by Piper Rayne
I’m not sure what I expected to feel when I walked out of my wedding, but I sure as hell didn’t expect to feel relieved.
Nineteen
Colton
I knock on Brigette’s door, and she tells me to come in. She’s already taken down her hair, and she sits at the window that overlooks Selene’s garden.
I walk in, rubbing my hands together, and sit on the edge of the bed. “I’m sorry.”
“You said that,” she says. “This is about Juno?”
“Yes… no… I don’t know.” It’s the truth. I’m not sure what will happen with Juno, but as I stood at that altar, I knew I couldn’t marry someone I don’t love. I do really want to help Brigette, she’s a friend, but if Juno is ready to confess her love to me, I can’t throw it away no matter how angry I am that she chose now to tell me.
“It’s funny. I almost didn’t show up this morning,” Brigette says, sounding resolved.
“Why?”
She turns in her chair to face me. “Because you love her. And I don’t say that out of anger, but I’m not an evil person, Colton. I can’t let you throw your entire life away just so I don’t have to go back to France.”
“But you did show up,” I say.
She nods. “I convinced myself that we’d come to some kind of agreement. Figure it out. Maybe we could tell Juno eventually. But that’s no life for you or her. I was just being selfish.”
“What will you do now?”
She shrugs, taking more bobby pins out of her hair. “Go back to France, I suppose, but first I think I might go on a date.”
“With who?” I figure it’s either Rhys or Jason. I’m not sure which one she likes.
“Rhys has been bringing his dog in a lot. We ran into each other last night and—”
I hold up my hand. “Say no more.”
Whatever she did is her own business. This was never a relationship.
“I’m not this person,” she says. “I’m sorry for ever putting you in this position.”
I stand and take her hands, helping her to her feet before I hug her. “I agreed to it. I guess it all sounded easier than it ended up being in reality. I thought I could do it. I was angry at Juno at the time and desperate to move on with my life. But we were in this together.”
She turns around and pulls up her hair. “Do you mind?” I unzip her dress, and she turns back around. “Thank you. And thank you for everything, Colton. You’re a good man.”
“So you don’t hate me?”
She disappears behind a changing screen, and the wedding dress comes to lay over the top of the divider. “No. I could never hate you. You stopped our wedding for love. It’s noble.” She peeks out, only showing her head. “But I do hope it ends happily for you.”
I’m not telling her about Juno coming to me before the wedding. I’d hate for her to be mad at Juno, though it sounds to me as if Brigette’s found someone she has feelings for anyway.
“Come down and have a drink.”
She comes out from behind the divider wearing yoga pants and a short T-shirt that shows her stomach. “No, those are your friends.”
“They can be yours too. They’re good people.”
She smiles. “No, you go. Maybe dance with the woman you should have been marrying in the first place.” She raises her eyebrows.
“You’ll be okay?” I stand by the door. It was hard not to run to Juno, pick her up over my shoulder, and leave with her as soon as I left the altar, but I had to settle things with Brigette first. Now that I have, I can’t wait to see Juno.
“I’ll be fine. Go.”
“You’ll let me know if you need anything?” I stop with the door open.
“I’m not your responsibility anymore. Go get your girl.”
I nod and shut the door, thankful Brigette is being so cool about the whole thing. Still, I feel bad for not following through on my commitment.
I jog down the stairs, but when I get to the bottom, I find my mom and dad sitting in Selene’s living room. They stand as I reach the final stair.
“I need to tell you both something.”
Neither of my parents are stern, but I haven’t done a lot in my life to upset them. Other than missing a few curfews when I was at the Baileys’. I’m not sure how they’ll react to the truth.
“How is Brigette?” my mom asks, sitting back down when I sit on the chair across from them.
“She’s good. She understands.”
“Colt, I’m confused. You’ve been engaged for months. What happened?” my dad asks.
“Brigette’s student visa was expiring…”
My dad’s hand runs along his forehead.
My mom’s forehead crinkles. “I don’t understand.”
“He was marrying her so she could get a green card,” my dad says, and I can tell he’s not happy.
“What? Really?”
I nod.
“Jesus, son, do you have any idea how much you put yourself at risk?” Dad asks. “It’s not something to mess with. You could have gone to jail if anyone found out.”
“Did Juno know?” my mom asks.
I shake my head, and she diverts her gaze to the fireplace.
“I know. I know. But Brigette needed the help, and I agreed to it.” They don’t need to know all the reasons why.
“Stupid. Just plain stupid, son. You’re a smart boy, but damn, this was a stupid decision. Thank God you didn’t go through with it.” My dad’s head doesn’t stop shaking.
“Why didn’t you?” my mom asks. “I mean, you took it this far.”
“Is this why you wouldn’t let us pay for anything?” my dad asks. “You could have told us.”
My mom puts her hand on my dad’s arm. “Hold on, Rich.” She squares her eyes on me. “Why did you call off the wedding? Is it what I told you in the painting room?”
I shake my head. “No, but next time I’m going to marry someone, let’s try not to tell me you think I should be marrying someone else.”
Mom just smiles. “As long as it’s Juno, I won’t be saying anything of the kind. I knew something was off. You’ve loved Juno your entire life, then suddenly this French woman comes to town and you’re going to marry her? I might not have figured out the green card thing, but a mom senses when her son is doing something he shouldn’t.”
I run my hand behind my neck.
“Juno is his best friend,” my dad says.
My mom stares at me and tilts her head, waiting for me to tell my dad. “Tell him.”
She’s really something else.
“Well, I’m not going to talk to you guys about this until I talk to her,” I say.
“Are you telling me that the whole time you two were hanging out all the time you were…”
“No, Rich, they were blind to it. Well, I don’t think Colton was, but Juno, you know, with Tim and Beth…”
This is how it goes in my house. We never actually talk about how the Baileys died.
My dad nods because he knows the drill. “Do you even know if she loves you?”
I stand, unable to continue having this conversation with them. I want to pull Juno aside and kiss her, tell her that I’m sorry for the way I acted, and start over. “Can we table this conversation?”
My mom must understand because she nods with way too big of a smile on her face for having a son who just called off his wedding. “Go, honey.”
I walk out the sliding door to the porch and head toward the white tent. Based on the music and sounds of conversation, most guests stayed.
Standing at the edge of the tent, I watch Juno for a moment. The first thing I notice is Jason is gone and she’s huddled in a corner, talking with her sisters. As if she senses me, she looks up and our eyes catch. I step forward into the tent.
Dr. Murphy steps in front of me. “Colton.”
“Dr. Murphy.”
“How is Brigette?” he asks.
“She’s good. I think we were both in agreement.”
He puts out
his hand between us and I shake it. “I didn’t think you were going to come to your senses. Marrying someone for a green card isn’t exactly something I ever saw you doing.”
“Wha—what?”
He laughs. “You think the government wouldn’t contact your employer? It took me a while, but after they called and asked about the authenticity of your relationship, I watched the way you guys interacted a little closer. Only small amounts of affection, and only in front of others. I’d enter the break room and the two of you would be on opposite sides of the table. I never even heard you sneaking into the supply closet. I mean, you were newly engaged.” He winks.
“Man.” I shake my head.
He grips my hand harder. “Four Paws is yours. We’ll draw up the paperwork next week.”
“Really?”
He nods. “Yes, and I have a friend in immigration. Let me see what I can do about Brigette.”
“Thanks, Dr. Murphy.”
He slides his hand out of mine. “You’re a good boy, Colton.”
Dr. Murphy looks across the way at Juno then back at me. He smiles and pats me on the back, then walks away.
I step onto the makeshift dance floor with a huge lump in my throat. Juno looks through the space between two sisters’ shoulders and her lips lift into a smile the closer I come.
Part of me wants to run to her, and another part wants to savor this moment. A moment I’ve waited years for. We’re finally going to step over that line she drew so long ago.
“Colton!” Kingston steps in front of me, and Juno’s smile disappears.
He pushes on my chest until we’re out of the tent, away from everyone else—and where apparently all the rest of the Bailey brothers are waiting for us. Austin’s hands are in his pockets. Rome’s arms are crossed. Denver’s open palm has his other fist in it.
Kingston grabs my shoulder and squeezes. “You call off your wedding and now you give our sister googly eyes? What the hell is wrong with you, man?”
“Do you really think we trust you with our sister after you almost married someone else?” Rome asks.
Denver just stands there, hammering his fist into his open palm over and over, glaring at me.
“Think about it, Colton. Give us one reason we should be okay with you and our sister?” Kingston says.
They cannot be serious. I never thought I’d have to worry about them being okay with me and Juno. Shit. I underestimated them. “I’m in love with her.”
“You’re in love with her?” Kingston echoes my words back at me. “Do we believe him?”
Austin rocks back on his heels. “I do.” A smile breaks his serious facade.
“Fuck yeah. About time.” Denver pretends to punch me in the stomach.
“I wondered what the hell you were thinking.” Rome puts me in a headlock and his knuckles rub my scalp.
“But in all seriousness, if you hurt her, we’ll fuck you up,” Kingston says with a smile.
“I’m not going to hurt her.”
“We know,” Austin says and nods toward the tent. “As messed up as this situation is, go talk to her.”
“Thanks.”
I walk away from the four Bailey brothers and step into the tent for the second time. Now Juno is standing with Calista, Dion, and Phoebe, dancing in a circle.
“The Difference” by Tyler Rich comes over the speakers, and I hold my hand out to Juno. “Dance with me?”
Rome’s three kids stare at me as if they don’t recognize me.
Juno slides her hand into mine and I pull her toward me.
“Is this weird? Do you think people are staring?” she says, her gaze darting across the room.
I place my finger under her chin and raise her head until our eyes meet. “All I care about is us.” I put one hand around her small waist and hold her hand between our chests. “I’m sorry for earlier.”
She shakes her head, tears welling in her eyes. “I should apologize. It was your wedding, and I ruined it.”
“Thankfully. Otherwise I might have been dancing with the wrong girl right now.”
“Colton, what if…”
I shake my head. “Just live in this moment. Forget everyone. It’s just me and you. No one else.”
She lays her head against my chest. “I love you.”
My chest swells and feels as buoyant as a helium-filled balloon. I kiss the top of her head. “I love you.”
No other words have ever felt so good leaving my mouth. I hold her tighter—and now that I have her, I’m never letting her go.
Twenty
Juno
Colton guides me out of the tent after we danced. Everyone snapped pictures, and you can be sure one of them will probably end up on Buzz Wheel.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“We’re going to my house.”
“But what about…”
He stops us a few feet from the B&B, his large hands cradling my cheeks, his tender eyes examining mine. “Everything is taken care of. My parents will handle any loose ends. But I’m not spending the night with you at my canceled wedding reception. Where’s Jason?”
“I sent him home. Told him I couldn’t see him anymore.” I step closer so that our chests meet. “Kiss me, Colton.”
Other than saying he loved me and holding me like a cherished gift on the dance floor, we haven’t stepped over that line.
“Words I’ve wanted to hear for too long.” He smiles and bends down, placing his lips on mine.
I wind my arms around his neck, our bodies pressed together. The night has grown colder, and all the insects that call Selene’s garden home chirp and buzz around us. The music flowing from the tent—where we left Grandma Dori doing the cha-cha—can’t cover all the noise as nature comes alive at night.
His tongue slips against mine and his hands fall from my face, wrapping around my waist. I’ve kissed Colton many times before. At thirteen, when neither one of us knew what we were doing. At eighteen, when we’d each had some practice. At twenty-six, when I realized he’d grown up and knew how to kiss a woman. But none of those kisses felt as right as this one. And just like that, his lips on mine make my knees almost give out.
He breaks it off too soon and his hand slides into mine, tugging me across the yard. “We need to get home.”
“Colton.” I stop him as he fiddles in his pocket for his keys. “How is Brigette? Is she upset?”
When Colton said he couldn’t marry her, I felt guilty that my first reaction was joy. Because with my joy came her hurt, and if I’d owned my feelings earlier, she would have never been caught in the middle.
“She’s good. She understood, and I think she might have been a little relieved. Dr. Murphy said he’s going to talk to a friend of his at the immigration office.” He unlocks his truck and puts his hand on my hip. “But that’s the last time I want to hear her name tonight, okay?” He tucks a loose hair behind my ear. “I’ve waited too long to have you here with me like this.”
I rise up on my tiptoes. “Okay, but if you ever omit information from me again, we’re going to have a throwdown. Got it?” I push my finger into his chest.
After I laid all my hidden feelings at Colton’s feet, a despair I haven’t felt in a long time filled my chest. Add on the fact that he was marrying her for a green card, and it made my pain worse. But then, how can I be that upset? His fake marriage forced me to get my head out of my ass.
“I’ll never keep another secret from you.” He kisses me. “Now please get in the truck.”
I giggle and climb in. He rounds the front, shrugging off his jacket and loosening his tie. As he climbs in, he tosses his jacket into the back seat, starting the truck. Our situation is no different than all the other times I’ve been in his truck before, but at the same time, it is. His intention this time is to take me to his house so we can have sex.
He pulls out onto the road and I watch the scenery go by.
“This is weird, right?” I look at him and he turns his head, but I can’t r
ead him. “I mean, you were going to marry someone else and now we’re going back to your house to do it.”
He pulls to the side of the road and puts it in park. “Do you not want to go to my house? Would you rather take this slower?” My nerves set in as he takes my hands. “You can run this. Hell, I’ve waited this long. A few more weeks isn’t going to make my balls any bluer than they already are. But if you have some stipulation about so many dates we need to have before we sleep together, then you better free up your calendar for the foreseeable future.”
He’s got it all wrong. I want to have sex with him. He’s played the starring role in my dreams for months now. “I don’t want to take it slower. I was just thinking that the last time we had sex, we had both had our fair share of alcohol…” I shrug. “It just seems weird that I’m going to see your penis.”
“You’ve seen it before. And can we not call it a penis? It sounds like we’re in that puberty class in the fifth grade.”
I chuckle. “I know, I know. But don’t you feel weird that you’re going to see me naked?”
“Um, no. I feel eager. I have puzzle pieces of you that I’ve formed in my head and I can’t wait to see the whole package stone-cold sober.”
I unbuckle my seat belt and rise onto my knees, leaning forward to kiss him again. “You always say all the right things.” I press my lips to his. “Take me home. Forget what I said.”
Getting situated in the seat again, I clasp my seat belt and he puts the truck in drive.
“What if I’m not what you imagined?” I say as he pulls into his neighborhood.
Colton lives just outside downtown so he can walk to work if he wants. It’s a two-story, three-bedroom house that people made fun of him for buying when he graduated vet school. He told me he didn’t want to move into an apartment and pay someone else’s mortgage. We looked at thirty houses before he put an offer on this one. Watching Brigette move in and make it her home after I helped him decorate it all these years probably would have felt like a knife in my heart.