He waited for me to step on first, and then he hit the button for my floor.
Through the mirrored glass, I stared at him against my will—hating how effortlessly perfect he was.
When the car stopped on my floor, I stepped off and walked to the left where only two doors stood.
My “Weddings are Happily Ever Afters in Real Life” wreath twinkled amidst fresh white lilacs and peach roses. At its center, in an etched glass heart, my name was etched in cursive.
“You’re not welcome to come any further,” I said to Asher. “I made it.”
“You’ll make it when you’re on the other side of the door.” He leaned against the wall. “There’s no need to say anything else to me. Just go inside.”
I slipped the key into the lock, but I couldn’t bring myself to let him slip away without getting one thing off my mind.
I let out a breath and turned around.
“You know the one thing I hate most about you?”
“There’s onlyone?”
“You live your life completely unaffected by all the damage you cause,” I said. “For you, a wedding is just something as simple as someone calling in sick to work or deciding to cancel aflight hours before takeoff… You never see the pain on the other side, and what’s worse, you don’t seem to care.”
“Katie,” he said, pointing at my door. “We’ve had this conversation in several different ways since I’ve known you. We don’t need another addition on our list.”
“Don’t you have a passion you can pursue?” I asked. “Or maybe consider taking some time off to date so you can actually feel what it’s like to love someone enough to want to marry her?”
He blinked.
Then he strolled forward and took the key from me, unlocking the door himself.
He pushed it open, and then pushed me inside.
“Goodbye, Katie. Until I see you again.”
“Hopefully it won’t be until your brother’s wedding.”
“Let’s hope so…”
Six
KATIE
Run-In #4
The Blake & Janie Emerson Wedding
Montage Deer Valley Resort
Park City, Utah
Morning fog floated over the Uinta Mountain Range as the sun took her time rising into the sky.
Per the weather forecast, this weekend’s guests would be blessed with two days of crisp, cool weather when they took their seats and danced on the grand lawn.
Stepping out onto the balcony, I looked below as my team lined and realigned the custom white chairs I’d ordered from a California winery.
I watched as they tied the sage green sashes like we’d rehearsed, and before I could text Madison to adjust the hydrangea blooms that lined the aisles, two arms wrapped around me from behind.
“Good morning, beautiful,” Brad whispered in my ear.
