Page 32 of Someone to Hold
She rolls her eyes. “Hardly. I don’t know why I came back here after college. Mom packed up for Florida the day after my high school graduation like she was on the run. But there was something about Skylark that stuck with me.”
“It’s the mountains,” I tell her as Belle Époque Bridal comes into view. The shop is adorable. With cream-colored brick and forest-green trim, it’s tucked between a pottery studio and a vintage bookshop just off the Pearl Street Mall. “Knowing they’re standing strong behind us, reminding us we can survive whatever comes our way, just like they have.”
“That’s fucking woo-woo,” she says, her voice catching. “But maybe you’re right.”
“You should tell the rest of the book club. We’ve all been through our own messy family stuff. Trust me, nobody’s going to judge you for the mistakes your parents made.”
“You’re the only one who knows, Molly, and it’s staying that way.” She pulls into a diagonal parking space and hits the brake so hard I lurch forward as the seatbelt snaps tight against my chest.
“What about Jon?”
“Only you,” she insists.
I can’t hide my shock that her soon-to-be husband doesn’t know. “You’re marrying him.”
“He’s marrying now-me and future-me.”
“Is this why you’re eloping?”
“For your information, eloping is a trend in Colorado. We can marry ourselves. I’ve hired an expensive photographer todocument the whole thing, and you’ll create my bouquet. It’s going to be beautiful.”
“But is it what you want?” I can’t wrap my head around outspoken, attention-loving Avah choosing to get married with just a photographer for company.
“Sadie and Ian had a private ceremony,” she says instead of answering my question.
“Piper, Felix, and Riva were there,” I counter. “They also had a big party to celebrate a few weeks later.”
“I’m going to celebrate on a honeymoon in Tahiti. I don’t want anything else. Not with my family’s baggage hanging over me, and Jon’s high-profile position at the firm. The last thing either of us needs is questions about why my parents aren’t there, or worse, having to explain if someone decides to dig into my past.”
“Okay,” I agree, as we get out of the vehicle, hearing the desperation in her voice. The vulnerability is so at odds with Avah’s typical confidence, it makes my chest ache. “I’m sorry I never asked about your family. I assumed your life was perfect.”
She begins feeding quarters into the parking meter. “No one’s life is perfect, but some of us have perfected the art of smoke and mirrors.” She looks up and offers me a genuine smile. “One of the many things I love about you is how you wave your baggage around like a calling card.”
“Wait a minute.” I lift a crutch and point it in her direction. “Am I your embarrassing-past beard? No one will question where you came from when you’re standing next to train wreck Molly.”
Ignoring the crutches, she pulls me in for a tight hug and grips my cheeks between her slender hands.
“You aren’t a train wreck. You are a badass bitch. A B.A.B. The babbiest of B.A.Bs.”
“That’s not a thing,” I say with a laugh.
“It is if we make it one.”
We’re almost to the door of the bridal boutique, but Avah stops and grips my arm.
“I don’t want to do this.” Her voice is serious again.
“The dress shopping or are you having second thoughts about Jon?”
She gives me a funny look. “I don’t mean getting married. But you know how the salespeople are at these places. They’re going to ask me the same kinds of questions you did. Am I having a big wedding? Are my parents so excited? Do I like my in-laws?”
“Doyou like your in-laws?”
“Oh God, no.” Avah mock shudders. “They’re insufferable. But I don’t want to play at being rude so that the well-meaning salesperson stops asking questions.”
She leans back against the brick wall of the boutique. Her shoulders sag like she’s carrying an invisible weight. “I want to order a dress online, get married with just Jon and the photographer, have lots of honeymoon sex, and keep looking toward the future.”
If anybody understands the desire to leave the past behind, it’s me. “Then let’s go home,” I tell her. “We’ll find you the perfect dress online, and you’ll look absolutely stunning. You don’t owe anyone explanations or small talk.”
