12. Gabriel #3
Gabriel opened it, and he thought his heart had stopped.
It was his “wedding” certificate with Bobby.
Except this looked different to what they’d been given in Las Vegas.
This had stamps and watermarks on it, and looked legit, but that couldn’t be the case, could it?
Bobby had said it wasn’t legally binding.
So how did his parents have a copy of it?
“How did you get this?” he asked.
“Answer the question, Gabriel,” said his dad. “We need an explanation of how you could do something so cruel to your sister.”
“Cruel? Me? She’s the one who cheated on Bobby.”
“How dare you accuse your sister of doing something like that, just to cover your own skin. She’s heartbroken about this. And do you know how much money their wedding cost, which now can’t go ahead because you’re already married to the groom?”
“Are you going to let me give my version of things before you immediately take Alex’s side, like you always do, Dad?”
“This is very hard to explain, Gabriel,” said his mum, tears rolling down her face.
“Bobby discovered Alex had been having an affair with his best friend, Dillon, since Halloween . . . Let me finish,” he added when his dad went to interrupt.
“Bobby was obviously upset, especially as all his friends knew about it as well. We went out for drinks, as he needed to get drunk. The wedding thing was just a drunken joke. It’s not even legally binding. ”
“I’ve checked, Gabriel,” said his dad. “This is legitimate. You are legally married to Bobby Kavanagh.”
“What the fuck?” he said, looking at the certificate again.
“Language, Gabriel,” said his mum.
He apologised and looked at the certificate closely. It looked like an official document, but how was that possible? They’d been blackout drunk, so there had to be some law against legally marrying people who didn’t even remember doing it. That wasn’t something he’d be sharing with his parents.
“If this is legit, then we’ll just get an annulment. There’s nothing going on between me and Bobby.”
“I’ve seen the way you look at him,” said his mum.
The look on her face was like a blow to his heart. She’d always been his biggest cheerleader, and now she believed he’d do something like this.
“Bobby is straight, and even if he wasn’t, do you really think I would do something like this to my sister? She’s the one who has form for this. Why do you believe everything she says?”
“Answer this question, then,” said his dad. “Where is Bobby now?”
Gabriel couldn’t help but flush at their accusation.
“What was I supposed to do? Leave him to sleep in a hotel room?”
“He’s got his own family and friends. Why are you getting involved if there’s nothing going on between you?”
“His parents live in Devon, and his brothers both rent with other people. And his friends all knew about Alex and Dillon, so it’s not like he’d want to go anywhere near them. I’ve got a spare room. What was I supposed to do when it was my sister who kicked him out on the street?”
“And why did she do that?” asked his dad. “Your sister’s heart is broken. She was supposed to be getting married next weekend, and she can’t now, because you’re married to the groom.”
“He wouldn’t marry her anyway because she’s been cheating on him for months with his best friend. When I found out, I spoke to her in Dubai, and she begged me not to say anything. Then she sent her bit on the side to threaten me.”
“How did you find out?” asked his mum.
“I overheard Dillon’s friends talking about it in the pool at the hotel, so I called Alex and she confirmed it.”
“That’s not how she tells it.”
Gabriel stood up. He’d heard enough.
“Where are you going?” his dad shouted, which was rare. He never raised his voice, even when they were kids.
“Home . . .” he said, snatching up the marriage certificate. “I need to talk to . . . my husband.”
“Sit back down. We need to discuss how we’re going to fix this. You can start by apologising to your sister.”
“Apologise for what? She’s the one who was cheating on her fiancé.”
“Do you have any proof? That certificate backs up your sister’s story. What do you have to prove she’s been doing what you say she has?”
“I’ve never lied to either of you, whereas Alex wouldn’t know the truth if it bit her on the arse. When you’ve decided you’re willing to listen to me, and not automatically believe Alex, call me.”
Before they could say anything else, he stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
It was a childish reaction, and he could have stayed and tried to reason with them, but it was clear his sister had manipulated them like she always did to get her way.
Ever since she was a kid, she’d had them wrapped around her little finger, although his mum usually saw his side of things.
Gabriel didn’t want to fall out with his parents, but they couldn’t just believe everything Alex said.
Thankfully, he’d driven over. The last thing he wanted was to deal with public transport.
He needed to get home and speak to Bobby.
If this marriage certificate was legit, then they would need to get it sorted as soon as possible.