Chapter 22
Marcus
We hole up in Alexander’s suite, the three of us keeping our voices low. The curtains are drawn, the whole room stale with the scent of old coffee and frustration. Tyler is pacing, jaw tight, while Alexander stands by the window, arms crossed, looking like he hasn’t slept in days.
I take a seat on the edge of the bed, rubbing my temples. The silence is thick until Tyler finally explodes. “Thanks for sticking up for us back there.”
I look up, surprised by the venom in his tone. “What did we do?”
Tyler glares at me, then at Alexander. “You just stood there and let Jarrod assume. You didn’t even try to explain. You just let him believe whatever the hell he wanted.”
Alexander’s face hardens. “What was the alternative, Tyler? You want us to tell him we were fucking his daughter not twelve hours earlier? That all three of us were? You saw the look on his face—he was barely keeping it together as it was.”
Tyler drags a hand through his hair, fuming. “I don’t know. I just—I hate the way it ended. Like we’re guilty, like we used her, like it was some dirty secret.”
I sigh, feeling the exhaustion deep in my bones. “He wasn’t going to listen to reason. Not now. Maybe not ever.”
Alexander steps away from the window, his voice clipped. “Right now, it doesn’t matter what Jarrod thinks. We’re running out of time. If we don’t get proof, this wedding goes ahead, Jason wins, and Sarah loses everything.”
The silence falls again. I can feel the tension radiating off both of them—Tyler’s frustration, Alexander’s cold resolve, my own dread building in my chest.
I take a breath, steadying myself. “Let’s call the PI. If he’s got anything, now’s the time.”
Alexander shoots me a look. “If he had anything, he would have called back by now.”
Tyler lets out a bitter laugh. “Yeah. We’re paying him enough—if he had real dirt on Jason, we’d know. Feels like we’re the only ones doing the work.”
I rub my jaw, frustration simmering. “Maybe he’s got something, but it isn’t enough yet. Or maybe he’s just waiting for the retainer to run out before he admits he’s hit a wall.”
Alexander’s jaw clenches. “I’ll call him anyway. We can’t sit here waiting while Sarah walks into a trap.”
Tyler finally stops pacing, folding his arms and staring at the floor. The room is heavy with dread and the ache of all the things we can’t undo.
As Alexander dials, I lean back and let the exhaustion wash over me. The truth is, we never should have let ourselves get distracted. Mia was everything—she lit up the whole damn lodge, made us forget the danger for a while—but now it’s caught up to us.
We’re out of time.
Tomorrow morning, Sarah will walk down the aisle, say her vows, and then Jason will have her. The second the ceremony is over, they’ll leave for their honeymoon. Once they’re gone, we’ll lose any chance of getting through to her. Jason will have access to everything. All the power. All the money.
We’ve failed her. We’ve failed Mia.
I clench my fists, wishing I could turn back the clock, wishing I could undo every minute I spent hiding from the truth.
If the PI doesn’t come through tonight, we’re done.
Sarah will be lost to us, and Jason will have won.
Alexander’s jaw works as he listens to the phone ring and ring. “He’s not picking up,” he mutters, lowering the phone, frustration radiating off him in waves.
Tyler, practically vibrating, snaps, “Call him again. Keep calling until he answers.”
Alexander’s voice is tight. “I said he’s not answering, Tyler. I’ll try again in five minutes.”
Tyler looks like he’s seconds from throwing something. His fists clench at his sides, breath coming hard. “We don’t have five minutes. We don’t have five hours. You saw what happened tonight. How can I calm down when the woman I love was humiliated again in front of all the guests?”
The words slam into the room and hang there. For a second, nobody breathes. Even Alexander stares at him, the phone forgotten in his hand. I feel a strange, sharp ache bloom in my chest. Tyler’s voice is raw, furious, wounded.
Alexander rounds on him. “You think you’re the only one? You think it was easy for me, watching her with her father, hearing her cry? I—” He stops, biting back the rest, but the pain in his voice is unmistakable.
Tyler’s eyes flash. “If you love her so much, why did you let her father pull her away? Why didn’t you fight for her?”
Alexander’s fists clench at his sides. “Don’t lecture me about fighting, Tyler. You froze. You stood there like a kid who got caught. At least I tried—”
“Tried what? You did nothing! You just let Jarrod treat her like—like she was some kid who didn’t matter. Maybe you don’t know how to love her at all.”
“Shut up, both of you!” I can’t take it anymore. My voice comes out harder than I mean, but I don’t care. “Stop it. She’s not a prize we get to win, or a problem we get to solve. She’s a person.”
They both stare at me.
“Don’t you see what this is about? We can’t keep fighting among ourselves. We all love her, Tyler. Every single one of us. And that’s why this hurts so damn much. Because no matter how much we care, we still let her down.”
Tyler shakes his head, voice breaking. “We watched as Jason twisted everything. We didn’t fight for her. We didn’t protect her. We didn’t do anything.”
Alexander’s eyes are stormy, guilt and longing written clear across his face. “You’re right. We should have said something. Should have told the truth, no matter what it cost.”
I look down, pressing my fists to my knees, my heart heavy. “What must she be thinking about us? We didn’t even fight for her. We just…let her go. We’re cowards.”
Silence falls again, thick and suffocating. The three of us sit there—broken, angry, longing for what we had and terrified it’s already lost.
Tyler slumps back against the wall, hands in his hair. Alexander just stands at the window, staring out into the darkness as if he can force the world to make sense.
Eventually, I clear my throat, my voice rough. “We’re not going to get anywhere fighting about who loves her most. It isn’t about us. It’s about her—what she wants.”
Alexander glances over, his expression softening just a little. “So we ask her. No more games, no more hiding. She deserves the choice.”
Tyler lets out a shaky breath, finally meeting my eyes. “Yeah. But we can’t just all rush her at once. We’d scare her off for good.”
“You’re right,” I say. “Let’s give her some time to cool off. We can talk to her in the morning.”
“That is the most sane thing I’ve heard tonight,” Alexander says. “I’m exhausted. I’ll see you guys later.”
That’s our cue to leave his room.
I barely sleep.
All night, I toss and turn, rehearsing what I’ll say to Mia. Words come and go, nothing ever enough.
The sky is barely pink when I get up, shower, put on my suit. My hands shake as I walk down the hallway to her room, the weight of everything we left unsaid pressing down on me.
When she opens the door, the breath goes right out of me. She’s in her bridesmaid dress, hair curled, a faint blush on her cheeks. I’ve seen her beautiful before, but never like this—radiant, fierce, and heartbreakingly out of reach.
“Mia,” I manage, stepping inside.
She turns, adjusting an earring. Her expression is guarded, a wall I don’t know if I can climb. I move closer, unable to help myself, reaching for her waist, leaning in to press a kiss to her neck.
She steps back, hand up. “Don’t you dare muss my hair, Marcus. I spent forty minutes getting these curls to stay.”
I can’t help a teasing grin. “I could help you loosen them up. Just say the word.”
She rolls her eyes and scoffs. “Funny. That’s not going to work this time.”
“I didn’t think you would actually go to the wedding.”
“Well I’m not going to abandon my best friend, despite what happened,” she says. “Unlike you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask, frowning.
She ignores my question. “You finally remembered where my room is? I guess now it’s safe for you to come say sorry?”
I swallow, guilt churning. “Mia, I—”
She cuts me off, voice low and controlled. “You left me. All three of you. You let my dad say whatever he wanted, you let Jason twist everything, and you just…disappeared. Like I was nothing.”
I stumble, words caught in my throat. “We—we thought it was the only way. We didn’t want to make things worse. I’m so sorry, Mia.”
She studies my face, skeptical, hurt. “Sorry isn’t enough, Marcus. Not this time.”
I step closer, searching her eyes for any sign she still cares. “I know I messed up. I know we all did. But I need you to hear me—I can’t lose you. I love you, Mia.”
For a second, Mia just stares at me, eyes wide, like she doesn’t believe what she’s hearing. I want to say it again, louder, make her understand I mean every word.
But before she can speak, the door swings open and Tyler and Alexander stride in, both looking way too put together for men who barely slept.
Tyler snorts. “Knew you’d be here, Marcus. Couldn’t wait your turn, huh?”
Alexander just shakes his head. “So much for letting her decide without pressure.”
I round on them, exasperated. “This wasn’t some plan. I was just telling her how I feel.”
Tyler snorts. “You mean trying to claim her for yourself.”
Mia, caught between all three of us, crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow. “Are you three seriously about to start fighting over me?”
Alexander takes a step closer, voice softer but intense. “Mia, you know how I feel about you. We agreed to let you choose. But it’s hard, watching him get here first.”
“You all really think I’m just going to pick one of you?” she says, a teasing, challenging smile curving her mouth. “Like I’m a prize at the fair?”
Tyler tries to soften. “It’s not like that. It’s just—we want you to be happy. With whoever you want.”
She laughs, the sound bright and wild, and I feel the energy shift in the room.
I know it then, my heart stuttering.
She’s not going to choose.