He didn’t flinch. He took a beat. “Okay.” Tell me why, not because I need the defense, but because I want to hear the reasoning from you and not my insecurity.
I loved him a little for asking like that. It didn’t help the guilt. It’s early. I don’t want to make you a character in the family circus. I don’t want them circling you to ask when we’re moving in and whether your mother can cook. I don’t want to use you like a prop to prove I’m happy. Also, your contract might pull you to D.C. and I refuse to craft a fairy tale and then introduce a plot twist on a group video call.
He nodded. “All good reasons.”
“I don’t want to hurt you,” I said.
“You didn’t,” he said. He reached over and tapped the lid of my cup. “This isn’t a loyalty test.” It’s a wedding. Bring people who make you feel st
