well-being when you lied to me for three months.”
“Zuri, I was confused. I didn’t . . .” He looked around. “Can we not do this in front of everyone?”
“You’re the one still talking.”
Ravenna nodded in agreement. “He is, isn’t he? We should make him stop.”
He wasn’t exactly sure what he could do to get Ravenna to turn it back a notch, but he had to try.
“Fine. I’m sorry, Zuri. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’ll earn your trust again. I swear. Let’s just get through Anna and Jordan’s wedding, and then we can talk, okay?”
It seemed the godmothers must have sensed her will crumbling or something, because Petty kicked Phillip, Bluebonnet nudged him with her wand, and Jonquil just all out shoved him forward.
He stumbled and righted himself. “Not subtle,” he said to the godmothers.
“If this was the time for subtlety, Prince Charming, I wouldn’t be here.” Ravenna put her hand on her hip.
“Don’t call me that,” he said.
“Yeah, don’t call him that.” Alec frowned. “Just because he’s rich doesn’t make him better for Zuri than me.”
“There’s lots of things that make me better for Zuri than you, but that’s not up to us to decide, is it?”
“I’m going to leave you a bad review on Yelp,” Alec threatened.
“Same to you,” Phillip said.
“Oh, this is ridiculous,” Zuri cried. “Stop it.”
“Yes, it is. I’ll take you out of here. Let me take you to Springfield or Kansas City, somewhere where they have a real hospital and can take care of you. If you ever believed anything I’ve said, believe that. Please.”
Phillip actually believed that Alec wanted to help her. Only, he knew the cure wasn’t in any hospital or research facility. Not in any kind of known medicine to the outside world.
“I understand you want to help her, and I don’t want to get into a pissing contest with you—” Phillip started.
“You’d lose.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake. Will you listen to me for one minute?” Speaking of losing, Phillip was about to lose his patience.
Alec snarled, but he motioned for Phillip to continue.
“Zuri has had a reaction to something local—”
“I knew he had to be one of those toxic frogs. I’m probably hallucinating all of this.” She scratched at her arm, but Ravenna slapped her hand away. “If I’m hallucinating, why does it itch? Oh, don’t tell me, I’m still out by the fountain tripping balls, and I’m getting stung to death by rabid mosquitoes that are going to drain me dry.”
“We don’t have mosquitoes in Ever After, dearie,” Petty said.
Phillip sighed. “She’s having an allergic reaction to some wildlife that is exclusive to Ever After. I can help her. My family has lived here for generations. We have a homegrown antidote, but we need you to—”
“If you think I’m going to trust her to some backwoods—”
“If you’ll let me finish, if the cure doesn’t work for her, and we’ll know pretty quickly if it will or it won’t, then you can take her, with her permission, to any hospital you choose.”
“I will not—” Alec began.
Zuri interrupted him. “This isn’t your choice to make. It’s mine.” She looked around to all the people who’d gathered in her bedroom. “I trust these people. I don’t trust you.”
“You would, if you’d let me explain.”
“I don’t know what there is to explain, Alec. Xander. Whatever your name is. You lied to me. You lied to Jenn.” She held up her hand before he could speak again. “The fact remains you didn’t tell either Jenn or me about what you were feeling. You would have married her that day without a second thought.”
“I had plenty of second thoughts,” Alec said.
“But you didn’t share them with anyone. Please, I’d like you to leave. I said we could talk, but maybe after I’m feeling better. Even though, I’m not sure what else there is to say.”
“Just that you’ll give me a chance to prove myself to you.”
“Right now, I’m really sick, and this is still about you.”
“I just need you to listen.”
Phillip recognized the plea in his voice. The need to be understood. The desperation to be told he wasn’t the one who was wrong. He had no pity for the man. He had to learn his lesson the same as Phillip had. He had to choose to be a better man.
How could Phillip himself do that in this situation? He could continue to squabble, but he could see how tired Zuri was. He could see that she needed him to be, not her savior, but her