At the wedding, when Robert Morton tried to slide the ring onto my finger, the thing wouldn't go on no matter how hard he pushed.
Beside him, Maya Gray doubled over laughing. "Bro, isn't this the ring you proposed to me with back then? The band's tiny. How's Alma Fox supposed to get that on?"
She snatched the ring out of his hand and tapped the initials engraved inside, clicking her tongue. "Look, my initials are still in here. Not gonna lie, bro, why didn't you get Alma a new one?"
The groomsmen jumped in to needle him, blowing up whatever he'd done the night before. "Robert, you snuck a kiss off Maya last night while she was asleep, didn't you? Guess you still haven't let her go."
Watching the panic flicker across his face, it suddenly occurred to me that I could swap out the groom.
I pulled out my phone and dialed a number. "Didn't you say you'd crash the wedding and take the bride? You still want to?"
…
"Crash the wedding? Alma, you think you're starring in some movie?"
Robert knocked the phone out of my hand and snapped at me, impatient. "So the band's a little small. How was I supposed to know your fingers were that thick? We'll do the ceremony today, and tomorrow I'll buy you one that fits."
Maya draped an arm over Robert's shoulder and put on a show of talking me down. "Alma, making a scene like this today is pretty disrespectful to my guy here. Careful, or he really might change his mind about marrying you."
The rest of his crew chimed right in. "Yeah, if Maya weren't anti-marriage, you'd never even be standing here marrying Robert. Count your blessings."
"Exactly. If Maya suddenly decided she'd take the deal, you'd be the one left looking like a fool, Alma."
"Of course. Back in the day Robert would've laid down his life for Maya. If his grandmother hadn't gotten so sick and basically threatened to die unless he settled down, you think he'd be rushing into marriage with you?"
Looking at the contempt in their eyes, I stumbled back a step, nails digging into my palms. So that was it.
If Maya hadn't refused to marry him, Robert never would have picked me.
If his grandmother weren't gravely ill, desperate to see him married off, he never would have picked me.
Not one of his reasons for choosing me was love.
So why was I choosing him?
Maybe he sensed how I felt, or maybe the others had gone too far—Robert's face went cold and he kicked at the groomsmen.
"Enough. Cut it out."
"Ooh, look at you, defending the wife now. They say friends are like family and women are like clothes you swap out. Well, since you clearly can't stand me, I'll just go."
Maya turned to leave. Something close to panic crossed Robert's eyes, and he rushed after her, slamming into me so hard I went straight down onto the floor.
But she was the only one he saw. "Maya, you know how I feel. Doing this to me is worse than killing me."
"If you're not here, what's the point of getting married at all?"
Only then did Maya let a smile surface. She cut me a sidelong, triumphant look before making a show of hooking her arm back over Robert's shoulder. "Good thing you know your place."
When Robert finally turned around and saw I'd hit the ground, guilt flickered through his eyes. He reached to help me up, but I was already on my feet.
"Alma, stop making a scene. Let's get on with the wedding."
I laughed coldly, my eyes red. "Get on with it? You think we can just get on with it? With what? You couldn't even bother to bring a ring that was meant for me."
Irritation crossed his face. "It's just a ring. What are you throwing a fit for? I told you I'd get you one tomorrow. Are you really this shallow?"
I stared at him, something inside me coming undone. "Right. Wanting a wedding ring that actually fits—that's me throwing a fit. That's me being shallow."
"Let me tell you something, Robert. You're not the only man in the world for me either. This wedding? I'm not marrying you."
