Hugo still loved her. And she couldn’t deny that she still had feelings for him. But what did that really mean? This wasn’t a situation where she could just follow her instincts and see what happened. Marigold had to face the painful, embarrassing truth: she’d never made good decisions on her own. She’d always relied on people to steer her in the right direction: herparents, Olivia, Natalie, and now Jonathan. Her heart had never led her down the right path—her heart didn’t know what was best for her. Everyone she loved and trusted believed Jonathan was the one she belonged with, the man who’d keep her safe and protected even as the world crumbled around her. What would they all say if she pulled out now? Who would ever trust her with anything again?
Over the PA system, she heard some kind of boarding announcement about her flight, but the airport noise made it sound distant and staticky.
Hugo reached for her hand. “What if I said…” He swallowed, closed his eyes for a second, then tried again. “What if I asked you to…” Then he shook his head and smiled ruefully. “Forget about it. I’m being ridiculous.”
“No, please. Ask me what?”
He squeezed her hand. “Nothing. I don’t need to make this any harder for you.” Then with a sigh, he dropped her hand and reached out to stroke her hair. “It wasn’t meant to be. This is the happy ending you deserve.”
“Flight 7319 to Portland is now boarding. We’ll begin with boarding group one. Will all passengers in boarding group one please make your way to gate twelve.”
“There’s time. Please, we can’t leave things like this.” Except Marigold wasn’t even sure she knew what she was asking him for.
“Go on.” Hugo nudged her shoulder. “It’s time. I wish you all the best, Mare. Truly.”
She pressed her lips together and nodded, knowing that if she opened her mouth, she’d only make things worse. With a final smile, she turned and headed back to the security checkpoint. And this time, she didn’t look back.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVENatalie
By noon, Natalie felt like she’d spent half her life in the bridal suite. They’d already ordered room service three times: breakfast, lunch, and a second lunch for Liesl, who explained that her body couldn’t process too much food at once and therefore had to eat numerous smaller meals throughout the day. She and Bri were also clearly pissed that Richie had gotten her makeup done first and then opted to go back to her room rather than hang out for the rest of the day. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s one of those woman who can’t have genuine relationships with other women. You know, who sees everyone else as competition,” Liesl had said with a sniff.
At this, Natalie had shot anis she serious?look at Olivia, but Olivia didn’t seem to notice. She’d spent all morning lost in her own world, frowning at her phone or staring into the distance, looking troubled. Almost as ifshewere the one whose entire reality had been shattered last night.
Natalie still couldn’t quite believe that Jonathan had had a crush on her. And that she’d been too dense and insecure to realize, let alone do anything about it. The regret she felt would be almost too much to bear if she didn’t keep reminding herself that Jonathan had never actually made a move. How strong could his feelings have been if he’d never acted on them?
This isn’t about you, Natalie reminded herself.That’s all in the past. Right now, you have to focus on being the best maid of honor you can be.
Except that while she was convinced Jonathan loved Marigold, was she as certain about Marigold’s feelings for Jonathan? Not telling him that she’d been married before was abigdeal. And yes, she was probably just trying to protect him, but would that be her MO going forward? Would they have a marriage built on deception?
“So we’re going to meet Marigold over at the venue?” the makeup artist, Crystal, asked as she cleaned her brushes.
“Yup! That’s the plan!” Natalie said, too cheerily. Was this what it felt like to go insane? She had that strange, disoriented feeling that casinos tried to create by removing all clocks and blocking all natural light so that gamblers would lose track of time, no longer knowing or caring whether it was day or night. She’d had three mimosas but didn’t feel drunk, just kind of detached and dizzy. She supposed she was in limbo, in a way. Natalie truly had no idea whether Marigold would actually arrive in time for the wedding, if her ridiculous plan would actually work, or if it’d all come crashing down around them.
“Then you’re next, Miss Maid of Honor.” Crystal smiled at Natalie and gestured at the chair next to her workstation. “What are you thinking?”
“Oh, you know…” Natalie said vaguely.Whatever will give me the best shot of hooking up with the most attractive single guest in a fruitless attempt to distract myself from the fact that I blew my chance with the only man I’ve ever truly loved.“Polished but natural, I guess.”
Hannah pulled a chair up next to Natalie’s. “I’ll keep you company!”
“You don’t need to do that,” Natalie said. “I’m happy to just zone out.”
“It’s no problem!” Hannah turned to Crystal, who’d started to apply taupe shadow to one of her brushes. “Could you do some contouring on her so her face doesn’t look so round?”
“I’m not trying to change my face shape,” Natalie said through gritted teeth.
“No, of course not. You’re so pretty! It’s just that all the other bridesmaids have more oval faces, which will make yours look a bit rounder by contrast when we’re all up there. And then you have to think of the photos. They’ll be great for your dating profile, won’t they?”
“I’ve never been on the apps,” Liesl chimed in. “But I totally get the appeal, for a certain type.”
“Like who?” Hannah asked, walking straight into her trap. Natalie always wondered what kind of person actually signed up for high-interest store credit cards at Banana Republic, accepted rides from random men posing as taxi drivers at baggage claim, or made eye contact with anyone talking about Jesus on street corners. But now she knew it was people like Hannah.
“Like, anyone who’s just a little socially awkward.” At that moment, Natalie would’ve chopped off her left arm in exchange for the power not to blush. “Oh, Natalie, I’m not saying it’s abad thing!” Liesl said with exaggerated contrition. “I just mean, not everyone was taught how to comport themselves in public. I always forget that it’s a form of privilege, really. How people like me, Marigold, and Bri were raised in a world that values manners and social graces. It’s a hard thing to learn as an adult.”
Olivia finally looked up from her phone. “What sort of manners and social graces were on display that time you threw up in a planter outside Per Se?”
“You know I had food poisoning,” Liesl said coolly.
“Food poisoning. Sure. From one of the best restaurants in the world.”
