Before You Say I Do

by Tina Martin

  She smiled, fiddling with her engagement ring. “Where are you?”

  “I’m…uh…I’m actually heading to meet my new boss.”

  The smile fell off of her face, replaced by a frown. “Unbelievable. You’re on your way to Charlotte?”

  “Baby, it’s only a three and a half hour drive.”

  “That’s beside the point, Evan! Why didn’t I know about this?”

  He sighed. “I purposely didn’t tell you because I knew how you would react. Besides, you were busy today, anyway.”

  “Wow.”

  “Lauren, don’t make a big deal out of this, okay?”

  “It is a big deal. We have yet to discuss you taking this job and uprooting our lives to move to the city, and you’re already meeting with your new boss, which in turn means you’ve already accepted the position.”

  “Lauren, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, baby. I can’t pass this up. I can’t.”

  “Then, I guess I know where I stand.”

  Evan sighed heavily. “Babe, I’ll be back tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow?” she asked, feeling weak but mostly let down by the person who was supposed to be her backbone. How could he support her and be there for her, especially now, if he was out of town?

  “Yes. Tomorrow.”

  “That’s—that’s golden.” She didn’t know what else to say. She was too livid to say anything more. Lauren ended the call and immediately called Meadow.

  “Hey, sis.”

  “Meadow, what are you doing for lunch today?”

  “Nothing. Do you want to meet me somewhere?”

  “Yes. Desperately. I need to talk to you about something.”

  “Okay. Um…it’s almost eleven now. Meet me at Anthony’s at 11:30.”

  “I’ll head that way now.”

  * * *

  Lauren arrived before her sister and while she waited for Meadow, she sipped on a Margarita and browsed through her phone. She was so engrossed, she didn’t see Meadow approaching the table.

  “Oh, shoot. This must be bad. You’re drinking a cocktail in the middle of the day,” Meadow said, leaning down to hug her sister.

  “It is. I’m so freakin’ scatterbrained right now, I don’t know what to do. My head is pounding. I feel like a migraine is coming on and I’m too young to be having migraines.”

  “First of all, you’re not all that young,” Meadow said as she settled into the booth-style seat trying to make light of the situation.

  Lauren smirked. “Whatever, Meadow.”

  “Second, if you want children, migraines are going to become a common part of your life. Wait until little Lauren Junior decides to use a permanent marker on your beautiful walls or attempts to do something as simple as pour milk in a cup and ends up spilling the entire jug all over the counter instead.”

  Lauren giggled. Meadow always knew how to make her laugh, even when she didn’t feel up to it.

  “So, what’s going on?”

  Lauren breathed into her hands while rubbing her eyes, then said, “Okay, let me see if I can break this down piece-by-piece for you.”

  “Okay. I’m listening,” Meadow said.

  “As you know, I was with mom today at the resort.”

  “Yep.”

  “And Sheree showed up to let us know where we would be placing the buffet, the chairs—I was giving her the colors I wanted for the decorations and all of that.”

  “Right.”

  “Kenton showed up, too.”

  Meadow released a theatrical gasp. “No.”

  “Yes. I knew somebody from Lennox Enterprises was coming, but not him. It could’ve been anyone but him. I don’t know why he felt the need to come anyway…like the staff they have at the hotel wasn’t sufficient enough to show us around.”

  “I’m sure the staff could’ve handled Sheree’s questions. Kenton came around for something else.”

  “Right. He came up in there and tried to take over, telling us where the dance floor should go. Where this and that should go, and I had to get out of there. He’d just kissed me a couple of nights ago, and now he was helping to plan my engagement party. Do you hear how twisted that sounds?”

  “Hold up…rewind the tape. You kissed Kenton?”

  “No. He kissed me the night of Jessalyn’s grand opening.”

  “Oh my God! Are you kidding me, Lauren?”

  Lauren’s face went pale. “That’s not even the worst part.”

  “Please tell me it didn’t go any further than that.”

  “No. It’s just that it didn’t feel right with him being there today helping me with the layout of the ballroom after we kissed. How does that make me look—kissing another man while planning my engagement party?”

  “I’ll be honest, sis. It doesn’t look good.”

  “I know. I can’t even make any excuses for myself. Even if I did, they would sound so lame.” Lauren dropped her elbows on the table, then massaged her temples. “So, after putting up with Kenton for as long as I could stand him, I left him, mom and Sheree in the ballroom and I stepped outside to breathe. I couldn’t breathe in there. Couldn’t think. And guess who followed me outside?”

  “Kenton.”

  “Yep, and he proceeds to tell me that we should spend a couple of days at a cabin.”

  Meadow’s mouth dropped open. “You and him?”

  “Yep.”

  “Alone?”

  “Mmm, hmm. His reasoning was, since I kissed him, I wasn’t sure I wanted to marry Evan.”

  “Can I be honest with you, Lauren?”

  “Sure.”

  “I mean honest enough where you promise not to get mad later and write me out of your life.”

  Lauren giggled. “You’re my only sister. I love you. Be honest. If I don’t like what you say, I’ll just smack you upside the head.”

  Meadow giggled. “Okay. When you were with Kenton, you were happy. It was genuine. I could feel it. See it. Anybody looking at you and Kenton together knew you were happy. Now, contrast that with Evan—he’s a good man. He’s a hard worker. He works too hard if you ask me. He’s good-looking. Respectful. He’s everything a woman would want in a man. In a husband. But you’re not happy.”

  Lauren frowned in protest. “I am happy.”

  “No. You’re not. You’re settling, and I’m here to tell you—just because Evan is willing to put a ring on it doesn’t mean he’s the one. And you shouldn’t be so quick to get married just because you want a husband and children. Those things will come eventually.”

  “Yeah. Sure they would. You’re younger than me and you’re already married.”

  “So what?” Meadow said, shrugging. “Nobody’s pressuring you to get married.”

  “Nobody has to. I’m pressuring myself enough, and then, I wasted a good, solid year of my life with Kenton. When we were together, I had no idea he didn’t want marriage.”

  “How could you not know or think to ask when that’s what you wanted so badly?”

  “I just assumed it would be the next logical step if the relationship was going good and things were good between us.”

  “And how are things going between you and Evan?”

  Lauren shook her head. “Everything was fine before we came to Bryson City. Then Evan tells me he wants to move to Charlotte. He made the decision to move without discussing it with me,” Lauren said. Her eyes glistened with tears, but she didn’t cry. “And…um…if that’s not bad enough, he’s on his way to Charlotte as we speak to meet with his new boss. I can’t believe it. It’s like, he’s more interested in the job than he is in us. I’m here, trying to finalize details of an engagement party that I didn’t even want, mind you, and he’s headed to Charlotte.”

  “Wow. That’s tough. I’m sorry, sis.”

  Lauren took the tiny red straw out of the lime margarita and tossed the rest of it back. Then she placed the glass on the table and said, “I don’t understand how it could all fall apart so quickly. One minute, I’m sure of ev
erything and looking forward to spending my life with Evan. Then, the next minute, I’m kissing Kenton and actually enjoying it.”

  Meadow lifted a brow. “You enjoyed it?”

  “I did. I shouldn’t have, I know, but I did. Me and Kenton had something special when we were together, and I still miss him. Two years and a fiancé later, I still think about him.”

  “Then, I hate to say this, but maybe you should take him up on his offer to meet at the cabin. It’s obvious you two have open wounds that need to be healed. You don’t like the way things ended. He doesn’t like the way you two ended—I think you should talk it out.”

  “It’s too late to talk anything out now.”

  “No, it’s not. I hate to sound cliché, but it’s never too late. This is your life, your future we’re talking about here. You need to be certain you’re making the right decisions. Now, if Evan can run off to Charlotte without taking you into consideration—”

  Lauren was already shaking her head. “There’s no comparison, Meadow. Evan is going to Charlotte for work. He’s not going to meet up with a woman. I feel awful just thinking about doing this behind his back.”

  “But don’t you want to be certain that Evan is the man you want to be with?”

  “I am certain—I mean, I was certain, but—”

  “Look, I can tell you firsthand—there’s nothing like being in love with the man who completes you in every way. That’s the way Joshua completes me and I couldn’t imagine being in a state of uncertainty at any point during our engagement.”

  “But it’s too late for me to reconsider. Our families are involved. We’ve booked the resort and—”

  “So what? The resort can be unbooked just as easily as it was booked. Besides, you can’t concern yourself with what everybody else thinks. It’s your life—not everybody else’s life—and this decision is one that you will have to live with.”

  “You’re right. I hate it when you make more sense than me. I’m the oldest. I should be giving you advice.”

  “You do give me advice on some things. It feels good to return the favor.”

  “Well, I appreciate it.”

  Meadow smiled. “You’re welcome. Now, where are the menus? A sister is hungry.”

  Lauren reached for a menu and handed it to Meadow. “Here you go. I think I can keep some food down, too, now that we’ve talked.”

  “Good. Eat up. You’ll need all of your energy to deal with Kenton.”

  “That’s for sure,” Lauren said, opening the menu to the lunch specials.

  Chapter 13

  The next move Lauren would make wouldn’t be retaliation for Evan leaving town and not telling her. She was woman enough to know that this action was one she wanted to take – one she needed to take no matter what the outcome would be.

  So, after lunch with Meadow, she returned to her hotel room, slept on it and when she got up, she decided to do it – to call Kenton. He was probably still at work since it wasn’t five o’clock just yet.

  She took a deep breath pushing herself to do this despite how she would feel actually hearing the man’s voice. She was still pissed at him but at the same time, she needed closure as well as clarity. She had to do this. Still lying on the bed, she lazily rolled over to the oak nightstand and picked up her cell. She’d gotten a text from Evan letting her know he made it to Charlotte okay and would be checking into a hotel after dinner. She rolled her eyes. That situation still needed to be handled but first...

  She looked up Lennox Enterprises on the Internet and pressed the blue hyperlink to dial the number. When the receptionist answered, Lauren said, “Hi. I’m looking for Kenton Lennox, please.”

  “Oh. I’ll have to take a message.”

  “Is he not in the office?” Lauren asked.

  “He is, but he’s tied up at the moment. May I ask who’s calling?”

  Lauren didn’t want to leave her name or a message. That would put the ball in his court to call her back. She didn’t want to wait for a return phone call from him.

  “Hello? Are you still there?” the receptionist asked.

  “Yes. Just tell him Lauren called.”

  “Lauren Chandler?”

  “Uh…yes,” Lauren said. Did he make his receptionist aware of her? He must have. How else would the woman know her last name?

  “Oh. Okay. Hold on a moment, Ms. Chandler. Let me see if I can get him. Just a sec.” After a few moments, the receptionist came back on the line and said, “Okay. I’ll patch you through.”

  Patch me through? What is this? Eighties phone etiquette?

  “All right. Thanks.” The dead silence on the line and thoughts of Evan made her want to hang up the phone. Hang up, Lauren. Hang up. Hang up!

  “Hi, Lauren.”

  There went her out-of-control heartbeats again. Kenton’s voice sounded extra deep and suave over the phone – just how she remembered it.

  “Hi. I think we should talk for a minute,” she said.

  “We’ll need more than a minute,” he countered.

  “I wasn’t...um...I—”

  “Let’s talk on the way to the cabin. I heard Evan was out of town, so you shouldn’t have a problem getting away.”

  “How do you know Evan is out of town?”

  “I have my sources that shall remain anonymous.”

  “Well, we can talk, but talking doesn’t require a trip to your cabin.”

  Ignoring her, he said, “I’ll swing by your hotel, pick you up and we can be there by seven.”

  “You’re not listening to me, Kenton.”

  “I am listening, but why waste time talking now when we could be on our way to the cabin?” Kenton asked.

  Lauren sighed.

  “Pack an overnight bag,” he told her. “I’ll be by you in an hour.”

  “Kenton?”

  “We’ll talk later, Lauren.”

  Ugh, she said audibly then placed her phone on the nightstand. Gosh. What am I doing?

  She sat up, held her head and looked at her phone again. She needed to call Evan. That’s what she needed right now. She needed to hear his voice and remind herself of how wonderful he was. She picked up her phone and dialed Evan, her leg bouncing up and down as she waited for him to pick up. Pick up, Evan. Please pick up.

  “Hey.”

  When she heard his voice, she closed her eyes and allowed it to infiltrate her mind. “Hey, Evan.”

  “I’m surprised you called,” he said. “You seemed pretty angry earlier. It was the first time you ever hung up on me.”

  “I’m sorry. I was upset. Don’t get me wrong, I still am, but I needed to hear your voice, Evan.”

  “Then I’m glad you called.”

  She took a breath, then asked calmly, “Why didn’t you make me aware of your plans to go to Charlotte this week?”

  “It was a spur-of-the-moment thing.”

  “You still could have told me.”

  “I could have. I guess I didn’t want to disturb you.”

  “Disturb me how?”

  “You were touring the resort and—”

  “That’s just a cop-out, Evan. You know you could have called me.”

  “Okay, fine. I didn’t call because I knew you didn’t like the idea of me going to Charlotte—of us moving there.”

  “That’s because we never talked about it. It’s like you decided it’s what you wanted and so that’s the way it’s going to be. You’re making decisions like you’re single.”

  “Well, technically, we’re not married yet so…” He chuckled.

  She frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “I’m kidding, baby.”

  “Well, in case you couldn’t tell, I’m not in a kidding mood.”

  “Okay, sweetie. When I get back Thursday morning—”

  “Thursday?” Lauren questioned. He had her believing that this would be an overnight trip. Now, he wasn’t coming back until Thursday?

  “Yes. When I got here, my boss informed me about
a meeting going down Wednesday. He said it would look good to the higher-ups if I was there.”

  “Wow. Unbelievable.”

  “Sweetie, I’ll be back in plenty of time to be at the engagement party.”

  “Do you hear yourself? You sound like a guest—not a participant.”

  He sighed. “I don’t know what more I can do.”

  “Then don’t do nothing. I have to go. Bye.” Lauren placed the phone on the nightstand again, disappointed. She was hoping her conversation with Evan would jolt her back to her senses, but he only made her feel worse – like maybe her mother and Meadow and Kenton were right. She needed to decide if this marriage was really what she wanted. So, she took her small suitcase, tossed in a few items and waited for Kenton to arrive.

  Chapter 14

  She was checking her voicemails from work when Kenton’s call came through.

  “Hello.”

  “I’m outside. Are you ready to go?”

  No, she wasn’t ready. She was packed and prepared, but she wasn’t ready by any means.

  “Yes. I’ll be down in a moment,” she said in a strained voice.

  “Take your time. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Okay. Bye.” She felt a tightness in her chest. Why couldn’t she get this much attention from her own man? She stood up from the bed, threw her purse on her left shoulder then grabbed the handle of her suitcase with her right hand. She took the elevator to the ground floor and saw Kenton’s car parked in one of the guest check-in spaces. He opened the driver door to get out and she shook her head, signaling for him to stay put. The last thing she needed was for someone to see them together.

  She opened the back door of his car and placed her suitcase on the back seat. “Is my suitcase okay right here? I would hate to mess up your leather.”

  “That’s fine,” he simply said. He didn’t care about the leather. He just wanted her in his car.

  She closed the door then got in the front seat grabbing her seatbelt. Suddenly the gravity of what she was doing hit her. It was probably his familiar scent that jogged her memory and forced her to reflect on the good times – which also forced her to recall the bad. When things started going downhill.