Chapter 28 #2
I place a hand on her shoulder that I hope is reassuring and shoot a glare in the direction of the people nearby openly gawking until they quickly look away. Victoria’s bridesmaids are enjoying themselves on the dance floor in blissful ignorance. I’m on my own here.
My first instinct is to call Noah. He would get in the car and be here to help as soon as he could.
But I brush that thought away.
“Do you really want my advice?”
“I don’t think I can go through with it!” she blurts. “I think . . . I think I need to call Carson. Right now. And call off the wedding.”
Holy shit, maybe this will be easier than I thought. It would be simple enough to slide the phone into her hand and coach her through the conversation with her fiancé. That would certainly make Killian and Aries happy. Noah too.
But I have to make sure this is what’s right for Victoria. She needs to be certain she’s making the right choice, in the right state of mind. “Maybe you shouldn’t make any rash decisions when you’ve been drinking.”
Her eyes go round with confusion. “I haven’t had anything to drink.” She nods down to her glass. “This is a virgin cocktail.”
Oh my god. This is Sober Victoria. This is Sober Victoria in the middle of an emotional meltdown, grieving the end of a relationship she’s already decided is over.
“Wow. Okay. I didn’t see that coming.” I turn in my seat so I’m fully facing her.
“If you want my opinion, yes, you should call off the wedding. Cold feet is one thing, but that’s not what this is.
Frankly, Victoria”—I chew my lip, knowing I’m stepping on a landmine, but I’ve gone this far, so what the hell—“you don’t even like the guy.
Why the hell would you want to marry him?
Why the hell would you even give the time of day to a guy who doesn’t listen to you or respect you?
You know how many men in this club have been checking you out since you walked in here?
And that’s while you’re wearing a damn shirt that says Bride on it.
Carson sucks. There, I said it. And there are way too many other guys out there to settle for that dumbass.
I would rather claw my own eyeballs out than ever have another conversation with him.
I don’t know why you put up with him or with being treated like that for so long, but if you don’t realize it, I’ll tell you right now: You deserve better. ”
I suck in a breath, collapsing back in my chair. If she wants to go off on me, she can. But I said my peace. I said what she needed to hear.
If being with Noah taught me anything, it’s that I need to embrace being myself. Speak my mind and accept whatever the consequences might be.
Silence falls between us, and I sneak a glance at Victoria to make sure she’s not about to launch an attack when I spot the glint of tears.
“Thank you, Summer.” Her throat bobs. “I was thinking you met my brother so you could help him move on after Naomi. I was hoping maybe you’d actually finally be the woman who deserves him.
Like how when an author quits writing and the next book they write becomes their bestseller?
But now I’m thinking you met my brother so you could be my voice of reason.
So you could be the person who shows up when I .
. .” She gestures around the crowded club. “When I need someone.”
Now it’s my turn to tear up. I’m glad I could be that person for her. Something tells me Noah would be glad too.
Victoria sniffles, digs into her purse, and pulls out her phone. She’s not murdering me. Not even a scowl in my direction.
A few clicks on the screen and then Victoria presses the phone to her ear. She shifts uncomfortably in her seat when he answers. “Hey. Can we talk?”
She makes eye contact with me, and it takes me a second to realize she’s looking to me for reassurance. Me. I nod quickly, and for good measure, flash her a dorky thumbs-up.
Part of me wishes she’d put the phone on speaker, but I probably wouldn’t be able to hear Carson over the din in the club anyway.
Victoria waits a few more beats and then draws in a deep breath, her words coming out like a race to the finish line.
“Carson, you suck. You don’t listen to me, you don’t respect me, you don’t talk to me, and I don’t need to put up with it anymore.
There are too many guys out there to settle for someone who treats me like shit. I deserve better.”
I’m practically preening that she used most of my little speech. Maybe Aries was right—Victoria respects me. Does she . . . value my opinion? If I had a diary, I’d write in it tonight. Victoria doesn’t hate me! She might even like me!
“I don’t want to marry you. I want to call off the wedding.” She doesn’t budge an inch while she listens to his response. God, I’m dying to know what he’s saying. If he’s being an asshole, I will hunt him down. “Yeah. For a long time. I should’ve said something sooner. Okay. Thank you. Goodbye.”
As soon as she ends the call, I blurt, “What did he say?”
She shrugs. “He said he’s been feeling the same way for a while. He just didn’t want to be the asshole who ended it, especially after he proposed. He’ll let everyone know the wedding is off and get his stuff moved out while I’m at work.”
“Wow.” For ending a relationship, they’re both shockingly calm. “I think this is the most civil I’ve ever witnessed the two of you be together.”
“Yeah.” She nods, and even though this could’ve gone so much worse, she’s not any happier.
Not that I would expect her to be. Carson sucks, but she spent a lot of time with him.
She must’ve cared about him on some level.
“I guess it’s easy to be civil when you don’t have anything to fight over anymore. ”
Someone cranks the music, the bass thudding louder, and cheers erupt. “Should we tell your bridesmaids the news?”
She shakes her head. “No, I don’t want to ruin their fun.”
We fall silent again. Should I leave? I’m sure Victoria wants to head home rather than keep hanging out here, reminded of her broken engagement all night.
“Hey!” she shouts over the music. “You want to get hammered?”
I want nothing more. “Absolutely.”
An hour and four shots later, Victoria is as hammered as she intended. Once I saw her chug that first shot and immediately order another, I decided to sip on a martini for the night instead. One of us needs to be of sound mind to get us both home in one piece.
Victoria recounts horror stories of her dental patients’ poor gum health that could be potential HIPAA violations. She’s enjoying herself and lights up at each of my disgusted reactions, so I don’t stop her. She should get to have at least a little fun tonight.
Just as suddenly as her good mood came on, though, her face crumples.
“I’m sorry I was such a bitch to you!” she blubbers.
“You’ve been so nice to me all night—since I met you, really—and I’ve been awful.
I was just worried about Noah getting his heart broken, and I didn’t want him to end up in a shitty relationship again. Like mine.”
She drops her head into her hands, shoulders shaking, and I pat her arm awkwardly. I’m never getting better at this comforting-people thing.
That’s why Victoria was so skeptical of me.
Why she was so adamant that Noah end our relationship before he got hurt.
Because she let her shitty relationship with Carson go on for too long.
So long that their lives became entangled, she said yes to a proposal even when she had her doubts, and she made it all the way to the bachelorette party before she finally pulled the plug.
She knew how much easier it would be for Noah to end our relationship early, like she wishes she would’ve done.
I hand her a napkin, which she uses to dab at her eyes before blowing her nose like a fifty-year-old man with a sinus infection. “You and Noah are great together.” She sniffles. “I know you’re both upset that you’re not together. And I’m sorry for breaking you up. I’m really, really sorry.”
“Wait. Do you actually think we broke up because of you?”
Her brows furrow. “Didn’t you? Because I was being such a psycho and drove you away?”
I can’t believe she’s been blaming herself this whole time. “What? No! It had nothing to do with you. We just . . .” I don’t even know how to explain our breakup to Victoria. “Things didn’t work out.”
The excuse is pitiful, but she’s drunk enough that she won’t remember any of this conversation tomorrow.
“You didn’t dump him because I was such an asshole to you?” Her face falls, and she starts sobbing again.
“No, I—”
Victoria leaps from her stool and throws her arms around me. I nearly fall back before I manage to catch myself on the bar. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Victoria hug anyone before. At least not voluntarily.
“You were willing to be with Noah even if it meant dealing with my psychotic ass?” she wails in my ear. “You really do love him!”