The Wedding Crasher by Mia Sosa

me. Spoiler alert: We aren’t, and he isn’t.”
I sigh on the inside since there’s no point in making Ella feel any worse
than she already does. But yeah, she had a good thing going, then turned her
world inside out for someone who won’t return her feelings. I’m not mad at
her. She’s obviously free to do and think what she wants. Still, I thought we
had an understanding—that what I was offering was enough—and I’m
disappointed by her sudden change of heart. Couldn’t she have figured this
out before we did that registry shit at Crate and Barrel? The memory of the
way that sales associate directed all her comments to Ella still pisses me off.
Hell, I can appreciate a tasteful place setting just as well as the next person.
“So if this was how you were feeling, why’d you walk down the aisle
anyway?” I ask.
Her gaze hits the floor. As if whatever she’s going to say—or can’t say—is
too foul for her to face.
Holy shit, it’s uglier than I thought. “You were bluffing, and he called you
on it.”
She lifts her chin, wiping at her tearstained cheeks. “Yes. No.” She throws
up her hands and shakes her head. “I don’t know.”
“A tiny part of you hoped he’d stand up there and stop the wedding. Is that
it?”
Before she can answer, someone knocks on the door of the suite.
In the hall, Lina calls out, “Ella. Dean. May I speak with you for a
moment?”
Oh, right. We’re in the middle of a fucking wedding, and the guests must
be wondering what’s going on. I heave myself off the couch and open the
door.
Lina pokes her head in. She looks from me to Ella and grimaces
apologetically. “I need to know what to tell the guests. If you want me to
stall . . .”
Stalling would be useful if there were a chance we’d get beyond this, but
there isn’t. When Ella and I agreed to marry, we also promised to be honest,
to always be considerate and respectful of each other. She’s been holding out
on me, though. And even if she’s willing to suppress her feelings for Tyler
now, she may not be able to later. Where will that leave me? I’d rather not
find out. The point of all this was to build a strong foundation from day one,
not start our marriage on shaky ground. “I think it’s fair to say the wedding is
canceled,” I tell Lina. “Wouldn’t you agree, Ella?”