Nor can I fly out of the window.
There aren’t any other options!
Then, in one terrifyingly smooth movement, Elijah shrugs out of his suit jacket and carefully drapes it over my shoulders like I hadn’t just threatened him with my fork two seconds ago. His voice is quiet. “It’ll be okay. We’ll walk out together. The wedding planner has to have a sewing kit for emergencies like this.”
Swallowing, I can’t resist looking at him. I hate how handsome he is while I’m struggling to not be a hot mess. I hate how gentle and sweet he sounds when all I want to do is hate him. I hate how natural it feels to pull his jacket tighter around my shoulders and melt into the breezy beach scent. I hate how it feels like no time has passed, and that there’s some invisible pull from deep within my body that wants to lean toward him for protection.
“I’m fine.” I stare straight ahead. “This whole day is cursed.” My chest tightens. Not just because I’m still struggling to hold up my dress but from the emotions spiraling through me. As much as I tell myself I hate Elijah, he’s been by my side all day. I want to roll my eyes. I want to scream. Instead, I slowly push back my chair, plotting my exit.
But then he says something senseless. “I’d still marry you.”
I blink hard. My pulse thunders in my ears, causing them to heat to new extremes. “What?”
His fingers fidget with his cuffs. “I don’t think either of us will ever make sense of it all. The more I think about it, nothing that happened was really our choice. Everything they said. Everything they pushed. I think if we sat down and rehashed everything we were told about each other, we’d find out we were set up.”
My brain scrambles to catch up with the truth crashing into me like a wave, while I wiggle and tug at my dress again.
Why is he saying this now?
And there he sits with the softest eyes I’ve ever seen. It isnothelping. In a final plea for help, I whisper, “Well, if you can get me out of here without causing a scene, I’ll let you talk for two minutes.”
With that, he offers his arm one more time. I hook mine through his, clutching my dress up with the other hand, and we quietly slip out the exit.
twelve
Elijah
I remember the fireflies had come out. Koren sat on the ground, barefoot, legs tucked under her.
“You’re really going,” I said, plopping down beside her with my favorite new sweatshirt in my hands. It was a Granite Ice one she’d bought for me a few days after we found out I was being signed. I draped it over her shoulders.
“I’m really going,” she echoed.
“I’m proud of you.”
“Yeah.” She paused. “Your parents seem proud of me too. Your mom sure has been calling me a lot.”
“They think it’s a ‘good opportunity.’”
“I hope they don’t think it’s their way of getting rid of me.”
“That could never happen,” I said immediately, turning to her. “We’re getting married tomorrow.”
She reached over and placed her hand on my arm. “You say that with such conviction now, but why didn’t you tell that tothe reporters? One of them literally asked if you were single, and you changed the subject.”
My throat narrowed so much I couldn’t even speak. How could I explain that I thought it was better to keep her out of the spotlight, at least for now? That was my biggest mistake.
That had been my chance to explain everything, and I choked.
She was gone the next day.
Now, I escort her out of the room, laughter echoing behind us. I swallow hard and vow to not choke again. Every chance I get, I glance at her, but her expression is unreadable.
I’ve got to hand it to the wedding couple for selecting such a breathtaking resort for a wedding reception. The beach stretches beyond the back of the property with white sand glowing almost iridescent under the setting sun. I couldn’t have planned a better setting to have this talk. We walk in silence as though hypnotized. When we get to the water’s edge, she drops to the sand, kicks off her shoes, and pushes her toes into the water.
I sit beside her, taking in the sound of the waves and her sweet scent wafting on the breeze. My stomach sinks as I relive all the memories with her so close to me. All I really want is to hold her. Rolling in my lips, I pause. I’ve had this conversation so many times in my head. Even with all that practice, I’ve never found a perfect way to begin. After several failed attempts, my mouth opening and closing many times, I finally manage, “I didn’t know.”
She busies herself fidgeting with my jacket sleeve. “What didn’t you know?”
