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I dropped my bouquet on the coffee table and started to search the room, begi
“We’ve always done weights,” Qui
She walked to the window facing the front of the church and pushed the drapes aside to glance out. Then she placed her own flowers aside, whipped her phone from her tiny purse, and quickly sent a text.
“I don’t see a makeup bag,” I told her, checking the couch cushions and the chair. “Are you sure she left it in here?”
Qui
“Qui
She looked at me, startled, like she’d forgotten I was there. Then someone knocked on the door and A
“Did you find your mom’s purse?” she asked.
“It’s not her purse,” Qui
“No. It was her purse,” A
“Okay. What is going on?” I demanded.
“Nothing!” Qui
She grabbed her flowers, pulled A
“But he’s not there yet!” she hissed.
“Well, you were supposed to talk to him, not me,” Qui
“I don’t know! He’s not answering my texts!” A
I had no clue what they were talking about, but a foreboding chill went down my spine and I felt goose bumps pop up along my arms. I opened the door. They both went silent and stood up straight.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Nothing,” A
“Nothing,” Qui
“Good. Then I’m leaving,” I told them.
I pushed right between them and headed back inside the church. The worship space was almost empty now, only the florist and her assistants ru
“Ally, wait!” A
“You can’t go out there yet!” Qui
“Why not?” I said suspiciously, quickening my pace. I glanced over my shoulder at them and they were both gu
“Nothing. There’s not something out there that you are supposed to see,” Qui
Even A
A
“Where is he?” Qui
“Where’s who?” I asked, throwing my hands up and letting them slap down at my sides. Petals showered from my bouquet. “My dad? Because in case you haven’t noticed, it’s too late for him to swoop in and stop the wedding.”
“No, not your dad,” Qui
“Wait,” A
Her brow crease flattened, replaced by a victorious kind of smile. I turned to look where she was looking. An Escalade edged forward in the traffic, revealing an army green Jeep parked across the street. And leaning back against the Jeep, his legs crossed at the ankle, his hands pushed casually into the pockets of his suit pants, was Jake Graydon. He looked breath-stoppingly gorgeous in a slim-cut suit and light blue striped tie, his hair gelled up a little bit in front.
Jake smiled slowly. I didn’t know what to do with myself. I felt this weird, tingling mix of excitement and apprehension, of hesitation and pure giddiness. I laughed, I couldn’t help it, and Jake pushed himself off the car, crossing the street to meet me at the bottom of the steps. A
“Hey,” he said.
“It’s Sixteen Candles,” I blurted.
Jake nodded. “A
I glanced over my shoulder, but A
“Ally, listen.” Jake paused and looked down at my flowers. For a second I thought he was going to take my hand, but he changed his mind. “I’ve been a total jerk,” he said, gazing into my eyes imploringly. “You tried to tell me, but I wouldn’t listen. It was like I didn’t … almost like I didn’t want to let it go. I just wanted to be mad at Chloe. I wanted someone to, like, hate for everything that had happened. I don’t know.”
He rubbed his brow with his hands, like making this speech hurt his brain.
“But you were right,” he continued after a moment. “And I only realized it after I told Chloe I was sorry. I just felt better, you know? And then I felt like an ass again, because you knew. You knew that it would work that way and I didn’t listen.”
I stared at him, my heart welling with something that felt like pride. Then he ducked his face and shook his head.
“This sounded a lot better in my mind,” he told me.
“You’re doing okay,” I encouraged him.
“Really?” he asked. “Because I wouldn’t blame you if you never wanted to talk to me again. But I … I just wanted you to know that you were perfect. You were amazing, actually. And I know I didn’t appreciate it. I treated you like crap.”
I swallowed hard. Part of me wanted to argue, but I couldn’t. Because in a lot of ways it was true.
“I almost didn’t come here because, I mean, how many chances am I go
My heart pounded in my chest. I looked carefully into his eyes. This was the Jake I knew. The Jake I loved. But how was I supposed to know that he wouldn’t change again? That the guy who’d tortured Chloe and seemed to take so much pleasure in it wouldn’t suddenly come back? I vividly remembered that darkness that would come over his face whenever he saw her. The memory of that transformation still made me shudder.
“Jake—”
“Oh. Shit,” he said, just hearing my tone. He started to turn away. “I’m such an idiot.”
“No! I mean, don’t go … yet.” I closed my eyes, trying to figure out how I felt, what to say. “I just … I can’t do this right now. I’m supposed to be at the country club already. My mom …”
“So blow it off,” he said with a tentative smile. “Like in the movie.”
In that moment he looked so vulnerable, so open, it made me want to just take him up on the offer. Go somewhere and be alone with him and cuddle and kiss and talk and kiss some more. But I couldn’t. I didn’t entirely trust him. And not only that, I’d made a promise to myself that this day was not going to be about me.