Page 85 of Bumping into You

“Yes,” I say. Then I turn to Trent. “You go ahead and meet upwith Courtney. I’ll be there in a minute.”

Trent nods and heads to his room.

“What’s going on?” I ask Gillian.

“I have some bad news,” she says.

“Are you feeling okay?” I ask, worried that something is wrong with the baby.

“Oh yes, I’m fine, but Maggie isn’t. She isn’t feeling well. She’s laying down in our room now, but I’m pretty sure she has a fever, and she’s as pale as a ghost.”

“Oh no, poor Maggie. Okay, one moment, I think I have something you can try.” I leave the door to my room open as I rush and grab my emergency bag.

“Thanks, Gwen,” says Gillian. “I’m hoping it’s just a bug and she’ll be good for the wedding tomorrow, but there is no way she’ll be able to make it to the rehearsal dinner tonight.”

I pause momentarily at her statement. It hadn’t even occurred to me that Maggie wouldn’t make the rehearsal dinner. And if she doesn’t feel better soon, that would mean that she’d miss the wedding too.

“No worries,” I tell Gillian, trying to hide the tension in my voice.What are we going to do if there’s no flower girl at the wedding?“Here is some Tylenol and Ibuprofen, as well as a thermometer. You can order room service and get some apple juice or Powerade. I believe they have it in those little drink dispensers in Duke’s Diner and outside the pizzeria.”

“I’ll keep you updated,” says Gillian. “Either Miles or me will come to the rehearsal dinner to see what Maggie needs to do during the wedding, in case she does feel up to going, but the other is going to stay with her.”

“Of course,” I say, leaning in to give her a hug. “Let me know if you all need anything else.”

She nods then heads back to her room.

Well, all the relaxation I felt at the spa is now gone. Now I needto figure out a backup plan in case there is no flower girl. I pull out my phone and text Courtney.

Gwen

Something else came up. Are you and Trent ok to look for the rings?

My stress level is through the roof as I pace around my room trying to think. After a few minutes, my phone vibrates, and I check my texts.

Courtney

Of course, I can handle the rings. You take care of whatever you need to.

I’m taking a few breaths trying to calm myself when another knock sounds at my door. If someone else is coming with more bad news, I might just lose it.

I swing open the door, almost hitting Niall with it.

“Whoa, you’re going to take someone out with that swing,” Niall says. Then, seeing my face, he asks, “What’s wrong? Talk to me.”

“It’s nothing I can’t handle,” I say as I turn away from the door.

Niall follows me inside, and we both sit on the couch.

His warm hands tilt my head in his direction.

“Gwendolyn, whatever it is, I’m not going to leave you alone. You’re clearly in bits about something and I’d like to help you.”

“You don’t even know what’s wrong,” I say. “Everything’s just falling apart.”

“Why don’t you tell me what’s going on? Then we will figure out how to fix it, together. Come here,mo ghrá.”

I turn from Niall, my shoulders slumping as my eyes well up with tears. I should have focused more on the wedding. I should have been double-checking everything. No, triple-checking.

Before I can stop him, Niall scoops me up and pulls me into his lap. I curl in against his chest and allow myself to be held. Niall,who was a stranger to me only a handful of days ago, now feels like such an important part of my life.

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