Page 72 of Georgia: Britain's Story: Part 1
Jess
Absolutely, need me to do anything for the girls?
You can check with Damian, but I don't think so. Him and Summer are going to drive them to camp.
K, have fun on your little pre-honeymoon then! Love you.
love you too.
I sink into the driver seat of my car. I can do this, I just have to get there and everything will be fine. Liam will be there, and we’ll be back to normal. I turn on the car, reversing out of the driveway to head towards Colton’s. My phone rings. The name pops up on the center dash, as the speaker says, “Call from Matthias.”
Would it be too much to ask for my fiancé to just call me back!I hit “decline” from the steering wheel, not interested in dealing with that right now. Two months ago, if Matthias would have called me, my stomach would have dropped into my ass and I’d be equal parts excited and terrified. But now I’m just annoyed. Why does he think he has any right to come back into my life?
Matthias fucked up my life. He’s the reason why I left and never came back. He’s the reason I wasn’t here for Georgia in her final months. He’s the one who cut down a young, sweet girl, turning her into a depressed, hardened shell of a human. Liam is the only one who’s been able to piece me back together. To make me feel whole, and right.What are you doing, Liam?
When I pull up to Colton’s, I’m astonished at how busy it is. There aren’t any parking spaces left, so I head down to Sandy’s and park in front of the coffee shop. I’ll just have to walk over. As I’m making my way, a Range Rover flies past me, Liam’s car. But he doesn’t stop at Colton’s, he’s headed to the house. Maybe he just needs to change before coming back?
I’m torn. Do I get back in the car and follow him? Do I go in without him? I’m already late. I don’t get the chance to decide, though.
“Britain!” It’s Carly. She just parked right beside my car and is coming up the path behind me. My chest gets tight knowing I waited too long, like I’ve somehow made the wrong decision. That’s that feeling.
“Hi, Carly.” I try my best to muster a tone that passes as cheer, all while I’m actually trying to swallow down the bile rising in my throat.
“You look stunning tonight!” she says as she eyes me up and down. No one in Spearhead has ever seen me dress up, I realize. This is the first time I’ve even touched something from a hanger, aside from that first night at Liam’s. My chest gets tighter every time I think about him.
“Thank you, Carly. You look absolutely gorgeous, too.” My tone is more subdued, but I mean it, I hope she knows that. She looks amazing, in a tight, form-fitting black dress. She’s wearing heels, so her 5’3” finally surpasses my 5’5”. Her chocolate brown hair is in perfect beach waves down her back. Just like she’s never seen me dressed up, I’ve never seen her out of her chef’s coat and kitchen clogs.How is she still single?
She links arms with me, leading us straight to Colton’s.
“Where’s Liam? You guys didn’t come together?” I have a feeling I’ll just be repeating this over and over tonight.
“Uh, no, he had an errand to run. He’ll be here soon,”I hope. Whatever I say, triggers Carly, though. She stops me, eyes wide and says, “I can’t believe I forgot, let me see it.” I’m confused. It must show, because she expands, “The ring, I want to see it!” Oh.
I laugh a little. “Right, here it is.” I hold my hand up and she grasps it in hers, turning it back and forth. “Let me guess, Sandy told you?” I ask.
It’s her turn to laugh. “No, Liam had me do the cooking for the picnic. He had me make the miniature wedding cake, too. Did you like it?” It must still be sitting in the mudroom fridge.
“Oh, he ended up proposing spontaneously before his planned proposal, so I hate to say I haven’t gotten a chance to, but I hope I will tonight.” I give her my best smile, my stomach rolling.
“Spontaneously…sounds romantic.” Her eyes are bright and joyful. I should be like that, too. I was like that, eight hours ago.
“Yeah, it was.” I urge us to keep walking.
When we get outside Colton’s, Carly stops us. “Crud muffin, I forgot. You stay here, okay? Come inside in one minute!”
I laugh. “Okay,” and I do stand there for one minute, hoping to see Liam pull up, but he doesn’t.
TWENTY-SIX
Britain
I open the door, and am greeted by a large group of people who all shout “Surprise!” There’s a banner hanging over the bar. The first line says, “Congrats and Farewell” large and bold, and just below that are the words, “to the happy couple!” A surprise engagement party and a farewell.Fucking fantastic.
“Wow!” It’s all I can say. There’s a lot more people here than I know, but I do catch a glimpse of a couple people I haven’t seen in a very, very long time. Maximus and Nikolas Scala are standing towards the back of the group, but I’d know them anywhere. It’s hard to miss a pair of 6’2” Greek gods in Spearhead. There’s a few regulars from around town, and of course Rick and Carly. Even Alexander is here in the very back, nursing a glass of brown.
Perfect, everyone can bear witness to my embarrassment of showing up to an engagement party without my fiancé, who also won’t call or text me back. Sandy approaches me, embracing me in warmth. It takes everything in me to not break down right then. Jim is right behind her, giving me a warm hug, the scruff on his chin tickling my cheek as he pulls away.
“Where’s Liam?” he asks.Christ.
