- “Yes.”
- “Since when?”
- My mother looked away, her eyes tracing the line of the garden fence. “A few weeks ago.”
- The words landed harder than I expected, knocking the breath straight out of me.
- “A few weeks ago?” I repeated, my voice rising despite my best efforts. “Lila has been practicing every single day. She is sitting in our car right now wearing the dress we drove to three different stores to find.”
- “I know.”
- “She picked her hair clips this morning because she thought they matched the basket.”
- “I know, Laurel.”
- My name sounded thin and sharp, almost impatient, coming out of her mouth.
- “Then why did no one tell me?”
- She stepped closer, lowering her voice to a hushed, cautious whisper. “Holden was supposed to call you, but Blair was already completely overwhelmed, and he didn’t want to spark another difficult conversation right before the wedding.”
- I stared at her, utterly stunned. “So the grand solution was to let a seven-year-old child arrive believing she still had a role that was stripped away weeks ago?”
- My mother’s expression hardened, her composure turning brittle. “It is Blair’s wedding. She wants the people standing in the ceremony to feel closely connected to her side of the family.”
- “Lila is Holden’s niece.”
- “No one is saying she isn’t family.”
- “That is precisely what this decision says.”
- My mother let out a long, heavy sigh, shaking her head. “Please do not turn this into something larger than it needs to be. Holden is under an enormous amount of pressure. Blair is emotional. Tonight simply needs to go smoothly.”
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