Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
Tori
After the wedding in Vegas, I woke up feeling like a piece of shit.
The worst human possible. I hated the way I left things with Noah.
I flew back to London the next morning, packed up some things, and headed back to the States for Brad and Gabby’s wedding, where I’ll spend some time with my family for Christmas.
It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve seen Noah, and I am a bag of nerves waiting for him to pop up at any moment.
We have come to Miami for the week for Brad and Gabby’s wedding celebrations, and the entire week is booked out with dress fittings, rehearsal dinners, and the wedding itself.
We are in a high-end bridal boutique, standing in our bridesmaid dresses that have been pinned ready for the final alterations.
Ali whistles. “Mrs. Lawson, you wouldn’t think you just gave birth to your fourth baby a few months ago. Look at you.”
Ria spins in front of the mirror, and her cheeks pinken. “Are you sure it looks okay? This dress feels like I’m wearing a second skin.” The black strapless satin dress fits perfectly like a glove.
“It’s perfect, Ria. You look beautiful,” I add.
“Gabriella, get your perky ass out here.” Ali hollers behind the curtain so we can see her dress.
Gabby’s mom pokes her head out and gives Ali a scolding look. “Alice, must we yell? There are a lot of buttons on this dress. She won’t be a moment.”
“Sorry. Mrs. Monroe,” Ali says, and curtseys like she’s greeting the queen, and I have to fight back a laugh. I am quickly learning that Gabby’s mom is intense and very opinionated.
If she had her way, Gabby and Brad would have been married back in New York in an elaborate affair, but they have made some compromises along the way.
A faint cry of a baby can be heard somewhere in the bridal store.
“Who on earth brings a baby to a bridal boutique?” Gabby’s mom says with disdain.
Ria slowly raises her hand. “That would be me. I’m so sorry. She’s due a feed, and Jack said she won’t take her bottle, so I need to feed her.”
Mrs Monroe’s face falls. “In that dress. It’s silk,” she practically screeches.
“I’ll take it off, Mrs. Monroe. Don’t worry,” Ria reassures her.
As if on cue, Jack appears with a screaming baby in a carrier, followed by Harry, Brad, and Noah, who all look a little exhausted.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart, I tried, but she wants the boob,” Jack says, looking defeated.
“Boob’s do fix a lot of problems,” Harry jokes, and everyone looks at him with a ‘shut-up, Harry’ expression.
Jack and Ria disappear, leaving the other guys with us.
Harry wolf whistles. “Damn, my wife is looking hot.” He pulls Ali into an embrace.
Gabby’s mom’s face falls in horror, “Harry, don’t crease her dress, and you,” she points at Brad, “get out.”
Brad looks at her deadpan. “It’s lovely to see you too, Catherine.”
I cover my mouth to stop a laugh escaping.
“I don’t mean to be rude, Bradley, but you can’t see her in her wedding dress. It’s bad luck. It’s bad enough you and my daughter have been living in sin for the past year, so please, can we stick to some traditions?”
Brad salutes her mockingly but ignores her request.
Noah comes over, and I do just about everything to avoid looking at him. I smooth my dress, I tuck my hair behind my ear, I fluff the cushion on the seat.
“Are you avoiding me?”
“Ha ha. What? No. I’m good, so good, are you?” I babble.
Yeah, real cool, Tor.
He gives me a megawatt grin that makes me wilt. “I’m good now,” he says with a grin that could remove my panties all by themselves.
Why is he so damn handsome?
“Are you all done with your Tux fitting?” I ask, trying to make light conversation.
“Yep, but then Aubrey started screaming and wouldn’t take the bottle, so we had to wrap it up.”
“I thought Jack’s parents were here with the girls to help them.”
“They are, but Aubrey is being fussy, so Jack kept her with him. He wanted to give Ria a break.”
A tiny pang of sadness hits my heart thinking about babies. I have avoided being around them for the last seven years. I am comfortable in my decision to not have them, but every now and then, it creeps up on me, and the reality of what I could have had hits me.
Gabby yells from behind the curtain, announcing she’s ready, and her mom shoos Brad out of the area, distracting me from my spiraling mind.
“One minute, Gabriella, I am getting rid of your husband to be.”
“She’s quite a character, isn’t she?” Noah observes.
“Oh, this is tame. You should have seen her this morning at the salon, when we were getting our nails done. She made two of the staff cry, and one went home early.”
“Shit, okay. Note to self. Stay on Mrs. Monroe’s good side,” he says under his breath.
He bumps my shoulder lightly with his. “You look good in that dress, by the way. I look forward to escorting you down the aisle tomorrow.”
The flush heats my cheeks, and mentally, I chastise myself for allowing this man to affect me so.
I have treated him so unfairly in the past. I can’t keep stringing him along.
As much as I’d love for Noah and me to work out, there’s too much in our way that I just don’t think we could ever overcome it all.
“Thank you,” I say quietly.
“Are you looking forward to the black and white party tonight?”
I nod, but honestly, I don’t know how I’m meant to be around him without feeling the natural pull towards him.
Six hours later, I am stepping onto the most luxurious yacht I have ever seen. Brad and Gabby opted for a black and white party with a casino on board instead of traditional bachelor and bachelorette parties.
Gabby looks incredible in a white satin cocktail dress and sky-scraper white heels with bows on them, and Brad is looking as handsome and brooding as ever, dressed in a black shirt and suit pants.
I have to hide my laugh when Gabby’s mom tries to button up his shirt to hide his tattoos. I arrived with Ali and Harry, and have never felt more like the third wheel. They are very much in the honeymoon phase, so I’m not taking it personally.
Noah will be arriving with Jack and Ria. The baby was fussing again, so they’re running late. I just hope they make it before the yacht leaves the port.
I wander to the edge of the yacht and lean against the railings. I opted for a knee-length black halter dress with an open back. My hair is twisted into an updo with just a few framing pieces that blow around my face in the breeze.
The captain sounds the horn, letting us know we are pulling away, and my mind drifts to Noah.
Did he make it on board, but when I turn around, my question is answered.
He stands in black suit pants, hands in pockets, and a crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, showing off the tattoos I love so much.
This is the man I have been pining for, for years, and know I can’t have, but God, would I give anything for one more night with him.