Page 62 of Always a Bridesmaid

Shattered it was more accurate. It felt like her chest was full of glass fragments and every time she breathed, they dug deeper into her soul.

“Sarah made a point to email us, on her wedding day, to say that you did your job like a pro and it isn’t your fault that her brother is an idiot,” Roxy said. “She even tipped us an additional twenty percent. In pounds. Not dollars.”

“That’s nice of her.” Even to herself, Jane sounded hollow.

“Snap out of it.” Roxy snapped her fingers in front of the phone’s camera. “We got paid. We aren’t getting sued. And now we can expand. This is a win-win, Pearce.”

“How did the press even find me? My photo isn’t on our website.”

“My best guess is that once they had your photo, they did a search and found your social media accounts, then connected you to Bride Buddies. That’s what I’d do.”

And here Jane thought she’d been so careful. Instead she’d made a mockery out of everything. Her business, her reputation, and her relationship.

“He hates me.”

“If it makes you feel better, Sarah also said that her brother looked pretty wrecked. Like someone had run him down and then backed over him with a race car. Kind of like how you sound.” Roxy softened her words. “Want to talk about it?”

Her friend was just trying to make her feel better, but it only made her feel worse. “Not really?”

“You sure? Because you know I hate talking shit out, but I’m giving you a freebie here. But it expires in three—two?—”

“He said he couldn’t love a liar! He called me a liar, Rox, and then tried to make me feel ashamed of what I do for a living.”

Roxy sighed as if feeling trapped in the drama she’d been hoping to escape. If it couldn’t be solved by a knife fight, a vibrator, or four-letter words, then Roxy didn’t want any part of it.

“First off, don’t ever let a man make you feel less than. I learned that from my mom. Second, he said he couldn’t love a liar, so does that mean he loved you before he knew the truth?”

“Yes,” she whispered, her voice cracking.

“That explains the miserable look on your face.”

“He just walked out on me,” she said, and the tears were back. “Actually, that’s not true. He paused before he left.”

“What does that even mean? He paused? Like to fart?”

“No! Like to offer me support. Give me a chance to say goodbye. Like when my dad died and held my hand until themedics got there. Hank held on as long as he could before he couldn’t hold on anymore.”

Even though she’d hurt him deeply, he’d still been there for her. Just like he took care of his family and his friends, he’d pushed past the betrayal to take care of her in the only way he knew how.

“That must have been awkward. Him just standing there. What did you say?”

“It wasn’t awkward, it was sweet. And I just said sorry.”

“What did he say back?”

“That he was sorry too.” It was a goodbye that gave her no closure at all. Because if he was sorry too, did that leave room for a reconciliation? Or was he sorry that he’d opened his heart to her at all? It was a what-if that she’d carry with her for the rest of her life. Because she knew one thing for sure. No matter what Henry wanted, she’d lied to his family and he’d never forgive her for that.

“So he stopped to be there for you and you said sorry?”

Jane wiped the tears from her cheeks. “What?”

“You said it was a sweet gesture; maybe he was waiting for you to make one back.”

“Oh my god!” Jane’s heart leapt as the repercussions of what she’d done settled. How could she have been so blind to it all? “I let him walk.”

“So you said.”

“No, I mean I let him walk and I didn’t fight for him. I told him he was worth fighting for and then I just let him walk out of my life with a stupidsorry.” Just like his dad. What had she done? “I can’t come home. I have to go find him and tell him that I’m not done fighting. That I’ll never stop fighting.”

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