“In the side pocket of my duffle.” He sat up and stretched out his leg, massaged the weary muscles.
Seconds later, Jared handed him a pill bottle.
Janie produced a bottle of water from somewhere and gave it to him.
He gauged the expression in her face. Sympathy, not pity. Good—he didn’t want pity, couldn’t handle more of it. “Thank you.”
“Need anything else before I go to my room?” The circles under her eyes darkened with each passing hour. She needed rest as badly as he did.
“No.”
She draped her garment bag over her arm and wrapped her fist around the handle of her suitcase. “I’ll see you guys in the morning.”
After she left, Jared stared at him.
“Not a word.” Evan scowled at him, cutting off any comments about his leg. “I’ll be fine in the morning.”
“If you say so.” Jared shrugged and tossed his bags on the second bed. “I’m jumping in the shower. Holler if you need anything.”
Before he went to the bathroom, Jared moved Evan’s bags next to the bed.
Evan stared at them, knowing he still had to brush his teeth and change, but nothing could convince him to leave the bed.Missing one night won’t hurt my teeth. He stretched his arms upward and pulled off his sweatshirt. Tonight, he’d sleep in jeans and a t-shirt.
Using his arms, he scooted his body backward until he could lay straight back and have his head hit the pillow. He closed his eyes and let the medicine kick in, finally drifting off free of pain.
Chapter Three
Contrary to what Janie had anticipated, the wedding soothed her harried soul. Watching Wyatt and Meg—then Kelly, Meg’s sister, and her now husband, Kyle—exchange vows in a dual ceremony reaffirmed her belief in life and love. She watched the ceremony unfold without pangs of jealousy, but a profound gratitude for the time she’d had with Mike.
Because of the double wedding, the brides and grooms had decided not to have best men and bridesmaids in the traditional sense, but those closest to them had reserved seats of honor at the reception. She, Evan, and Jared were to be seated at a round table closest to Wyatt and Meg’s table, but she didn’t know who their companions would be.
Their limousine entered the circle driveway of a historic mansion at which the reception would take place. Four imposing columns stood two stories high in a stately fashion in front of the brick, three-story home. A balcony jutted from the third floor above the columns. Lanterns hung from the porch awning with flickering candles that would glow against the night within an hour.
She couldn’t wait to see the inside. Her and Mike’s wedding had been a simple affair with a reception in their church’s fellowship hall—it had been all their families could afford at the time. Even if she could, she wouldn’t go back and change a thing. Their day had been perfect as it was, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate the grandeur of Wyatt and Meg’s.
When the luxury car came to a stop, no one moved until the chauffeur opened the door. Sandwiched between Evan and Jared on the far side of the U-shaped seat, they were the last of the party to exit. Once she stood on two feet, she brushed her dress with a hand, smoothing the newly formed creases. Jared struck up a conversation with Wyatt’s brother, Noah, as they walked inside, leaving her alone with Evan.
They walked side by side, and Evan cupped her elbow to assist her up the seven steps of the slate porch. Large double doors opened to a marble tile foyer. Soft, even strains of a string quartet drifted down the hallway creating a romantic atmosphere.
Evan leaned over and whispered, “Wyatt and Meg wanted a smaller event, but since this was their second time down the aisle together and only cared about being reunited, they gave Kelly the reception of her dreams.”
“It’s gorgeous.” Her eyes couldn’t move quickly enough to take in all the details.
The hallway, and then the ballroom, had been transformed into a blaze of fall-colored glory. Flower arrangements and hanging baskets were strategically placed to make guests feel as if they walked under a canopy of autumnal trees.
Each table had a centerpiece of scarlet roses, golden sunflowers, and copper chrysanthemums. Crackled glass votive holders surrounded the arrangements. Bronze napkins lay on top of each plate setting, artistically folded into the shape of a leaf.
Guests who hadn’t been involved in official pictures already filled the vast ballroom. Many had found their assigned table and hovered near them, but a handful milled about, chatting with friends and family, catching up on the latest family gossip.
Janie didn’t see anyone she knew well enough to make comfortable conversation with, except Evan and Jared. Over the last several days, she’d met a large portion of these people, but few that she could name beyond Wyatt’s immediate family. Then there were the well-wishers who knew her backstory and felt the need to comment on the crash and Mike’s death.
She forced herself to be gracious, while wishing they wouldn’t say anything. She knew they had the best of intentions. But she, Jared, and Evan were here for Wyatt’s wedding and to celebrate his big day. For these few days, she wanted her identity to be Janie, Wyatt’s friend—not Janie, Mike’s widow.
Evan must have sensed her apprehension of being approached again. His hand still cradled her elbow and offered himself as a shield to the unknown wave of guests. “Ready to sit?”
“Yes. Please.”
They found their names at the first table they checked—it was an easy guess since Wyatt had told them they’d be near him—and relief breathed through her when she saw they’d sit with Wyatt’s siblings and parents. She hadn’t spotted them in the ballroom yet, but wasn’t nervous about sharing the evening with them. When Wyatt had first returned from that deployment, his parents had come to Jacksonville, and she’d gotten to know and like them. They also understood the need to not mention the past at every turn, for which she was extremely grateful.
