by Eden Finley
He doesn’t even know the real me.
It was exhausting. And I was done.
I closed my eyes. “I don’t think I can go through with the wedding,” I whispered.
“Oh, hon. People will understand if you vomit your way down the aisle. It won’t be pleasant, but we’ll try to make the ceremony as fast and pain free as possible.”
“No. I mean I—”
“You’re nervous. I get it. I didn’t think I’d ever get married again, yet here we both are. It’s crazy if you think about it. We made love, what, once that month? And we got a baby out of it. It was fate.”
“It was a mistake.”
“You’re feeling that way right now because you’re scared, but what have I been telling you every day since we found out?”
I struggled to breathe, the air getting trapped in my throat. “That everything will be okay.”
“Trust me.” His brown eyes held certainty and warmth, and I realised I was going to chicken out again.
So close.
***
Smile.
Look at Paul like I’m in love with him.
Say I do.
Pretend this is what I want.
Because this is what I need.
You’re doing this for Cody.
For this baby.
I had this on repeat as I forced my feet to move, taking me to the ceremony chapel.
My full-length ivory gown—with an empire waist covered in diamantes and a sweetheart neckline—made my swollen boobs look amazing. I couldn’t even hate the woman who organised the wedding anymore because the dress was gorgeous.
I hoped putting the dress on would stop the voice telling me to run. If I was wearing the dress, I wouldn’t have the urge to turn into Julia Roberts from Runaway Bride and make a break for it. I loved that movie as a kid, but living it as a grown woman? Not so awesome.
By the time I reached my father and he took my arm, everything was a blur.
My eyes gravitated towards Paige twice as I walked down the aisle, and I had to tell myself not to look there again. The fake smile that looked more like a grimace she was giving me was more than I could handle.
If I didn’t go ahead with this, Paige and Cole could be together. Paige wouldn’t be Cody’s stepsister, and her relationship with Cole wouldn’t be a blip to Cody. On the other hand, Cole’s sobriety went out the window when they broke up a few weeks ago. He said it was one mistake—and I wanted to believe him and trust him—but where Cody was concerned, I’d always be worried about Cole relapsing. Relationships made everything harder. Maybe he didn’t need the trouble, and marrying Paul would save him that type of heartache.
Laughter broke through my thoughts, and I realised everyone was waiting for me to do something.
I’d somehow tuned out half the ceremony, and it was my turn to say I do.
“I do,” I croaked, earning another round of laughter.
And as the words of finality took over me, I began to relax and feel somewhat lighter. Because the hard part was over. We’d said our vows and now were married.
Disappointment thudded through me, but I wasn’t sure what I was disappointed about: the fact I wasn’t strong enough to stop the ceremony or the fact Spencer didn’t stop it either.
7
SPENCER
Reece’s wedding special day fucking. Wait … that’s jumbled.
Yeah, I may’ve been a tiny bit drunk. Or a lot. One or the other. Possibly both. Somehow.
Knocking on the door in front of me, I took a moment to try to remember how I got to Cole’s place.
Uber … definitely Uber. Nice guy. Bad smell.
When Cole opened the door, he furrowed his brow at me. He wouldn’t know why I was there. I didn’t think any of our friends knew about the text I got from Reece, specifically asking me not to go to the wedding. Cole wasn’t invited for obvious reasons. Attending your ex’s wedding would be weird. Especially when you’d recently broken up with the groom’s daughter.
“Can I come in?” That came out way more pained than angry. I was meant to be angry, dammit.
“What’s up? Hunter didn’t send you on babysitting duty, did he?”
I shook my head and took steps into the apartment. “Definitely not babysitting. We need to talk.”
“About what?”
“Oh, how about the fact Reece is completely fucked up over you and you decide to sleep with her stepdaughter? I mean, really?” I wobbled.
He stumbled back, as if my words physically pushed him. “Are you drunk? And what do you care?”
“I am drunk. And I do care. A lot. Because that’s my fucking baby she’s carrying.”
He tensed, completely frozen, staring at me as if he didn’t hear what I said. “You slept with Reece,” he finally said.
“Umm …” Yeah, how do you get out of this one, dickhead?
“Well, if she’s pregnant with your kid, that means you slept with her …” He started silently counting.
“The night you guys abandoned us at the pub,” I admitted.
He ran his hand through his hair. “Do you know what Reece did to break me and Paige up? And she went and pulled this? That fucking manipulative—”
“You don’t get it, do you?” I yelled. “You know why she’s marrying Paul in the first place? Because he doesn’t drink or assault her, you asshole.”
“I know I messed up, and I will never be able to forget what I did to her, but I’m clean now. Why does this keep getting thrown in my face like it’s the person I still am? It was three years ago.”
“Maybe because you’re still drinking.”
“I fell off the wagon. There’s a difference. And I’m getting proper help this time. I’m sober. I’ve been sober for weeks, and before that it was six months.”
“Well congratu-fucking-lations,” I said sarcastically. “You know what Reece has been going through for years? I yelled at her, and she thought I was going to hit her. She’s with Paul because he’s so mind-numbingly boring she doesn’t think he’ll ever hurt her. She doesn’t love him. She—”
“Are you saying she loves you?”
“No.” No matter how much I wanted her to. “We had a drunken forget-about-the-world fuck, and we both felt guilty immediately after. Her, because she’d cheated on Paul. And me, because of you. Because it was a shitty thing for me to do to you.”
“I don’t understand why you’re here yelling at me then,” he said.
I threw myself on his couch, completely defeated. “Neither do I.”
“Do you have feelings for her?”
Yes. “I have feelings of anger towards her right now. She’s pregnant with my child, and she’s not going to let me be a part of it. What the hell?”
Cole laughed. I glared at him.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t laugh. But she’s going to do to you what she did to me, and you did nothing wrong. She broke Paige and me up because it would be bad for Cody, and yet she’s pregnant with your baby and still marrying Paul?”
Then I was angry again. “I know, right?”
“You have to stop the wedding.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Oh, and I’m sure that suggestion has nothing to with the fact you were boning Reece’s soon-to-be stepdaughter. If her marriage disappears, guess it’s not so wrong to be fucking your son’s stepsister anymore.”
“Dude, it’s not like that. I’m in love with Paige.”
I pulled back in shock. “You weren’t just running your mouth when you told Reece you loved Paige more than you ever did her?”
“She told you about that?”
“Yeah, when she told me why she had to marry Paul. Because apparently everything is fucked up and you never loved her.”
“She told me she’d take Cody away from me if I didn’t leave Paige. I was pissed off.”
“She what?”
“Oh, so she didn’t tell you that part of it?”
I sighed. “Look, man, I get you guys have a history and all, but
do you ever stop to think about what she went through? Or has your head been so far up your ass all you’ve ever focused on are your issues and your problems?”
He didn’t answer, so I took that as my opening to keep rambling.
“So you had a shitty dad. You know what? Reece had a shitty husband.” I held up my hand to stop him from interrupting. “And don’t try to say otherwise. We both know you were a shitty husband. I often wondered if you even liked each other half the time.”
Cole rubbed a hand over his face. “You’re right,” he mumbled. “Fuck, you’re right.”
“So because of you, she’s going to keep my child away from me. Because apparently, I’m just like you.”
Cole scoffed. “You’re nothing like me, and if she can’t see that, she really is as fucked up as you say.”
“So, what do I do?”
“You have to tell the truth. And yes, this may be selfish on my part because I want to be with Paige, but you can’t let Reece keep your kid away from you.”
“I know.”
“How sure are you it’s yours?”
I shrugged. “Pretty sure.”
“We have to go. I’m driving. Obviously.”
“Wait.” I jumped up. “First thing’s first.”
“What?”
“Hit me. You get a free shot.” I swayed on my feet.
“I’m not going to hit you, Spence,” he said with an amused smirk.
“I fucked your wife, so you get to punch me.”
He laughed. “My ex-wife. And I didn’t punch you when you kissed her in high school, so I’m not going to punch you for having sex with her three years after we got divorced.”
My mouth dropped open. “I didn’t know you knew about the high school thing.”
“Reece told me about it before we got married. She said she needed a clean conscience before saying I do.”
I wish she’d want that this time round.
“And yeah, it was a dick move on your part,” he continued, “but I didn’t care then, and I don’t care now. I guess that says a lot, huh? Reece and I never belonged together. I loved her, and in a way, I still do; she gave me Cody. But it was never … It’s nothing like how I feel about Paige.” Cole was never one to speak how he felt.
“Wow. It must be serious.”
“If I had it my way, I’d marry her tomorrow.”
“We have to stop the wedding.”
“We also have to stop talking about our feelings and crap.”
Ah, there’s the Cole I know.
***
We texted Hunter to get the address seeing as neither one of us was invited. He gave it to us but also told us we were too late. They were already married.
There’d be no dramatic running down the aisle screaming “I object!” No pleading my case or telling Reece I wanted to do this with her.
If I went through with this, I would literally be wrecking a marriage. An hour-old marriage, but still.
I understood I wasn’t offering her everything Paul was. Reece and I were never going to be together after this, but I wanted to be there for her and our baby.
My baby.
“Whose idea was this?” I asked as we arrived outside the reception hall doors.
“You don’t have to do this. You know that, right?” Cole said.
I nodded.
“Why don’t you stay here?” He went to take a step, but I pulled him back.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to get Paige back. I don’t care what Reece says. She can’t hold Cody back from me by threatening Cody’s morality when her own baby doesn’t belong to her husband. Whether you decide to tell Paul the truth or not, Reece will never be able to use Paige against me again.”
I swallowed hard. “Go get your girl.”
“What are you going to do?”
Running my hands over my hair, I let out a grunt. “I guess I’m ruining some lives today. Go me.”
“Good luck.” He squeezed my shoulder.
“You too.”
We burst through the reception doors, and in my drunken state—albeit less drunk than twenty minutes ago—I felt as if we were walking in slow motion like heroes in some movie.
I imagined an inspirational soundtrack, doves flying around us even though we were inside—because there were always doves—and every pair of eyes watching us in awe as we stormed the room.
However, no one turned or noticed our entrance, smashing that imagery right away.
Cole took off for the dance floor, and I watched as Hunter pulled away from Paige, gave Cole a mock salute, and then headed to find Cody to take him out of the room so I could do my thing.
My hands were trembling, but I forced my feet to move towards Reece and Paul’s bridal table.
You are such an asshole.
But I had to do it.
Reece’s eyes watered instantly when she saw me.
My feet froze halfway over to them, her tears begging me to turn around and leave. I almost did.
“I’m sorry,” I mouthed and finished my journey over to them.
What surprised me when I got there wasn’t Paul stating I RSVP’d that I couldn’t come but what fell out of Reece’s mouth.
“You’re late.”
“You were expecting him?” Paul asked. “You said he couldn’t come.”
“I couldn’t,” I said. “Did you want to tell him why or should I?” I asked Reece.
She looked away.
I turned my stare to Paul. “Look, man, I didn’t want to do it this way, but she’s given me no choice.”
“Reece, what is he talking about?”
“There’s a good chance this baby is Spencer’s,” she whispered.
There was a list of things I expected to happen. Getting punched was the first thing.
That didn’t happen.
Getting yelled at by both Paul and Reece.
Also didn’t happen.
I swore I saw Reece smile but dismissed the idea. That had to be my imagination.
No, what Paul did was a lot worse than either of those things. Paul took to the mic to announce to the whole room that their marriage was over already. Discreet obviously wasn’t in that man’s vocabulary. Not that I could talk. I just ruined his wedding reception.
Everything happened fast, and my buzz made everything a blur.
Paul made a swift exit after, causing a commotion between the guests.
Reece remained seated, probably in shock. She refused to look at me. In fact, her gaze was glued to the floor.
But hey, Cole and Paige were back together and running off. Probably to fuck in a bathroom somewhere.
So, on a list of accomplishments, I could cross two things off today.
Bring a couple back together? Check.
Ruin the lives of three people, including my own? Double check.
Reece finally found her feet and made an escape, and as much as I wanted to go after her, I knew now wasn’t the time.
I hoped she’d come to me when she was ready.
If she’d ever be ready.
8
REECE
I woke up to an arm splayed lazily across my throat and a knee digging into my ribs.
I gently moved Cody’s little body off me. The joys of parenthood.
Disoriented, I looked around Pip’s spare bedroom before it all came flooding back to me.
Ugh.
My phone vibrated on the bedside table.
Mum calling. I refused to answer my parents’ calls last night, but I knew I couldn’t put off this conversation forever.
“Hello?” I whispered as I got out of bed so I didn’t wake Cody. I made it into the hallway and closed the door behind me.
“Are you happy with yourself?” Mum asked.
Hi to you too, Mum. “Contrary to what you believe, I don’t screw up my life for funsies.”
“You really need to grow out of this middle child syndrome. I mean, what were you thinking?”
&n
bsp; I was thinking how awesome it would be to publicly humiliate myself. Duh. “Did you only call to yell at me, or is there a point to this conversation?” I asked.
“What are you going to do now?”
It was a good question. One I didn’t have an answer for.
“You’ve lost everything,” Mum whispered.
“No, I lost a man I didn’t deserve in the first place. I never should’ve said yes to marrying him.” I wasn’t upset over losing Paul. I was upset over hurting him and how it all went down.
“It’s not like you have anything else.”
Ouch. I wasn’t in the mood to listen to yet another disappointment speech. I’d heard plenty of them over the years.
“You can’t live on your own, Reece,” Mum said. “You need someone to carry you. You always have. You don’t have it in you to be one of those women who are strong enough without a man. And now you have no one. Are you keeping the baby?”
Spencer’s voice cut through my thoughts. Pretty sure you’re at an age you can tell your parents to fuck off and they can’t ground you.
“Of course, I am. Why wouldn’t I?”
“You can barely look after yourself.”
That just pissed me off. “Do I have to remind you that I have an eight-year-old who is very much alive and healthy thanks to me?”
“Children need more than full tummies and clothes on their back. They need emotional stability, Reece. Something you obviously can’t provide. You really need to think this through.”
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
“You still have options.”
“That’s not an option for me.”
“You’re going to be a single mother to two kids with two different fathers. Do you realise how that reflects on us?”
“I’m not having an abortion,” I gritted out. “Not everything is about you and your image.”
“Then I guess I’ll see you when you come crawling to us for money again.”
“I don’t want your money.” I may’ve needed it, but I didn’t want it. I didn’t take pleasure in having someone else support me.
Mum laughed. She fucking laughed. “We’ll see.”
“You know what? I’m done,” I said. “I’m done trying to climb that fucking pedestal you keep Amber and Dom on. Guess what, Mum? I’m not fucking perfect. Just because I’m your daughter, that doesn’t give you a right to make me feel like shit. Ever wonder if the ridiculous amount of pressure you put on me is the reason I’m such a screw-up?”