“Katie Bloom, what are you doing here?” I walk the short distance to her, joining the petite blonde woman at her table. She had several qualities that reminded me of Hadley, which is probably why I assumed I could have Katie if I couldn’t have Hadley back in college.
“It’s Katie Williams now. My husband,” she points to the man standing front and center of the makeshift aisle, “is officiating the wedding.”
“So, you did end up marrying a pastor.” I chuckle, recalling the beginning of our friendship when she told me she wanted to be a pastor’s wife. I had momentarily forgotten she was from Virginia.
“I always knew it was my calling.” Katie laughs along with me. “Greg and I actually met the summer after you and I broke up. God’s timing is perfect.”
“That it is,” I muse, thinking of how Hadley and I finally came together. I don’t know why we had to wait so long, other than we both needed time to figure things out for ourselves. But will she say yes to my proposal?
“Who are you here with?” Katie’s question pulls me from my thoughts.
I point to the breathtaking woman who is giggling beside another one of the bridesmaids. It amazes me how quickly Hadley finds a friend. “Hadley Dawson. She’s Mary Anne’s maid of honor.”
“Ah, the girl you used to always talk about in college.” A knowing look crosses Katie’s features. “After we broke up, I had my suspicions about her being the reason.”
“She wasn’t the reason, Kat. You know that,” I say, using her nickname from college. “It was a mutual thing, right?”
She sighs heavily before looking away. “Yes, it was. But mostly because I had my suspicions about the female best friend you never brought around.” She cuts her eyes back towards me, a sly smile playing on her lips.
“Wait. You thought I was making her up?”
“You never showed me any pictures or introduced us to each other. You’d walk away anytime she called.” Katie shrugs, and I burst out laughing. A little too loud as people around us throw dirty looks our way. Hadley, as if in tune to my laugh from halfway across the ballroom, looks at me.
Then looks at Katie.
I can’t see Hadley’s eyes right now, but if I could, I would bet a million dollars that they are burning with the hot fires of hell. She excuses herself from her female companion and walks with determined purpose towards me and my current female companion.
“Brace yourself, Kat,” I whisper out of the corner of my mouth. She gives a slight nod before placing her hand on the table with her wedding ring angled up. Smart woman.
Hadley arrives at the table in record time for a woman wearing four inch heels. She sidles up next to me, draping an arm across my shoulder.
“Hey,McSteamy,” she whispers into my ear, though loud enough for Katie to hear.
“Not happening either.” I laugh and wrap an arm around her waist, loving the slight contact with skin on her back. “Hadley, this is Katie Williams. Katie, Hadley Dawson, my girlfriend.”
“Ah, Katie from college,” Hadley says, reaching out her non-injured hand to Katie. They shake hands politely, though Hadley’s eyes remain intensely focused on Katie. I stifle a laugh. Feisty Hadley is a force to be reckoned with. Not that I don’t mind the attention it’s earning me one bit. But I never was the kind of guy to use another woman to make someone jealous. And that isn’t starting now.
“Katie is married to the pastor officiating the wedding.” Hadley physically relaxes against me and a genuine smile replaces the fake one she had plastered on.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Hadley politely says.
“Likewise,” Katie replies. “I heard so much about you in college. But I have to be honest, Braxton here never brought you around so I thought he was making you up.” Hadley laughs, but then it dwindles out.
“You guys dated your last semester, huh, Brax?” I don’t know why Hadley wants to talk about this, but I answer with a nod. She continues, “That’s right. I was just entering my first semester at that time.”
Hadley almost looks like she could vomit at any moment.
“Hads, you okay?” I ask. She shakes her head before jetting off in her high heels towards the restroom.
“I better go check on her,” I tell Katie.
“Let me. You can’t go into the woman’s bathroom.” Valid point.
We make our way to the restrooms and Katie slips in after Hadley. I can’t tell if she is throwing up or not because of the noise in the ballroom, but I pray to God that she’s okay.
I make myself useful and grab a glass of water for Hadley.
“It’stoolateforthat bug to be catching up with you now,” I say as I press a cold rag to Hadley’s forehead. I’m sitting on the couch in her room as her head rests in my lap and the rest of her body splays across the length of the sofa. We’re both still dressed to the nines in our wedding rehearsal outfits. When Katie emerged from the bathroom, barely holding Hadley up around the waist, I knew she wasn’t okay. I informed David and Mary Anne that Hadley had taken ill. Then I carried her up to the room.
