Chapter Seven
Kaylee
Later that night is the wedding rehearsal.
We all have dinner in the resort’s restaurant once again.
This time, Mark is seated at the other end of the table, and I’m sure that was done intentionally and I’m grateful.
I don’t want more drama from the man, especially since tonight and tomorrow should only be about Ashley and Eric.
They’re important to me and the whole reason we’re here.
I don’t want friction between me and my ex to ruin their special day.
Tristan is seated beside me again. Any uncertainty or awkwardness I felt yesterday faded over the course of the day, and we chat easily with each other and the people around us.
After dinner, we head back to the beach.
The sun has fully set, but the back of the resort has lights that illuminate its private stretch of beach, where the ceremony will take place tomorrow.
White folding chairs are already set up in the sand along with an archway for the bride and groom.
Aunt Joanne takes charge, going over how everything will proceed tomorrow.
They plan a short and simple ceremony, with about fifty guests and an acoustic guitar player singing “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran, Ashley and Eric’s song.
When Aunt Joanne directs the bridesmaids and groomsmen to stand together, Rainey and Lucas are together and Tristan is with Paige.
As the maid of honor, I’m stuck walking beside Mark, something that never occurred to me.
Ashley mouths, I’m sorry, to me and I shake my head.
I can handle this for my cousin. At first, it really doesn’t bother me.
I’m truly over the man, and walking twenty feet at his side shouldn’t be a big deal.
We stand beside each other, watching the other members of the wedding party walk together first.
“I’m worried about you, Kay-Kay,” Mark says, using a nickname he gave me when we were together. Maybe he’s trying to trigger sweet nostalgia, but he must be forgetting that I never liked that stupid, childish nickname.
“What are you talking about?” I ask, my eyes shifting to the movement ahead of us.
Tristan and Paige are walking toward the arch while Eric’s mother clocks their timing.
She and my aunt Joanne have decided they want to time the progression down the makeshift aisle so that the song being performed will end just as Ashley reaches the arch.
It’s a little intense for a laid-back beach wedding, but we’re all just going with it.
Before I went into the corporate event planning business, I interned for a wedding planner and I’m well aware it’s a good idea to do whatever the mother of the bride or groom want, within reason, that is.
“I’m concerned about you dating Tristan,” Mark says, pulling my attention back to him. “I don’t think it’s a good match. He’s going to hurt you.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “Tristan and I are none of your business. Now, be quiet and focus on the rehearsal,” I mutter.
Tristan and Paige have reached the arch, so Rainey and Lucas begin their walk.
“I didn’t want to tell you this,” Mark says, his tone of voice contrary to his words.
He’s enjoying this conversation too much.
“But I think you should know that I heard Tristan talking to Lucas this morning. He said you’re different from his usual type, you know, all those models he’s gone out with in the past. If he’s already realized that, how long do you think he’s going to stick around? ”
I do my best not to throttle him, grinding my teeth to keep quiet.
I know he’s trying to hurt me, but I also know the truth.
Despite our kiss and killer chemistry, I’m not actually dating Tristan.
Whatever he thinks of me, I know he respects me and I doubt he’d deliberately hurt me.
He just wouldn’t want me for his future.
Then again, he doesn’t seem to want those models for the long-term either.
Still, there’s an ache in my chest as I think about him comparing me to the many women he’s dated before.
“Shut up, Mark.” I can’t find any other words.
“I’m sorry, Kay-Kay,” he says, and now there’s a surprising softness in his eyes, as if he’s being sincere. “I just don’t want you to get hurt when he moves on to another woman.”
This is the part of Mark I fell for originally, the part that seemed to care about me. “As much as I appreciate your concern …” I trail off, unsure how to respond.
“Mark, Kaylee, it’s your turn,” Aunt Joanne calls out.
Mark holds out his arm, and I loop my hand through his elbow. I keep my eyes forward and see Tristan watching us with an unreadable expression on his face.
“You know, I still think about you,” Mark says, his voice a low murmur, only for me to hear. “My relationship with Shannon … it’s not really working out.”
I stumble in the sand as I whip my head in his direction but say nothing.
I glance to the side. Shannon lingering there with the family members, watching the rehearsal. If she only knew her boyfriend was all but propositioning me as she looks on.
“We worked well together. Maybe we should give it another shot.”
Maybe I should’ve seen this coming after his behavior at the welcome dinner last night.
I didn’t. I don’t feel anything romantic for Mark.
Most of the time I only remember the frustrating things about him, not the good times.
Honestly, given his parting shots at me, I assumed he felt the same way.
But whether Mark is dating anyone else or not, I don’t want him anymore.
We reach the arch and it’s time for us to move into place, and it’s a relief to step away from him.
“Great! It took four minutes for you all to reach the archway,” Eric’s mother says. “I’ll talk to the guitar player about the timing of the song tomorrow to make sure it lines up perfectly.”
“Should we practice walking back down the aisle after the ceremony?” Aunt Joanne asks.
“No,” I say, not wanting to give Mark more of an opportunity to say things that make me uncomfortable. I’m still hoping to avoid a scene that steals the focus from the bride.
Tristan chuckles, and I bet he suspects the reason I don’t want to walk on Mark’s arm any longer than necessary.
“Yeah,” Tristan says. “I think we’ve got it.”
“I guess we’re done here then,” Ashley says. “I want to take a moment to thank all of you for being here with us. It means so much to us both that you were willing to spend this weekend with us and help us celebrate our love.”
A murmur of you’re welcomes comes next.
Eric kisses her cheek, and I swear I can feel the love between them as if it’s physically emanating from their bodies, spreading through the salty ocean air. It’s nice, but it also makes me ache for something like that. I want a forever love too.
Lucas places his arm over Rainey’s shoulder. “We’re going to head to the hotel bar and meet a friend that lives nearby for a drink if anyone wants to join us.” He glances at Tristan who shakes his head. I guess he’s not in the mood for socializing.
Eric turns to Ashley. “Should we check out the banquet hall before we head to our rooms?” Eric asks as Rainey and Lucas depart. “Just to make sure it’s all ready to go for tomorrow?”
“Sure,” Ashley says. “The event coordinator for the resort was there earlier supervising the deliveries and setting up the tables and chairs. She texted me about an hour ago, saying she was going home, and everything is done.”
Tristan and I, and the rest of the bridal party, walk back to the resort, following Eric and Ashley.
The banquet hall they rented for the reception isn’t far from where the ceremony will take place and we all walk into the large room.
I look around, taking in the huge glass windows facing the ocean, and glance back at the pair of French doors we entered through.
Eric hits the light switch, illuminating the room, and it’s beautiful.
Ashley chose the colors pink and purple for the wedding.
The bridesmaids’ dresses are lavender while my maid-of-honor dress is the same style but a deep violet color.
We’ll be carrying pink bouquets of flowers while Ashley’s will be a combination of pink and purple.
Here, in the banquet hall, those same colors are represented in a tasteful way.
There’s purple tulle draped along the high ceiling with twinkle lights and pink bows wrapped around the chairs at tables draped in crisp white tablecloths.
There are white, pink, and purple balloons on the dance floor in front of a stage where the DJ’s table has already been set up.
As my eyes sweep over the room, I can’t help feeling like something is missing, but I can’t put my finger on what’s wrong.
“Wait a minute …” Ashley says, stepping farther into the room, walking to the closest table. “Where are the centerpieces?”
Oh, no.
Within seconds, Ashley has the event coordinator on the phone, her voice shrill as she demands answers. Some awkward glances are exchanged, and Mark is the first to step away from the situation.
“Well, I think we’ll head back to our room and leave you all to figure this out.” Mark takes Shannon’s hand.
Eric vaguely nods in his direction, his attention on his fiancée as she snaps at the coordinator on the phone.
I don’t know what the other woman is saying, but Ashley’s not happy.
“I don’t care if it was the end of your workday. You shouldn’t have just left without finishing. You told me the banquet hall was ready!”
I cringe. My brain goes into fix-it mode. I’ve dealt with plenty of last-minute screwups or mistakes in this business—something always comes up last minute—although this is extreme and unprofessional.
I take in the room, studying it from a business perspective, and notice three boxes stacked in the corner. I rush to them as Paige also leaves the banquet hall.