Page 29 of Travis

My eyes widen.

“Yeah.” she scoffs. “This isn’t her first rodeo.”

It’s worse than I thought.

“She’s going to ruin my wedding, Becky. I just know it. But I can’t tell Liam, because he already hates her, and also because Cher threatened me not to tell anyone, especially Liam. My folks are going to have a fucking stroke.”

“And when did this all happen?”

“I knew she was pregnant at the fitting. She told me via text this afternoon. Tasteful, I know.” she sneers.

“She told you in a text?” I hiss.

She nods emphatically, knitting her brows. “Yeah. I told you. She’s a piece of work.”

“Sounds like.” I guffaw. “Gosh, my sister’s about as nice as they come.”

“Yeah, well, consider yourself lucky then. Cher is horrible. But my mama and daddy coddle her like she’s a golden nugget.”

“Was she married to this other guy?”

“Yeah.” she snorts repugnantly. “In a way, I'm glad that she ditched him. He can do so much better than her. Cher has never worked a day in her life. It’s always been about mama and daddy’s money. Sure, she's done stupid mail-order or online shit, just to have something to brag about, but she never sought an education or anything solid, because she knew that someone else’s wallet would support her.”

“Classy.”

“Exactly.” She rakes a hand through her hair. “Oh...God...what do I do?” she gently bangs her forehead on the table. “I’m screwed. If Liam finds out, he’ll kick her out of the wedding party. Then my mama and daddy will disown me. And then I’ll be the black sheep of the family, with a wedding bill that trumps my annual salary.”

“Well, I'm sure that it’s not going to cost that much, Hanna.” I comfort, talking to her like she’s a toddler, who's just fallen off her bike. “How about you talk to your sister and ask if she can refrain from mentioning anything until after the wedding?”

She lifts her head. “Believe me, she’ll deny that she ever thought of it, but I know better. It’ll just add fuel to the fire.”

“Well, why don’t you have a party or something, and ask her to do it then. Back her into a corner. Don’t give her the opportunity to ruin the big day.”

“She’ll balk at that. No, Cher’s out for blood. Jealousy to her is like sugar to a Kindergartener. And she's been jealous of me since I graduated college.”

“But she got married first, right?”

“Yeah, a long time ago. That was her big day, but then that’s all she had. She planned to get knocked up right before my wedding. I’d be willing to bet. And that’s why it’s perfect for her to announce it then. Not only will it upstage me, since this is the first grandchild, but it’ll also ruin the wedding, killing two birds with one stone.”

“Does she really hate you that much?”

Hanna gives me a look that tells me there’s no question. “She’s hated me since birth. I was always more successful than her. Mama and daddy were always proud of me. She hated that.”

“This is like the worst case of sibling rivalry I’ve ever heard of.”

“You’re telling me. And if it were up to Liam, he’d tell her to hit the road. He can’t stand her and her attention-seeking attitude, and her dramatic, over-the-top stories, that don’t have a shred of truth to them. Not to mention her new boyfriend is a total loser. He’s as loud and obnoxious as she is. They make a perfect pair.”

I level with her. “Let me ask you this. Do you actually want your sister at your wedding? Because it sounds like she’s a toxic person to me. If I were you, I wouldn’t want to have anything to do with her.”

“Well, see, that’s the problem. She’s my Matron of Honor. I was hers and, God forbid she’s not mine. So, she has to be there. Also, like I said, my folks would disown me.”

“How about threatening to demote her out of the wedding party if she acts up?”

“I’m trapped, Becky. There’s no two ways about it. It’s either I bite my tongue and risk having her ruin it all, or say something and be shunned from the family.”

For some reason, I feel like joking around, just to lighten the mood a little. “What about a fake pregnancy?”

…and for a fleeting moment, I think she takes me seriously.

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