My Last - Riley & Chelle Read online

  “I’m just so happy to be here with you, you know...on your wedding day. I can’t believe you’re getting married. And I’ve missed you so much!”

  The best lies, Chelle had read somewhere, were ones that were rooted in the truth – and what Chelle had just said certainly was the truth...if not the whole truth. But Chelle realized that the key to redirecting Katie’s attention would be to stick to the (palatable part) of the truth since Katie could sniff out a lie like a bloodhound.

  Katie smiled and came over to give Chelle a hug. YES! Plan B was a success.

  “I’ve missed you too! God, it’s so weird. I mean, a month ago I was living in California. I hadn’t even seen you or Jas in over ten years. Now, I can’t imagine my life without him, or you,” Katie was shaking her head, but smiling from ear to ear, “I seriously can’t believe it’s only been a month.”

  Katie had come back to Harper’s Crossing a month earlier for Sophie's, wedding. Katie had dated Nick, her next door neighbor and also Sophie's big brother, since they were in middle school. Nick had died tragically in an automobile accident the summer after their senior year, and Katie left town the night after his funeral. She hadn’t been home in a decade.

  Sophie, who had always considered Katie her big sister, had asked Katie to be the maid of honor in her wedding. Katie, despite her reservations about returning to the place that had spawned such complicated feelings for her – feelings she had been running from for a decade – had returned out of pure love for Sophie. Over the course of that wedding weekend, which turned out to be the most fateful weekend of her life, she had reunited with Jason, who had been the best man in the wedding.

  Jason had been in love with Katie since the first day they had met in Kindergarten, but he had never told her of his feelings until the weekend of the wedding, and - after spending a roller coaster few days together - he had asked her to marry him.

  Katie had said yes, and Jason hadn’t wanted to waste any time getting her down the aisle. His feeling was that they had already wasted over 20 years not being together, and he didn’t want to live even one more day than he absolutely had to without her as his wife.

  Katie, who was the sweetest person alive, hadn’t wanted to overshadow Bobby and Sophie’s recent nuptials and had insisted that they wait at least a month. In that time, she had headed back to San Francisco, with Jason by her side, and tied up some lose ends with cases that she had in progress, facilitating their transfer to other attorneys on staff at her firm. She had thought that she might be sad to leave her fast-paced life as an up and coming lawyer, but had ultimately decided that 80-plus hour work weeks and near-constant pressure to perform were not the life she wanted. She wanted to move home to Harper's Crossing, and - most importantly - she wanted Jason.

  Chelle could honestly say she had never seen her diamond friend happier.

  “And just think, in a couple of months...this will be you in the white dress, getting ready to walk down the aisle!” Katie exclaimed.

  “Yep!” Chelle agreed and smiled widely...again, probably just a touch too brightly.

  “Chelle…” Katie’s concerned voice and narrow-eyed suspicion were interrupted as the door burst open and one extremely frazzled matron of honor rushed in.

  “Oh my gosh, I am sooo sorry I’m late, Katie! I was doing sooo good. I was on track. On time. Just finishing getting ready when Bobby came in and then…” she started to blush, “well, he sidetracked me and before I knew it I was off schedule. But I’m here now. What do you need?”

  Katie laughed, “Ahhhhh the 'newlywed' excuse. I guess I’ll be able to use that one after today,” her eyes danced with delight as she hugged Sophie. “I’m good, Sophiebell. Honestly, more than anything, I just want to get this show on the road!”

  Sophie looked up at the round clock hanging on the far wall of the small room, “Well, we should be getting started in about twenty minutes!” She enthused as she clapped her hands together joyfully.

  The door swung open once again and Aunt Wendy appeared in the doorway, all business, announcing her arrival in no-nonsense tones through her headset.

  Sophie turned and mouthed to Chelle, “Who is she talking to?”

  Chelle shrugged and shook her head, eyes wide, to indicate her lack of knowledge. She didn’t know who was on the other end of that headset, but she did know that she was happy about the arrival of more people in the small bridal room! More people meant more hustle and bustle, which meant fewer opportunities for the attention to be focused on her. And that meant less of a chance for Katie to figure out something was wrong with her!

  Aunt Wendy looked all three of the girls up and down, like some kind of impromptu bridal inspection, although her facial expression read much more 'drill sergeant' than 'kindly wedding coordinator.' Still, they must have all passed the test, because her expression of scrutiny melted into one of bliss, and she sighed happily, “Well, don't you girls just look as pretty as pictures!”

  Chelle glanced over at Sophie who was in the same red halter-top, tea-length dress that Chelle wore. Sophie looked amazing. The contrast of the deep red color with her honey blonde hair was beautiful, bringing out the deeper and more complex tones in both the dress and Sophie's hair. It was like the sum of the parts created something even greater than what the two components had started out to be on their own.

  And Chelle had to admit, although red was not normally a color she liked to incorporate in her own wardrobe, Katie had chosen a very pretty and striking rich shade of red for the wedding.

  Amber, who owned Bella, a small boutique clothing shop in town, had designed the one-of-a-kind bridesmaid dresses. As soon as Chelle had slipped the dress on, she had immediately fallen in love with it - and not just the fit, but also the unique shade of red, which offset perfectly her olive-toned skin and chestnut brown hair.

  Then, when Sophie had come out of the dressing room and Chelle saw how good the dress fit her and how the red also complimented Sophie’s fair skin and golden blonde hair, she knew Katie had been her 'usual Katie self' and chosen perfectly.

  The next half-hour flew by and, before Chelle knew it, she was walking down the center aisle of the church toward the altar. She concentrated hard on not looking at anyone in the pews, as she didn’t want to see the wrong person (David!). With her head held high, she simply looked straight ahead and put one foot in front of the other.

  Hey, she thought, that's not a bad metaphor for my life now – just look straight ahead and put one foot in front of the other...oh, and, of course, try not to collapse in a heap. That was also an important step.

  Jason smiled at her as she came closer, his warm brown eyes filled with excitement as he waited for Katie to walk down the aisle and become his wife. The look in his eyes caused the floodgates to open and Chelle once again was filled with emotions. Mostly happiness, as she had always thought that Jason and Katie belonged together, even (if she was being honest) when Katie had been with Nick. Jason was such a great guy. She knew he would always take care of Katie and treat her right.

  But happiness was not the only thing she was feeling. Those other emotions she was trying her best to smash down and suppress kept trying to pop their heads up and ambush her. Nope, not today, she told herself grimly. They are just going to have to wait. She once again stomped them firmly down into submission.

  Chelle got to her place, just to the left of the first step, and turned to watch Sophie coming towards them. Sophie was staring straight at her new husband Bobby, who was standing beside Jason. Chelle noticed Bobby wink at his new bride, and when she looked back at Sophie, she noticed a blush creeping up her cheeks.

  Those two are so cute, Chelle thought to herself. Other people make love look so happy, so easy...what's their secret?

  Sophie stepped up beside Chelle and everyone stood when the organist started playing The Bridal March. As the familiar strains of that well-known anthem rang out, Chelle couldn't help but hear the lyrics echoing in her mind, “Here comes the bride, al
l dressed in white...” and wondering if those words would ever be true for her.

  NO, Chelle! Lock it down, she admonished herself.

  There was a chorus of “OOOH” and “AWWW” as Katie slowly made her way to the front of the church, strictly adhering to the formal processional march, on the arm of Sophie's grandfather, Grandpa J. Katie had asked Grandpa J, aka The Colonel, to give her away since Katie’s father Craig had been MIA for most of her life – and, as she had found out later, had actually created an entirely new family in his absence!

  Katie had just recently found out that she had four siblings - three half-brothers and one half-sister. Her brothers CJ, Caden and Corey were all in attendance today. Katie had briefly met her sister Carrie when she was out in California tying up loose ends, but Carrie was a student at UCLA and couldn’t make it out to Illinois for the wedding.

  Grandpa J was technically Sophie and Nick’s grandfather, but he had unofficially adopted Katie as his own, and he loved her just as much as his ‘real’ grandkids. They had become very close over the time that Katie had lived next door to and dated Nick, back in high school.

  Also, when Katie had returned to Harper’s Crossing last month for Sophie and Bobby’s wedding, Grandpa J had been the one to take the most drastic action in playing matchmaker – he had let the air out of the tires in Katie’s car so she would be forced to drive with Jason up to Whisper Lake, where the nuptials were being held. He had since said that, even during the years that Katie was dating Nick, he had always suspected that Jason was the right one for “his Katie girl.”

  Chelle saw that Grandpa J had tears in his eyes when he leaned down to kiss Katie on the cheek. When the pastor asked, “Who gives this woman to marry this man?”

  Grandpa J cleared his throat and smiled proudly as he said, “Well now, young man, I guess that would me.”

  Then, when he passed Katie’s hand to Jason’s, he held his gaze and told him, “You take care of our girl, now, son.”

  Jason beamed, “I will, Colonel.”

  As Grandpa J made his way to his seat, Pam, Katie’s mom, surprised everyone. Seemingly overcome with love, she quickly stood, hugging both Katie and Jason before taking her seat next to her sister, Aunt Wendy. Chelle could see pleased smiles all around the congregation at this show of emotion by Katie's mother. The whole time Katie had been growing up, although Pam had always been a very good Mom and there was no question in anyone's mind about how much she loved Katie and how much she would sacrifice for her, Pam had never been very physically demonstrative or affectionate about that love.

  Well, I guess weddings do tend to bring out the mushy side of people, Chelle thought as she turned to face the pastor.

  The ceremony began and Chelle did her level best to focus on the pastor and what he was saying, but if she was honest with herself, it was the conversation with David that kept running through her mind as she tried to enjoy the beautiful ceremony. Her brain kept torturing her with the list of things that she should have said, the many questions that she should have asked. She had just been so blindsided by what David had revealed, that it was like her brain had been short-circuited.

  Katie and Jason stepped up to the alter and the pastor announced that they were going to exchange vows that they had written themselves. Chelle prepared herself for the onslaught of emotion she was sure to have when they spoke. Of all the times during the day today that she needed to guard against having a breakdown, surely this – during the freaking VOWS, for crying out loud! - was the most important. And yet, because of the inherent emotion that the moment was going to bring, it could also prove to be the hardest. She steeled herself.

  Jason brushed a soft curl back from Katie's face and she smiled up at him beaming with love. He took a deep breath and said, “Katie. My angel. I think that from the first moment I laid eyes on you, when we were putting our backpacks in our cubbies on the first day of Kindergarten, I knew that this day was in the cards for us. That it was coming, as surely as a sunrise after a dark night, no matter how far away that light might seem at some points, when you're sitting in the darkness. I never lost faith in you...in us. I know we took a winding road to get here, but this is where we belong. With each other. In each other's arms, and in each other's hearts. My beautiful girl, now that I have you, trust me on one thing – I will never let you go. You are my angel, the light of my life, forever.”

  Chelle felt tears falling from her eyes, but that was fine. There was nothing suspicious about that, there wasn't a dry eye in the place. Still, she certainly wasn't out of the woods yet. She still had to get through her DFF's speech without falling apart!

  Katie took a deep, shaking breath and beamed up at Jason.

  “Jason,” she began tremulously, and then squared her shoulders, a determined look coming into her eye. She began again, her voice stronger and more confident, “Jason, you are the strength that I never knew that I had. You call me your angel, but the truth is – you are my guardian angel, and you always have been. Whether I knew that you were doing it or not...whether I even knew that I needed it or not...you were always looking out for me. Love isn't expressed through the things that we do which we expect credit for, or some elaborate show of gratitude in return. Many of the sacrifices you have made for me, I never knew about until fifteen years after the fact. I'm sure there are many more that I still don't know about.

  “The love that you have shown me, and continue to show me, regardless of if I deserve it or even know about it, is the purest love I have ever known.

  “There are so many things I adore about you, my Jason. But I think that the biggest among them is how you show me, every single day, what it means to be selfless. I love you.”

  Good Lord! Leave it to Katie, Chelle thought, to come up with a tear-jerking speech just when I'm trying to keep all emotions in check!

  Katie and Jason kissed, and soon Chelle was relieved to see that they were making their way down the aisle. YES! Her time “on stage,” so to speak, was nearly over. Of course, there was still the whole reception to get through...but at least she wouldn't be standing on a platform in front of all the guests for the entire reception!

  Sophie and Bobby followed Katie and Jason, and then Chelle stepped to the center of the aisle and took the arm of Alex Sloan, another of the five Sloan brothers. As he escorted her down the aisle he turned to her and said with a wink, “Damn Chelle, you look good, David’s a lucky man.”

  Those four innocent words, meant to be a compliment - ‘David’s a lucky man’ - were the straw that broke the camel's back. They hit her right in the solar plexus and were just about more than she could handle. She thought she might throw up or pass out, she wasn’t sure which – but neither option was all that appealing at the moment!

  Alex must have noticed that something was wrong, because once they exited the sanctuary he guided her to a secluded hall that branched off of the foyer, leading to the side of the church. After checking up and down the hall to make sure they were alone, he said, concern in his voice, “You don’t look so good. Are you okay?”

  Chelle nodded and tried to smile, although even to her own mind, it seemed like a weak attempt. She realized that her attempts must have actually been every bit as outwardly unconvincing as she suspected that they were when Alex immediately turned to leave, saying in a somewhat urgent tone, “Let me go get David.”

  “NO!” Chelle hadn’t meant to raise her voice or to bark out the command so harshly.

  Alex froze, then slowly turned back on his heels, looking at her like she had grown another head. He raised his hands in mock surrender, saying, “Okay, sorry. I won’t go get David.”

  Chelle slumped against the wall, defeated and still fighting the last vestiges of hysteria. “David’s been cheating on me with his eighteen year old secretary Kayla. She’s pregnant and he’s marrying her.” The words tumbled out of her faster than water racing down a wild river. They rushed from her mouth and she didn't even realize it was happening until she heard her
own voice saying them. She flung her hand over her mouth to try and stop it.

  Alex’s emerald green eyes became as big as saucers. “Holy shit!”

  Chelle removed her hand from her mouth, realizing the damage had been done. She had already spilled the beans. Time for damage control. “Please don’t say anything, Alex. I don’t want Katie to worry. You know how she is.”

  Alex nodded his head in agreement, “I can’t believe you’ve been able to keep it a secret from her, she’s like Sherlock Holmes.”

  “Well, I just found out. He told me about ten minutes before I left to come here.”

  Alex shook his head. “What an asshole.”

  “Yep. My thoughts exactly.” She took a deep breath. Her body felt heavy, as if her limbs were encased in concrete. She thought she must be weighed down by the stark reality of the situation, which had just become shockingly more real, now that she had told someone else. Now there was a witness.

  “Damn. I don’t know what to say, Chelle.” Alex genuinely looked pained for her.

  “Don’t worry about it, I’m fine.” She smiled as brightly as she could manage, not wanting him to feel sorry for her. If there was anything she hated, it was being the object of pity. “Just please do me a favor and don’t say anything to anyone, okay?”

  Not waiting for an answer, she stepped out of the hall and back towards the crowd of people. She instantly began to feel a little lighter.

  People, that’s what she needed. Crowds of people. No more of this one-on-one conversation nonsense. That was too heavy. It was (obviously!) far too easy to say things that would be more prudent to keep to herself. She just needed to keep herself surrounded by the masses. That should be easy enough to do at the reception, she figured – those things were filled with people, and most of them would probably want to chat with her and Sophie, since they were the only two bridesmaids. They were like “stars for a day.”

  She felt Alex beside her as she walked out to the limo that was waiting to take them to the restaurant where the reception was going to be held. He gently squeezed her hand as they all piled into the vehicle, and when she looked up at him, he gave her a half-smile and a little wink. He leaned close to her and whispered. “Screw him. He was never good enough for you anyway.”