Page 2 of Wild Ever After
“O-kay. Me neither.”
“I don’t think you’re taking this very seriously. You let the magazine set our wedding date for Christ’s sake.”
“Is everything okay in there?” Melody asks.
I suck in a breath and slap a hand over Sam’s mouth. Too little, too late.
Melody’s Louboutin shoes are visible under the black curtain. I spend a few seconds considering that maybe she didn’t hear us arguing, but I know I’m not that lucky.
Crap, crap, crap.
“Yeah. I’ll be right out.” I try for calm and upbeat, but even I hear the slight edge of panic in my voice. I remove my hand from Sam’s mouth and whisper, “Can we talk about this later? That is mybossout there.”
“I don’t think there’s anything else to say, Jade. I’m heading out of town for a few days. It’ll give you time to clear your stuff out of the apartment.”
“Wait. You’re breaking up with me?” I forget to keep my voice low and then take a deep breath and speak in a soft, but firm tone. “Don’t do this. We’ll figure out a way to make this work. I know it’s been a lot lately, but it’s almost over. After the honeymoon in St. Lucia, I’ll take a few extra days off and we can relax, kick-back, and do whatever you want.”
We have fun together—maybe not recently, but that’s because wedding planning is my literal job right now. It’s going to be back to normal soon.
“God. Why am I even surprised you’re trying to bargain your way to having this wedding?” The disappointment in his eyes has my hackles rising. He agreed to this. Besides, it’s too late to back out now.
“It’s called compromise.”
His voice booms now as he speaks, “Nothing about this is a compromise. The whole wedding is a sham. I never even proposed.”
He’s right. I proposed to him. We were already living together and talking about our future. Sure, I didn’t imagine marriage in that future, but he did. Sam has been talking about marriage with two kids and a golden retriever since I met him. I assumed he hadn’t asked me to marry him yet because he knew how hesitant I was after watching my mom do it unsuccessfully three times.
Then I saw an amazing opportunity at work. We got engaged, and I got a promotion. Maybe that doesn’t sound like a fairy tale, but it’s everything I wanted. Except the ring. I glance down at the beautiful round-cut diamond on my left ring finger. It’s elegant and totally on trend this year, but I always pictured an oval or emerald cut. It’s the first thing that Melody vetoed, but it’s still the thing that hurts the most.
The wedding was supposed to be years off. I thought maybe then I’d be ready. A month ago, Melody set the date to cash in on all the interest my articles were getting. Maybe I should have fought harder to give us more time, but I have big dreams and I’m willing to sacrifice for them.
Something Sam doesn’t understand. He isn’t the most ambitious guy. He’s perfectly content to let life pass him by. I always kind of liked that about him. Always in the moment, enjoying life. He’s had everything he’s ever wanted given to him. And I’ve had to claw every step of the way. It’s a fundamental difference between us, but I’ve never resented him for it. Not until right this second, when he’s trying to destroy months of me working my ass off for my dreams. My dream job and my dream wedding.
“You said the engagement was just for the magazine articles and we could continue our relationship on our terms. You said we would decide if and when we got married and the rest was just for show. It wasn’t supposed to go this far.” His voice keeps getting louder until I take a step back.
Sam hardly ever raises his voice, but he’s reached a breaking point. I don’t feel good about what this wedding has done to him, but he’s freaking out with my boss right outside. Blood pounds in my ears and my breakfast threatens to make another appearance.
“Well?” He’s staring at me, waiting for me to say something to defend myself, I guess.
Instead, I flee. I push out of the tiny dressing room. Melody and Patrice are watching wide-eyed, but neither says a word. Instead of trying to explain the completely unexplainable situation, I grab my purse from the chair and then I do the only thing I can think to do: I run.
2
DID MAVERICK JUST OUTSMART US?
DECLAN
I’m workingin the driveway, painting the shutters I made yesterday, enjoying the quiet of the neighborhood and the feel of the sun on my back, when a red Volkswagen Beetle flies past me. I don’t see a lot of the woman behind the wheel, just her red hair and something white flying out the driver’s side window. She slams on the brakes in front of the house next door, making the tires squeal on the pavement.
I pause, with the brush still in my hand, when Jade gets out and does some sort of run-jog-limp up the driveway to my buddy Leo’s house. He and his fiancée Scarlett left a while ago, so maybe Jade is just here to pick something up.
Except, she looks like she’s about to walk down the aisle, not run an errand. She’s a bridal vision from the veil flowing out behind her to the stark white dress that molds to her curves. She stops and reaches down to remove the shoe on her left foot. The right one is missing. Where it went…I can only guess.
I can hear her pounding on the front door. And the exasperated groan she lets out when no one answers.
Setting down my brush, I take two steps toward her. I don’t know Jade that well. She is best friends with my buddy and teammate’s fiancée, so we’ve spent some time together at parties and such.
Jade is the kind of woman who walks into a room and is immediately the center of attention. She’s got that something that makes people want to know her. Guys, especially. She’s totally hot and seems cool. She’s not exactly my type, but I can’t deny that I find her interesting. Actually, I wouldn’t say she’s not my type. I don’t think I really have a type, but she’s had a boyfriend, now fiancé, for as long as I’ve known her, so we’ve never really talked beyond casual conversation amongst a group of our friends. And she’s out of my league. Like way out. I prefer anywhere but the center of attention.
