Jack cleared his throat. “Okay to go on?”

“With this ring, I thee wed,” Leo repeated after Jack. He slipped the ring onto Tessa’s icy finger. “And pledge you my love now and forever.”

One glance in her eyes made him see things he’d rather not see—sadness. Confusion. Dread.

And it was then that he realized that this was not a game. Their scheme involved playing with people’s lives. Lying to the people they loved.

Jack handed her a plain band. She repeated the same words and slipped it on his finger, her words and her gaze not wavering.

“You may kiss each other,” Jack said.

“You won’t regret this,” Leo whispered before meeting her halfway for the kiss.

He didn’t get as far as her lips. Because suddenly someone shouted, “Stop the wedding!”

…

Tessa’s mother and grandmother, Leo’s father, and Gia had squeezed into the now crowded room.

“No,” Tessa whispered. A quick glance over at her sisters showed that Vivienne’s cheeks were blazing, a telltale sign. “Viv, you didn’t.”

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I just panicked. You wouldn’t get married without Mom, would you?”

Next to her, Leo groaned. She followed his gaze to the door, where his other best friend, Noah, stood, carrying a straw basket with a handle and wearing a white tux with a black bow tie. Which officially made him better dressed than Leo. And Tessa. Combined.

“Hey, everyone,” Noah said, smiling. “I brought everyone Summer’s Night pillar candles.” He held out the basket so Tessa could see a cluster of candles, each tied with a raffia bow. “For wedding favors.” He took in the shocked faces of their parents. “Okay, maybe a little later.”

“They’re really sweet, Noah,” Tessa said. “Thanks.” Not only was Noah a good friend of Leo’s, but he was also a head designer at the candle factory, which explained the party favors—which, under normal circumstances, Tessa would be really excited about.

“They smell fabulous,” Lilac said, picking one up and sniffing it.

“I told you to come quick,” Jack said under his breath, “not to bring presents.”

“They’re not presents; they’re welcome gifts,” Noah said. To Tessa, he added, “You are totally rocking that pink theme. If I had known, I could have coordinated the ribbons.”

“A last-minute decision,” Tessa said.

Tessa’s mother scanned the room, noting her other daughters huddled together, then zeroed in on Tessa. “What’s going on here?”

Tessa cringed. She opened her mouth to speak, but Leo’s father stepped up. “Leonides, what is the meaning of this?”