“But you haven’t paid him back.”
His face tightened. “I couldn’t.”
“Because you are still gambling?”
“No. I stopped. But like I said, I had more debt than I’d admitted.”
“So you lied to Marcus too.”
“Yes.”
That explained Jenna’s anger.
Not what she did to Sophie.
But the anger.
I asked, “How did Jenna find out?”
“She asked me why Marcus was late in paying her back. I thought she knew.”
“This is all too much.”
“I had to tell her the money was helping me through a bad situation.”
“How long ago did you have this conversation?”
“About two months.”
The exact time Jenna and Marcus stopped speaking.
Ryan nodded toward the ceremony space.
“They had a huge fight.”
I already knew where this was going.
“And then she took Sophie out of the wedding.”
He looked ashamed. “Yes.”
“She did it to punish Marcus.”
He nodded.
“And then she changed her mind.”
He didn’t respond.
I crossed my arms. “Tell me the rest.”
Ryan hesitated. “Marcus told her there was no need to include Sophie again.”
“Why?”
“He thought if Sophie stayed involved, there’d be more family time.”
“What?”
“You know, you’d all meet for rehearsals and stuff. You’d be around Jenna more.”
I finally understood him.
“He thought I’d find out if I hung out with Jenna.”
Ryan nodded.
For a second, I genuinely couldn’t speak.
All the pieces clicked into place.
Marcus had been protecting himself.
That was why my daughter couldn’t be a flower girl.
I found him near the parking lot.
“What you did was really selfish.”
He looked at me. “You know.”
“Yes. Ryan told me.”
He closed his eyes.
“I should have learned all this from you.”
“You’re right.”
“Jenna offered to put Sophie back in, and you said no. You hurt your own daughter.”
“And I’m sorry.”
“You said no to something that made her happy because you were afraid I’d find out about the loan.”
He didn’t answer.
“Say it.”
“Okay, yes.”
My eyes filled.
“She spent a month thinking your sister changed her mind.”
He looked at me.
“I thought she would get over it.”
“She is eight. It means the world to her.”
“It was one wedding role. She may have others.”
“It was not one wedding role.”
I pointed toward the venue.
“She asked me today why her aunt lied to her. She watched every other kid get included and realized she was singled out.”
Marcus’s face changed. “I didn’t think of it like that.”
“Exactly. You were only thinking of yourself.”
I was crying now.
“You didn’t think about her. You thought about whether I might ask you uncomfortable questions.”
“I was trying to help Ryan.”
“I am not angry that you helped Ryan.”
He blinked.
“I probably would have helped too. I am angry that you didn’t ask me.”
“I messed up.”
“You lied, hid things from me, and then when your daughter got caught in the fallout, you decided her feelings were less important than your secret.”
“I’m really sorry.”
“You should be.”
I went back inside.
Sophie was sitting with my mother-in-law.
I knelt beside her. “Hey.”
She looked at me. “Am I in trouble?”
My heart cracked. “No. Absolutely not.”
“Then why is everyone mad?”
“Because grown-ups made some bad choices.”
I looked toward Jenna.
“Your aunt was angry about something that had nothing to do with you.”
Sophie frowned. “Is that why she took me out?”
I didn’t know how to answer honestly without dumping adult problems on her.
So I said, “Sometimes grown-ups make unfair decisions when they’re angry.”
She looked down at her shoes. “I don’t want to be a flower girl now.”
I nodded. “You don’t have to.”
We stayed for the ceremony.
Afterward, Jenna came over.
She crouched in front of Sophie.
“Can I talk to you?”
Sophie shrugged.
Jenna took a breath. “I owe you an apology.”
Sophie looked at her.
“I was angry at your dad, and I made a decision that hurt you.”
Sophie said nothing.
“You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Then why me?”
Jenna’s eyes filled.
“Because I was angry and I wanted your dad to be angry too.”
Even I appreciated that she didn’t sugarcoat it.
Sophie frowned. “That’s mean.”
Jenna nodded. “Yes. It was.”
