Page 18 of You've Got Male

“What does that mean?”

“Dad told me.”

“About?” Evie asked, a ball fisting in the pit of her stomach that was in the exact shape of a Mateo-made problem.

“The wedding. And howyouwon’t let me go. How you never let me do anything. God, you’re so overprotective and controlling I can hear the helicopter blades whirling every time you enter the room.”

What?

That ball ignited into a fireball of sheer rage. Thatassholewas pinning this whole thing on her? And he did it knowing Evie would rather take the fall than further ruin Camila’s relationship with her dad. If Camila knew the truth, she’d hate her dad forever. If Evie took the blame, she’d be mad, but she’d get over it.

“That’s not fair. Camila, I wanted to talk to you about it but…”

“But what? You forgot to mention Dad was getting married?” Camila said, the accusation in her tone bordering on disrespect. “You’re just jealous because Dad is happy and moving on and you’re still stuck here and your life is going nowhere. I’d never do this to my daughter.”

“Enough,” Lenard said. “Your mother tried to talk to your—”

“Coach,” Evie cut in, giving her dad a death glare. “But she reminded me it’s the same week as cheer camp and you can’t miss that. It’s mandatory.”

“You just don’t want me to go. Admit it!”

“I want you to go, I really do, sweetie. But you have camp thatweekend.”

“It’s Dad’s wedding,” she whispered, and all that anger from a moment ago turned into heartbreaking anguish. “If things were reversed and you were the one getting married, I bet you’d see things differently.”

It would never be an issue because Evie would never plan something as important as a wedding without a) talking to her daughter first, and b) making sure her daughter could come. Camila was the most important person in Evie’s world, and she’d do everything in her power to keep her daughter from getting crushed. Even if it meant lying.

“I’m really sorry, sweetie,” she said, making a mental note to reach out to Mateo—with a knee to the nuts—and ask him what the hell he was thinking putting the blame on her. Not only was Evie shouldering the blame for her daughter not being a part of the wedding, it was clear by the lack of tears he also hadn’t told her the truth about the baby. “Your coach made it clear that camp is mandatory.”

“Funny thing, I asked Coach and she said she would excuse me from camp so I could go. So you want to go with another lie?”

Evie’s heart stopped. She’d never lied to Camila except for this.

“When I talked to your coach she said it would leave her in a lurch. You are their main flyer, the center of every pyramid.”

“I’m also Dad’s daughter and that’s more important.” And that was Camila’s breaking point. Her eyes filled with tears and her breathing became slightly hitched.

“Camila.” Evie reached for her, the urge to pull her daughter into her arms overwhelming. Though still upset, Camila accepted the comfort.

“Plus, you need an adult to fly and between the shop, Grandpa, and—” She almost said prepping for her entry exam. “It’s just not feasible.”

Camila sniffed and pulled away. “Heather would haveprobably even made me a bridesmaid.”

Heather would have done no such thing, and Evie was afraid that deep down Camila knew that. The uncertainty in her daughter’s body language, the way she bit the inside of her cheek to keep her lip from trembling, and how she kept her gaze downcast told the story of a girl who’d suffered a lifetime of disappointments and was just waiting for the next blow.

Evie went to take her daughter’s hand, but Camila tucked it into her pocket defiantly. Evie’s heart sank over what she was about to do, but anger was better than anguish. “You made a commitment to your team and we honor our commitments.”

If the rest of the world abided by that same rule, Evie’s life would be so less stressful.

“You always say family comes first, so where’s your commitment, Mom? Punishing Dad?” Camila said with enough disappointment in her voice to slice Evie’s chest.

She exchanged a look with her parents, who were as worried about how the news would affect Camila as Evie was. Evie put a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “There’s something else I want to talk to you about.”

Camila rolled her shoulder, causing Evie’s hand to fall. “I’m done talking. Plus, some guy is asking for you.”

“I’ll get it,” Moira said quickly and stood.

“They didn’t ask for a manager, they asked for Mom by name. Which is creepy.”

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