by Pamela Bauer
“I’m sorry that night ever happened, Krystal, but it did and there’s nothing we can do about it now except try to forget.” There was a resignation in his voice that made her cringe inwardly.
He regretted sleeping with her. No, he didn’t just regret it. He wished it had never happened. She hadn’t lived up to his fantasy obviously. The thought cut through her, causing her throat to tighten with emotion. She didn’t want to feel hurt, but she did.
“I guess fantasies are just never worth the price you have to pay for them, are they?” Her voice faltered with a combination of hurt and anger.
Before he could respond Shane’s voice called out, “Hey, you two! It’s time!”
Garret turned as his brother came striding toward them.
“You’d better get back in there.” Shane jerked a thumb in the direction of the groomsmen’s dressing room. “Quinn’s so nervous I’m worried he’s going to hyperventilate.”
Krystal felt the same way. She watched Shane throw an arm around Garret’s shoulder and drag him away. He didn’t protest, giving her reason to believe he was relieved to be away from her. He’d said what he wanted to say. He’d told her he wished he could forget they’d ever slept together.
Krystal wanted to turn and run out the door as fast as her legs would carry her. Only she couldn’t. She dropped down onto the padded bench seat and hung her head in her hands wishing she had never told Dena she’d be a bridesmaid. How was she ever going to get through the rest of the day?
The sound of heels clicking on the tile had her lifting her head to see Maddie coming toward her.
“You’re still not feeling well, are you?” She sat down beside her.
She shook her head, trying to swallow back the emotion. “I shouldn’t have told Dena I’d be in the wedding.” A lone tear trickled down her cheek.
Maddie wrapped her arm around her. “Oh, don’t cry, Krys. You want me to tell Dena you’re sick? She’ll understand. I know she will.”
She was so very tempted to say yes, but then Sara, the junior bridesmaid, was at their side saying, “Ohmigosh! Dena is so freaking out because you two aren’t in there. Come!” She waved with her hand. “The wedding coordinator is lining everyone up to start the processional. Hurry!”
“What do you want to do?” Maddie asked.
Krystal took a deep breath and willed her composure to return. “I think I can make it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” As she rose she wobbled on her feet. Seeing the look of panic on Maddie’s face she said, “Relax. It’s the shoes. My feet are killing me.”
“Why don’t you change them? I’m sure Dena wouldn’t mind,” Maddie suggested.
“No. I’m not going to be the only one in odd-colored shoes,” she stated in no uncertain terms. “I’ll make it.”
“I think she’d rather see you with a different pair of shoes, then hobbling in those,” Maddie pointed out.
“I’m not going to hobble. See.” She demonstrated by taking a few steps without any difficulty.
When they reached the apse, Dena was already in place, her father at her side. Krystal caught a glimpse of the inside of the church. It was full, as was to be expected considering Quinn was a professional hockey player. She also noticed that the large fans suspended from the ceiling were turning. She took a deep breath, willing her body to relax as she slipped between Maddie and Sara.
Just before the processional began, Maddie whispered over her shoulder, “Last chance to back out.”
Krystal shook her head. She’d get through this day with sheer willpower because she wanted it to be special for Dena. She turned around and gave the bride a thumbs-up sign and a smile, then clasped her bouquet firmly. She waited until Sara was a third of the way down the aisle before stepping onto the white carpet.
True to the word she gave Maddie, she walked steadily even though her feet ached. At the altar she continued to gaze straight ahead, reaching for Garret’s arm without actually looking at him. She felt him stiffen and hoped nobody noticed how uneasy they both were as they walked to their spots at the altar.
Krystal knew from rehearsal that all of the bridesmaids would be on Dena’s left and the groomsmen on Quinn’s right. Although Garret was her escort, the only time she needed to be next to him was during the recessional when they’d walk back down the aisle arm in arm.
As she stood waiting for Dena to make her grand entrance, she glanced out at the crowd. It was no wonder the church felt stuffy. It was packed with people, many of whom were fanning themselves with wedding programs. At the start of Mendelssohn’s refrain, everyone rose to welcome the bride.
Warm air undulated with the crowd’s movement. Krystal tried not to think about how stuffy it was inside the church, but it wasn’t easy. She glanced at the minister and saw him wipe his brow with a handkerchief.
When Dena reached the altar and stood beside Quinn, the wedding ceremony began. The Donovan brothers had joked about how long-winded this particular minister could be, but Krystal hadn’t expected he’d deliver a lengthy homily on such a warm day.
She briefly closed her eyes as she listened, thinking that if he went on much longer, she’d walk over and yank him off the pulpit herself. The only words she wanted to hear were I now pronounce you husband and wife.
As beautiful as the marriage ceremony was, Krystal was relieved when Quinn kissed Dena and the minister introduced the newlyweds to the crowd. The bells tolled and the recessional began.
Krystal grabbed on to Garret’s arm when he extended it to her and started back down the white-carpeted aisle. The faces of the guests became hazy and she didn’t understand why until all of sudden she felt a rush of light-headedness. Then her stomach lurched and she squeezed Garret’s arm with both hands.
“I have to get out of here,” she said in a frantic whisper.
He took one look at her face and said, “This way.” Instead of exiting at the back of the church he led her out a side door. “There’s a washroom to the left.”
She thrust her bouquet at him and made a dash for it.
MADDIE HAD WARNED Garret before the wedding started that Krystal wasn’t feeling well, but he’d seen nothing during the ceremony to make him think she was sick. If anything, she’d looked more beautiful than he’d ever seen her and he’d been happy to have an excuse to keep an eye on her.
It wasn’t until she squeezed his arm and he saw the pallor of her skin that he realized she needed to get to the washroom quickly. Against her protest he went with her, waiting nearby to make sure she didn’t need any assistance.
“Are you okay?” he asked when he’d given her a few minutes to be alone.
“Yes. Please leave,” she called out from behind the stall door.
After their brief encounter right before the wedding, he thought, it was probably what he should do.
But he didn’t want to leave her at a time like this. He couldn’t leave her. So he waited quietly for her.
“This is a women’s rest room,” she said when she came out of the stall and found him still in the washroom. “You shouldn’t have come in here.”
“I was worried you were going to pass out. You were quite pale,” he told her.
“I had an upset stomach. I’m fine now,” she said, avoiding his gaze.
Because he was behind her, he had to look into the mirror to see her face while she washed up at the sink. She looked fragile and in need of someone to watch over her.
She made it clear that he wasn’t going to be that someone. “Please, just go,” she begged him.
He didn’t, but watched in silence as she finished washing up and dried her hands on a paper towel. “You’re still pale.” He set her bouquet down on the small shelf over the sink and took her wrist to check her pulse.
She snatched her hand away from him before he could finish. “Please. I am embarrassed enough the way it is.”
He lifted her chin, forcing her to look him in the eye. “I’m a doctor, Krystal. You t
hink I haven’t been around sick people?”
“You’re also…” she began, then stopped, flapping her hand in frustration. “Just forget it. It was too hot in church, but I’m fine now. It’s amazing how good one can feel after doing…that….” Her fingers fluttered toward the stall.
“Do you have a headache?”
“No.”
“Fever?”
“No.”
“Blurry vision?”
“No!” She exhaled a long sigh. “Look. I don’t need a doctor, Garret. I need a friend who understands that I suffered one of the worst embarrassments of my life. God only knows what Dena and Quinn must be thinking.”
“Krystal, I doubt they even realized anything was wrong. They were already out of the church. So were Shane and Jennifer and Maddie. The only ones behind us were Sara and Luke.”
“And about five hundred people!”
“You went out the side door. For all they know, you could have been taking care of a bridesmaid duty.”
From the look she gave him he could see she wasn’t buying into his rationalization.
“It could have been worse,” he pointed out. “You could have keeled over at the altar or made your mad dash just as they were saying their vows.” He stared at her, amazed at how beautiful she looked. Even at her worst she was more attractive than most women. She wore her red hair piled up in a cascade of curls—the same way she’d worn it the night of the hospital ball. He remembered what it had been like to unravel those curls.
“You’re right. At least I didn’t ruin the ceremony.” She glanced downward. “Or my dress.” She looked again in the mirror. “And I can touch up my makeup once I get my purse from the attendant’s lounge.”
Her resiliency impressed him. If there was one thing he’d always admired about her it was her upbeat personality. He’d noticed it right from the start, her ability to be down one minute but bounce right back up the next.
“You’re not going to tell anybody about this, are you?” she asked as she reached for her bouquet.
“Not if you don’t want me to, although Maddie’s going to want to know what happened,” he answered.
“I’ll talk to her.”
“You’re riding with us in the car, aren’t you?”
She shook her head. “No. Shane and Jennifer are bringing me to the reception.”
“Why? I’m your escort. I thought groomsmen were supposed to accompany bridesmaids.”
“I don’t think there’s room in Maddie and Dylan’s car for one more.”
“There’s only the three of us. Mom decided to ride with the Sterlings.”
“Three? What about Samantha?”
“She was called to the hospital.” And at this moment he was glad. “So, what do you say?” He held out his arm to her, but she hesitated to slip hers through his.
“It could be awkward,” she warned him.
“Maybe this is a good time to try to get away from the awkwardness.”
Again she hesitated, but then she linked her arm through his. “Thank you. It’s very kind of you to escort me to the reception,” she said politely.
Little did she know it had nothing to do with kindness.
KRYSTAL COULDN’T HAVE ASKED for a more attentive escort than Garret. He was the perfect date, except he wasn’t a date and she needed to remember that. He was with her out of a sense of duty, a groomsman assigned to escort her. The woman he wanted to take to the wedding reception had been detained at the hospital.
Krystal was glad Samantha wasn’t there. For just a few hours she was allowed to see what it would be like to be a part of the Donovan clan. It was a family that loved children and lavished attention on the one grandchild, five-year-old Mickey. As Krystal watched him romp between his aunts and uncles, the burden of her secret grew heavier. This baby she was carrying wasn’t only Garret’s son or daughter. He or she was Leonie’s grandchild and a nephew or niece to Garret’s brothers and sisters-in-law.
The baby was also Mickey’s cousin.
Ever since she’d lived at 14 Valentine Place she’d admired the close-knit family Leonie had raised. Now as she watched Maddie strolling across the ballroom floor, one arm clinging to Garret and the other to Dylan, she felt a pang of envy. When the wedding celebration was over, Maddie would still be a part of the family. Krystal, however, would go back to being the tenant on the second floor.
She needed to tell Garret the truth and she need to do it as soon as possible. First, however, they needed to complete their duties as members of the wedding party. Pictures had to be taken and dinner had to be served. There was cake to be cut and champagne toasts to be made. The first few dances of the evening would involve the bridal party, but Garret didn’t like to dance. That much she’d learned the night of the hospital ball. As soon as the obligatory wedding march was over, she’d ask him to step outside for a few minutes.
As the band warmed up, she rehearsed in her head what she would say to him. She knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but it was something that needed to be done. For his sake as well as for her own.
When he came up behind her and leaned over her shoulder to say “Please tell me it isn’t true,” her heart nearly stopped beating.
She swallowed with difficulty before saying, “What isn’t true?”
He slid on to the chair next to hers and wrinkled his nose. “We have to dance in the spotlight?”
She exhaled a sigh of relief. “It’s only one dance and it’s the entire wedding party.”
He raked a hand over his neck. “You know how I feel about dancing.”
She nodded and smiled. “It’s the price you have to pay for being a groomsman. Have you forgotten Maddie and Dylan’s wedding?”
“I was called back to the hospital before the dancing began.”
“Oh, that’s right. One of the ushers took your spot.” She knew this would be a good time to suggest they step outside for some fresh air as soon as the wedding march was over. “Garret, do you think I could talk to you for a few minutes? I don’t mean right now, but after our turn on the dance floor? There’s something I want to discuss with you and…”
Before she could finish Samantha Penrose came swooping toward the table with a huge smile on her face. Krystal glanced at Garret’s face to see his reaction, but as usual, it was the same old unreadable mask.
Samantha tossed a casual “Hi, Krystal” in her direction, then gave her undivided attention to Garret, explaining why she was so late. She monopolized Garret’s attention, talking hospital business until Leonie came over to welcome Samantha to the party. The entire time Krystal felt out of place and wished she could quietly slip away.
“I’m sorry, Krystal. You wanted to tell me something?” Garret turned his attention back to her.
She shook her head. “It’s all right. It can wait until tomorrow.”
He pinned her with those dark brown eyes and she almost changed her mind. “Are you sure?”
She nodded.
“Are you feeling okay?” he asked.
She didn’t want to snap at him, but she couldn’t help herself. “Will you stop asking me how I feel? I’m fine!” She glanced around, hoping the others at the table didn’t hear her. Fortunately the band was making enough noise that no one had caught their exchange.
His eyes darkened and before he could say another word, Krystal excused herself to go to the ladies’ lounge. She was tired, her feet hurt and the nausea was back. She wanted nothing more than to go home and crawl into bed, but she knew she couldn’t—at least not until the wedding party had danced.
She sat down on an upholstered chaise and kicked off her shoes, wiggling toes that were red and swollen. With canned music playing in the background, she leaned her chin on the crook of her arm, not wanting to mess her curls. That was how Maddie found her.
“So here’s where you disappeared to. Garret’s looking for you.”
“Why?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. He said something about wanting to t
alk to you. You look tired,” she observed.
“I am. I wish I could go home and go to bed,” she said candidly.
“You want to go home when there’s a party going on in the next room?” Maddie repeated in disbelief.
Krystal managed to give her friend a weak smile. “I’m just not in the mood for a party.” She reached for her shoes and tried to slip them on, but it was impossible to get her swollen feet into them. “Oh, this is just great. Now I can’t get my shoes back on!” she said on a note of frustration.
Maddie looked down. “Oh my goodness. Your poor feet. What did you do? Buy the wrong size? I thought my feet were bad, but I have an excuse. I’m pregnant.”
It wasn’t the time or the place to tell Maddie about her pregnancy, but Krystal was tired of keeping the secret. And she needed an understanding friend.
“I guess I need to watch my sodium intake more carefully,” she said, watching Maddie’s face for her reaction.
“You always did like the salty stuff, but I don’t remember you ever swelling in the summer because of it.”
“I’ve never been pregnant before, either,” she said quietly.
That caused Maddie’s eyes to widen. “What did you say?”
“I’m pregnant. The reason I disappeared after the wedding ceremony is because I had to rush into the ladies’ room. Garret was with me.”
Maddie dropped down beside her, her face pale from the shock of the news. “You’re going to have a baby?”
Krystal nodded. “I’m due in February, so I’m still in that feeling awful stage.”
Shock was replaced by understanding as Maddie wrapped her arms around her and gave her a squeeze. When she released her Krystal noticed the moisture in her eyes.
“Are those tears of happiness or pity?” she asked.
“Neither. I feel like such a fool. Ever since I got back all I’ve done is carry on about how wonderful it is to be married to Dylan and having his baby. And here you are pregnant and…” She broke off, shaking her head.