Chapter 26
twenty-six
“What are you going to do?” Chelsi asks, following me into the house. “Please tell me you’re going to rip Brian a new one when you talk to him.”
“I don’t know. In the last twelve hours, I’ve gone from bawling on the bathroom floor, to believing my fiancé planned our engagement party, to spiraling because, joke’s on me, he didn’t.
And Jake did,” I reply, kicking off my white heels and collapsing onto the couch.
“It’s a lot to process on top of everything else I was already feeling. ”
I groan, burying my face in my hands. “Join the club. His notifications have been on silent ever since he sent me the flurry of texts apologizing. I can’t tell whether he’s avoiding me or if he’s truly occupied with something work-related.”
“It shouldn’t fucking matter, Kate. You’re his fiancée. He didn’t come to his own engagement party. End of story.”
“Things would be easier if he had planned the party. Then I could believe there was hope for us. It would soften the blow of him not coming to the party.” The gnawing sensation in my stomach grows, calling bullshit on what I said.
I won’t pretend I’m not heartbroken that he didn’t show up, but that seemed to ease when I thought he put in all the effort into planning the party.
Now, I can’t hide from the truth, no matter how much I want to bury my head in the sand and pretend that everything will be fine.
“Do you need me to stay with you tonight? I’ll cancel my date tomorrow and hang with you all weekend,” Chelsi offers, wrapping her arm around me and squeezing.
I shake my head. As much as I’d love to spend time with Chelsi, I need to figure out what I’m going to say to Brian on my own. Without her influence.
We’re both startled when the front door swings open and Jake strolls in, his arms overflowing with presents.
“Where do you want these?” Jake asks, completely hidden by the stack of gifts.
“By the fireplace is fine,” I reply, blowing out a deep breath. “Thanks for bringing them in.”
Chuckling, Jake bends over to gently place the items on the floor. “This is merely the first load. You’ve significantly underestimated how much people in this town love you.” He heads outside without saying another word.
“You’re going to talk to Jake, too, right?” Chelsi locks eyes with me.
“Yeah. I’ll thank him for the party and for helping out,” I reply, waving my arm to the pile of gifts.
“I think there’s more to it than that. You need to find out why he did it.” Her piercing gaze unnerves me.
“What do you mean?”
“Just find out what’s going on with him. I can’t put my finger on it, but there’s something there.” Her expression becomes quizzical, like she’s trying to solve a puzzle without all of the pieces. “I’m going to head out as long as you’re sure you’ll be okay by yourself.”
I nod, standing and embracing Chelsi in a tight hug. Although I don’t want her to leave, I have a sinking suspicion I’ll be seeing her again soon.
After Chelsi leaves, Jake continues to bring in and organize gifts, while I take a few minutes to get out of this restrictive dress and erase at least one of the physical reminders from the day.
When I walk back into the living room, Jake’s sprawled out on my couch in his dark gray suit pants and white dress shirt, his shoes kicked off, seconds away from taking a nap.
“Hey,” I whisper, nudging his arm with my thigh. “Any chance I can have a seat?”
Jake’s eyes snap open, meeting my gaze. He pushes himself up with his elbows, taking his usual place on the couch. “I can get out of your hair if you need some time alone. I didn’t want to disappear while you were in your room.”
“You don’t need to leave,” I reply, gathering my hair and pulling it into a messy bun. “We should probably talk.”
“That sounds ominous.” He glances downward, resting his arms on his knees. “What’s on your mind?”
A heavy silence fills the room. My heart pounds, and my breathing quickens.
This shouldn’t be scary. It’s Jake. All I need to do is tell him that I know he planned the party.
Find out why he kept it a secret from me and why he allowed me to believe all afternoon that Brian was the thoughtful one, not him.
Although these might be simple questions, I have a nagging feeling that today’s events are going to drastically change my life forever.
Exhaling deeply, I turn toward Jake and tuck my legs underneath me. “Why did you let me believe Brian helped plan the party?” I tilt my head and chew on my lower lip.
Jake lets out a ragged breath, raking his fingers through his perfectly styled hair. “I don’t know how to answer that.”
“How about the truth?”
“Fuck, Kate. What do you want me to say? Watching you hysterically sob on the floor this morning about broke me,” he replies, anguish lacing his voice and pain behind his eyes.
“I’d do anything to make your day better.
And you seemed happier when you thought Brian’s surprise was the party.
I couldn’t bring myself to correct you.” He hangs his head in his hands.
“I’m sorry for not telling you right away.
I just didn’t want to break your heart again. ”
I slowly nod, understanding what he means, and confident I would’ve done the same if the roles were reversed. “Thank you,” I whisper, placing my fingers gently on his arm. “It was better than I could’ve imagined.”
He breathes a sigh of relief and leans back against the couch. “I’m so glad to hear you say that. I was worried I might have screwed things up again.”
I shake my head, taking his hand and squeezing softly.
“You filled the room with my favorite foods, flowers, and people. Included pictures of me and important keepsakes from my life. It was stunning. No one has ever done anything like that for me.” I drop his hand, opening and shutting my fists, allowing my nails to dig into my palms. “I can’t thank you enough.
” The tears steadily fall down my face, a combination of happiness and sadness.
Jake wipes away a single tear from my cheek with his fingertip.
“Please don’t cry. I swear my heart breaks every time I see another tear fall from your eyes.
” He leans forward, pressing his forehead to mine.
“I hope you know how special you are to me. To everyone in your life. I’m a better person because I know you.
” He gently brushes his lips against my head before pulling away and increasing the distance between us.
He clears his throat, standing and folding his arms across his chest. “I’ll let you go. I know you want to talk to Brian. I’ll order you dinner later and have it delivered.”
“Okay,” I reply, frozen in place, a cornucopia of emotions swirling inside me, all fighting to get out at the same time.
He nods and heads for the front door, taking one final look at me with an expression I can’t quite read before leaving.
I’m finally alone with my thoughts. Alone to determine what’s next for me. What I want for my life. The life that seemed practically perfect months ago now seems broken beyond repair.
And I know what I have to do.
I reach for my phone, firing off a quick text message to set my plan in motion.
Kate
Hey! What time will you be home tonight? I’d love for us to talk.
I wait patiently for twenty minutes until my phone dings with his response.
Brian
Should be home by 9:30. Plan to talk at 10?
Kate
Sounds great!
A sense of peace washes over me, confident I know what must be done. I throw a few essential items into a bag, grab my car keys, and head out to drive to Chicago.