by Claire Adams
“Parker, why are we discussing this now? We have like, thirty minutes before we’re married.”
“Answer the question, Rachel.”
“Why does it matter, anyway?”
“Because it does.” I needed to know if I was marrying a liar.
She scoffed. “Parker, go get ready. And send the girls back in here so they can help me.”
The door closed in my face, and I stared at the wood grain, which was inches from my nose. My breathing was heavy and instead of opening the door and demanding she give me an answer, I headed back to my room, already knowing what that answer was.
Ten minutes later, the event planner for the wedding venue came into my room and announced that it was time for me to head outside. My entire body was numb and my legs were on autopilot because I ended up shaking hands with the officiant and Ophelia’s brother, then looking out at my friends and family. Well, all but one of them.
My breathing was loud in my ears and drowned out the string quartet as Rachel’s bridesmaids came down the aisle.
Then the change in music signified the start of Rachel’s walk down the aisle. Everyone turned to look at her, giving me a moment out of the spotlight. My heartbeat pounded so hard that I could see the rhythmic movement under my shirt.
When I looked up, I had to do a double-take. I blinked and saw Sienna in front of me, wearing a white dress. I smiled broadly.
The officiant’s voice filled my ears. “Parker, do you take Rachel to be your wife?”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Sienna
When Parker left, I sat there for what felt like hours. It turned out to be only fifteen minutes. When I got up, my legs were stiff and they were filled with pins and needles. I grabbed my phone and called Tony.
I plopped onto the couch and numbly stared at the blank television. I heard Tony’s motorcycle pull into the driveway. I heard each step he took up the walkway. Then he knocked on the door.
“S’open!” I called.
Tony came into the house. “Sienna?”
I threw my arm up and waved him over.
He knelt down beside the couch. “Shit, it didn’t go well?”
And for the first time, he actually saw me cry. I wasn’t proud of being a sloppy mess, but it was necessary to purge Parker from my system. He was going through with the wedding and had made it clear I was to be no part of it.
After I explained what I’d said to Parker, Tony let out a string of curses. “He is a fucking fool, Sienna.”
I laughed, but it came out more like a sob. “Don’t I know it.”
“I can’t believe he would believe her over you. You’d think your friendship would mean more than a stick-thin chick. He doesn’t know the mess he’s walking into.”
I nodded. That’s all Rachel was: a pretty girl. She’d used her looks to blind Parker into giving her whatever she wanted. He was even too blind to see what was in front of him.
“I feel like such an ass,” I said.
“You shouldn’t,” he said.
“Really? Why not? I opened my heart to him and he didn’t even care.”
“I’m sure he cares, Sienna.”
“He doesn’t even want me to be a part of the wedding anymore.”
Tony scoffed. “Seriously?”
“Yeah.”
“All right, I’ve had enough of this.”
I opened my mouth in surprise. “Sorry, if I’m ruining your night, you didn’t—”
“Oh, shut up, Sienna,” he said. “I mean we should get out of here. Regroup. I think you could use a different perspective.”
That sounded like the best idea he’d ever had. “Where did you have in mind?”
“No, no, this is about you. Where do you want to go? I have a lot of miles on my credit card. Pick a place you’ve never been and have always wanted to go.”
“Sanibel,” I said immediately. “I’ve heard great things about that place. Are you game for that?” My parents had been fond of going to Sanibel before they had me. I tried not to feel bad about them selling their place once they found out they were pregnant with me. And for some reason, they’d never gone back. Their memories were visceral when they talked about those times. It had always been on my bucket list, but for some reason, I forgot about going until now.
“Yes,” he said quickly. “I’ve been before, and I know the perfect place to stay.”
I wiped the tears from my cheeks and clapped my hands together now that we had a plan. I needed to be moving forward, or else I might fall back into thinking of Parker and the fucked-up situation we were in.
Tony helped me pack and we booked a last minute flight up to Sanibel. I didn’t want to be anywhere near the wedding, but I didn’t want to leave Florida. I still had a business to run and wanted to be back at work Monday morning. I just needed to be away from the place where Parker and Rachel would say their vows. I hoped by Monday they would be somewhere tropical on their honeymoon and I could start moving on with my life.
While packing, my gaze fell on my best man dress. I lifted it from the rod and held the hanger high enough that the hem didn’t touch the ground. It had been sized to my measurements. And even though I hated to dress up, I’d become attached to the dress ever since I took it home.
“Sienna?” Tony said from the doorway.
He caught me holding the dress. I just stood there, not wanting to let go just yet. Tony came over and lifted the dress from my hands.
I sniffled and nodded. This was the right thing to do. I grabbed a few shirts and allowed Tony to put away the dress I’d never wear as a best man.
We closed up the diner and left a note on the front door for the customers. I hoped that Harriet and Kenneth wouldn’t be too disappointed. I was sure she’d be the first to ask me about the wedding when I got back. But I put that out of my mind for now and focused on clearing my head in a new place.
We arrived on Sanibel early the next morning. We found a diner on the main strip and stopped in for breakfast. We were seated on an open terrace and it appeared we were the only customers at the moment. The sound of the waves felt like home to me, but I also appreciated being hundreds of miles away from everything that I knew.
I glanced down at my menu, which was three pages long—and that was only for breakfast.
Once we got coffee and placed our order, the waitress left, leaving Tony and me to ourselves.
“You ever think of expanding Sunny’s?”
I took a sip of coffee. Damn, it was delicious. “No. I like the size.” Besides, I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to part with the location. It had sentimental value for me, and it was my comfort zone. After the conversation with Parker, I knew it was best to stay in my comfort zone. There was less of a chance I’d be hurt.
“Well, just so you know, I’ll follow wherever you decide to go. As much as I think it would be a pain in the ass to move, I think you have the potential for greater things. Don’t sell yourself short.”
“How did I ever get so lucky to have a friend like you?”
Tony’s smiled. “Now, don’t make me blush.”
After breakfast, Tony drove the rental car to the house he rented. It wasn’t the most spectacular looking place. It was a two-story beach house that could have used a little exterior work. But when we rounded the house, my jaw nearly fell to the sand. The entire backyard was white sand that led directly to the ocean.
“Holy shit, Tony,” I said.
“I know,” he said. “Cool, right?”
I had to tear my eyes away from the water to look at him. “Thank you for doing this.”
“No problem,” he said. “Now let’s get our bathing suits on and do some surfing.”
Tony had thought ahead. The owners of the house had several surfboards to choose from.
We spent the entire morning and well into the afternoon surfing together. As surfing tended to clear my mind, I found myself coming back to thinking of Parker. He was a married man now. Granted, to a liar and gold-digger. Rachel had gotte
n everything she wanted, and here I was, hiding from my home and my best friend.
A wave of water smacked me in the face and I turned to Tony, who was glaring at me. “Get out of your head, Sienna.”
I wrinkled my nose and stuck my tongue out at him.
He laughed and splashed me again.
By the time we took a break, there were several other surfers in the distance, and the other residents and tourists had come out of their homes to sit on the beach.
“Oh my god,” I said, plopping down on one of the kitchen table chairs. “That was so much fun. But I’m dying for a drink.”
Tony opened the refrigerator and pulled out two bottles of water. He handed one to me.
While I hydrated, I checked out the rest of the place. It was decorated in light blues, greens, and grays. Typical beach house colors. On the walls were various decorations made of shells and other faux beachy items. This place was so frickin’ adorable that I wanted to buy it for myself.
When I was done with my tour, Tony was still in the kitchen, finishing up some sandwiches for us.
“Thank you,” I said, grabbing one. “I’m starving.”
“Of course you are,” he said then bit into his own.
“So, I think we should address the elephant in the room one more time.”
I stopped chewing for a moment. “Why?”
“Because it’s all you were focused on while surfing.”
I shrugged. “It’s hard not to think about it. I mean, I practically helped plan the damn thing.”
“Sit down,” Tony said, and I did. “I know you love Parker. It’s been obvious for a very long time—”
“No it hasn’t,” I said.
He rolled his eyes. “You can think what you want. But all of that doesn’t matter. He’s married now. And that changes everything.”
“I know,” I agreed.
“Parker should have been the one for you.”
My lips trembled slightly and tears filled my eyes. “I know.”
“So, what are we going to do about it now?”
I wiped at my eyes, attempting to dry up the tears before they flowed down my cheeks. I let out an exasperated breath. “Nothing. We’re going to do nothing. I’m going to move on with my life, just as he is.”
“Do you think you would ever be able to be friends with him again after this?”
“I don’t know. I mean, we’ve fought more in these past two weeks than we ever had before. Maybe we’ve both outgrown the friendship. I mean, most people don’t last this long.”
“I hate to play devil’s advocate here, but do you think maybe because you’ve lasted this long that you will be able to overcome it?”
“It’s possible. But not anytime soon. He knows how I feel about Rachel and how I feel about him. It’s going to be awkward for a while.”
“That’s very true.”
I let out a big breath. “Let’s just take it a day at a time. I don’t know the next time I will get a vacation. Especially not in such an awesome place as this.”
He finished his sandwich in two bites and grinned at me with a mouth full of food. “Then let’s get back out there.”
We spent the rest of the afternoon surfing and laying out on the beach with a cooler full of beer and lots of potato chips. I thought I was stuffed by the time we got back to the house, but when Tony fired up the grill for burgers, my stomach cleared the way for them. Not much about my life had changed from when I was at home. I was still surfing and eating junk food. So much had changed in my relationships. At that point, Parker was gone, as much as I hated to admit it. He was married now, and there was no way we could be together. Plus, he was probably still pissed at me for calling his wife a cheater. I knew what I’d heard, and whether or not he chose to approach her about it was up to him.
After dinner, Tony opened a bottle of white wine and we sat out on the balcony watching the sunset and listening to the steady crash of waves on the ocean.
“What are you thinking about?” Tony asked.
“What do you think?” I said to my wine glass.
Tony bobbed his head. “It’s bound to be tough for a little while, but I know you’ll bounce back.”
“Yeah.” I knew my life wasn’t over, only just a part of it. And that was going to have to be the new normal for me.
That night as I went to sleep, Parker’s face filled my mind. And I was able to let it float away while I drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Parker
Normally I wasn’t a top-down convertible kind of guy, but today was a day of change for me. Before leaving the parking lot of the wedding venue, I opened the top. While I could still hear Rachel’s hysterical voice as I pulled onto the road, the wind filled my ears instead. I took a deep breath, thankful that the air moving across my face kept me from thinking this was anything but reality.
And what a reality it was. When the pastor asked me if I wanted to take Rachel as my wife, I just stared at her. Her expression went from happy to confused, to downright pissed.
“Parker,” she muttered under her breath then smiled at the guests. When she turned back to me, her expression was murderous. “Answer the question.”
“I don’t,” I said.
The group took a collective gasp of breath.
“What?” Rachel asked.
Holly started to giggle behind her and the other girls shushed her.
“I can’t do this,” I’d said. The words rang in my head even as I drove away from what could have been the worst mistake of my life.
I drew in a deep breath, inhaling the salty scent of the ocean. I glanced over to my left where the waves swelled toward the shore. I really wanted to go surfing at that moment. But I had something important to do first. And if I was going to go surfing at any point again, it would be with Sienna.
I hoped I wasn’t too late. I decided to go to Sienna’s house first since it was on the way to the diner. If her car wasn’t there, I’d at least be able to check that off my list.
I arrived at Sienna’s house. Her car was in the driveway. I wondered why she wasn’t working today. I hoped she wasn’t sulking at home because of the idiotic things I’d said to her. God, I was so stupid. When had I become that guy who was delusional in thinking his sexy girlfriend was a virgin and not a gold-digger? I had a lot to make up for.
At the wedding, I knew it wasn’t right to marry Rachel when I imagined my best friend walking down the aisle toward me. And then when the words, “I don’t,” instead of “I do,” filled my mind, that’s when the truth came out. Well, not from the horse’s mouth. First Rachel was infuriated, and then Ophelia spilled the beans about Rachel being with someone who was richer than me during her vacation and that she was better off.
Rachel had been properly mortified, and so was I. Not because of her, but because of how I didn’t trust my best friend when she had tried to warn me about Rachel.
Which was why I needed to apologize to Sienna as quickly as I could. I was prepared to beg for her forgiveness after having acted like the biggest fuck-up.
I knocked on her door and waited. I clenched and unclenched my hands at my sides, anxious for her to answer the door.
Instead of her beautiful face appearing behind an open door, I continued to stare at the wood. I tried two more times. Then I took a few steps back and assessed. I walked around the side of the house and peered in through her sliding doors. All of the lights were off, and there wasn’t any movement in the house.
I didn’t want to be a stalker and look in every window, so I tried the next logical step.
I dialed her number and held the phone up to my ear.
It rang through the speaker then I heard my ringtone coming from somewhere nearby. I looked up and saw her phone on the breakfast bar, buzzing along the edge of the counter. I quickly hung up before it vibrated to the floor.
I scratched the back of my neck. Sienna wasn’t glued to her phone like Rachel was, but she would have neve
r left it anywhere that she wasn’t.
Was she hiding from me? I shook my head. I couldn’t imagine her being so childish.
Maybe her car wasn’t working and she forgot her phone when she got a ride? It was a stretch, but there was only one way to find out.
I drove over to the diner, imagining her surprised face when I showed up after my wedding without a bride. I knew she wouldn’t be able to forgive me for what I said right away, but I was prepared to work as long as it took to get her forgiveness. I had all the time in the world for her now that she had opened my eyes to the possibility that had been there for years. It was the only future I wanted, and I was going to risk it all and fight for us.
When I arrived at the diner, my heart sank. There weren’t any cars parked out front and I could see there was a white piece of paper taped to the front door. I parked my car in front of the entrance and left it idling as I climbed the steps to read the piece of paper.
Sienna and Tony are out of town for the weekend. Business as usual on Monday morning.
I touched the paper and traced the words with my finger. Sienna’s writing was more like a scrawl; I thought I had better handwriting than her. But even with the messy scribbles, the message was clear. She ran. Like she always did. This was my fault. If only I would have kept her as my best man, then we could have run out of the wedding together. She’d be by my side right now, instead of god knows where.
I turned around and faced the road. I shoved my hands into my pockets and took a deep breath. What was I supposed to do now?
I got back into my car and sat there for a few minutes. Where the hell could she be? It was obvious that she and Tony went somewhere together. He was her other closest friend. I didn’t know if I’d be overstepping my boundaries if I went to his house. It probably would be. And if Sienna was going to run, she was going to run to a place where I couldn’t find her. Her home and her diner were the most precious places for her, and without her at either, I had no chance of finding her until she wanted to be found.
And if Sienna was in the running-mode, she’d be stubborn and possibly not open to what I wanted to say to her. It was a slippery slope.