Page 145 of All This Time
I carefully kneel down so I’m on her level, careful not to split the seam of my dress as I do. “Not yet, sweetie.”
“When is it going to be time?”
“Soon.”
“Ugh. Weddings are boring,” she whines.
“You won’t feel that way when you’re older and you understand what an open bar is,” Dilynne interjects. When she notices my glare, she reaches for Ellis’s hand. “Hey. Let’s go outside and practice throwing the flowers, okay? That way you’re ready when it’s time.”
“Yes!” Ellis shouts. “I can be like Elsa, but with flowers.”
Even though my niece is completely oblivious to what’s going on around her, I’m grateful for her small ray of sunshine to break through what is potentially going to be a thunderstorm of a day if we don’t find the bride.
And truthfully? Practicing might be the only flower-throwing Ellis gets to do today.
Trying to remain positive, I head toward the event space to keep up appearances, making sure that the place cards are in the proper place, centerpieces are, well, centered, and greeting guests as they arrive, putting on the best smile I can muster. I tell the photographers that the bride is running behind due to a wardrobe malfunction, trying to buy us some time.
Thirty minutes before the wedding is supposed to start, Henley returns to the winery. “Laney…”
I pull him into the bridal suite so we can speak candidly. “Anything?”
“No. Nothing.”
I bury my face in my hands. “Oh my God. She’s really gone, isn’t she?”
Henley’s phone starts ringing. “Hello? Yeah, we’re in the bridal suite.” He hangs up quickly. “Rhonan just got back.”
A few seconds later, Rhonan barges through the door, slamming it behind him. “Iknewshe was hiding something.”
I place a hand to my chest, bracing myself for what he’s about to say. “What did you find out?”
Dilynne enters the room a few seconds later. “Did the traitorous witch turn up?”
“Jesus Christ,” Henley mutters. “No, but Rhonan was just about to tell us what Tori hasbeen hiding.”
Fletcher steps inside the room, shutting the door behind him. I want to spiral as a hundred feelings slam into me at once, but seeing Fletcher with his thick hair combed back and his body molded to his black tux actually helps me stay calm.
God, he looks incredible—and he’s mine.
Our eyes meet and he rushes over to me. “Elliot is asking questions, and I don’t have any answers to give him. Bring me up to speed.”
“Well, the only thing we know right now is that Tori was kissing some guy and now she’s gone. Henley went by their house and said all her stuff is gone.”
Fletcher turns to Henley. “Fuck. What the hell?”
“And apparently, she has an address in Nashville that she shares with a man named Barry Eggert,” Rhonan chimes in, gaining our attention.
“Who is that?” Dilynne asks.
Rhonan pulls some papers from his pocket displaying Tori and Barry’s picture on the paper. The gasp she lets out makes us all jump. “That’s the guy she took off with!”
“Let me see.” Fletcher says, taking the paper from Rhonan. “Isn’t that her boss?” He snaps his fingers and then opens his phone to search for more information. After a few minutes, he brings up the website for the talent agency that Tori works for, which just so happens to be owned by Barry Eggert. “Why the fuck would she have acted so head-over-heels for Elliot and eager to marry him if she’s with her fucking boss?”
“I need a better name for her than the Wicked Witch of the West,” Dilynne chimes in as we process this detail.
Fletcher turns to me. “I need to tell Elliot.”
Tears fill my eyes. “He doesn’t deserve this.”
