I’d kept secrets and lied because I’d been too much of a coward to tell the truth. It made me feel like the worst person ever. I closed my eyes for a moment, bracing myself to step outside only to find out that Callum was gone.
The soft creak of the door made my eyes fly open again and I inhaled deeply, pasting on yet another smile and spinning around, expecting to find either Laney or Sadie behind me, but it wasn’t either of them.
It was Callum. His blue eyes were wide as he took me in from head to toe. My heart lurched, skipping and stumbling over itself.He’s still here. And he’s in a tux!
Everything else, the guilt, the fear, and even the doubt vanished for a heartbeat and I realized that I had been waiting for this. Waiting for him to show up. To behere.
His gaze held mine, unwavering, and in that one look, I felt a surge of hope. Maybe, just maybe,thiswas the sign. Maybe this was the start of the life we were about to begin. Together. We just had to get through one more conversation first.
CHAPTER 45
CALLUM
Maisie turned at the sound of the door opening, her eyes shining with tears. When I saw her, I forgot how to breathe.
She’s stunning.
It wasn’t only because of the gown, though it fit her like something out of a dream, and it also wasn’t because of her makeup, a little heavier than usual but still natural enough that she looked like her.
It was simply because this was Maisie, the woman who had rewired my brain with her smiles and made me want to remake my life. A woman I had barely seen much of for the last few days, and not at all for at least two of them.
Her lips parted and her eyelashes fluttered like she wasn’t sure I was really here. Her voice was shaky and quiet when she spoke. “You’re not supposed to see me in my dress before the ceremony.”
“The rules are different in Scotland,” I said, closing the door behind me before my mother realized I was in here. On instinct, my hand found the lock, the quiet click of it snicking into place echoing through the room. “The bride isn’t supposed to see thegroom in his kilt before the ceremony. And I’m wearing pants, so we’re good.”
She blinked at me for another moment, but then she averted her gaze. Her fingers trembled as she reached up toward her hair and started tugging at a diamond-studded pin.
“You’re calling it off,” she said, her voice shaking even more now. “I understand. I’m sorry it had to happen this way, Callum.”
The first pin slid free and another followed, her movements jerky. She dropped them on the windowsill beside her. “For what it’s worth?—”
“Maisie. I haven?—”
She shook her head, another pin sliding between her fingers. “It’s fine. I knew it was too good to be true. I shouldn’t have kept it from you.”
In three long strides, I’d crossed the room and I caught her hands, holding them tight before she could undo another piece of her hair. “Maisie, stop.”
Her eyes finally met mine, glassy with tears and filled with absolute pain and devastation. Something sharp cracked open in my chest as I stared into them. “I’m not calling it off. I came here to apologize, not to tell you that I’m not going through with it.”
She went completely still, only moving to tilt her head so she could look directly into my eyes. Behind her, on the other side of the window, the storm was picking up, sheets of heavy rain driving hard against the glass.
The noise meant it was unlikely anyone would hear me in here with her. I desperately needed this time with her, regardless of how pissed my mom would be if she found out I’d seen Maisie’s dress. She wouldn’t buy my theory on Scottish wedding traditions.
“You haven’t called it off?” Maisie asked, her voice way too small for my liking. “Does that mean the wedding is still happening?”
“Unless you called it off,” I said evenly, not letting go of her hands. “Since you’re standing in front of me instead of being on your way to the airport, and you’re definitely wearing a wedding gown, I’m going to assume you haven’t done that?”
“No.”
“Okay,” I said. “Neither have I. I’m glad we got that out of the way.”
She inclined her chin, not really giving me a nod but at least letting me know that she was listening. “What are we going to do, Callum?”
“I’m hoping we can work that out. Before we go down there and vow to spend the rest of our lives together.”
“Are you sure you still want that?”
I nodded without hesitation. “You are pretty much the only thing I’m sure of right now, Mais. I don’t know how to do this. To be in a relationship and to work through stuff. I don’t know how I’m supposed to make it right when I don’t know what you need from me right now, but I’m here, and all I know is that I have to try. Keep trying.”
