June didn’t know what to say. She looked at her husband. He was staring at John but didn’t say anything. Actually, no one said a word.
“Did I overstep?” John asked.
“Mauling someone’s wife is never acceptable, John. Hi, June. I’m Julian, Henry’s best friend. Well, one of the three. And this is my wife, Joanie, and our daughter, Sam.”
“Oh, hi.” So she’d finally met one of the members of Blue-eyed Four. Julian was so pleasant to look at and his wife was exquisite as well.
Joanie gave her a hug. “They’d told me you were beautiful. Seeing you, I say you’re more than that. You’re like a painting I just want to stare at.”
“Thank you, Joanie. Hi, Sam.”
The little girl waved then hugged her daddy’s leg.
“Hey, June. I’m Trey. Let me know if Henry is misbehaving. We’ll cuff him in your bedroom—naked.”
“And you can have your way with him. Twenty-four-seven. Hi. I’m Nolan. Congratulations.”
June laughed. “Thank you. Nice meeting you all.”
The Blue-eyed Four. She’d heard everything about them from Vivienne, but meeting them in person was totally different. Just like Henry, the other three were breathtakingly attractive with amazing blue eyes. “Thank you for coming to our wedding. Everyone, these are my best friends, Vivienne and Craig.”
June noticed Craig’s cheeks quickly turning red when he shook Trey’s hand. Craig liked Trey, but he was also stealing glances at Nolan and John. Trey’s and John’s gazes, however, were focused on Vivienne. Oh, dear. “Thank you for standing as Henry’s best man, Trey.”
“He paid me handsomely and promised to give me more after the wedding.”
“You’re an ass, Trey.” Henry shoved him none too gently.
Trey just laughed. “But I’m glad I accepted. It’s not every day one gets to witness a beautiful wedding rich with interesting story.”
Henry exchanged knowing looks with Trey. June had a feeling Henry’s friends knew about everything that had led to this wedding.
Trey surprised June when he pulled her against his side and kissed her temple. “Are you a football fan, June?”
“Yes!”
“I can get us tickets.”
“Really?”
“You bet.”
“You can talk about that later. June and I have to rove. Guests are eager to meet my wife. Excuse us.” Henry took her elbow and started guiding her toward another table.
“I’ll talk to you later, guys.” June waved to her friends then let Henry lead her from one table to the next.
Henry bantered with the guests, shook hands with them, but never failed to keep his hands on her waist—a sign of possessiveness to the eyes of many. She wasn’t sure if his actions were just for a show. Pretending or not, she didn’t care. Today, she would set aside her woes and heartaches. Today she would laugh, eat and dance. Forget the reason behind the wedding. Forget Stacey.
The cool grass felt heavenly on her feet and took her mind off her negative thoughts.
Finally, they reached her parents’ table. After a brief greeting, Henry excused himself. June watched her husband leave. Women ogled him openly, some even tried to get his attention by running their hands on his arm and back. He just laughed at them and pointed at her.
“How are you holding up?”
“I’m okay, Dad. So many people here.”
“It’s a wedding, sweets. I know you are against this whole shebang, but are you at least enjoying yourself?”
June hugged him. “Immensely.”
“If I could get a recipe for one of those salads, I’d be delighted.”
“Mom, those are catered. I doubt they’ll give you the recipe.”
“I know. Sad, isn’t it? How are you feeling?”
“Good. Mom, Henry gave me and the baby an apartment.”
“We were told that yesterday.”
“You already know?”
“Yes. Henry wanted everything ready for you and the baby. You’ll have your own nest to keep. Let us know if you need help moving things around. I heard the apartment is furnished.”
“Henry said someone is in charge of taking the presents there. I’m kind of excited to see it.”
“Kind of?” James and Rebecca said simultaneously.
“Well, it’ll be different from our house, right?”
“Of course, Junie. Your apartment is newer, not like our rundown house.”
“Dad, our house is the best. Now, I want you both to be there when I open all the boxes. Tomorrow?”
Her parents looked at each other.
“What, Mom?”
“Your husband might want to spend time with you, Junie. Maybe we can help with the presents some other day.”
“What do you mean? Are you talking about my honeymoon? Because I don’t know anything about it.” If they were going somewhere, no one had mentioned it. Come to think of it, no one had told her anything.
“Junie, we don’t know anything about your honeymoon. That topic didn’t come up when I met with Minerva. But maybe Henry has made plans. That’s all we’re saying.”
“I don’t know if he’s made plans.”
“Just give us a call. Okay, we don’t want to monopolize you, dear. You have to talk to the other guests.”
“Okay. Be right back.” June grabbed a glass of punch. She found refilling a glass to be a great excuse to leave a table or group of well-wishers. Problem was her bladder screamed to be emptied every other minute.
Looking around for Henry, she didn’t find him. She told an elderly couple in smart clothes that she needed to freshen up and excused herself. Alone, she went back to the house.
She didn’t realize how tiring it was to be paraded around like a pure bred in a dog show. But her ring was the star of the show, really. Everybody wanted to see it. She inspected the ring. It was a simple white-gold band with three tiny diamonds. She loved it.
It was the most precious thing she’d ever owned. She didn’t know how much Henry had spent for it, but it didn’t matter. The important thing was what it represented. June closed her hand and pressed it against her chest.
I’m Henry’s wife now. Jelly Bean will have a dad after all.
Sighing, she wriggled her toes. It felt so good to be alone for a minute. Except for the sound of the grandfather clock, she didn’t hear anyone in the house. Loving the feeling of the cold marble floor on her feet, she took her time walking to the bathroom. She passed by the library, peeked in and smiled. She’d been there earlier. It was her favorite part of the house. Four back-to-back sofas forming a square shape sat in the middle of the room. In the middle stood a table with a bowl of fresh fruits, bottles of wine and glasses on it. The walls were covered with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and the big bay windows with cushions looked so inviting. She could spend hours and hours there reading. She sauntered by the green room when she heard someone giggling. Curious, she stopped and peeked in through the partly opened door.
What she saw made her heart stopped beating altogether.
Oh, God.
Henry and Stacey stood in the middle of the room in a passionate embrace. She could clearly see Henry caressing Stacey’s body, almost lifting her dress to expose her thighs.
June felt as though someone had lit her on fire then dumped ice-cold water on her. A mixture of emotion assaulted her senses. She didn’t even know how to handle it. It would be wise to leave, but she couldn’t. Her feet were rooted to the floor.
She couldn’t stop watching her husband. They kissed like lovers, familiar with each other’s bodies.
“Will I be sleeping alone again in our bed tonight?”
“Stays…”
“I want you in my bed tonight, Henry. You told me we are not over. This wedding is not the end of us.”
“I know what I said, Stays.”
Not ending? Henry planned to keep Stacey as his mistress?
The apartment. Stacey looks happy. They’re still toget
her. Oh, my God.
“I can’t believe you’re married.”
“You know what this marriage is about, Stays.”
“I know. Still. I hate seeing you wearing that ring.” Stacey stood on tiptoe then wrapped her arms around Henry’s neck. She gave him another open-mouthed kiss that Henry returned. It wasn’t just a simple kiss. June saw the slight bump in Stacey’s cheek—Henry’s tongue. He had his hand on Stacey’s ass, pressing her against him. When Henry kissed her earlier, he could have been thinking about Stacey. She was so stupid to believe that he still wanted her.
Sharp pain deep in her chest made her bite her lower lip so hard she tasted blood. But her gasp still escaped her. Realizing what she’d done, she took a step back, ready to run. Too late. Henry and Stacey heard her. Both looked in her direction. Slowly, Henry let go of Stacey. He walked toward her then opened the door wide. Behind Henry, she could see Stacey smirking.
Henry looked at her with a deep scowl.
“I was looking for you.” She glanced at Stacey again. The woman had her fingers on her lips as if trying not to smile.
“Is it time to cut the wedding cake, June?” Stacey asked sweetly.
“I…I…” She couldn’t go on. Oh, God.
“You need help?” Henry asked.
June blinked at the harshness of Henry’s tone. Maybe he was angry that she’d disturbed their interlude. “No.”
“Your lip is bleeding.”
“Oh!” She wiped the blood off with her fingers. “I, well, didn’t know where you went. The guests… We need to, to…you know. The toast.” Get a grip, June. But her heart was beating at a rapid rate and she felt dizzy. Lord, help me. June’s breathing became short and fast.
“You okay?”
Henry tried to reach for her but she moved out of his reach. She picked up the hem of her dress. “Perfectly fine. Excuse me,” she said then ran toward the bathroom.
“June!” Henry called.
She ignored him. She closed herself in the bathroom and cried until she couldn’t cry anymore.
Chapter Eleven
It was Vivienne who found her. Her friend fixed her makeup and helped her go back outside. Some of the guests had speared her with questioning looks while the others were busy talking and drinking. She had a feeling they wouldn’t care if she just disappeared. They were here to socialize, gossip and seal business deals.
“You’ll have to give this dress back. Shove it down Henry’s throat—or Stacey’s.”
Burn it maybe. She didn’t care anymore. “I forgot I have blood on my fingers.”
“I wish it was Stacey’s and Henry’s blood. God, they couldn’t even wait until the wedding was over. I want to kill them both.”
“If you do, I’ll lose you. Can you imagine how miserable I’d be with just Craig to keep me company?”
“I feel responsible. And to think I vouched for him, always thinking the best about him.”
“We both made the decision, Vi. It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Didn’t we expect something like this?”
“Not like this, June. Not this soon.”
June shook her head. “This wedding is a sham. And remember, he told me that I shouldn’t expect anything from him.”
“Including his loyalty and faithfulness?”
“Yes. Including that.”
“Leave him. Now. Tell him you can’t be his wife with that whore hanging onto his pants.”
“I’m sure he’s already planned to file for a divorce. Maybe in a week or a month. However long he’s decided to stay, I’ll make those days good ones. At least I’ll have something to tell Jelly Bean—that I tried.”
“I don’t know how you do it. You always find something good about people and will come up with something as silly as ‘I tried’. I’m sorry you had to witness them making out, June.”
“Me too.”
She was sure they would be doing more than just making out later. Eventually, Henry would leave her for Stacey. She supposed divorce wouldn’t harm the Colchester name compared to having a grandchild out of wedlock.
“Your parents and Craig are watching us. Smile, June.”
Forcing a smile, she waved at her parents. They looked concerned so she gave them a thumbs up. Both visibly relaxed.
Henry appeared at her side. He wound his arm around her waist just as he’d been doing all day.
“There you are, asshole,” Vivienne snarled. “Done cheating with that whore? Oh, wait, of course not.”
“Vivienne, please. Stop.”
Vivienne’s face turned bright red, her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “You’re the worst mistake I’ve ever made in my life, Henry Colchester. I was so wrong about you. Anyone would have been better for June. If I could change anything, it would be you. I regret knowing your name, suggesting your name. I hate you. I’d give my life ten times over if I could just change everything about the day I talked to you. Your presence makes me sick, a reminder that I only made June’s situation a living hell.”
“This is not the right place to talk about this, Vivienne.”
Henry’s tone was nothing but calm. However, judging by the way he gripped her waist, June could tell he was pissed.
“Oh? And this is the right place to make out with your bitch?”
“Don’t forget. You’re the one who approached me.”
“Believe me. I will never forget. I thought you were the right one who would help us solve June’s—”
“Vi, please.” June grabbed Vivienne’s arm. She shook her head at Vivienne.
“You want Stacey, but agreed to this wedding,” Vivienne continued. “What, so you could get even with June? So you could shred her heart into pieces? Are you that heartless, Colchester?”
“Vi, Craig is coming. Go to him. I’m sorry, Henry.”
“Don’t apologize to him. He’s a roach.” Vivienne wiped the tears off her face then intercepted Craig.
“Try to understand. She’s my friend,” June mumbled.
“She has the right to hate me. Let’s finish this damn ceremony and be done with it.”
She and Henry cut the cake, listened and clapped to Vivienne’s jokes and laughed at Trey’s story as if everything was fine. Deep inside, she felt sick. She could taste bile. Henry hated her for her deception, but not this much.
Their marriage meant nothing to Henry. He’d married her to appease their parents. Henry loved Stacey, not her. She knew that. But God it hurt too much.
She spotted Stacey laughing with John. Anger welled in her chest. She wanted to rip Stacey’s hair out, hurt her the way she was hurting right now. But she wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of showing what she truly felt. No, she wouldn’t be a vicious wife.
For all she knew, this would be her only time she’d be married. And she’d make sure to give Henry an ideal home whether he hated it or not. She would be a devoted wife. When the time came that they had to part, he wouldn’t have to look back and say, ‘glad I got out of that marriage’. No, she would make him think it was great knowing her.
Yeah, so what if he cared for Stacey? So what if they still shared the same bed? At the end of the day or night, she still held the ace—as Henry’s wife. And she carried his child. Oh, yes. She wouldn’t add more reasons for him to hate her. She’d show him she wasn’t a bad person, as he perceived her to be.
She ate her cake without tasting it, sipped the diet Coke Vivenne gave her, but it could have been water and she wouldn’t have known the difference.
The emcee announced that it was time for the new couple to take the floor and dance for the first time as husband and wife. Her whole body rebelled at the idea, her mind screaming no. She didn’t move. But Henry helped her up, kissed her temple then led her in the middle of the lawn.
The music played. She recognized it right away. In Between Love. She remembered telling Henry about it. That someday, when she got married, she wanted to dance to that tune.
He remembere
d? Or it’s just a coincidence.
Closing her eyes, she tried to shut the world away, keep the pain at bay and pretend that everything was fine, even just for a minute. But tears found their way down her cheeks. She bit her lip again, felt the pain and tasted blood.
Henry pulled in her for a hug. She hesitated for a second before letting him cocoon her in his arms.
Pretend that everything is all right.
She did. Until the music ebbed and floated away.
* * * *
Leaving her parents made her cry even more. Her stomach flipped. She didn’t want to go anywhere but to her parents’ home. She could run, she supposed. Surely Henry wouldn’t go after her. With her belief that she could make a warm home for Henry becoming weaker, she spotted Stacey laughing.
Bitch. Henry must have promised her that he’ll go to her tonight. God, I can’t believe anyone could hate someone as much as I hate Stacey right now.
“June?”
“Yes, Dad?”
“Looks like you’re ready to strangle someone.”
Yeah. Stacey. “Just thinking, Dad.”
“Looks like everything is taken care of, Junie. The mound of gifts is being loaded into a van. Everything will be at your new apartment before you even get there, Junie.”
“Mom, I want my own bed. Sleep in my own room.”
James hugged June. “Ah, my little sunshine. You’ll get used to sleeping in your new bed. You’re married now, sweets. As much as I hate for you to leave, we have to accept this change in our lives. Mom and I will come for a visit. Anytime. Just call. All right?”
She couldn’t let go of her dad. After witnessing Henry kissing Stacey, she wondered if keeping her sickness from her parents was the biggest mistake of her life. Oh, how she wished she could tell her parents how much she was hurting right now.
“Sweet, I’m wearing my new shirt. You’re smearing makeup all over it.”
June shook her head but didn’t let go of her dad.
“All right. Just use my tie to blow your nose.”
“Junie, don’t hesitate to call. I promise I won’t convert your room into my sewing room. It’ll be yours, forever.”
The Best of June Page 15