Page 47 of A Love That Broke Us
She laughs. “Oh my gosh, you’re ridiculous. Not here.”
“Why not here?”
“Because… your mom’s home. That’s weird.”
“Why is that weird? It’s not like we haven’t had sex here before.” I smirk. “Remember Christmas Eve? And morning?”
She shakes her head like she thinks I’m joking.
I’m not. Obviously.
“Come on, I never had my snack. And do you know what I’m craving?”
Her lips curve. “Ooh, let me guess… starts with P, ends in Y?”
I nod. “Yep. And I’m really,reallyhungry.”
She giggles. “Okay, horndog. I’ll make you a deal. Give me ten more minutes of your undivided attention, and I’ll sit on your face in any bedroom you want.”
“Done. Done. And fucking done.” I scoot in closer. “So, what are we looking at here?”
She laughs softly, her eyes locking onto mine with adoration. “I love you.” She presses a quick peck to my cheek before turning back to her paper.
“Alright. Back to the ceremony. Jeff and Amber go first, then Megan and Kevin. Matt and Scarlett—which, by the way, she’s going to love. Then Zach and Stella, since Michael will be walking with me. Four and four. It lines up perfectly. And the kids will go last, right before Michael and me.”
She takes a deep breath.
I sense it—that flicker of doubt. I know what it is. And I don’t want to push, don’t want to make her sad. But I have to try.
I place a hand on her back, rubbing gently. “You’re sure you don’t want to invite your dad?” I ask, keeping my tone light, as if I haven’t already asked her ten times.
She shrugs.
A shrug… What?
She’s never shown even an ounce of uncertainty in all the times we’ve had this conversation.
There’s a beat of silence before she answers. “Nah. He wouldn’t come anyway.” She goes somber, and it tears at my heartstrings—that look.
Here I am with this massive, loving, overbearing family—so manypeople my mom can’t even narrow it down. And then there’s Alley. Her list barely filling a single page.
Front only.
I pick up her guest list, scanning over the names. Michael and Stella. Leo and his girlfriend, Vivian. A few childhood friends. Zach and Joey. Scarlett. Cindy. A few coworkers. An aunt and uncle.
That’s it.
No friends of parents. No dad. No other family members.
It breaks me.
“Hey,” I say, my voice low, soft. “Thanks for compromising with my mom. I know having a big wedding freaks you out… especially when you won’t know half the people there.”
“It’s not a big deal, babe. She’s excited for us. And sheispaying for it. It’s the least we can do.” She scribbles something in her notebook. “Besides, I’ll have you to hold my sweaty hands and catch me if I pass out.” She grins at me. “All that matters is that we’re getting married.”
Damn. I don’t know what I did to deserve her.
If there’s a God, I’m pretty sure he messed up because somehow, I’m getting the far better end of this deal. And Alley? She deserves a hell of a lot more than what she’s stuck with, and I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure she never regrets it.
