Page 11 of I Do, You Don't
My phone buzzes in my lap. Reflex, I grab it, hope stabbing sharp and stupid in my chest.
I should’ve known. I always hope too hard.
It’s not him.
It’s the wedding app.
Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Green! Wishing you a lifetime of love and happiness.
My fingers go numb. The words smear as I stare, unblinking. Then I flip the screen facedown.
Even the algorithm thinks he stayed.
Chapter 5
Gideon. One hour earlier...
Ipark across the street from our discount wedding hall, engine off, keys still in the ignition. The fan clicks once, then dies. The silence that follows is deafening.
I sit still.
Ten minutes. Maybe fifteen. The clock says I’m late. The tie in my lap is half-knotted, my hands trembling too much to finish it. Another message from Connor buzzes on my phone:
Where are you? Everyone’s inside. Lara’s ready.
I know.
God, I know.
But I can’t move. Not yet.
It’s not doubt or second thoughts.
It’s the weight of everything I promised her. The man I want to be. The one who listens, bites his tongue, and takes her side, even when it’s hard. The man who doesn’t let her feel alone.
Because I love her.
I fucking love her.
I press my forehead to the steering wheel, eyes squeezed shut, breathing through the nausea twisting my gut. The leather stings my nostrils, mingling with the stale air from the AC. Sunlight slashes through the windshield. Inside, she waits. In her dress. In her perfume. In everything we’ve built.
I have nodoubts. Not one. Only doubts about myself.
A knock on the window jerks me upright.
Delilah. Thank God she’s not wearing white.
She taps again, mouthing words I can’t hear. I lower the window a few inches, too raw to argue. The cool air hits my face but doesn’t help. My skin feels clammy, sweat gluing my shirt to my back.
“You shouldn’t be out here,” she says gently, her voice too soft.
“I’m going in,” I murmur, trying to steady my voice. “Just needed a second.”
Delilah leans in, too close. Her eyes hold something I can’t place. Pity? Desire? No—I shove it away.
“I wouldn’t go in just yet.”
My stomach sinks. “Don’t start.”
