Chapter 28
JACE
I’m crouched beside Sam, checking him for any signs of concussion, making sure he’s coherent. He’s shivering, but his eyes are clear, and he’s answering my questions well enough.
“You feel dizzy at all?” I ask, leaning in to get a better look at his pupils.
Sam shakes his head, blinking at me. “No, just cold as hell. But I’m alright, man. I owe you guys big time.”
Before I can respond, Hailey comes rushing in. She practically throws herself into Sam’s arms, hugging him tight like she never wants to let go.
“Sam, thank God,” she whispers, holding him close.
I stand up, stepping back to give them some space, but my mind’s already drifting. I look around, trying to spot Emily. I haven’t seen her since we got back.
“Hey, where’s Emily?” I ask Hailey, my voice low. I’m expecting her to say she’s fine, maybe that she’s busy with wedding prep. But she doesn’t respond; she just keeps her focus on Sam, brushing his hair back and checking him over like she’s his personal nurse.
That’s when I know something’s wrong.
I cross my arms, waiting for her to say something, anything, but she stays silent. My gut twists tighter. “Hailey?” I ask again, a little more firmly this time. “Where’s Emily?”
She finally pulls back from Sam, standing up, but she doesn’t meet my eyes. Instead, she smooths her dress, clears her throat, and asks, “How do you feel about walking down the aisle with Chloe for the wedding?”
My stomach drops. “Since when is Chloe in the wedding party?”
Hailey still won’t look at me. “It’s something we’re figuring out,” she mumbles, brushing off the question like it’s no big deal.
But it is a big deal. “Since when are you so chummy with Chloe?”
Hailey just shrugs, avoiding my gaze again as she turns back to Sam.
I watch them for a moment longer, that knot in my stomach tightening by the second. Something’s off with Hailey, but I can’t put my finger on it. She totally ignored my question about Emily’s whereabouts. And what’s going on with Chloe being in the wedding?
After checking in with Sam one last time, I leave the room, my mind already racing as I try to figure out what the hell is going on.
I head down the hallway, looking for her, and after a few minutes, I finally spot her. She’s in the main hall, busy with wedding prep, her hands moving quickly as she arranges decorations, her brows furrowed in concentration. And she’s doing it all alone.
My heart melts, and I fall in love with her once again.
Her face lights up for a split second when she sees me, and she drops what she’s doing, running into my arms.
But as I look down at her, I can tell she’s not completely herself. There’s something in her eyes—a hint of sadness.
I rub her back gently, trying to feel out what’s going on. “You alright?” I ask.
She doesn’t answer right away. Instead, she pulls back slightly, her expression a little distant, like she’s not sure how to say what’s on her mind.
I don’t know what to make of it, and I can’t stand the silence between us, so I break it. “Hailey said something about me walking down the aisle with Chloe. Do you know what that’s about?”
“No,” she says, but the word seems loaded.
“What’s going on with you? Hailey? I swear we were only gone for a few hours.”
She shakes her head, her hands fidgeting with a piece of ribbon she’s holding. “It’s just…I don’t know. Everything’s a mess, Jace. Chloe’s stirring things up, and now Hailey’s mad at me, and—”
“Why is Hailey mad at you?” I interrupt, stepping closer, trying to catch her gaze. “Did something happen?”
She hesitates, and I can see the struggle in her eyes. She’s holding something back. “It’s nothing,” she says finally.
“Emily, whatever it is, we’ll figure it out. Just tell me.”
She finally meets my eyes, but the look on her face sends a wave of dread through me. “Chloe…Chloe said some things. About me, about you, about…the others.”
I feel a cold pit form in my stomach. “The others? What the hell is she saying?”
Emily bites her lip, looking away again. “She knows about all of us, Jace. And she’s twisting everything. She’s making it sound like…” She trails off. “She made it sound horrible.”
“And Hailey knows?”
“She’s upset. She thinks I’m playing you.”
“My sister is dramatic, but she’ll come around.”
Emily sniffs. “I’m not so sure. She wants Chloe, so does that mean I’m not in the wedding party anymore?”
“I’ll talk to her,” I say.
“Please don’t,” she says, rubbing her forehead.
“No,” Emily says quickly, shaking her head.
“It’ll just make things worse right now.
I need to figure out how to explain this without making it sound like…
like I’ve been playing some kind of game with all of you.
Because that’s how it’s starting to look. ”
I grit my teeth. “It’s not a game, Em. None of this is. I know you’re confused but, I’m sure you’ll choose someone you love more than the others.”
And I want it to be me, I think.
“I don’t even want to talk about it. And honestly, I’ve had too much of it. I just need to get everything ready for the wedding.”
I shake my head. “I can’t believe it. Even after all of that, you’re still trying to show up for her. If Hailey doesn’t see it, she is blind.”
Emily cracks a smile, but I can see how tense she still is.
The sound of footsteps echoes down the hall, and I turn just as Tanner, Axel, and Ben stroll up, smiles plastered across their faces. I can see the love in their eyes clear for her, and it doesn’t scare me anymore.
Tanner, ever the charmer, grins widely and walks right up to Emily, throwing an arm around her shoulders. “Well, look who we found. You’ve been hiding, huh?”
“I haven’t been hiding. Maybe you didn’t look hard enough,” Emily replies, breaking a small smile.
Tanner nuzzles her neck. “We missed you, you know. What do you say we take this upstairs?”
It’s like we’ve all silently agreed that this thing between us and Emily is happening.
Is that how things will be from now on? I still don’t see it as a long-term thing even though everything went so well earlier.
I’m sure the others feel the same. But one thing’s for sure—we’re a team, and that includes her.
But Emily—she’s not biting. She laughs softly, shaking her head as she steps out of Tanner’s loose hold. “I can’t think of anything else but the wedding.”
“Then let us help. We’ll get it done faster if we all pitch in,” Axel says. “Besides, we all promised to help you out.”
Her eyes widen. “No, I seriously couldn’t ask you to do anything. You’ve already been through a lot.”
“Come on,” Tanner says. “We want to help.”
“No way we’re letting you handle all that alone,” Ben chimes in.
She sighs, finally nodding. “I guess it will be faster this way.”
And just like that, we all get to work.
The night passes in a blur of activity. We string up lights, arrange name cards, and put together the centerpieces for the tables.
Emily shows us her sketches for the decor, and we follow her lead. Axel and Tanner move tables and chairs, setting up the space while Ben helps Emily with the smaller details—cards, centerpieces, and lighting.
I take charge of hanging the drapes and setting up the lights, making sure everything looks the way Emily envisioned. We work in tandem, stopping for short periods to gorge on the sandwich bites Collie sent over for us.
By the time we finish, it’s almost morning. The hall glows softly in the early morning light, a delicate shimmer bouncing off the walls as the first rays of dawn break through the tall windows.
I can’t help but admire how she’s pulled it all together. The wreaths are carefully arranged as centerpieces, decorated with candles and fairy lights.
Instead of real flowers, she’s used ornaments—bright red and gold baubles tucked into the greenery. Somehow, it works.
Ben is working with Emily on the small details, helping her arrange the floral garlands along the archway at the front of the room where Hailey and Sam will say their vows. The archway itself is draped in soft white fabric and tucked together with more Christmas decorations.
I glance over at Emily. She’s standing at the center of the room, looking around with a tired but satisfied smile on her face. She’s covered in a bit of dust from moving everything around, her hair slightly tousled from the hours of work, but she’s never looked more beautiful.
“I think we outdid ourselves this time. This place doesn’t even look like the same room,” Axel says, wiping his hands.
“You guys really did all this,” Emily says. “Couldn’t have done it without you.”
“It’s your work, Em. We just followed orders.”
She looks up at me, her eyes soft but tired, and something in the way she looks at me makes my chest tighten. Something that makes me want to pull her into my arms and never let go.
“Emily,” I say drawing closer. “It’s time.”
She looks up at me, a flicker of confusion crossing her face. “Time for what?”
“You’ve got all of us here, and we care about you. But this…it can’t go on like this forever. Sooner or later, you’re going to have to make a choice.”
“Jace, what are you doing?” Axel asks.
“Setting some things straight,” I say. “Don’t tell me you don’t want to know.”
“But she doesn’t have to make a decision right away,” Ben says. “It’s not right.”
“We’ve been cool with all this because we care about you. But you’ve got to decide where your heart is. There’s four of us, and one of you,” I say, ignoring the warning looks from the other men.
“Stop it, all of you.” Emily rubs her nose. “I’m not about to make today about me after everything that happened.”
I open my mouth and close it. “Hailey will understand.”
“No, she won’t,” she says. “And you’ve got to stop it, Jace. I thought we talked it over.”
“I get what you’re trying to say, but I can’t bear it anymore,” I say.
She looks away, and I swear I see her eyes shining. “I need to get out of here.”
Before I can say anything, she runs out of the room.
“Did you really have to do that?” Tanner asks, scowling.
“I know it’s difficult, but I think it’s pretty clear what we want. All of us. And after what happened last night…I don’t think there’s any going back from here,” I say.
“What about us, though?” Ben says. “Where do we go from here? If she does choose one of us, what happens to us?”
“I’ll respect her decision and whatever comes after,” I say.
“You’re being way too practical,” Tanner says. “We’ll still have to see each other at work.”
“And we’ll still be cordial to each other,” Axel says, “because it’s all worth it, for her…”
He’s right, it really is. But I hate the way she left.
“I’ll be back,” I say as I take off after Emily. I regret not doing that many years ago. Even though it was unintentional, she thinks I chose Chloe over her. But she’s got to see it’s not like that.
I finally catch up to her near the elevator. She’s pressing down on it hard, muttering under her breath. “Stupid elevator.”
“Emily, hey,” I say. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“I’m not upset, just tired,” she says. “The ceremony begins in a few hours.”
I sigh. “I was being stupid. You’re right. It really doesn’t matter.”
“Do you regret it?” she says, still not looking at me.
“What?”
She finally looks. “Do you regret what happened earlier? Is that why you want me to make a decision?”
“That’s not it,” I say.
“Then what is it?” she says. “Do you regret passing me around?”
“What?” I say aghast. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“You know what I mean.” She takes a deep breath. “What happened in the closet, and then with me kissing you all.”
“Emily—”
“Do you think this is some kind of a twisted game? You think I’m doing this for fun, and that it’s not hurting me?”
“That’s not true at all,” I say, reaching for her. “Emily, I told you what I want. I never want to hurt you. Emily, I love you—”
Before she can answer, the elevator door opens and Collie steps out.
“Emily, Whit’s been asking for you.”
Emily’s face hardens slightly at the mention of Whit. She glances at me, her eyes filled with uncertainty, before turning back to Collie. “Where is he?”
“He’s in the infirmary. He’s adamant about seeing you,” Collie replies, glancing between the two of us as if she can sense the tension.
“Emily—” I begin.
Emily looks at me, but there’s something final in her eyes. “I should go.”
And just like that, she leaves. I watch her walk away, my hands clenching into fists at my sides. I don’t understand what’s happening anymore. Whit? Why is she even giving him the time of day? Everything between us, between all of us, it’s unraveling.
But I did mean what I said before. I don’t think she believes me, though.
A few hours later, I’m in Hailey’s room, watching her get ready for the wedding. She’s sitting in front of the mirror, her makeup half-done, but there’s a somberness in her expression that doesn’t belong on a bride’s face.
She glances at me through the mirror, her voice soft. “I feel horrible about what happened with Emily.”
I look at her, surprised. I haven’t had a chance to talk to Hailey about the fight, about Chloe and the mess that she stirred up.
She turns around in her chair, her hands fidgeting with the edge of her dress. “I said things in the heat of the moment, and…I regret it. Emily’s been my best friend for years, and I let Chloe get into my head. I didn’t even give her a chance to explain. I made all these accusations.”
“Aren’t you curious though?” I say.
“I saw how happy you are with her. Now I don’t know what kind of arrangement you’ve got going, and it’s none of my business so long as you’re content.”
Her words sucker punch me. She’s right. Even with Axel, Ben and Tanner involved, this is the happiest I’ve been in a while.
“Hailey…” I start, but she holds up a hand.
“No, let me finish,” she says, her voice shaking slightly. “I was wrong. I know she’s going through a lot. And I’ve been so caught up in my own stress that I didn’t stop to think about what she must be feeling.”
I nod.
“I hope you and the others are treating her good, at least better than I did,” she says.
“I might have messed up a little but I’m trying to make it up to her.”
“Good,” she says. “But I’m not done with Chloe. We need to do something about Chloe,” she says.
“What do you have in mind?” I ask.
“You’ll see,” she says with an impish smile.