Page 58 of Coming Home to You
“You are such a tease,” I say and she gives me a wicked look.
“He loves it,” she shoots back.
“I’m sure he does.”
Erin’s phone chimes again, but this time it’s Beck.
Beck: You ladies look stunning.Give my girl a message for me, tell her she looks beautiful and I wish I was there.
“And there’s your boy,” she says, grinning at me.“He’s so sweet.”
“I know, right?”
Erin and I go our separate ways; each one of us set on making sure everything is perfect.I put Erin in charge of flowers and the cake, while I’m taking care of the food and making sure everything is in order for the bride on her big day.It’s pure chaos, but the best kind.
It seems that everything has fallen into place, not a single issue has come up since this wedding began and I finally collapse in a chair and admire all my hard work.Each table is set with a stunning arrangement of pale pink roses and small lanterns filled with tea lights.The paper lanterns strung from the tent are lighting the dance floor and illuminating the grounds of the inn.It’s all beautiful and all of it was created by me.Even I’m shocked at the fact that it came together.
I exhale hard and close my eyes as Marco sets two plates down at the table and Erin joins me seconds later.Both of us finally sitting down and having something to eat.
“God, that was exhausting,” she says, taking a bite of her chicken.“But you did an amazing job.How’d the interview with the paper go?”
“Thanks.It did turn out really well, but I couldn’t have done it without your help,” I smile at her gratefully.“And the interview went well.Guess they’re gonna run the article next weekend in the lifestyle section.So we’ll see if it does anything for The Rockport Beach Inn.”
“That’s so cool,” Erin says.“Your parents would be really proud of you.”
“Thanks, Erin,” I say, fighting back the tears.
She’s right.I don’t think they would have ever dreamed The Rockport Beach Inn would become one of the most talked about inns outside of Boston, let alone that it would eventually host weddings, book fishing charters and whale tours, and book up a year in advance.It is quite shocking even to me and I’m the one who orchestrated it all.
In thinking about it all, I worry that I might not be able to leave it behind, to take a step back and move to Boston with Beck.I want to make this work with him more than anything, but I’m not sure I can give up everything I’ve worked for and not just what I’ve worked for, but I’m not sure I can give up all my friends and family here, too.
I look over at Erin who has a stupid grin on her face and her phone in her hand.I know she’s texting Ryan and it makes me so happy to see that look on her face.She deserves more than anyone to be happy, especially after all the shit that has happened with her family.
She ended up running away to Rockport, but I think in moving here, she found her real home and her real family.And now that she has Ryan in her life, he sort of completes her in ways I never imagined.He’s good for her.
“You ever see yourself getting married?”I ask her and she doesn’t answer, continuing to type a message out on her phone.It takes a couple of seconds and I let her have her time with Ryan.I get it.It sucks being away from someone especially when it’s so new.
Tossing her phone onto the table, she looks at me and smiles.“Not until just recently,” she answers with complete sincerity in her voice.
I should give her shit, but I won’t.I’ve known Erin a long time and she rarely shares her feelings.This admission is huge for her, so I just smile at her and hope for the best for her and Ryan.
“How about you?”she asks staring out at the water, the music softly playing in the background as the wedding draws to a close.
“Of course.I mean, when I was younger I was certain I would marry Beck.But you know, things change and for a while I wasn’t sure I’d ever find someone else.After he left it was really hard because I felt like our whole future was planned out and he went and ruined it by leaving.”I stop as I recall all of it.Still fresh in my mind, but somehow not as painful now that I know I have him back.
“Do you really think he ruined it?”she asks and I know what she’s getting at.
“I don’t know.Knowing what I know now, I realize he wouldn’t have been happy being the chief in Rockport, living the life his dad and his grandpa did.I think we both knew all along that was Finn’s life, not Beck’s.It was just hard for me to admit it, and even harder for me to let him go.”
Looking back on all of it, I think I romanticized a life for us that would never have been the reality.I was young and naïve and in love, but it didn’t mean it didn’t hurt like hell.I was coping with far too much at the time and I think I took it out on Beck more than I should have.But I also can’t help but wonder what would have happened if I had just compromised and moved to Boston with him.
“So what are you gonna do now?”Erin asks, and it pulls me from all the thoughts of my past.
“I guess I’ll just wait and see what happens.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Beck
