Page 22 of Never Going to Care

This wedding is all about love and family instead of fanfare and glitz. It’s the kind of wedding I would want for myself.

Which has me thinking about Hale again, which is silly because it’s been days and I haven’t heard anything from him. I’ve been agonizing since the night of Piper’s bachelorette party, but I’ve been trying to ignore it.

If he wanted to get a hold of me, he could have. I know he can probably find my number easily, even if he didn’t want to ask Piper for it.

I hate the ache in my chest at the thought of Hale not really wanting me. It was like I could taste his need for me at Sala. Now, I’m pretty sure I’m going through withdrawal. I don’t like it. Not at all.

It makes me feel out of control and that is not a feeling I do well with. I like everything just so. I’m organized and orderly. It helps me focus on the things which are important to me, like my friends and family.

Being organized and capable of getting things done is one of the reasons Piper wanted me to help plan her wedding. She knew I wouldn’t miss anything, and everything would get done considering the time constraints.

I look over at Piper who is standing in front of the mirror as she takes in the way she looks in her wedding dress. I find myself moving toward her. When I slide into her view on the mirror, her eyes snap to mine.

There’s no nervousness there, just resolve and excitement. Good. I’d hate to have to offer her an escape plan.

I tease her, “You look excited.”

She grins at me and then looks at herself again, her hands smoothing down the skirt of her dress. “I am,” she whispers. Her eyes slide closed and when they open again, I can see the sheen of tears in her eyes.

“Hey,” I chastise her, “don’t mess up your make-up with tears.”

She giggles and shakes her head. “I’m trying not to,” she croaks. “I just,” she takes a deep breath and lets it out, “I didn’t think I’d be here, ya know?”

I nod slowly. I do know. I hated seeing her in despair the last few years because she fell for Landon the moment she met him when he interviewed her. He kept her at a distance, but her heart didn’t get the memo. I could see how much it hurt her and how much she craved him.

I find myself looking into my own eyes, trying to delve deep and see if I can see the same kind of emotions I saw in her eyes there. I don’t know if I do, but I guess it doesn’t matter. It’s not like there’s any conflict of interest like there was between Landon and Piper; I don’t work at SP.

I shake my head to try and dispel the thoughts of Hale. Now is not the time.

“Yeah,” my voice is thick. “I do know.” I reach over and give her shoulder a squeeze. “The journey is important, Piper, don’t get me wrong, but don’t forget to enjoy the now even more.”

She chuckles and turns, looking at me with a raised eyebrow. I glance away, not ready to face what she’ll see on my face. I’ve never been good at hiding things from her, not the important things at least.

She prompts me gently, “Are you enjoying the now?”

“Of course,” I scoff, “because now is when my best friend is getting married.”

“You know that’s not what I meant,” there’s an accusation in her tone.

I shrug one shoulder, not willing to engage in whatever she’s trying to do here. I mean, I know, but it doesn’t mean I’m going to encourage her. Hell no. It’s better to shut this shit down now.

Before I can say anything, Piper whispers, “You know, if there’s anything you want to talk about that I’m here, right?”

I look back into her eyes and smile. “Of course,” the words slip from my tongue without effort.

I know it’s true, but now is not the time for me to burden her with what happened. It does eat at me that I haven’t told Piper about the way Hale kissed me. It was full of possession and ownership. He might as well have branded his name on my damn ass with the way he kissed me.

Now is not the time for that conversation. When I got back to the VIP section that night, Hale on my ass, everyone was smiling and laughing. It was easy to slip into the festivities. I didn’t even put up a fuss about the guys invading Piper’s bachelorette party.

How could I when it was clear how much they all mean to her, not just Landon? I did consider calling my brother to have him come out, but with hockey season on the horizon he’s up early to hit the gym or the ice. Ezra’s whole life has been hockey and after the championship season they had last year, I know he’s both nervous and excited to get back on the ice with his New York Storm jersey on.

If I would have called him, it would have also attracted too much attention. That’s the kind of thing celebrity brings. Ezra isn’t comfortable with it, even more so after what went down with Piper and his obsessed fan.

Stella slips into the room with a bottle of champagne, three flutes, and a big smile on her face. She gasps when she sees Piper ready to walk down the aisle. I can see the way her eyes mist over with unshed tears from here.

Piper points at her accusingly, “Don’t you dare start. You’ll get me going and then Celeste will be crying and all the work the make-up artists did will be lost.”

I can’t help but laugh at the stricken look on Piper’s face and then, just like it has always been between us, we’re laughing together. It’s easy to get lost in the moment and let it swirl and meld with all the memories of laughter we’ve had as we were growing up together. I ignore the tightening in my chest at the thought that everything is changing.

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