“Because you three are all the family he has left, that’s why,” I shouted back, shocked to hear these words come out of his mouth.
“We’re not family,” he spat.
“But I don’t understand why. He never did anything to you. Sure, he was angry and surly, but the guy had just lost his parents and was forced to uproot his entire life. Even at fourteen, I know you were capable of some kind of empathy for him.”
“Just forget it, Chiara,” Ellis said, obviously not interested in talking about this.
“Or what about as you guys grew up? Damn it, Ellis, he spent years serving our country, he has made something of himself now, and you still look at him like he’s something to be scraped off the bottom of your shoe.”
Ellis scoffed. “You talk about him like he’s a fucking hero and not the epic fuck-up we all know he is.”
I reared back. “Excuse me? Heisa hero, and he’s never been a screw up. He was struggling and in a lot of pain. If you’d given him a chance, maybe you would be able to see that.”
“He’s a loser then, he’s a loser now, and that’s all he’ll ever be,” Ellis ranted angrily.
“Wow, glad to see you’ve evolved since high school. What the hell is wrong with you? Flynn is a good man—no—he’s a great man. The fact that you refuse to see how much your cousin haschanged tells me how unevolved you really are.”
“He’s not my fucking family,” Ellis snarled.
I didn’t speak for a moment before I shook my head. “No, I can see that. I just don’t understandwhy. Explain it to me. That way I can understand why you’ve been such an asshole since he came into the picture and why having him here at your wedding is such a big deal.”
He sputtered, his face a mask of disbelief. “Do you really need me to explain why my ex-girlfriend showing up to my wedding with my asshole cousin is a problem?”
I stiffened and shook my head. “No, that’s not what we’re doing. I’mnotyour ex-girlfriend, Ellis. That is not a category I belong in anymore. I’m your friend, or at the very least your fiancé’s best friend. But we don’t refer to me as your ex-girlfriend anymore because that implies some kind of attachment when there is none. You’re marrying my best friend, so that part of our history is exactly that; history.”
“You can’t pretend we didn’t happen, Chiara,” he argued.
“Sure, we did. Overten years ago.It was a high school relationship, Ellis, it’s not even in the same league as you and Sofia.”
“Maybe it’s that way for you, but it was never that way for me,” he snapped.
My eyes widened and my mouth fell open. “You have got to be kidding me.”
Ellis closed his eyes and shook his head, rubbing his forehead. “Fuck.”
I swallowed hard and stepped toward the door. “I’m leaving before you say anything you regret. I think it’s best if you and I keep some distance for a while.”
“No, don’t go yet,” Ellis demanded, rushing to cut off my exit.
“Ellis, back off. I need to go, and you need to stop talking.”
“Just… we never get a chance to speak. I just want to talk to youalone for a moment.”
I shook my head. “There’s nothing you can’t say to me in front of Sofia or Kate, or anyone else for that matter.”
“I just want to make sure I’m not making a mistake here.”
I froze. “Mistake?”
He shrugged. “You broke up with me out of the blue, and it didn’t even seem to affect you. You went on about your life happy as can be, and you left me drowning.”
I hesitated and felt a stab of guilt. “I’m sorry you felt that way, Ellis. I truly am. I never meant to hurt you when I broke things off, but I thought it was for the best. And it turned out better anyway, because now you’re marrying the love of your life.”
“Am I?” he asked quickly, the question asked softly.
I stiffened. “Don’t do that.”
“I just need to know that I’m making the right choice,” he said desperately.
