It’s him.
My suspicions were confirmed when Beth cast a look at the ballroom door. “Come in,” she murmured, dabbing her eyes and leading me to the bridal suite.
Thankfully, none of the bridesmaids were there, and the groom certainly wasn’t. Naomi was nice enough, but the rest of them were only there to fawn over the groomsmen, which meant I didn’t like them either.
Once we were inside, she closed the door and stormed over to the couch, kicking off her heels. “He’s only marrying me to get on the board of one of his dad’s businesses.”
As strong as I tried to be for her, I reeled. I put a hand on the table by the door to prop myself up, my ears ringing. Surely to God I hadn’t heard that right.
That bastard.
“Mom will get up there and knock out Jason and his parents if you tell her, so please don’t yet,” Beth continued. She slumped back against the couch and pinched the bridge of her nose. “And Griff’s busy with his own boyfriend, so I didn’t want to bother him.”
“His own what?” I asked faintly. No wonder he’d stood up for me and Rusty outside the restaurant. But I hadn’t even guessed!
“Oh, never mind that,” Beth said, looking at me so plaintively that I hurried over to sit next to her. She immediately slumped down on the couch, lying along it with her head in my lap.
Gingerly, not wanting to disturb the sleek curls around her ears, I stroked her hair. Years of memories rushed back—holding her as a baby, consoling her after middle-school crushes went wrong.
I shouldn’t be doing this tonight, on the eve of her wedding. But hope rose in my chest. Maybe she was calling it off? Oh, please let something good come of this! I thought.
“I’m sorry, Bets,” I murmured, using her nickname from childhood. “Tell me what that asshole’s doing.”
She cleared her throat. “I don’t want to talk about it yet. Dad, will you tell me about you and Mom? Your wedding day?”
My heart pinched with bittersweet nostalgia. “Of course, honey,” I murmured. A smile touched my lips at the memory. “It was just a courthouse wedding. The two of us and our moms—your grandmothers—as witnesses.”
Beth smiled, wistful. “Something simple. It sounds like a dream come true.”
I wanted to tell her that all brides felt this way in the middle of the stress and the hassle, before the magical moments of finally walking down the aisle… but with Jason, there were no magical moments in store.
It took everything I had not to storm downstairs right now and knock him out cold. God knew he deserved worse.
“Did you get married because Mom was pregnant with me?”
“Ah…” I hesitated, heat rising in my cheeks. Chrissy and I had talked about this and we’d always agree we’d tell the truth if Beth asked, but she never had. Maybe she hadn’t put together the pieces until now. Or, more likely, she hadn’t cared.
“Yes, in short. But… it was a joy to be married to your mother,” I told her firmly and smiled down at her, stroking her hair lightly. How could I tell her how proud I was of her? “And I’m so happy I got to be there and see you grow up. I wouldn’t trade that for the world.”
“But now you get to live your life,” Beth said softly, brushing tears off her cheeks. “Jason would never have done that, in a million years.”
My chest thumped as my jaw dropped once more. God, if I had one more shock tonight, I might just pass out. “Honey, are you pregnant?” If she thought she needed Jason’s support, she was dead wrong. Plans already sprang into my mind. “We can help. You know we will.” Chrissy and Ken and I would band together…
“No!” Beth laughed, sitting up and covering her face. “No, Dad. God.” Then she smiled at me. “But thank you. I was just thinking, how the hell did I get fooled by all his lies?”
“You’ve always seen the best in people, Beth.”
She sighed. “But he and his family treat you like shit. Sorry. Like poop.”
I chuckled. The situation called for stronger words than that. “Just this once, you’re allowed any curse words you want, honey.”
Beth joined in my laugh. “Okay. He’s a dickhead. I saw how he changed when I was around. I was dumb enough to think… that meant I was changing him. Smoothing out the edges. I thought he was just stressed, and he kept telling me I made everything better. That I made him better.” Her voice grew tight with frustration and anger. “So I felt like I had all the answers—that marrying him would make it all work. But I was just making his life better.”
I might still punch him. That was definitely still on the table.
“Bets, don’t hold your big heart against yourself. That’s not fair,” I told her gently. “He took advantage of you, and that’s his fault.”
Beth sighed but nodded. “You’re right. I’m just angry at him.”
The million-dollar question still hung in the air, so I had to be the one who asked it. “So…” I trailed off and cleared my throat. “Tomorrow?”
“He thinks everything’s going ahead. He doesn’t know for sure that I know yet,” Beth said. “Though he might have guessed. He told Griff this morning, and he should know Griff would go straight to me.”
Good man. I owed him a beer later.
“There’s only one way to stick this to him and not me, and that’s giving them the stage they want to make a fool of themselves.” Beth looked grimly determined now, her lips set in a stubborn line.
There was no talking her out of her plan now. Chrissy and I knew that look too well.
“I can’t tell your mom that it’s not happening, at least?” I asked gently. “You know she’ll sleep easier.”
Beth sighed and put an arm around my shoulders. “I’ll go downstairs and talk to her,” she promised. “I still have to see everyone off. I’m the hostess.”
“With the mostest,” I teased her gently, and I got a laugh from her, at least. “The biggest heart, and the most attitude. That asshole’s not going to know what hit him.” Then I poked her. “I’m allowed to call him that now, right?”
Beth laughed, her voice wobbly but clear as she said, “Yeah. Please do. Maybe not in public until tomorrow, but…”
I chuckled. “I’ll keep it inside my head for now,” I promised.
“Besides,” Beth added to nobody in particular, “I’ve been dieting for long enough. I’m going to have my cake, damnit. All of it.”
“That’s the spirit,” I said with a grin. My girl was strong—the strongest person I knew. She amazed me every day. She was going to weather this with the same grace, good humor, and iron will she’d always shown.
“Now,” Beth said, drying her eyes. “What the hell happened with Rusty tonight? He looked so cute, but he ran away before I could even talk to him.”
She sounded disappointed, and just like a switch flipping, all the guilt and fear suddenly poured back into my chest.
I wanted to be the strong, cool dad, but I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know what to do without Rusty there by my side, casually leaning into me.