by Abbi Glines
Shooting an angry glare at her I said, “He left my sister at the alter!” Not yet, but he was planning to.
“I agree it’s a shit thing to do. But I learned years ago that you should listen to both sides of a story. Get the facts. Assuming you know something always leads to heartache. Makes you lose someone you didn’t have to.”
The way she said it made me feel as if she was directing her words to me. I didn’t like her acting as if she knew something about Marty and me. She wasn’t there. “Exactly. There are two sides. You’ve heard one of those sides.”
“Are we talking about your sister or you?”
Gripping the steering wheel tighter, I watched for the light to turn and glared straight ahead.
“Because your sister strikes me as someone who will listen to the other side of the story. She wasn’t ready to let go. She’s letting you hunt Mack down, isn’t she? Seems to me she wants to fight for the man she loves.”
I wanted to ignore her. To drown her out. To pretend I didn’t hear or understand what she was saying. But my temper was hard to control and I snapped.
“Are you saying I didn’t love Marty enough to fight for him? Seriously? I told Marty I would marry him. I came back from France and told him yes. And he told me he’d been with Mary Grace while I was gone. A year later, we start to find our way back to each other and I walk in to find my best friend naked in his arms in my living room asleep. Please tell me what other side there is? Because I don’t see one!”
I did love Marty. I knew I always would. But that was because I was stupid. My heart was weak and I had nothing to fight for. Marty didn’t love me enough. I couldn’t trust him. I wasn’t the kind of woman who accepted whatever she got. I was worth more.
“Did you let him explain? Either time?” she asked, her voice almost a whisper but not quite.
“There was nothing to explain.” I pulled into the parking lot and found the first spot. “We have to hurry,” I said ending the conversation.
She glanced at her phone. “They are still in the same location. Follow me,” she said as we began to run toward the spot her phone said Marty’s phone was.
“You’ll have to call him. We aren’t allowed through security without a ticket.” I said realizing this for the first time.
Rowan paused and looked up ahead at the different airline check ins and shook her head no. “They aren’t that way,” she said then nodded down toward baggage claim and pick up. “They’re there. At least Marty is that direction.”
Maybe Marty wasn’t with him. Rowan started in that direction no longer running since a plane wasn’t about to take off with him on it if he was that way. A million different scenarios played in my head as we got closer.
“There they are,” Rowan said.
I looked ahead and spotted them. Both of them. And to my surprise, Shay’s mother was with them. The other side of the story. The one I hadn’t imagined. Mack was here to get Ada. He was surprising my sister.
I felt tears sting my eyes and I blinked them back. I’d get emotional over the love behind this later. Shay was okay. She was going to be perfect. Mack would always take care of her. Put her first. My doubts and insecurities had made me think otherwise. I’d thought the worst.
“MARTY!” Rowan yelled out stopping them. They all turned around. Marty’s expression went from confused to concerned and back to confused. Ada smiled brightly as she recognized me.
“Fiona!” She was pleased to see me.
“What the fuck do you two think you’re doing?” Rowan demanded when we closed the distance between us and them.
I touched her arm to stop her. She was right. Her gaze swung to me. “Have you changed your mind about killing them?”
“It’s the other side of the story,” I said knowing Rowan would understand what I was saying. I motioned tow Ada. “Rowan, this is Shay’s mother Ada. Shay loves her mother dearly and her not being here has been hard on Shay. Mack’s surprising her.” My eyes stung again with tears and I tried desperately to make them stop.
Rowan didn’t miss it though. She gave me a kind understanding smile and nodded. “Got it.” She turned to Ada and held out a hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am thrilled that Mack isn’t at the airport running away from your daughter and that Marty isn’t helping him.”
In one sentence Rowan had explained the entire situation. Impressive.
“You thought I was leaving Shay?” Mack asked incredulously. “Why would you think that?” he almost sounded angry about it.
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe the hysterical bride in the hallway this morning ? Fiona here had to calm her down and promise to help find the runaway groom.” Rowan was handing it to them all nice and clear.
“SHIT!” Mack said grabbing for his phone, then cursing again. “I forgot it’s dead,” he sounded hysterical himself.
Marty shoved his phone into Mack’s hand. Mack dialed and walked away from us.
“My delayed flight has caused more trouble than I realized. Lordy that girl of mine has an imagination. I hate my being so late caused all this drama.”
Rowan shrugged. “Sometimes bad shit has to happen to open our eyes.”
I knew who that comment was directed at. And I also knew she was right. There was another side. One I never listened to. One I thought I wasn’t strong enough to hear. But time had passed. Too much time. And I didn’t deserve the other side now. But he deserved forgiveness. Regardless of his side of the story. One day when I thought of Marty, I’d like to remember good memories. Not painful ones. Only I could change that.
Marty
MACK SENT ADA WITH FIONA and Rowan to the hotel.
He drove us back like an insane man. When we pulled into the hotel’s valet he jumped out of the car and took off running for the hotel to find Shay. I handled the valet. I knew Fiona hadn’t broken all the laws driving back and was likely fifteen minutes behind us.
The whole airport experience had been weird. Rowan and Fiona showing up together like they were friends on a mission was different. Unexpected. Then the shit Rowan said and Fiona looking as if she were about to cry. I was missing something. Or a lot. I knew Rowan would fill in the blanks.
Right now, Mack had a fiancée to calm down and reassure. I headed inside and the lack of sleep began to take its toll on me. The adrenaline rush was over and Mack hadn’t killed us driving back. I made my way up to the room and decided I had time to close my eyes a few minutes before Rowan returned to tell me exactly what the hell had happened here this morning.
When I opened my eyes again, I stared at the window and it took a moment to understand that the bright midday sun was gone and the sun was beginning to set. How was the sun already setting? I closed my eyes once more when realization hit me. I bolted upright in bed and looked around the room for a clock. The clock beside the bed said 6:16 p.m. I jumped off the bed, ran to the bedroom door and jerked it open it. Rowan was standing at the bar at the right of the suite with a beer in her hand dressed for the night.
“You have”—she paused and looked at her watch—“thirteen minutes now. Better hurry.”
“What the fuck, Rowan! You could have woken me up earlier than this. I’ve been sleeping all damn day. I haven’t even written the speech for tomorrow. And I don’t have a fucking clue what to say tonight.” I was wasting time. I hurried to the bathroom to get a quick shower and dress for the rehearsal. I’d bitch at Rowan later.
It took me ten minutes to get showered and dressed. I stalked out of the bedroom and glowered at her.
“What? You got ready with three minutes to spare,” she said with a shrug.
“You’re an ass.”
“Tsk tsk tsk. Be careful how you talk to me. I’m the best damn friend you’ve ever had.”
Rolling my eyes, I walked toward the door not wanting to be late for the rehearsal. I had wasted an entire day sleeping. A day I could have found a way to get Fiona alone and try to get her to listen to me. Our time was running out. My chance was runn
ing out. I couldn’t let her leave again without knowing the truth. Especially since I now knew I wasn’t guilty of anything with Chantel.
Rowan was keeping up beside me. “You could have woken me up,” I stated.
“Maybe. But you needed to be rested for tonight. You looked like shit. You look much better now.”
“Thanks,” I muttered.
She didn’t say anything more until we were about to walk into the gardens where the wedding would be held. “It’s not time to give up,” she said.
I stopped and looked at her. “What?”
“Marty! Get over here. You’re late!” Mack called out.
I didn’t wait for an explanation. Mack sounded anxious. I made my way to him following the cobblestone path. Studying him, I saw him smile at something the minister said and took in the way his relaxed stance. Things with Shay had been handled. She was okay. I could tell by his body language.
“Shay happy to see her mother?” I asked.
“She will be,” he said with a grin that reminded me of when we were kids.
“She’s not seen her yet?”
“Shhhhh . . . here we go,” he said nodding toward the door that led out of the stone castle like building that stood in the far-right corner of the gardens.
Shay appeared with a lady I didn’t know but seemed to be giving directions. Shay was listening. She nodded before turning toward the wedding party as we waited for this thing to get started.
“Hey, everyone. This is Marlique. She is my wedding director and will be in charge tonight.”
Marlique glanced toward Mack who nodded in response to her unspoken question.
“We need to decide on someone to walk you down the aisle. To give you away,” she said businesslike to Shay.
Shay shook her head. “Oh, no. Remember we aren’t doing that.”
Marlique ignored her. “I believe the groom had a better idea,” she said.
Shay turned to look at Mack. “You do?” she was obviously unsure what Mack had decided without her.
“Yes. I do,” he replied. “Ada,” he said and turned to the wall of rose bushes behind us.
Ada stepped from behind the rose wall. There was a loud gasp from Shay.
“Momma!” Shay squealed and dropped the bouquet of flowers she’d been holding to the ground. She took off running to her mother. Everyone watched as Ada caught her daughter in her arms and they held each other tightly. Shay’s cries could be heard throughout the gardens as everyone stood quietly witnessing the beautiful scene.
“You’re her,” Shay finally said pulling back to look at her mother.
“Yes. It appears you found a man who loves you as much as I do.”
Shay turned to look at Mack then. “Yes, I did.”
My gaze found Fiona and she was smiling and wiping at the tears streaming down her face. I was happy for my brother and Shay. But I was also envious. He was getting a life with the woman he loved.
Fiona
I DECIDED THE WINE IN my hand would be my one and only glass. After the emotional rehearsal topped by walking down the aisle not once, but five times with my hand resting on Marty’s arm thanks to the perfection issues of the wedding director, I was done.
We hadn’t been that close in a long time. Being forced into it over and over again had been a tease. A reminder of what once was. What could have been. Marty had been so tense as I held his arm he seemed annoyed by it. I wanted to burry my head in his chest making this an entirely embarrassing situation for me.
Laughter, joy, and all I had hoped for Shay surrounded me. We had eaten our meal. Everyone was drinking and some were dancing. I made small talk and pretended to feel as joyous as the others. But twice my eyes had made contact with Marty and it shook me. Each time my heart slammed into my chest as my stomach fluttered.
I was staring into my wine glass thinking about how much longer I had to stay down here and when I was supposed to speak. Marty hadn’t made a move to speak either, and the video of the couple hadn’t played yet.
“We are all about to watch a video of moments and photos that capture the journey this couple has taken together so far,” Marty said into the microphone and my head snapped up to see he was now sanding in the front of the ballroom. “Not that I need to see it. I watched it play out right there in front of me. Every mushy, entertaining, often ridiculous moment of it.”
He paused and his eyes met mine. I wondered if he was thinking what I was. That it had been us in the beginning. Back when Shay and Mack fought and hated each other. It had been our romance then. Our story. But it had ended with theirs.
“Many people fall in love. It happens every day. But it’s a rare thing when someone finds that person who makes them want to be better. Whose smile changes your worst moods. Who when they’re happy so are you. I know what that feels like. I’ve been lucky enough to experience it myself. Seeing my brother not only find that kind of love but watching him get to promise forever to the woman he loves is amazing. And I’m as happy for him as I am envious. This kind of love doesn’t die. It doesn’t fade. It grows with time. It changes. But nothing can end it.” He stood there still looking at me. I was unable to tear my gaze from his. I was frozen. He’d openly just told everyone here how he felt about me. How he would always feel about me.
While I continued to say nothing. Do nothing. I hadn’t fought for us. Not the way Shay had been ready to fight for Mack. Maybe it was me that didn’t deserve Marty. Not the other way around.
The video started behind him and he put the microphone down and walked toward me. I could hear the music in the background. The music Shay had chosen for the memories. I knew every photo she had decided to show in the video. But I couldn’t look at it. I couldn’t look away from him.
When he reached me he held out his hand and I didn’t hesitate. I placed mine in his. He gently folded his larger hand over mine and led me back through the entrance and into the garden we’d been in earlier. It was empty now. Quiet.
I could wait for him to say something, but he already had. I hadn’t said anything and I’d refused to listen.
“I was scared. Of being hurt. Of loving too much. Loving the most. Of being left. I was scared of my heart being broken. Of being alone. Of how it would feel to lose the one person I had come to love more than any other. And that fear . . . it won. And I found that all those things I was scared of I had brought upon myself because I wasn’t brave enough to trust. I caused all my fears to come true.” I stopped. I needed to say more but my throat was thick with emotion.
“You’re wrong. At least about two things. You didn’t love the most. That fear you never made a reality. And Fiona, you left me. I didn’t leave you. I was never that strong. Even then I wanted to see you. Even when I couldn’t have you.”
The tears came again. I seemed to be full of them today. “I ruined it. Us. What could have been. I destroyed it all.”
Marty took a step closer to me. “Do you love me?”
“Yes.”
He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. When he opened them again, his gaze was warm. I could feel the heat from his gaze inside my chest. “Then nothing is ruined. It was delayed. But it’s not destroyed. You are my one. You always will be.”
“How can you just forget it all? I didn’t trust you. There is damage there, Marty. We can’t act like there isn’t.”
He slipped a hand around my waist and pulled me against him. “Without me telling you what happened with Mary Grace and Chantel, you’re willing to trust me?”
I nodded. I knew there was a story I had never heard, but even without him telling me I also knew I trusted him. His love had held on this long. How could I doubt him?
“Do you need an explanation to be us again? To spend forever with me?”
I didn’t even have to think it through. I knew the answer. “No. I don’t.”
He rested his forehead on mine. “Trust heals damage and you trust me. You trust my love. You weren’t ready before. You are now.”
“You loved me when I was broken,” I whispered.
“You weren’t broken. You were hurt too many times. But you’ve always been perfect. My perfect.”
ABBI GLINES IS a #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Rosemary Beach, Sea Breeze, Vincent Boys, Existence, and The Field Party Series. She never cooks unless baking during the Christmas holiday counts. She believes in ghosts and has a habit of asking people if their house is haunted before she goes in it. She drinks afternoon tea because she wants to be British but alas she was born in Alabama. When asked how many books she has written she has to stop and count on her fingers. When she’s not locked away writing, she is reading, shopping (major shoe and purse addiction), sneaking off to the movies alone, and listening to the drama in her teenagers lives while making mental notes on the good stuff to use later. Don’t judge.
You can connect with Abbi online in several different ways. She uses social media to procrastinate.
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As She Fades
ROSEMARY BEACH SERIES
Fallen Too Far
Never Too Far
Forever Too Far
Rush Too Far
Twisted Perfection
Simple Perfection
Take A Chance
One More Chance
You We’re Mine
Kiro’s Emily
When I’m Gone
When You’re Back
The Best Goodbye
Up In Flames
SEA BREEZE SERIES
Breathe
Because of Low
While It Lasts
Just For Now
Sometimes It Lasts
Misbehaving
Bad For You
Hold On Tight