Either way, I can use a walk. I make my way around the property, passing the firepits and the main building where the coffee shop and rental area are. It’s all a ghost town until I reach the spa area where the lights glow from the windows. The girls are there doing girl things. I had two of my massage therapists stay for complimentary massages for all of them. Charlotte had two manicurists come in to do nails, so they’re all getting pampered.
I stand close enough that I can see in, which isn’t hard since one of the windows is pretty huge. I’m not trying to be creepy, but I am curious.
Right now, they’re all in white bathrobes, sipping cocktails while Holly opens gifts. I really don’t care about watching that considering they are for Ben as much as they are for Holly.
My eyes wander to Charlotte, who is sitting in her robe, her hair tied in a loose braid, sipping cucumber water. Her feet are bare and her nails are freshly painted peach, and I can’t help but smile.
I turn away, giving them privacy, and look up at the sky. It’s dark blue, almost purple, and clear enough that I can see millions of stars. That’s when Elias’s words hit me. Something I never thought I’d believe to be true is rising to the surface of my understanding.
It just might be possible to still love my wife and fall completely in love with someone else.
Chapter 29
Charlotte
Pro tipfor attending the bridal shower of the bride of your ex-boyfriend? Take advantage of the free things: free drinks, free massages, free facials, and free pedicures. When it’s time to watch the bride open her gifts, it’s best to partake in the free chocolates provided by the bride’s mother. Heavily.
“Oh my god, this one has rhinestones!” Holly exclaims as she pulls out the third bra and panty set of the night from a bag. I take that as my sign to pull another raspberry truffle from the box I have claimed as mine.
“And a G-string,” one of her bridesmaids wiggles her eyebrows. I move on to the nut clusters.
“Ben is seriously going to freak out when he sees you in these,” another bridesmaid says. “In a good way, of course.”
“I have to say,” Ben’s sister, Madison, cut in, her words are so slurred from prosecco that she’s practically talking in cursive. “I wasn’t expecting to see so much leather and lace at the bridal shower. I’m having to use all the therapy I’ve ever paid for to mentally block myself from thinking about you and my brothertogether. I think it’s time for you to open something that’s not for the bedroom.”
“Amen,” I say as I bite into a cluster, then stop, realizing that I actually said it out loud. “For Madison’s sake, I mean.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll open yours next,” Holly says, tearing into the box from Madison. Her brow furrows as she examines its contents. “A morning-after package?” she asks, reading the card attached.
“It’s not the way it sounds,” Madison says. “It’s a care package.”
Holly pulls everything out piece by piece. “Bubble bath, aspirin, electrolytes, and a gift card for The Waffle House,” she laughs.
“Wedding nights usually contain a lot of booze, and booze equals hangovers. Everyone knows french toast is the universal cure for that,” Madison explains. “But there’s still one more thing at the bottom there.”
Holly digs deeper and a moment later pulls out, “A pregnancy test kit!?” She cries out and everyone laughs.
“Yes. Because while I have no interest in being a mother myself, I fully expect to be an auntie. The sooner the better,” she says, and the room explodes. I don’t know what’s worse, talking about Ben and Holly having sex or talking about Ben and Holly having a baby.
Either way, I’m not really interested. It’s too weird. So I clear my throat and grab my box. “You have one last gift, Holly,” I say over all the chatter. She smiles, taking the box from me.
“Awe, Charlotte. You didn’t have to get me anything. You’re already doing so much,” she says as she pulls the ribbon.
“I always get gifts for my brides. And when I saw this one–”
“Oh. My. God,” she blurts, and everyone gasps as she holds it up.
“I know you said you couldn’t find a veil you liked, but you really wanted to wear one. So I looked at a couple of shops and found one that I thought would go with–”
“It’s perfect for my dress,” she says, and I smile softly. “Charlotte, I have no words,” she says, standing up to hold the veil higher.
“Try it on,” her mom says, moving behind Holly to pin it in her hair. Everyone gasps, and Holly beams. Then she walks over and gives me a hug.
“You are an amazing wedding planner,” she says with a sniff. “Honestly, you’ve become a true friend to me during all this. My wedding is going to be perfect, and it’s all thanks to you.”
She hugs me again before turning back to the mirror.
“You should try it on with the dress,” one of the bridesmaids says, and everyone agrees. My eyes are filling with tears too, but I’m not sure what all I’m feeling. I am a little unsure. The only thing I’m sure of right now is that the box I have been hoarding for myself is out of chocolates. I decide to go outside to collect my thoughts. I don’t know if I really want to see Holly in that dress that I envision myself wearing in my nonexistent wedding.
