Lethal Wedding (Wedlocked Trilogy Book 2) - Charlotte Byrd Page 0,25

doesn't care about anybody.”

He's not wrong, but I can't very well admit that.

“How did he even ask you? How did you even get together?” Henry asks.

I don't know what to say. I don't know what the right story is, not really.

“I knew him from before. He helped my father out of a jam and we sort of started talking and things went from there.”

“Is he a good kisser?” Henry asks.

“You don't get to ask me that," I say.

Henry clenches his jaw and then relaxes. I want to tell him more than anything that I have no idea what kind of kisser Franklin is because I've never kissed him, but I keep my mouth shut.

This is all for the greater good, I tell myself, trying desperately to believe it.

“Can we talk about something else?” I ask after moment.

I don't want to hang up yet, I want to keep talking to him but I can't stand to talk about Franklin anymore.

“Sure, what do you wanna know?”

"Tell me about your work. What are you working on now?”

“Well, actually, Franklin set me up with a really interesting story. It's about a girl who went missing in North Dakota, she went out there with her boyfriend who got a job in the oil field. The local police suspect that he did it, but there are also other suspects. I was planning on coming home, but the more that I researched the story the more I realize that it's really one that needs to be told.”

“Why is that?” I ask.

“Because she was black. And unfortunately, not that many people care when black girls go missing. It's not a story that's told often and it's one I feel compelled to tell.”

“So what happened to her?”

“I don’t know for sure,” he says. “The idea is that I would report on it as I investigate it.”

“That sounds like a really interesting project,” I say quietly. “I'm definitely going to listen to it.”

"Do you listen to my podcast?” he asks.

“Of course,” I say a little bit too quickly and then correct myself. "Yes, I’ve listened to a few episodes here and there.”

The truth is that I have listened to every single episode of every single podcast multiple times. I listen to him when I fall asleep, just to hear the sound of his voice.

We talk for a little bit longer until the conversation runs out of steam. I want to know more about him but we only talk about his work.

At the end, I wish him well and I wish him good luck on the next story.

“By the way, Franklin invited me to your wedding.”

“What?” I gasp.

“Franklin said he wasn't sure if you would invite me so he did on your behalf.”

My mouth drops open as I stare at him.

“No,” I say, shaking my head. “You can't come.”

“Why not?”

“It wouldn’t be proper.”

“Says who?”

“Me, the bride.”

Henry takes a deep breath and sits against the back of his chair.

“Why do you even want to come?” I ask, my whole body trembling. I'm not so sure that I will be able to go through with it with him watching.

Henry knows the truth even though he doesn't realize that he knows it. He knows it deep down, in his gut.

Henry takes a long pause. When he opens his mouth, he says, “I want to see if you will actually go through with it.”

16

Henry

I arrive at the Ritz dressed in a black tie tuxedo, which I rented earlier that day.

The rental costs me three hundred and that’s way above my budget. But I can’t miss seeing her in real life.

I'm supposed to be in North Dakota today, beginning my research, but I fly back just to attend Aurora’s engagement party.

She told me that she didn't want to see me at the wedding, but she didn’t say anything about the engagement party.

Franklin invited me to that as well, and I can’t resist.

Walking through the double doors of one of the fanciest hotels in New York City, I feel out of place. I'm pretty sure that even the doorman makes more money than I do. Still, I need to see her if only to confirm the fact that she is actually getting married.

When Aurora called me that night, I did not expect to talk to her for close to an hour. In fact, I didn't expect her to call me at all.

But she did, and now I can't stop thinking about her or the fact that she might be lying.

I used to think that she’d cheated on