There was a good explanation for this. I’d hear Tyler out, marry him, and then murder him. In that order. I was nearly to the house now, my mom’s flushed face in my view. At this point, all emotion fled. I was numb to everything, my body kicking into survival mode.
Walking up the stairs, the lace from my dress got caught under my shoe. My shaking fingers were grateful for something to do when I lifted the front of my dress like a princess walking up the stairs.
I couldn’t bring myself to ask my mom what was wrong and was about to push past her when she stopped me, taking my left hand in hers.
Willing myself not to cry, I stared straight ahead at the screen door on the porch.
“He wants to talk to you.” Mom’s voice, usually sunny and optimistic, was none of those things.
I nodded numbly and moved past her.
“I’ll be waiting right out here, Tess.” My hand felt a light squeeze before she let me go.
Tyler was sitting on the couch when I opened the screen door and stepped inside. He was leaning forward, elbows on his knees, face in his hands, staring at the floor. When the door closed, he looked up at me.
I knew right then that there would not be a wedding. That was not the body language of a happy groom skipping to the altar.
But the heart wants what it wants. And currently, mine wanted a husband. It wanted to walk down the aisle to the wedding march, waving happily at my friends and family. It wanted to make itself sick on cake. It wanted to dance and kiss and gaze happily into Tyler’s blue eyes. It wanted Kelsey’s bridesmaid speech. A romantic night in a fancy hotel room. It didn’t want to go outside and tell the group of people who had taken the day off of work, flown in from other states, and spent the past two days helping to decorate and set up the orchard that it was all for naught.
“What’s going on?” Though I had many thundering emotions warring in my head, my voice came out quiet. Skittish.
Tyler put his face in his hands and looked down at the floor again. He didn’t move for a long moment, while what felt like a thousand flying daggers buried themselves into my heart. Finally, he looked up at me.
“I can’t do this.”
I looked at his face, pain etched all the way from his eyes to the tautness of his mouth, and wondered when I was going to wake up from this nightmare. Things like this didn’t happen to real people. It was for the movies. He had once loved me enough to think he could do this. He loved me enough to invite his closest family and friends to our wedding. His old college buddies were groomsmen. So why was he sitting on a couch, alone, instead of holding my hand in front of the preacher?
“What do you mean? It’s our wedding day, Tyler.” Maybe he needed a reminder.
“I know. And I’m sorry. I thought I could, but…” His voice broke off as he swallowed.
“Everybody we know is outside. What are you doing? You were fine at the rehearsal yesterday. What happened today?”
He sighed, putting his face back down in his hands. He didn’t even have the decency to look me in the eyes. And then his soft voice intruded into my thoughts, changing everything.
“I’m in love with somebody else. I’m so sorry, Tessa. I…thought I could get over it. But I can’t. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I didn’t mean for this to happen. I do love you, Tessa, but…I can’t marry you.”
His voice was muffled from his hands while I stood there in numbed silence. The only sound was the fan oscillating in the corner of the room, blowing at the skirt of my dress. A fly buzzed around my face. My limbs were stiff. Shock clung to every corner of my body.
“You were cheating on me?”
Silence.
“Tyler.”
“Yes. I’m sorry. It just happened.”
“It just happened,” I repeated his words. “Nothingjusthappens. Things happen because you allow them to happen.”
“We worked on a few houses together at work. We didn’t mean for it to happen.”
I tensed. “At work?” I knew most of the people in his office. “Who is it?”
He hesitated before saying, “Camille.”
I sucked in a breath. Camille was my favorite at his office. Brunette and beautiful, she always had a friendly smile. She’d go out of her way to chat with me.Camille? A normal person might have been worried about Tyler working with her. She was striking, but her natural, friendly way put everyone at ease. She would always refer to us as a couple. When she was annoyed with Tyler over something work related and was relaying the story to me, she would always refer to him as ‘your dang fiancé.’ Camille? Really?
It felt like a sucker punch right in the gut. And to make matters worse, Camille was out there right now, watching this all play out. Was she happy? Joyful? Embarrassed? Excited to finally get her man?
