Chapter 14
After the house call for Lily, Brooke stopped responding to Logan’s text messages and placed them on mute.
She didn’t have the emotional bandwidth to be tossed back and forth while he figured out things with Shelby.
She only hoped he still planned on holding up his end of the bargain by coming with her to Aubrey and Ian’s wedding.
But Brooke never went to dinner with Logan’s family. She wasn’t sure if they cancelled or went ahead without her, or if he took Shelby, which meant him coming to the wedding was most likely off. She busied herself with work and pretended like the wedding date wasn’t approaching.
Two days before the wedding, Brooke ate junk food with Aubrey as they watched a chick flick.
She hadn’t explained what had happened with Logan.
Instead, anytime Aubrey brought up the subject, she maneuvered the topic of conversation back to some part of Aubrey’s wedding plans. It worked like a charm.
“What’s Ian doing tonight?” Brooke popped a handful of M&M’s into her mouth.
Aubrey bit off a chunk of her red vine licorice. “Some sort of top golf thing. I think it was a last-minute bachelor party.”
Last weekend, the women had headed to a cabin of Aubrey’s parents up in the woods. They had a great time utilizing the hot tub and hanging out. It meant she was out of cell phone range which made her enjoy the time even more.
“Isn’t it a little cold for top golf?” Brooke plunged her hand into the shared bowl of popcorn.
“It’s one of those inside, digital ones,” Aubrey explained.
“Ahh, cool.” Brooke snuggled back under her blanket, finding the most comfortable position. “Sounds fun.”
“I can’t believe I’m getting married on Saturday,” Aubrey remarked. “It seems a bit surreal. I feel like we’ve been talking about it forever. Boom, it’s finally here, and now I don’t know what to do with my wide range of emotions.”
“What emotions are we talking about here?” Brooke shoved another mouthful of popcorn into her mouth. “Happy? Scared? Nervous?”
“I feel mostly excited.” Aubrey picked at the end of a licorice piece.
“I’m ready to be married and start the next chapter in my life.
Ian even talked about buying a house outside of the city.
Then it makes me realize everything is changing, in a good way, but still, I’ll be someone’s wife.
Life will be different. Better, but different. ”
Brooke’s stomach twisted. She tried not to think about being left behind. Everyone always left her. What made her so dang unlovable? Would anyone ever find her interesting enough to stick around for?
Her throat grew tight as tears tickled the corners of her eyes.
She cleared her throat and blinked the emotion back down.
“I’ve heard there are some great suburbs around here.
” Brooke tried her best to keep her voice upbeat and happy.
“It certainly would be nicer with kids to have more space. I know Ian is anxious for you to start a family.”
“I know.” Aubrey ate her licorice slowly. When she finished, she snatched another one out of the package. “I want those things too. I want a picket fence, a big yard, and kids. But mainly I want Ian.”
“See?” Brooke smiled brightly. She playfully shoved her. “You’re going to get everything you ever wanted. I’m happy for you. Plus, I think the suburbs could be fun.”
“Liar.” Aubrey released their embrace. “Nobody wants to live in the suburbs.”
Brooke shrugged. “Some people do. Logan’s family seems to like it.”
Frankly, she didn’t know the first thing about families or suburban life, but Logan’s family made it appealing. To have a home, community, and neighbors who knew you and supported you, who wouldn’t want that. Maybe even someday she might receive those things for herself.
They ate for a minute in silence, munching on the popcorn. “Logan is going to meet you at the wedding, right? I want you to get ready with me in the bride’s room.”
“Um.” Brooke hadn’t contacted Logan about the wedding plans.
Actively avoiding him had become a bit of a dance for her.
He had texted her a few times since that evening with his niece, then she ignored him completely and didn’t read anything he wrote.
Since then, she figured he was happily dating Shelby, but she still needed him for this one last fake date.
Then they could both go their own ways. “I can tell him to meet me there.”
“Great.” Aubrey smiled and waved a piece of popcorn at the screen. “What are we watching anyways?”
Brooke laughed. “You’ve Got Mail. It’s a classic.”
“Oh, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. I thought we were watching Sleepless in Seattle, and I kept waiting for the funny banter between Meg Ryan and Rosie O’Donnell. I was beginning to be a bit disappointed.”
“You’re in luck.” Brooke stopped the movie and toggled to another streaming service and pulled up Sleepless in Seattle. “I happen to be the proud owner of digital copies of both of the movies. What part did you want to watch specifically?”
“The part about how it’s hard to get married when you’re older.” Aubrey chomped off another bite of her licorice.
“I know the exact spot.” She queued it up. “And frankly I find it eerily true.”
Aubrey whacked her on her arm. “Whatever, you have Logan now.”
“Right,” Brooke muttered. “How could I forget?”
Then she pressed play, and they watched the iconic scene together.
Later that evening, after Aubrey headed home, Brooke mustered up the courage to text Logan about the wedding.
I wanted to double-check that you’re still okay with going to Aubrey and Ian’s wedding on Saturday? I know we haven’t been in contact, and I still owe you, but I need the favor if you’re willing to come.
She sent the message and then walked her empty popcorn bowl to the kitchen.
Then she forced herself to gather up the trash and toss everything into the garbage.
Anxious energy pumped through her veins, but she didn’t allow herself to check if he had read her message or not.
Instead, she focused her attention on cleaning up her apartment.
After fluffing her couch pillows, vacuuming the rug, starting the dishwasher, and wiping down the kitchen counters, she still hadn’t heard from Logan.
She wondered if she needed to frantically browse through her contact lists to find a date last minute. Then her phone vibrated in her pocket and her heartrate sputtered. With a tremor in her hand, she dug her phone out.
Of course I’ll be there. Just text me the details. I can’t wait to see you.
Heat flushed her cheeks. What did his text even mean? Did he want to see her so he could fill her in on his new relationship? Or did he genuinely miss her?
I’ll text you the address of the church. You’ll need to meet me there. I have to get there early to get ready with Aubrey, and I won’t be able to see you before the ceremony.
She gnawed on her lip then shuffled her feet as she typed out the address of the church and sent it to him.
No problem. I put in the time off. I won’t even be on call. I don’t have anything else going on. I can’t wait to talk to you. We have a lot to catch up on.
Her stomach dropped. A tickle of sweat ran down her temple. Then she knew the glimmer of hope she held onto dimmed.
Great see you then.
She tossed her phone onto her couch and groaned into her palmed hands. Just until the wedding, she reminded herself, then she’d be free of the idea of them.