Chapter 50
CHAPTER 50
Emily sat beside me in my car, and we both peered at the big brick building. My phone was going off like a bomb. All the calls were from Roo and Mom.
“Is this where she lives?” Emily whispered.
“Yes.”
“What are you going to do about your wedding?”
My fake wedding that was scheduled to take place in five short hours. Fuck.
“I have no idea.”
“Do you want to talk to her?”
I tried to explain what had possessed to me to drive us here. “No. I’m here because I need to think.”
“What are you thinking?”
I avoided Emily’s eyes. “I thought when Porter said he wanted to talk to me, part of me was hoping…”
“Hoping that he wanted to marry you.”
“Yes.” I sighed, giving her a regretful look. “Stupid, right?”
“No. I’ve been hoping the same thing.”
We shared identical sad smiles .
The front door of the building opened and out stepped Felicia. She wore a cute little navy jumpsuit, and her long hair was pulled into a ponytail.
“There she is.” I sunk a bit lower in my seat.
“Go talk to her,” Emily encouraged.
I was about to refuse, but my body was already half-way out of my Corolla. I met Felicia on the sidewalk.
Her blue eyes widened when she saw me. “I’ve already told that detective everything I know.” She put her hand on her slim hip.
“Was Porter here last night?” I asked in a pleading voice.
“Yes.”
My heart sunk. “Okay. Thanks.” I started to turn away.
“It’s not what you think.”
I spun. “So, why was he here?”
“He showed up here drunk, looking for his ring.”
“What ring?”
“His grandmother left him her wedding ring. And I took it. Out of his boxes. I never gave it back to him.”
“You did?”
“He showed up here last night, ranting about it.”
Wait, what?
“I gave it back to him.”
I worked to say something. “Oh.”
She seemed genuinely regretful. “I’m sorry for ruining your engagement party and your cake.”
I didn’t give a shit about that. All I cared about was that Porter had shown up to get a ring!
“That’s okay.”
Her big blue eyes pensively studied the street behind me. “I needed Porter. I needed him to take care of me and act like he gave a shit. And he did take care of me. He never let me down. But it was never enough. I always wanted more from him. He did everything I asked, but he could never feel for me what I needed him to feel. ”
I was humbled by her honesty. “I’ve been jealous of you since I met you.”
She tilted her head. “Don’t give up on Porter. I’ve never seen him like this.”
“Like what?”
“Like he actually has a heart? He’s a hot mess.”
In a daze, I walked back to the car. I got in and stared unseeing through the windshield. Porter hadn’t wanted Felicia back. He'd shown up here, in the middle of the night, to get his grandmother’s ring back.
“Tell me,” Emily demanded, interrupting my befuddled thoughts.
I started the car, “I need to talk to Porter.”
The second I walked back into the penthouse, Mom and Roo were all over me. “Beth, the hairdresser and makeup artist, are here. We need to get you ready,” my mom snapped.
I turned on both of them. “No. I’m not doing anything until I talk to Porter.”
“He’s not here.”
Apprehension squeezed my heart. “Where is he?”
“I’m assuming he went to the church to get ready. What is this about? Was Porter in a fight last night? Doesn’t he know we have to take pictures today?”
I held up my hands. “I need to talk to Emily.” I yanked her into my bedroom and shut the door. We stared at each other, wide-eyed. “What do I do?”
“Try calling him.”
“I knew you were the brains in this operation.” I hit dial on my phone. “Went to voice mail,” I said as I hung up.
“Are you going to leave a message? ”
I paced back and forth across the room. “I don’t know what to do.”
“You need to show up at the church. In a wedding dress.”
“Emily,” I wailed. “What if he doesn’t show?”
“Isn’t that what you originally planned?”
“Yes!”
“So, what’s the issue?”
“The issue is I actually want to marry the guy now.”
“You’ve always wanted to marry him.”
“Fine. Rub it in.”
“I think he wants to marry you too.”
“You don’t know that.”
“He got his grandma’s ring back last night from Felicia!”
“That was before I refused to listen to him.”
“Well, you have three scenarios. You can possibly leave him at the altar, or he can leave you there.”
“That’s only two. What’s the third scenario?”
“You both show up, and you get married.”
I stood there completely still, for a moment and then I yelled over my shoulders, “Mom! I’m ready for the hair stylist.”