Bonus Epilogue – Hailey
February . . . Cal and Noelle’s Wedding
“And that’s how I wrote ‘Love to Watch You Walk Away’ in a public bathroom where I met Dolly Parton,” I said, leaning back in my chair.
Pops chuckled, and Mama D clapped her hands to her chest. “That’s my favourite one of yours, sugar.” She sniffed. “And you did such a beautiful job on the song tonight.”
I beamed. Cal and Noelle had graciously invited me to their wedding, and as promised, I had sung for my dinner. It was a brand-new song inspired by the two of them, and I was happy with how it had turned out. Plus it was a nice break in between the legs of my cross-country tour.
And I never said no to attending a wedding.
I mean, it was beautiful. Shawna Satterfield had spearheaded the planning for this one, and it was elegant with navy and silver.
But good food and stunning aesthetics aside, I loved the idea of love.
The promise to spend a lifetime loving each other.
Chasing Jesus together and raising a passel of cute kids.
It was everything I wanted.
“Did that really happen?” Brooks, one of Cal’s teammates, asked skeptically.
I smirked. “You mean writing a hit song while locked in a bathroom stall with one foot stuck in the toilet and having a cute maintenance guy rescue me, all while Dolly witnessed my humiliation?”
“And that’s not even the worst of her stories,” Stephanie added with an indulgent smile in my direction.
Brooks shook his head with a laugh. “Forget I asked.” His gaze wandered across the dance floor to a curly-haired blonde with a camera.
Ahhh, Noelle’s baby sister, Ruby. Interesting.
“Hails, thanks for coming!” Cal grinned down at me as he and Noelle paused beside our table.
I jumped out of my seat, hugging them both. “Thanks for having me, y’all!” I waggled my phone. “Can I get a selfie with you guys?”
“Aren’t you the famous one?” Noelle asked, eyes bright with joy.
“I like to think my friends are the real VIPs for putting up with me. And I’ve been praying like crazy for y’all.”
“The song was incredible,” Cal said after I snapped a few photos.
“I promised I’d sing for my dinner! Plus, it’s going on my new album.”
Noelle hugged me again. “You’re amazing. I’m glad I got to officially meet you. I’ve been a fan for ages.”
“He’s a lucky man.” I squeezed her back. “You’re a good one. I can tell.”
“She’s the best,” Cal agreed, and kissed his bride.
After a few more minutes of light chatter, other guests claimed their attention, and I grabbed my purse. “Speaking of bathrooms, I’m heading that way.”
“I’ll join you.” Stephanie slid out from Nash’s arm around her shoulders, giving him a brief kiss.
“Don’t fall in any toilets, Hails.” Nash chuckled, eyes shining with amusement behind his glasses.
I stuck my tongue out at my cousin’s millionaire husband like the mature adult I was.
“Are you okay?” Stephanie asked me in the privacy of the luxurious hotel bathroom. We were alone with the floral wall paper and brass faucets.
“Peachy. Why?” I lathered the soft soap in my hands. Wow, it smelled amazing. Like French lavender and . . . art. Did art have a smell? That was probably weird. But this soap smelled expensive.
Stephanie shot me a look as she fixed her lipstick in the mirror. “You’re not as effervescent as usual.”
“Are you saying I’m losing my shine? Stephie, I’m crushed.”
She rolled her eyes and snapped the lid on the tube.
While I waited for her to finish tidying up, I checked my phone. A social media notification popped up, and I slid the app open.
Then froze.
Cam and Nikki were engaged. My ex and my former best friend were getting married.
I scrolled through every last picture. Their smiling faces plastered across the screen.
Cam and I had broken up over two years ago, and he’d waited two weeks to make a move on my best friend. At least I think he waited. Honestly, I didn’t want to know if they’d cheated.
I lost the guy and the best friend in one fell swoop.
Now they were getting married.
Wedding bells. I couldn’t escape them.
I shoved the phone back into my dress pocket, but the photos were already burnt into my retinas.
Once again, it wasn’t my turn.
It was hers.
Losing Nikki hurt more than losing Cam ever had.
Sucking in a breath, I stared myself down in the mirror. “You’re better than this. Shake it off.” And I did just that. Boogying around, shaking my arms and hips. Dancing wasn’t my forte, okay?
“You sure you’re all right?” Stephanie asked, baffled.
My foot stumbled. I’d forgotten about my audience. Oh well, Stephanie knew I was weird and loved me anyway. “Never better.”
“It’s okay to not be okay, you know,” she said gently.
“Did you get that from a Hallmark movie?”
She frowned at me. “Is this about Cam?”
My heart stuttered, then crash-landed in my beautiful red velvet heels. “You know?”
“I know you should have stopped stalking his page years ago.” Her voice softened. “He wasn’t the right one for you.”
“None of them are.”
“I know it’s hard.”
So hard. Something had to be wrong with me. I dated plenty. I was cute enough in a girl-next-door way. I didn’t have any super disgusting habits. (No, Nash, putting mustard on my scrambled eggs was not the definition of psychopathic behaviour.) But nothing ever worked out.
Because the men I dated wanted something I couldn’t give.
My hand drifted to my abdomen. I wanted kids. More than anything.
But some dreams weren’t meant to be. No amount of wishing things were different could make the dream come true.
When Stephanie’s eyes grew worried, I gave myself a mental shake and straightened my spine, slapping on a cheesy smile. “You owe me a dance. We’re gonna show Nash our moves.”
“We are not.”
“It’ll make me feel better.” I pouted, lower lip and all—the human equivalent of a sad puppy.
“Ugh, you know that look always gets me.”
I looped my arm through hers and dragged her towards the door. “Yes, I do. Now you’ve got a man to impress with your dazzling dancing skills.”
“I already impressed him enough that he married me.”
I laughed. “Then this is gonna keep the romance alive.”
“Or kill it where it stands,” Stephanie muttered. “I don’t dance.”
“Fine. I’ll dance, and you can go cuddle your man.”
“Deal.”
So I danced my heart out on the dance floor while Stephanie had the audacity to look adorable tucked up against Nash (newlyweds, too cute for words, I tell you), while they chatted with Dallas and Melissa. I wanted what my cousin and her husband had so badly it hurt.
Everyone in my life was officially paired off.
Except me.
Some of Cal’s single teammates took pity on me, and we danced the night away. The guys were a riot, and it was fun to let go and not be the most famous person in the room for a change.
Because I meant what I told Cal that night last fall.
At twenty-five, I was tired of the fame and wanted to find a quiet man to whisk me out of the spotlight.
A good man who’d love me for who I was. And who loved Jesus, chickens, and fluffy cows as much as I did.
Here’s to hoping.