Page 146 of The Bad Wedding Date

“Now, now, Charlotte. Remember what I said: one night of your time with your family. That’s all I ask. It will make your old man happy.”

“I’m sure this falls under the category of bribery somehow.”

“I’m sure it does.”

“Possibly even abuse.”

He winked at me before he lifted his glass of champagne and gestured towards my sister and new brother-in-law, who had only just returned from their extended honeymoon—almost three months of travel to only the finest destinations on the planet, no expense spared. Naturally.

This was a very private, very exclusive party being held in their honour. A post-wedding extravaganza to celebrate their return from…what? Almost three months of topping up their tans? Let me put out the sparks flying out of my arse in pure celebration. How marvellous of them to return to us mere mortals and deign us with their presence.

That single thought reminded me of Jean. Damn. She had been right. My sarcasm was at an all-time high.

Strapping on a smile, I decided to fake it to make it… without the pretend date this time.

Just me. On my own. No more games.

“They look good together,” I said to Dad as we watched Emmie and Lucas dancing while my mum stood around the outer edges, entertaining the guests with her usual charm and camaraderie.

I’d yet to build that bridge back to my mother the same way I had with Dad, but I could tell she hadn’t shut me out completely by the way she kept glancing at Dad and me together, a small scowl on her face, as though she couldn’t understand how and when we’d got so close. Perhaps, in time, she’d become even more curious and need to take a closer look at who I really was for herself. Not the woman she’d built me up to be in her mind.

“I hope they’re very happy,” Dad said, taking a sip of his drink before he turned to me. “Should we mingle?”

“If we must.” I grinned, letting him know it was forced. “Wait. Is Tristan going to be here?”

“No.” Dad shook his head. “He’s out of town.”

“Thank God. Let’s hope he’s gone to see Penn in Spain, and he’ll stay there.”

“Let’s not mention that name again tonight.”

“Roger that, chief.”

With an amused roll of his eyes, he pressed his hand into the small of my back and guided me towards the crowd. For the first time in a long time, I really thought that maybe I could be part of the family again in the future. If I took baby steps, that is.

Unfortunately, that only lasted a solid forty minutes.

After too many forced smiles, air kisses, and ‘darlings’, I’d about had my fill of the pretence. My back ached from having my shoulders pushed back so much, and the tips of my cheeks burned, begging me to let them fall.

Most of the guests seemed somewhat surprised to see me there without having to be collared and dragged around on a leash.

Emmie eyed me with suspicion.

Most of Lucas’s family did, too, although Mayor Williamson’s absence hadn’t upset me too much. Apparently, he’d been called away on an urgent matter, leaving just Lucas’s siblings and mother to celebrate the night with them.

Lucas himself, however, took the time to speak to me as though he genuinely cared about anything I had to say, which, in turn, made Emmie narrow her eyes at me even more.

Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Our relationship would take time to mend if that’s what Dad intended to happen. Although, if I were being honest with myself, I wasn’t in a hurry to rebuild that particular bridge at all. Blood wasn’t always thicker than water. Sometimes you just had to admit defeat and walk away from the very things that continued to get a kick out of hurting you.

I had a feeling my sister would always find pleasure in her favourite pastime.

Once an hour had passed, I dropped my empty champagne flute to the nearest bar surface, and I made my way to the ladies’ bathroom that happened to be down a long corridor filled with chaise lounges and so many mirrors, I may as well have been in Emmie’s bedroom.

When I turned the corner with my clutch bag tucked under my arm, I bumped into another body, stumbling backwards a few steps before I found my balance again.

“Shit, sor—” I started to apologise, only to see someone I hadn’t expected to see again for a very long time.

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