Chapter 17
BLAIR
“I can’t believe you’re getting married.” I smiled at my best friend, dressed in a tux.
It was afternoon on the day of Taylor’s wedding, and I’d stopped by his apartment to say hello as he was getting ready. I’d brought some of his favorite donuts and a box of takeout coffee from the café.
“I know, right? It’s kind of crazy,” Taylor said. “Were you able to get a hotel room?”
He was the sweetest. The last thing he should’ve been concerned about was my hotel room when he had so much going on.
“Yup,” I assured him. “I snagged one with the special rate you gave out a few months ago. They told me I got one of the last rooms available.”
“Make sure they actually charged you the discounted price,” he said through a bite of donut.
“Don’t worry about me. You’re getting married in a matter of hours. That’s all you should be focused on.”
He shrugged. “I’m looking forward to hanging at the reception later. It’s been too long since we’ve had a chance to catch up.”
I shook my head. “You’re gonna be a little busy to hang out much with any one person, you know. Don’t worry about giving guests attention. Just enjoy the day before it passes you by.”
He laughed. “Okay. You’re right.” He sighed. “My dad flew into town yesterday.”
“I was gonna ask you about that…”
Taylor nodded. “Things have been good with him. He’s really made an effort over the past year. Honestly, I was the one holding that relationship back for a long time. I had so much bitterness toward him, but sometimes you just have to force yourself to let it go.”
“Part of growing up, right?”
“Exactly,” he agreed.
“Have you seen him?”
“Yeah, he came to the rehearsal dinner. He brought a date. She seems nice. He doesn’t usually bring women around me, so I don’t know if it’s new or something serious. He’d never mentioned her before. Just showed up with her. I guess he’s bringing her to the wedding, too.”
“How does your mom feel about that?”
He shrugged. “There’s no bad blood between them anymore. She’s fine. They even all sat together last night, which was totally odd but cool.”
“Oh wow. Well, that’s good. You don’t need any family drama right now.”
“That’s for damn sure.” He laughed. “You look nice, by the way.”
I looked down at my dress. “It’s been a while since I’ve cleaned up.”
He smirked. “Actually, it’s a good thing you did. I want you to meet someone later.”
Dread filled me. “Uh-oh. You didn’t.”
“His name is Adam. He works with me. I think you’ll like him. He’s a good guy.”
I cringed. “Please don’t tell me you sat me next to him.”
“Okay, I won’t tell you I did, even if that’s the case. It can just be a surprise.” He winked.
“Great.”
“It was Juliana’s idea.”
“Well, remind me to strangle her when it’s not her wedding day.” I exhaled. “Does this guy suspect you’re trying to set him up?”
“Kind of. I’ve talked to him about you a little. But there’s no pressure. We just sat you at the same table. If you don’t like him, don’t talk to him.”
“Well, that would be kind of rude, don’t you think?”
Before we could discuss it further, the photographer arrived and stole Taylor’s attention.
Since there wasn’t much time left before the ceremony, I went over to the café around the corner for a quiet moment to myself before the chaos.
I hadn’t been to a wedding in a long time, let alone by myself.
Now that I knew Taylor was trying to set me up with someone, I had to be even more prepared to be “on.” I wasn’t sure I had the energy.
After a half hour, I looked down at my phone and realized I didn’t have a whole lot of time to get to the church. So, I forced myself up and tossed the rest of my matcha latte on the way out.
***
The church was beautifully decorated, with delicate purple flowers in chrome buckets looped with sheer white ribbon hanging off of each pew. Knowing Juliana, she’d probably controlled every last detail.
As I sat in one of the back rows, I turned to find the bridesmaids lining up.
Their dresses matched the purple of the flowers, which was darker than lavender, but not too dark.
I was suddenly relieved I hadn’t worn the purple dress I’d considered, instead having opted for a short pink number that while a little revealing, fit me much better than the purple one.
Though now that I’d be meeting that guy Adam at dinner, I wished I’d dressed more conservatively.
I didn’t need to look too eager, when in fact I wasn’t looking for anything at the moment at all.
I turned my attention to the front of the church. From this far back, I couldn’t see the altar too well, but I had the best view of the bridal party lining up in the foyer. Just beyond the bridesmaids, I got my first glimpse of Juliana.
Chills ran over me as I realized how beautiful she looked.
Her dark brown hair was styled into loose curls, half up, half down.
Her silk dress had a fitted bodice and large skirt.
Sequins sparkled under the lights, and a sheer veil covered her face.
I wondered if Taylor would cry when he got a look at her.
Words could not describe how happy I was for the two of them.
The joy I felt right now confirmed that I’d never had any real romantic feelings for Taylor. There wasn’t an ounce of envy in my body. I felt nothing but happiness for my friend and the beautiful woman who loved him.
As I looked on, Juliana licked her lips. She seemed nervous, as I imagined I would be too in the same situation. Her dad stood next to her and whispered in her ear.
Then the organ began to play, and I watched as each beautiful bridesmaid passed me and headed down the aisle. A couple of them flashed really stiff, fake smiles. One walked super slowly while another sped past. Their flowers were a wonderful mix of purple roses and white peonies.
I felt chills once again as Juliana appeared, arm in arm with her father.
Her bouquet was bigger, all lilac roses with no other flowers mixed in.
The music changed to the Wedding March, and they began their journey down the aisle.
Juliana wore a huge smile, and I turned in my seat as she moved past. I realized maybe this wasn’t a great seating choice after all, since I’d wanted to see whether Taylor was crying.
From this far back I couldn’t tell. Knowing him, though, he probably was.
Once everyone was in place, I struggled to stay focused on the actual ceremony. I’d always found myself very impatient in church, bopping my legs up and down and daydreaming.
I strained my eyes to see the family members up front, as I was curious about Taylor’s dad. I’d never seen what he looked like. This was another reason sitting so far back had become a hindrance. Kind of hard to people watch from back here.
I could sort of make out the silhouettes of Taylor’s family, though. His mom wore a long, blue dress and had her hair up in a twist. I assumed the guy next to her was her husband, Taylor’s stepfather. I’d only ever met them a couple of times.
In the row behind them were a man and a woman I didn’t recognize.
But I assumed if they were sitting that close to the front, they were family.
From the back, the man had the same stature of someone I’d long tried to forget.
Well, I’d tried to forget him and remember him in equal measure.
Maybe this wedding was making me emotional if I was suddenly seeing Tate in random people.
But not many men were that tall and muscular and had beautiful, thick hair.
My chest hollowed at the reminder of Tate.
I’d tried for years to find him to no avail.
But I didn’t need those lost photos to remember his face.
It still haunted me every day, four years after I’d last had any contact with him.
My life might’ve been so different if I could’ve found him.
Seriously, Blair? Get a grip. I forced my attention back to the ceremony.
At one point, the priest called the parents of the bride and groom up to the altar to light candles. The man who reminded me of Tate rose, along with Taylor’s mom and stepfather, and all three of them lit the groom’s candle. My stomach twisted. Holy shit. That guy was Taylor’s father!
I recalled Taylor saying once that his dad was “annoyingly good-looking.” And now I knew what he meant—at least from the back, because I’d yet to see his face.
With each second that passed, as Taylor’s parents stood at the altar, I became more paranoid. It couldn’t be, right? I mean, that would be the craziest thing. I frantically opened the program to find the names of those in the bridal party, including the groom’s parents.
The Wedding of Taylor Edward Shea and Juliana Elaina Alves
I looked down at the family members listed.
Mother of the Groom: Shayla Lively
Stepfather of the Groom: Stephen Lively
Father of the Groom: Theodore Delaney
I’d always known Taylor had taken his mother’s last name. He’d never actually told me his dad’s name, and I’d never asked since it was such a sore subject.
Theodore—not Tate.
Phew.
Shit! Looking down at the program, I had missed my chance to see his dad’s face as they returned to their seats from the altar.
You’d think my panic would’ve dissipated after learning his dad’s name was Theodore, yet another rush of adrenaline hit as I recalled Tate’s struggles with his son.
In retrospect, it sounded a hell of a lot like Taylor’s struggles with his father.
I couldn’t believe I’d never connected those two situations, but why would I?
Until now, when the back of Taylor’s dad’s head had triggered me.
The room began to sway. I had no idea how many minutes had passed.
I totally missed the vows, stuck in my head trying to work this out, trying to reassure myself that there was no way my theory could be true.
Every time I convinced myself I was out of my mind, another frightening hypothesis would hit.
What if Tate had given me a fake name?
But he’d never mentioned anything about his family owning the resort. I knew it was Taylor’s grandparents on his father’s side who owned Midnight Key. Even when things were rocky with his dad, Taylor had always been close with his grandparents.
Surely Tate would’ve mentioned it if his parents had owned the resort, right?
What about that woman he knew? Langley. I’d never forget her name. Weird that he’d run into someone he knew at the resort…unless maybe he’d been there before.
Okay. Think. Tate never said his family owned the resort—but he never said they didn’t. We just never discussed it.
Oh my God.
What if?
I needed to see this man’s face.
I needed to know.
But how?
I didn’t want him to see me.
There was another entrance to the sanctuary closer to the front. If I snuck out the main entrance behind me right now and reentered through that other door, I’d have the correct angle to see his face.
Though some soloist was singing, I grabbed my purse and tiptoed out of the church. Once outside, I walked around to the side of the large stone structure.
As cars on the main road whizzed by, my heart pounded. Once I turned the corner to the quieter street where the side entrance was located, I could hear my blood rushing in my ears.
When I got to that side door, my pulse picked up yet again, as it was locked.
Fuck!
A brisk wind blew my hair around then lifted my skirt. I nearly gave a passing car a free show.
What now?
For several minutes, I tried the door periodically to see if by some miracle it opened. I felt like a crazy person. I’d just left my best friend’s wedding and was now trying to break back into the ceremony from another door because I worried his father might be Tate. It sounded crazy.
And the door wouldn’t budge. I had no choice but to go back inside through the main entrance. I’d just have to wait for the family of the groom to make their way down the aisle after the ceremony. Maybe I could move to a seat away from the aisle to make myself less noticeable.
When I returned to the foyer, though, Taylor and Juliana were already standing in a receiving line, along with the entire wedding party and their parents. I must’ve been outside longer than I’d thought, and the ceremony was over.
My heart lodged in my throat as I stood near the entrance, observing the line. And I felt all the air leave my body as I got my first look at him.
Please make it make sense.
Standing next to Taylor’s mother was Tate. Definitely my Tate. The lost-love-of-my-life Tate. The man I could never get over, the man who still lived in my dreams, was Taylor’s father.
He hadn’t noticed me yet. There was still time to run.
But how would I explain that to Taylor? Didn’t matter.
I could worry about that later. For now, I needed to leave.
But as much as I wanted to flee, my legs were frozen in place.
I couldn’t take my eyes off him. Tate shook hands with person after person as he nodded and thanked them for coming.
When he flashed his beautiful smile, it hurt my heart.
Stop looking at him. You need to leave!
But just as I turned to make my exit, I heard my name.
“Blair!” Taylor shouted.
I pivoted slowly and looked up to find him waving me over. With a lump in my throat, I stepped toward them.
Everything thereafter seemed to happen in slow motion.
Tate’s eyes widened, and the color drained from his face the moment he finally noticed me.
This was not the reunion I’d imagined in my dreams. Far from it.
This was a nightmare I’d never imagined possible.