“What happened?” JP asks, leaning back in his chair. His burger half eaten and a tender hand rubbing Audrey’s shoulder.
“Her jacket got stuck on the door handle at the coffee shop and she ran into me, spilling my iced coffee all over her,” he answers, and Audrey laughs.
“You ran into me!” I playfully protest.
“Did not!” he laughs out his argument.
“You should not tailgate someone out of a coffee shop,” I argue.
“You shouldn’t be so aggressive with a door,” he teases back.
I can feel JP’s gaze on me as he watches the interaction.
“Anyway, he offered to buy me a new coat. He did. And—”
“The rest is history,” Donavan finishes for me. The memory of that first day sweeps through my mind. He charmed the pants right off of me. I never stopped to question any of it.
“So what’s the plan for the wedding?”
“Next summer. Probably something small,” I answer, dipping a chip in queso.
“Or...” Donavan adds with emphasis. “We’ll get married at Saint Clement, and it will be the wedding of the season.”
I force a smile. “Maybe.”
“Oh, wow, that church is beautiful.” Audrey’s voice is filled with whimsy. “I always wanted a big wedding. I’m jealous.”
My gut sinks. I never wanted a big wedding. I know this. JP knows this. Even Donavan knows this, but he’s determined to fulfill his mother’s wish to get married in Saint Clement. A large wedding filled with tradition and ritual. A dress fit for the bridal magazines of the 90s. A huge wedding party. Expensive champagne and a menu that includes items no one can pronounce.
I’m getting the wedding Audrey wanted.
“Well, we’ll see. We have a long year to plan,” I say, then I want to eat my insensitive words. Audrey and JP thought they’d have the same. What a load of unfortunate shit they were dealt.
“Do you guys want kids?” JP asks. I pretend his jaw isn’t tight.
“Donavan has a son. We’ll see about kids for us in the future,” I answer plainly.
Donavan tucks my hair behind my ear. “She’s already such an amazing mom to my Grayson. I can’t wait for her to be able to be a full-time mom with ours.”
I smile and swallow uncomfortably.
“You’ll give up your practice to stay home?” JP asks. He’s gentle in his tone, but I see the confusion in his eyes.
“We’ll see,” I answer again, burying my face in my burger, ready to be out of the hot seat.
Audrey hums as she continues to push food around her plate. She looks increasingly tired. I feel a little guilty for this whole evening.
An incredibly awkward silence fills the space between us at this table.
“Well, this was great, but we should probably get going,” I say, exhaling unnecessarily loud.
“Right,” JP says. His Adam’s apple disappears in his throat and appears again. There’s something bothering him. I don’t dare ask what.
Instead, we clear the table and head back to the city.
“AUDREY IS LOVELY. SHElooks great considering everything,” Donavan says when we arrive home.
I throw off my shoes and collapse on the couch. “Yeah,” I say, but I don’t actually agree. She looked tired. She looked like she was trying so hard to keep it together for the sake of my fiancé when I knew she’d much rather be lying in bed, rewatching Gilmore Girls.
