"I know that, baby. I trust you. Completely." I touched the side of her face and wiped at her tears. "No crying, okay?"
"Okay." She let out a sigh and pressed her fingers to her eyes. "I just hate her so damn much."
"I know, but after tonight, we can leave this place and never come back." I glanced up the stairs behind her to see a girl who I assumed was her sister. "I think your sister wants you."
She turned and looked up at the pretty brunette bombshell with panic in her eyes who mouthed, “get up here.”
"I'll be right back. Stay with Sam and our friends." She kissed me quickly. "Don't let my parents get you alone. They might try and eat you alive."
"Stop worrying, silly." I laughed and moved into a group of familiar faces.
Chapter 30
Val
"I can't do this." My sister was pacing the floor as I walked into her bedroom.
The rest of the guests were waiting on the back patio where my dad had rented large heaters that were affixed to the underside of the roof. It would be an outdoor wedding in the middle of the winter because my sister wanted it.
"What?" I closed the door behind me and turned to face her. The last thing she'd said the night before as she drifted off to sleep was that she did care about Bart and wanted to see if they could make things work. Now, she was freaking out.
"I can't do this." She turned toward me and stopped. "I'm not going through with it. Sneak me out of here. Now."
"Allison. Let me just go down there and tell Dad that you're not coming. I'll figure out what to say, but-"
"No!" She moved toward me, and I almost flinched. Her eyes were wide with something like terror and I felt a chill run through me. My poor sister was cracking.
"Okay. Tell me what you want and I'll do it. I'll do whatever you need me to do. I'm here for you." I reached out and gripped her arms tightly.
"Go downstairs and tell Bart that I'm sorry, but I can't do this. Then sneak out the back and get me the fuck out of here." She reached up and pressed her hands to her mouth. "No, I can't run. Then what?"
"Allison." I gripped her tighter. "Are you running because you don't love Bart or because you're just freaking out?"
"Neither. Both. Fuck, I don't know." She pulled out of my hold and started to pace the floor again. "I'm not ready for this."
"Then we put it off while you figure out what you want. Marriage is a big deal." I jerked back as she spun around and pinned me with a stare that our mother would be proud of.
"I fucking know that." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I like Bart, a lot. I'm not sure about love, but how do you know if you really love someone, anyways?"
"Sis, listen to me. If you have any doubts about this, then let's not do it." I walked across the room to her again and pulled her into a tight hug. "How about we fake you being sick? Like you have the torrential shits or something?"
She laughed loudly and nodded. "Yeah. Maybe that's the answer. If we could just put it off for another hour or so..."
"Alright. Stay here." I turned on my heel and walked to the door, pausing before I walked out. "You're going to have to fake being sick. Mom's going to come up here. You know that."
"Right." She moved to her bed and dropped down. "Just forget it. I'm a horrible liar. We'll just do it. I'll get a divorce in a few months if this doesn't work out."
"Allison." I opened the door and shook my head. "Just fake-"
"No. Just get things ready so I can get this over with." She glanced down at her hands which were shaking horribly. "Just promise me that you'll never marry because they want you to. Promise me."
"I'd never, and you don't have to, either." I hovered in the doorway as my heart broke for her.
"Yeah, I do." She glanced up at me, her composure almost back in place. "It's okay. I have a way out. This isn't a ball and chain. I'll see what happens. If I s
till feel this way in a few months, then I'll just file for divorce."
"Promise?" I hated the way the conversation was going, but she wasn't going to relent now that her determination was set in stone. She was too much like our father for that.