“Thank you,” I said.
“Taylor says she’s got you fostering a litter of puppies?” her mom asked.
“She does, and they’re quite a handful,” I told her with a laugh.
“Which is why I’ve been spending plenty of time helping you with them,” Taylor said, speaking for the first time since she’d introduced me to her parents.
“Well, it’s great to see you, Phoebe. I’m so glad you came with Taylor tonight.” Debbie glanced between us, and if I wasn’t mistaken, she seemed to put two and two together, perhaps alerted by the awkward way Taylor was acting. The two of them had always been close, or at least they had when Taylor was younger, and I assumed they still were.
“It’s great to see you too,” I told her.
We chatted for a few more minutes, and then everyone began making their way over to the rows of white chairs that faced the gazebo in front of the lake. It was a beautiful backdrop. Steven wore a gray suit with a red rose pinned over the breast pocket, looking appropriately misty-eyed as the big moment approached.
Taylor and I sat with her family, having been joined by her sister Kelly, her brother Luke, and their spouses. They all greeted me warmly, which was great, but the longer I sat here, the more this started to feel like high school, when Taylor and I had hidden our relationship behind the mask of our friendship. It had been necessary then, since I was still in the closet, but now it just felt awkward. I wanted to hold her hand, and I wanted to dance with her after the ceremony.
Kelly asked me questions about Boston while we waited for the ceremony to start. She and her husband were visiting the city for a mini-vacation next month and wanted all my suggestions for what to see and do while they were in town. I had plenty of them, sharing recommendations until music began to play behind us, alerting us to the start of the ceremony.
I turned in my seat to see the bride in a simple white dress, carrying a bouquet of brightly colored flowers. A ripple of excitement passed through the crowd, murmurs and whispers about how beautiful she looked. But when I looked at Taylor, I was surprised to find her watching me instead of the bride.
28
Taylor
Phoebe was so beautiful tonight, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. As we made our way to the bar after the ceremony, I found myself watching the way the afternoon sun glinted in her hair and how perfectly the green of her dress complemented her complexion. That dress…
It fell to her knees, hugging her figure just enough to make my throat dry without being overtly sexy. The neckline plunged in the front, causing me to fantasize about what kind of bra—if any—she might be wearing underneath. I was definitely going to find out when we got home, which would hopefully be soon.
I didn’t plan to stay at the reception very long. It was torture having her here without telling everyone I knew that this was the woman I loved, the only woman I’deverloved. And what was the point, when she was about to leave town?
“What do you want to drink?” I asked her as we reached the front of the line. I saw a big bowl of some kind of punch, along with a selection of wine and beer.
“Champagne punch?” the bartender asked.
“Yes, please,” Phoebe said, extending a hand.
He handed her a glass of pink punch before turning to me.
“The same,” I told him. I rarely drank wine, and champagne even less often, but it felt appropriate at a wedding.
We took our glasses and made our way across the grass toward my family, who had gathered at a table under the picnic shelter. Phoebe seemed at ease with them. Her smile looked genuine, and her shoulders were relaxed. I’d made things between us awkward earlier, but I didn’t know how else to act. I didn’t know how to protect my heart against her imminent departure, not when she looked at me like I was the only woman in the world and talked about simple weddings here in Vermont.
What was I supposed to think? And how was I supposed to let her go?
I didn’t know the answer to either question. Instead, we sat and ate with my family. By the time the cake was cut, strands of lights overhead had been lit against the growing dusk and music began to play through the park, inviting us to dance. It was probably time for Phoebe and me to leave before the evening got any more complicated.
“I’ll be right back,” Phoebe said, brushing a hand against my waist before she headed in the direction of the bathrooms.
I made my way toward the bar to get some water, bumping into my mom on the way.
“Is it my imagination, or are you and Phoebe more than friends?” she asked as she fell into step beside me.
“Um.” I gave her a look, partly annoyed that she’d noticed what I’d been too afraid to tell her, but mostly relieved that she’d called me on it. “Yeah, we are.”
Mom beamed at me. “I thought I saw something between you tonight, and then I got to thinking about how close you were the summer after you came out. It didn’t click for me then, but looking back…am I wrong?”
“You’re not wrong,” I told her.
She looked thoughtful for a moment. “Now I can’t believe I missed it. You two were high school sweethearts? Why didn’t you ever tell me?”
