As soon as Dean and Max arrive, the father of the bride rips into me: “This is outrageous, and I won’t tolerate a woman with a vendetta messing with my daughter’s head in a pathetic effort to win the groom for herself.” He points a finger in my face as if he’s scolding me. “You are going to go out there and tell these guests exactly what’s going on or I’ll—”

“Or you’ll what?” I say, my voice rising to match the boiling of my blood. “I don’t know your daughter. I don’t even know the groom, for that matter. But I know what I heard and—”

“Stop it, you two,” Lina says, her voice laced with exasperation. “This isn’t helping the situation.” She turns to Ella’s father. “Jim, this woman is my cousin, and I can assure you that whatever you’re thinking, it’s way off base.”

“Let me speak to Solange,” Dean says. “Alone.”

His commanding tone surprises everyone, all of our heads swiveling in his direction as if he’s mentally brought us to heel. Gone is the friendly voice that snagged my attention in the hallway upstairs. He must be devastated. If I were in his shoes, I’d be inconsolable. To get to the stage of wanting to share the rest of your life with someone, only to discover they’re not as committed to the relationship as you are? That’s a soul-crushing blow he may never fully recover from.

Lina looks between us and nods. “Fine. Let’s give them a minute.”

Dean and I remain in place. Everyone else shuffles out of the room. Everyone except good ol’ Jimbo, that is. Instead of leaving quietly like the others, Ella’s dad storms out, barking into his cell phone to complete the picture of a pissed-off father of the bride.

When the door clicks shut, I exhale deeply. “I’m sorry, Dean. I know what I heard, and I thought you should know.”

He gazes at me, his expression wary. “What did you hear? And when did you hear it? Before or after we met in the hallway?”