Wedding Date (Dating #6) - Monica Murphy Page 0,85

I know what makes Theo tick. I know what makes all of the Crawford men tick.”

“Do tell,” Stella says, leaning her elbows on the table as she contemplates Ali. “I told Kelsey you would probably have the most beneficial advice out of all of us, since you’re related to him.”

“Right, well, I know a lot. Um.” Ali squirms in her chair. “Maybe you could give me some advice.”

The curious expression on Stella’s face is unmistakable. “I’d love to help you. But with what?”

“I’ll—explain it to you later.” Ali’s cheeks turn bright pink. “In the mean time, let’s focus on Kelsey.” She glances over to where I’m sitting. “She needs us.”

It’s true. I need them.

Hopefully whatever we come up with, works. Because I also need Theo.

Desperately.

Twenty-Six

Theo

I am a miserable son of a bitch and no one wants to be around me.

I can’t blame them. I don’t even want to be around myself. Since what happened at the wedding—hell, before the wedding—I’ve felt…broken. My heart, my soul, all of it, shattered to pieces. Kelsey’s blatant disregard of my feelings when it comes to her leaving the state, or worse, the country, for her job…

We confess we love each other and then it’s like oops, forgot to mention this! What the hell? And finding out from someone else was a real mind fuck too.

Once she left the reception, I sulked like a pissed off little baby. Everyone—and I mean everyone—from my immediate family wanted to know where Kelsey went. Ali was thoroughly confused. One minute she’s there, the next she’s gone, I get it. My parents didn’t buy my excuse that an emergency came up. None of them did. Even my grandmother called me on my bullshit.

“Just because you had a little tiff doesn’t mean you just let her go, Theodore. That girl is too good to let slip through your fingers,” she scolded me at one point.

Her words rang true, because what she said was true. Kelsey’s a good girl. A strong woman. The more I think about it, the more I realize it was pretty damn busy these last few days. When did she ever get a chance to tell me what was going on with her life?

Never, that’s when.

Sunday night and I’m staring at my phone, agonizing over texting her or not when my phone flashes with a call. A FaceTime call.

From my sister.

Groaning, I decline it. She immediately calls me again. We play this game a couple of times until I finally answer the damn call.

“What the hell do you want?” I practically snarl.

“So hostile.” She doesn’t even seem fazed. More like she looks bored.

I slouch against the back of the couch, hoping she doesn’t ask any difficult questions. I’m not in the mood to answer them. “What do you want, Ali? It’s been a shit weekend.”

“Theo, I’m going to ask you a difficult question,” Ali starts.

Here we go. How’d I know this was coming? “I probably won’t answer.”

She ignores me. “Are you still in love with Jessica?”

I sit up straight, nearly dropping my phone on the floor. Luckily, it lands on the couch next to me and I scramble to pick it up, hating how acting frazzled by her question makes it look like I actually am still in love with Jess.

But I’m not. Not even close.

More like I’m surprised Ali would even bring it up.

“No,” I say firmly, my gaze locking with my little sister’s through the camera. “Absolutely not.”

Jessica found me alone at the reception, and confessed to me that she’d had pre-wedding jitters. That’s why she said all that stuff to me. I told her it was cool, I understood, even though I thought what she did was a shit move. But I can’t hold it against her. Grudges only hurt the ones holding the grudge, so what’s the point?

“Okay.” Ali nods her approval, sounding pleased. “Good to know.”

“Why do you ask?”

“I have another question.” She pauses for only a moment before she barrels forward in typical Ali style. “Are you in love with Kelsey?”

A ragged sigh escapes me and I run my hand along my jaw, feel the thick layer of stubble there. “Yeah. But I probably messed that all up.”

“You didn’t mess it up at all,” Ali says hurriedly, her eyes lighting up. As if she were excited. “Trust me. She loves you, Theo. And she feels terrible about the mix up with her job offer and how she didn’t tell you about it. You have to know she’s not accepting either of