Nothing—and yet somehow everything—had changed.?
I skulked out of my office but threw my shoulders back and slapped on a fake smile when Eunice caught my eye from across the room. A slight frown settled on her face, almost like she could read between the lines of my body language and knew something was wrong. Charlie pulled a chair out for me.?
“I thought I’d see my son here tonight.” Eunice planted a kiss on my cheek as I sank down in the chair next to her. My brother shot me a sympathetic smile and pulled out another chair for Sutton, who was following behind me to join us.?
“I think he’s on his way.” I lifted my arm to check my watch. “He must have gotten caught up at the office with Vance.”?
“I meant Leland.” Eunice gestured to the stage. “I thought I’d get to say goodbye.”?
“You and me both, Eunice,” I retorted.
We made pleasant talk with one another and folks that had stopped by the table to say hello and to inquire on the whereabouts of Savannah’s favorite country singer. Every time someone asked me how the wedding plans were going, I felt like I was going to throw up.?
Sutton, not helping the situation as usual, kept topping off my champagne.?
“Stop watching the door,” Charlie finally said, an icy tone lacing his voice. “He’s not coming.”?
“Who, exactly, isn’t coming?” Sutton slurred, then hiccuped. “Looks like she’s getting stood up bybothWilder men.”
I rolled my eyes. Eunice politely excused herself, flitting over to hold court at the table full of Daughters of Savannah Civic Society. She looked over her shoulder, brow twisting with concern, and a worried expression settled on her face.?
“You’re an ass, Sutton,” Charlie spat when Eunice was out of earshot. “She feels bad enough. It’s written all over her face. Look at her. She looks positively bedraggled.”?
Great, Charlie was drunk, too.
Ryan finished serenading the room, and I took the opportunity to slide into my office to find some peace. I checked the clock, and it was rounding toward midnight and a new year.?
The year I was going to become Mrs. Dane Wilder.?
My stomach flipped in that familiar, nerve-wracking way, and my heart dropped.?
What was I doing?
Was this going to be my life now? Perpetually torn between two worlds—one where I waited for Dane to emerge from his law office, only joining me for special occasions, or the other, where I’d always be watching, waiting, forever gazing at that door, hoping it was Lee that walked through it.?
This was the reality of it all now, though. I had made my choice, and it was time to live with it, no matter how much my heart was shattering into a thousand tiny pieces.?
“Five minutes until the countdown!” one of the new bartenders called out. “Y’all come up and get your glasses filled!”?
I stepped out of my office and leaned against the doorframe, watching the bar erupt in excitement as the crowd gathered together to start the countdown. The buzz of anticipation, the eagerness in the room, only strengthened the weight I felt on my shoulders. Loneliness crept into my bones, and I felt a heavy sadness as I took in the scene.
But yet, as the clock ticked closer to midnight, a flicker of hope sparked within me. Despite the weight of my solitude, there was the promise of new beginnings and the chance for a fresh start in the coming year.
On the surface, I had everything I wanted. The bar was packed, andmoney was coming in. I toyed with the huge ring on my finger, remembering that I’d soon be marrying into a family that loved me. I had the greatest, most supportive friends in the world.?
And that was enough for me to be happy, wasn’t it?
The crowd began to swell, energy bubbling through the room. I felt a knot of anxiety tightening in my chest, a gripping, sudden panic where there was once a spark of belief that maybe Ididhave it all.?
Charlie and Sutton sauntered toward me, holding each other up and smiling ear-to-ear, like one should be doing when the promise of new beginnings was on the horizon and you were surrounded by everyone you love.?
That ball dropping and the finality of it all, that this year, full of laughter, love, tears, and reverie with someone I cared about so much was coming to an end. And it was over. For good this time.?
And somehow, that single realization completely overshadowed any trace of faith I had in this new chapter.
“Will y’all excuse me for just a second? I forgot to feed the cat.” I shot Sutton a look, silently begging her not to follow me, before bounding up the stairs to my apartment.?
I collapsed to my knees in the kitchen, a raw sob escaping me as I tried to stifle the sound. Downstairs, the countdown to the New Year had begun, their voices brimming with anticipation and excitement, completely unaware of the breakdown unfolding above.
