saw
the color creeping up Andrea’s neck that she realized Kiki may have ignited an
inferno that would destroy them all.
“This is not up for debate, Mama.” Kiki
seemed unaffected by her mother’s reaction. “I’ve already asked, and Jaxon said
yes. End of story.”
“That’s what you think,” Andrea said, her
breath coming in short gasps. “Wait ‘til your father hears about this. He’ll
have no part of it.”
“Maybe now you know how I felt when you
invited cousin Roy to be the M.C. at our reception without asking me and Chad
first.”
Sela should have known including Jaxon was
Kiki’s way of getting back at her parents for something. Her sister always had
an angle.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Andrea said,
reaching for her sparkling water. “He’s family, not to mention an up-and-coming
politician. He knows how to entertain a crowd. He was the logical choice.”
Kiki narrowed her eyes. “According to you
and Daddy. Did it ever occur to you that Chad and I might want to choose our
own Master of Ceremonies? That maybe we would have asked one of our friends,
someone who actually knows us as a couple? The only time we ever see Roy is at
weddings and funerals. The last time we saw him, he called Chad Carl.”
Sela laughed before pinching her lips
together when her mother scowled at her.
“So he’s not very good with names,” Andrea
said. “That doesn’t mean he won’t do a good job.”
Kiki tapped her bright pink nails on the
table. “If you want Roy, I get Jaxon. It’s only fair.”
Sela had to admire Kiki for standing up to
their parents. They’d been trying to control every aspect of their daughters’
lives for far too long.
“Did you ever think to ask your sister how
she feels about this?” Andrea gestured toward Sela. “That man broke her heart,
in case you’ve forgotten.”
“Of course I haven’t forgotten,” Kiki said,
frowning when she looked at Sela. “Anyone who hurts my sister is automatically
public enemy number one in my books.”
“If that were true, you wouldn’t be trying
to cause trouble for Sela,” Andrea said. “She’s found a man who makes her
happy. Why can’t you be happy for her instead of trying to throw that awful man back into the mix?”
The way Andrea referred to Jaxon made Sela
realize that if they hadn’t been in public, her mother would have found another
word to describe her ex.
“Kiki didn’t do anything wrong,” Sela said.
Her kid sister deserved the wedding of her dreams, and if that meant including
Jaxon, Sela wouldn’t stand in her way. “She has a right to invite anyone she
wants to her wedding. It’s her decision, Mother. We just have to respect that.”
Andrea hated when Sela called her Mother, which
she only did when she was annoyed with her. “How does Sheldon feel about this?
I can’t imagine he’s okay with it.”
“Sheldon is a mature man. He realizes this
is Chad and Kiki’s decision, not his.” Truth be told, Sela wasn’t certain her
boyfriend would care one way or the other.
Andrea looked from one daughter to the
other before releasing an exasperated sigh. “I don’t know what’s wrong with you
girls. Your father and I have done everything in our power to lead you down the
right path and try to protect you when you go astray, yet you fight us at every
turn.”
Sela knew her parents loved them, but they
sometimes had a funny way of showing it. She suspected they cared more about
keeping up appearances than whether their daughters were content. “I loved Jaxon.
If he felt the same way about me, I’d like to believe we’d still be together.”
“Why?” Andrea asked, her expression pained.
“He’s crude and abrasive, probably from spending so much time with all those
athletes. Not to mention his family history.” She shuddered. “God punishes
people who take matters into their own hands the way his father did.”
Her mother sat in the front pew every
Sunday, acting holier than thou, but that was
the color creeping up Andrea’s neck that she realized Kiki may have ignited an
inferno that would destroy them all.
“This is not up for debate, Mama.” Kiki
seemed unaffected by her mother’s reaction. “I’ve already asked, and Jaxon said
yes. End of story.”
“That’s what you think,” Andrea said, her
breath coming in short gasps. “Wait ‘til your father hears about this. He’ll
have no part of it.”
“Maybe now you know how I felt when you
invited cousin Roy to be the M.C. at our reception without asking me and Chad
first.”
Sela should have known including Jaxon was
Kiki’s way of getting back at her parents for something. Her sister always had
an angle.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Andrea said,
reaching for her sparkling water. “He’s family, not to mention an up-and-coming
politician. He knows how to entertain a crowd. He was the logical choice.”
Kiki narrowed her eyes. “According to you
and Daddy. Did it ever occur to you that Chad and I might want to choose our
own Master of Ceremonies? That maybe we would have asked one of our friends,
someone who actually knows us as a couple? The only time we ever see Roy is at
weddings and funerals. The last time we saw him, he called Chad Carl.”
Sela laughed before pinching her lips
together when her mother scowled at her.
“So he’s not very good with names,” Andrea
said. “That doesn’t mean he won’t do a good job.”
Kiki tapped her bright pink nails on the
table. “If you want Roy, I get Jaxon. It’s only fair.”
Sela had to admire Kiki for standing up to
their parents. They’d been trying to control every aspect of their daughters’
lives for far too long.
“Did you ever think to ask your sister how
she feels about this?” Andrea gestured toward Sela. “That man broke her heart,
in case you’ve forgotten.”
“Of course I haven’t forgotten,” Kiki said,
frowning when she looked at Sela. “Anyone who hurts my sister is automatically
public enemy number one in my books.”
“If that were true, you wouldn’t be trying
to cause trouble for Sela,” Andrea said. “She’s found a man who makes her
happy. Why can’t you be happy for her instead of trying to throw that awful man back into the mix?”
The way Andrea referred to Jaxon made Sela
realize that if they hadn’t been in public, her mother would have found another
word to describe her ex.
“Kiki didn’t do anything wrong,” Sela said.
Her kid sister deserved the wedding of her dreams, and if that meant including
Jaxon, Sela wouldn’t stand in her way. “She has a right to invite anyone she
wants to her wedding. It’s her decision, Mother. We just have to respect that.”
Andrea hated when Sela called her Mother, which
she only did when she was annoyed with her. “How does Sheldon feel about this?
I can’t imagine he’s okay with it.”
“Sheldon is a mature man. He realizes this
is Chad and Kiki’s decision, not his.” Truth be told, Sela wasn’t certain her
boyfriend would care one way or the other.
Andrea looked from one daughter to the
other before releasing an exasperated sigh. “I don’t know what’s wrong with you
girls. Your father and I have done everything in our power to lead you down the
right path and try to protect you when you go astray, yet you fight us at every
turn.”
Sela knew her parents loved them, but they
sometimes had a funny way of showing it. She suspected they cared more about
keeping up appearances than whether their daughters were content. “I loved Jaxon.
If he felt the same way about me, I’d like to believe we’d still be together.”
“Why?” Andrea asked, her expression pained.
“He’s crude and abrasive, probably from spending so much time with all those
athletes. Not to mention his family history.” She shuddered. “God punishes
people who take matters into their own hands the way his father did.”
Her mother sat in the front pew every
Sunday, acting holier than thou, but that was
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