Page 23 of Wish For Me

“I’ll get these ladders put away,” I tell Alex. “Meet you at the corn dog stand?”

She wrinkles her nose. “That doesnotsound good to me.”

“Really? You love theme park food.”

“I don’t know, that sounds gross right now. The donuts smell pretty amazing, though.”

“Donuts it is then.”

I take the two ladders back over to the shed while she goes to get in line. By the time I get back to the lit area, it’s filled with people. Most of them are related to us, but Bodhi has family here, too, as well as a few friends of the couple, teachers from Bodhi’s school, and colleagues from Everly’s show and the fashion label. I have to look through the crowd before I find Alex and when I do, my stomach tightens a little.

She’s standing with her parents.

And just as I expected, Levi’s face hardens when he sees me coming.

It’s not like he scowls at me or anything. I don’t think most people would even notice. But I’ve seen that look on his face way too many times to miss it.

“You look tired,” Karen is saying when I approach, tucking a lock of hair behind her daughter’s ear.

Alex makes a face. “Telling someone they look tired is the equivalent of saying they look like shit.”

“If the shoe fits, babe.”

Alex laughs. “Thanks, Mom.”

“Don’t you listen to your mother,” Levi says. “She’s just grumpy because she saw one of her Christmas presents in the closet and I wouldn’t let her open it.”

“It’s not fair!” Alex’s mom says. “You know how I feel about presents. You put it there to taunt me.”

Levi rolls his eyes at his daughter. “You see what I put up with?”

Since Levi seems to be doing his best to pretend he can’t see me, I turn to my mother-in-law. “Doesn’t this party look amazing?”

“It really, really does,” Karen says, gazing around at the carnival. “I think Everly has cried three times since we got here.”

“And Bodhi’s cried twice,” I add, making her laugh. I lean down to kiss her cheek in greeting, since they just got in this afternoon while I was helping to set up. At least Karen seems happy to see me.

“This is impressive, Allie,” Levi says, looking around.

“It better be. I’ve been working my ass off to get it right.”

“And working on the dress,” her mom says. “No wonder you look tired.”

Alex glances up at me. “Remind me to invest in some better under-eye concealer.”

“Or you could just take it easy and get some rest,” I offer.

“If she was at our house we’d make sure she was resting,” Levi mutters.

And there it is. The basis of all the tension between us. It seems like no matter what I do, this man is never going to think I’m good enough for his daughter.

I can’t even blame him. I fully realize that I am batting way outside my league when it comes to Alex. I have no idea how I managed to get someone as amazing and gorgeous and talented and funny as her to fall in love with me.

But she did. And I would do anything for her—literally anything to make her happy. It’s starting to get really damn annoying that he refuses to acknowledge that.

I’d thought he’d gotten over it. After we got engaged, he seemed more and more relaxed around me. I might have even thought you could call us friends again, or at least getting close. But a year or so ago he apparently decided that he’s back on the Wyatt Sucks train. I have no idea what I did—besides marry his daughter—but he clearly would rather I just went away.

“Dad,” Alex says, her voice tight. But then she pales slightly and sways in front of me. My hands are gripping her sides before I even think to move.