Page 79 of The Wedding Wrecker

Emma was quiet for a long moment, looking through the evidence I'd gathered. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I needed to be sure. I couldn't risk ruining another wedding for you without absolute proof."

“I appreciate that much. But I’m not convinced this is enough. Are you?”

“I don’t know anymore,” I admitted. “I actually wanted to show you because you’re her sister. I thought about what you said—about how I’ve been making myself judge and executioner all these years. So I’m asking you, Em. What do you think I should do here?”

“This money thing… it’s a huge violation of trust,” Emma said slowly.

“I agree. Normally, I’d say it’s too big an obstacle. I’d say it was worth wrecking the wedding.”

“Normally? You feel differently this time?”

“This time… I was just thinking about how maybe if people are really right for each other, they can find a way to work through obstacles. Even… really big ones,” I added, lifting my eyes to meet hers.

There were a hundred things I wanted to say, but some cowardly part of me decided to change the subject. “So it’s a plan?” I asked.

Emma looked somewhat startled, then nodded and smiled. “Yes. Okay. It’s a plan.”

“Good.”

“Great,” Emma said, reaching to tuck a hair behind her ear awkwardly. “So let’s figure out our little plan. Professionally,” she added.

I quirked a brow. “Sure. Professionally. Let’s get to it.”

Even if she still felt like she was one wrong move from running away, I felt like something was on the verge of changing between us. Something was about to shift, or maybe it already had. Andonce we helped her sister and Marcus resolve their problem, I wondered if it would be our turn.

27

EMMA

"Are you sure about this?" I asked, smoothing my dress for the tenth time. The rehearsal dinner would start in twenty minutes, and my stomach was already in knots.

"The dress looks amazing, Em,”James said, adjusting his tie in the mirror.

“Thank you, but I mean the plan… are you sure we should be doing this?”

"We're not forcing anything. Just... creating an opportunity."

Our plan was simple. I'd already modified the rehearsal dinner seating to put Marcus between Lily and a famous client of hers who just arrived this morning—a social media influencer who'd helped launch Pawsh Pets into viral fame. According to Lily, this particular celebrity was obsessed with business strategy, and hadn’t stopped offering to help give her advice on expanding and “maxing your biz, girl.”

Meanwhile, James had made sure Richard and Dick were seated within earshot but at a different table. Close enough to hear discussion of Lily's business, but not close enough to intervene.

"The pressure has to be building with the wedding getting close,” James said. “I’m sure he’s already thinking about coming clean before the big day. We’ll just be creating an environment to make that confession feel a little more… front of mind.”

"And if it's not?"

He turned to face me, expression serious. "Then we try something else. We're not letting Richard and Dick manipulate their way into controlling your sister's business."

I stepped closer to fix his tie, though it didn't need fixing. I just wanted an excuse to touch him. "When did you get so protective of my sister?"

"Maybe I'm tired of watching families get destroyed by secrets. It might be nice to save a marriage instead of blowing one up for a change."

I gave a crooked smile. “Listen to you. Mr. Reformed Wedding Wrecker.”

“Easy,” James said. “Let’s not get carried away. I still have a business to maintain.”

“Mhm,” I said. Then I bit my lip and rose my tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek.

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