose to hurt her; in their minds they most likely believed that she’d either overreacted to Seth’s behavior or misunderstood things.

“Really, Maggie?” her mom said as she caught the front door before Maggie could close it behind her.

“Mom.” She blew out a breath. “He cheated on me. The entire time we were together. He blamed me for his wandering eye and spent the last few months of our relationship belittling me. I shouldn’t have to ask you and Penny to putmeabove him. You protesting me kicking him out of my life and not wanting to sitnext to him at the wedding is just a slap in the face. You do love me, don’t you? You do want what’s best for me?”

“What a question! Of course I love you and want you to be happy. I just thought…”

“Thought what? That I lied? Or that it’s not a big deal? Tell me you’d be fine with Dad cheating on you with dozens of women.”

Her mom’s face turned red. “Of course not.”

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