Page 67 of Something Old

ChapterTwenty-Two

Delaney watched the sun rise over the gently rolling waves of the Gulf of Mexico. Her eyes were gritty with unshed tears and she feared looking in the mirror to see her puffy and red eyes. She wasn’t the only one up most of the night. Noises in other rooms indicated Anna was also awake, but no one sought her out. Maybe too much time had passed since their closeness in college, or maybe they each needed to figure out what to do with their futures. But first, they had to put on their cheerful faces and give Caroline the wedding she deserved.

And she had to face Ethan.

After seeing Ethan kissing Cami last night, Delaney needed to escape. It had been a small gathering with just close friends, but hearing Kira’s snide comments and not being able to respond grated on her nerves. Then the confrontation with William Van Owen was the whipped cream on the worst ice cream sundae that was her evening. Ethan had never given her a reason not to trust him, not even during the worst of times. But she couldn’t help thinking about what William had said and the article he had given her last night.

It was almost exactly like that horrible night, five years ago, when he had visited her house after her father’s death. He had appealed to her guilt and her fragile emotional state, manipulating her into breaking up with Ethan, sacrificing her own happiness to ensure Ethan’s future. Who knew if it was the right decision? Neither of them had been very happy since that day, even if it took being trapped on an island to admit it. Now, William was asking her again to step away, use this week as closure and move on to the life they were meant to have. Five years ago, a naïve and scared girl had fallen for the trick. William Van Owen did nothing for anyone else but himself. She wouldn’t be surprised if he was acting sicker than he was to ensure Ethan’s sympathy.

She could believe almost anything. She wouldn’t fall for his tricks. This time she’d talk with Ethan, not run and hide. Lay her cards on the table and come what may.

* * *

Delaney arranged the veil over Caroline’s shoulders and peered into the mirror. The fit-to-flared wedding dress was layered with Chantilly and Alençon lace, the silver accents lending the dress an air of moonlight glinting off the water. The tiered pearl shoulder straps capped off the dress beautifully. Brigid had returned, almost at the last minute, refusing to speak of her time away but promising a full accounting of her absence. Caroline, as per usual, had forgiven her and they all toasted with champagne while getting ready.

“Caroline, you look like a princess.” A regal throwback to the Grace Kelly era. Classic, elegant, and unreachable.

She pivoted, admiring the flare of the skirt, before embracing Delaney tightly. “I wish this had been you. I’m so sorry I ruined your week.”

“And I’m glad you brought me back to life,” Delaney whispered in her ear, hugging her, believing the words as she never had before.

Caroline pulled back and gestured for the other two women to join the huddle. All the women hugged, holding for several long moments, but none pulled away, as if reveling in the renewed sense of sisterhood they’d recaptured that week. When they separated, Delaney saw the same tears in her eyes reflected in the other women.

“We may move away and we may not see each other for many years, but we can never, ever grow apart. Agreed?” Caroline’s voice was fierce and strident.

All the girls laughed, wiping tears from their eyes, and nodded.

“Now, let’s get you married!” Delaney said.

* * *

Delaney stood next to Caroline under the gazebo, Anna and Brigid arranged out from her, witnesses to the wedding of two of their best friends. Thank God Brigid had made it back in time for the wedding. Everything had been repaired from the storm. The gazebo built brand new, thanks to Grady and his construction talents. Flowers had been woven around the trellis to mimic the roses that once grew on the original. The sky was blue and cloudless, a gentle breeze cutting the late afternoon September heat. The day was absolute perfection, right down to the sunset, exactly as Caroline and Matthew deserved.

Exactly as Delaney had once imagined her own wedding day.

The music started again and Caroline and Matthew walked down the aisle, finally married, smiles as big as the sun. Ethan stepped up and held out his hand for Delaney. She paused and looked at it for a moment, weighing if she should take it. She stretched out her hand and placed it in his, the strength of his fingers curling around hers, assuring her of safety. She raised her eyes and met his, seeing relief and something else in his gaze: sadness, nerves, fear? She gave him a questioning look but fell into step next to him. She pasted on a broad smile and faced the people who had rejected her years before and stood tall and proud, back where she belonged, at Ethan’s side.

The pictures were interminable, no rest, no privacy, and lots of tension between everyone. They each put on a good front for the bridal pair, but there were cracks in everyone’s facade, leading to irritated snaps and angry outbursts. By the time they were all announced into the reception, Delaney was desperate for a drink and some solitude.

She headed for the bar as soon as she was free. “Cosmopolitan, please. Two.”

The waiter nodded and mixed the drink. Delaney turned to the crowd, and a voice caught her attention.

“Delaney Winters? Is it really you? Brady said he thought it was you walking with Ethan, but I said no way. You left Houston years ago, breaking up with Ethan, and were flat broke. No way you were here.”

Delaney closed her eyes momentarily, sending up a brief prayer for strength. She bared her teeth in her best imitation of a smile and faced Mackenzie Allyn, no wait, Allister now. She had married Brady Allister a few years back. “Mackenzie, so nice to see you again. You’re looking well.”

“It really is you. I’m shocked. I had no idea you and Caroline were still friends.”

Delaney arched an eyebrow. “And why would you be surprised? Caroline is a true friend, not one to abandon people for social gain.”

Mackenzie’s face paled, then two dark red spots bloomed on her cheeks and her eyes narrowed. “How dare you. You think you’re better than me, always thought you were. But now I hold all the cards and you are beneath me.”

She grabbed her husband’s arm and dragged him away with one last targeted look at Delaney, who raised her first Cosmo in a mock salute and drank it in one long swallow.

Yes, drunk was going to be the only way to get through this.

“Making friends?” Ethan’s low voice spoke in her ear. “That wasn’t well done of you. Wasn’t she one of your closest friends in school?”

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