Chapter 35
Gavin
I have seen a lot of shit-storms in my forty-five years of life, but this one takes the cake.
What the actual fuck just happened?
Ben is trying to talk to Holly, who is bawling, and rightfully so.
Josie brings Jordan back to the main area. Lucky for him, I was looking for somewhere to take out my frustrations, and his cocky mouth looks like the place to unload.
I don’t know what Charlotte is doing, or should I say, Charlie? If I am being honest, I’m not really interested right now. My head is spinning so fast with all the new information that I feel like I’m going to be sick.
“How could you not tell me that the wedding planner was Charlie?” I hear Holly ask.
“Because it doesn’t matter,” Ben backpedals.
“It doesn’t matter that your ex-girlfriend is in charge of our wedding?!” she cries out.
“No, because she isn’t my soulmate, Holly; you are! And you liked her so much–”
“I feel so stupid,” Holly sobs again.
Don’t feel stupid.
If there is anyone who isn’t at fault in this whole scenario, it’s Holly. I feel guilty enough that my defiant march back to my cabin slows.
“You shouldn’t feel stupid,” Ben tells her, and I can hear the desperation in his voice.
It hurts. I’m not particularly happy with him either.
It’s not that it was my business that Charlotte was his ex, but that he didn’t say anything didn’t help matters.
“This is my fault. I should have told you the second we met with her. That way you could’ve decided whether you wanted to use her as the planner still. ”
“Or whether or not I still wanted to get married to someone who hides things from me,” she says. “How do I know you’re not hiding anything else?”
“Because I love you!” Ben blurts out.
“And I love you, but I don’t keep things from you. I don’t let you waltz around looking like a fool with your head in the clouds while planning what is supposed to be the happiest day of my life!”
“Holly, please…”
“It’s not your fault,” I say, walking back over to them, whether it’s a good idea or not.
“Stay out of this,” Ben says with his chest puffed, but I ignore him. He’s a stacked guy, but I could absolutely take him if I needed to. Age hasn’t changed that.
“I think all of us owe you an apology.” Because at the end of the day, all that matters is your special day.”
“Exactly,” Ben agrees with me, and for a second, I wonder if we are killing two birds with one stone. “That’s all that matters. Well, that and the fact that my dad was lying to me about banging my ex.”
Alright, well nevermind.
“Are you really bringing that up right now?” I ask.
“It seems pretty unimportant,” I nod over at Holly, where Ben’s attention and efforts should be focused.
He may be a handsome kid with a good head on his shoulders, but I’ve had a lot more relationship experience than he has.
My experience has taught me that when a woman has one foot out the door, you get on your fucking knees.
“I think now is the perfect time to bring it up,” Ben answers, proving to be less intelligent than I thought. “I've gotta be honest, I knew something was up between you two.”
“And this matters why?” I ask.
“Yeah, Benjamin. Why do you care who Charlotte is sleeping with?” Holly asks.
Tread lightly, son. The ice is thin.
“Because it’s my dad!” he blurts out.
“I didn’t know you were her ex!” I fight back.
“Oh, sure,”
“You know what, I’m not doing this right now,” Holly shakes her head and takes off.
“I think you should go after her, Ben,” I tell him.
“You’re just trying to distract me from the elephant in the room,” Ben argues.
“No, I’m trying to make sure your wedding isn’t about to get canceled!” I snap. Then I head back in the direction of my cabin. “You know what? Blow off some steam, come to your senses, and figure it out,” I say as I stalk off.
I run my hand through my hair. I need a drink. Or to scream. Or hit something.
Despite knowing that things were a bit off, I never imagined this.
I don’t think any of us imagined this.
Well, other than Charlotte. Charlotte, aka Charlie. She knew the entire time what the circumstances are. She knew that she was planning his wedding, and that Holly had no idea who she was. She knew we were getting…close, and she kept that from Ben. And that’s not the only thing she kept from me.
“I’m not done talking to you!” My cabin door flies open the second I shut it, and Ben is standing right behind me.
My jaw clenches and I turn around slowly, the same heat rising in me as when he’d do something stupid as a kid and I knew there were going to be consequences. I’ve never laid a hand on my son, but judging from his clenched fists, he might try to lay one on me.
“Ben—” I start as steadily as I can manage.
“No. I’m talking first,” he says. For the sake of this not getting too heated, I bite my tongue hard enough to fill my mouth with the taste of copper. “Where do you get off fucking my wedding planner?”
“Where do you get off telling me who I can sleep with?” I ask. It’s the start of a tennis match.
“She’s my wedding planner!” he shouts.
“I’m aware! Which is why I didn’t say anything,” I shout back.
“And my ex!”
“Which I didn’t know!”
“Right,” he scoffs, and I take a step closer.
“I’m not lying to you. Would I be this upset myself if I had any idea that the woman I am seeing was Charlie?” I ask.
“Oh, so now you’re seeing her?” he asks. “It’s not just a weekend affair?”
“We hooked up way before your fiancée even hired her, so it’s not my fault,” I say. “And yes. We have been seeing each other.”
“Unbelievable,” he chortles. “She’s not what you think, you know,”
Now I’m really getting heated. “I would be very careful what you say next, Ben.”
“She’s type A.”
“I know.”
“I’m talking anal.”
“I know.”
“Everything has to be perfect all the time.”
“I’m aware.”
“And she’s a homebody.”
“That’s fine,”
“Until she wants to go out. Then she goes straight for the tequila and gets a bit wild.”
Ha. No kidding.
“Is there a point to this?” I ask.
“I’m just saying, she’s not really your type,” he says.
“Oh really? And tell me, son. What is my type exactly? You know, since you seem to have the high ground here.” I’m on a roll, but the next word out of Ben’s mouth flattens me to the ground.
“Mom.”
The tennis match has turned into dodgeball, and that one was a headshot. The next thing I say is even more painful because I have to admit it to myself as well.
“Mom’s gone,” I say in a low voice. My throat is tight, but I do my best to hide that. “Now get out of my cabin.”
“Yeah,” he nods, his mouth twisted into a tight and angry smile. “Well, fuck you too.” He turns to leave, but I stop him.
“You don’t know what it’s like being alone for so long after a love like that.”
Ben stops, and I can see the tension in his shoulders. “And what do you think she’d think of all of this? Of you fucking around with a woman who is closer to my age than yours? Of you getting her pregnant? What do you think Mom would say about that?”
“Charlotte is more like her than you think,” I say, and Ben’s eyes widen. Then the smirk reappears, and he walks out.
I don’t know if it was the right thing to say. Hell, I never actually thought about it before. But now that I am finally alone, I can take in a breath and let it out. It takes my knees out with it, and I plop down onto the bed in a heap.
Even after all that, my head hasn’t cleared.
If anything, I am even more confused now.
I am angry. Angry that things came out the way they did.
Angry that all of us were lying. Charlotte is the one who was the most dishonest. She lied to all of us about multiple things.
The biggest one being something that will change my life forever if it’s true.