Chapter 16
Grace had never been particularly good at pretending something wasn't bothering her. She could postpone it. She could distract herself with work.
She could convince herself to sleep on it before saying anything she might regret. But eventually, she always wanted the truth.
By Sunday afternoon, the two RSVP cards had become impossible to ignore.
Luke sat across from her at the dining room table, laptop open beside the guest list. Every few minutes he would add another accepted invitation while Grace highlighted meal selections.
It was the kind of quiet domestic task she loved.
Usually.
Today, the two anonymous cards lay between them like an unanswered question.
Luke finally closed his laptop. "We should talk about them."
Grace nodded. "I know."
He picked up the first RSVP.
"'Luke and Brooklyn's special day.'"
Then the second.
"'We always knew this day would come.'"
He rubbed his thumb across the edge of the card.
"I've been trying to figure out how two different people could make the same mistake."
Grace watched him carefully.
"And?"
"I don't think they did."
She didn't answer.
"I think..." He searched for the right words. "I think they've been hearing the same story for years."
"What story?"
He looked up.
"Not that Brooklyn and I were dating."
Grace noticed he chose his words carefully.
"Just..."
"...that the two of you belonged together."
Luke nodded once.
"Yeah."
Silence settled between them.
Finally Grace asked the question she'd been carrying for weeks.
"Did you ever think you would?"
Luke looked genuinely surprised. "Marry Brooklyn?"
Grace nodded. "When you were younger."
He leaned back in his chair.
"I honestly don't know."
The answer stung more than Grace expected.
He saw it immediately. "No." He reached across the table. "That's not..."
He stopped and started again.
"When we were fifteen? Maybe everybody assumed we would."
Grace stayed quiet.
"I remember people teasing us." He smiled faintly. "My grandmother used to tell Brooklyn she'd better practice her signature with the Moretti last name."
Grace's eyebrows lifted.
"Seriously?"
"She was eighty."
He laughed softly.
"She also tried to set my cousin up with the mailman."
Grace smiled despite herself.
"But no." His expression grew more thoughtful. "We dated other people."
"You never dated each other."
"Like for a week in college." Luke shook his head. "There was never..." He frowned. "...that feeling."
"What feeling?"
"The one I had the first time I kissed you."
Grace felt heat rise into her cheeks.
Luke smiled. "I remember driving home thinking, 'Well... there goes my life.'"
She laughed. "In a good way?"
"The best way." He grew serious again.
"I've loved Brooklyn."
Grace felt her stomach tighten.
He squeezed her hand before she could react.
"The way you love someone who has always existed."
She listened.
"I never wondered what it would be like to marry her."
His eyes met hers steadily. "I wondered that about you after our third date."
The knot in Grace's chest loosened. She believed him. Entirely.
"What bothers me," Luke continued quietly, "is that I don't know how many people assumed something different."
That answer arrived sooner than either of them expected.
Tuesday evening, Luke's cousin Evan stopped by his apartment carrying a power drill he'd borrowed months earlier.
Grace happened to be there helping Luke choose flooring samples for the condo renovation he'd started before they became engaged.
Evan set the drill by the door. "I almost forgot I had this."
"You've had it since Christmas."
"I know."
He spotted Grace. "Hey."
"Hi."
After a few minutes of easy conversation, Evan noticed the stack of wedding invitations on the coffee table. "How's the RSVP count?"
Luke shrugged. "Pretty good."
Evan picked one up. "I still can't believe you're taking the plunge again."
Luke smiled. "Me either."
Evan laughed. "You know..." He looked at Grace apologetically. "I really thought it was going to be Brooklyn."
The room became very quiet.
Evan looked between them. "What?"
Luke's expression remained calm. "What made you think that?"
Evan shrugged. "I don't know." He seemed genuinely puzzled by the question. "You guys were always together."
"We weren't."
"I mean..." Evan frowned. "Luke, you basically were."
Luke waited.
"You brought her to Aunt Maria's anniversary."
"As a friend."
"You went to the charity gala."
"She needed someone because her boyfriend was out of town."
"You spent Christmas morning at her mom's when she was sick."
Luke nodded. "Because her mom had just been diagnosed with cancer."
Evan blinked. "Yeah."
He looked confused now. "I guess..." He laughed awkwardly. "...I just assumed."
Luke leaned forward. "Evan."
"What?"
"Did Brooklyn ever tell you we were together?"
"No."
"Did she ever say she wanted us to be together?"
"No."
"Then why did you think it?"
Evan opened his mouth. Closed it. Finally he shrugged. "I don't know." He looked honestly embarrassed. "I never really thought about it."
After he left, neither Luke nor Grace spoke for several minutes.
Finally Luke broke the silence. "That's exactly what you said."
Grace looked at him.
"He never thought about it." Luke nodded slowly. "They all just..." He gestured vaguely. "...accepted it."
Grace walked over and sat beside him. "You couldn't control what people assumed."
"I know."
"But somebody could have corrected them."
He looked down at his hands. "I don't think I realized how often it happened."
Three days later, Grace met with the bridal party for lunch. It was the first time all five women had been together since the dress fitting. Paige arrived first, followed by Tessa and Lauren.
Brooklyn was last.
She slipped into the empty chair beside Grace with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry I'm late."
"You made it." Grace smiled tightly, trying to be polite.
The meal started pleasantly enough. Lauren wanted to know whether anyone had booked hair appointments. Tessa volunteered to organize transportation to the venue. Paige had opinions about welcome bags. For nearly half an hour, Grace found herself enjoying the conversation.
Then Lauren looked up from the menu. "So..." She smiled at Brooklyn. "You've probably got the best speech planned."
Brooklyn looked surprised. "My speech?"
"Well, yeah." Lauren laughed. "You've known Luke forever."
Brooklyn smiled politely. "I'll probably keep it short."
Grace noticed Paige watching the exchange carefully.
Lauren turned to Grace. "I can't imagine how many stories Brooklyn has."
Brooklyn laughed softly. "Too many."
Grace forced a smile. "I'm sure they're good ones."
"Oh, definitely."
Lauren grinned. "I mean, you've practically been family your whole life."
Brooklyn's smile faltered just enough to look modest. "I've been very lucky, the Morettis are a wonderful family."
Grace waited.
She found herself holding her breath.
This...
This was the moment.
Brooklyn could easily say:
Not really. Grace is the one marrying Luke.
Instead, Brooklyn smiled gently and said only, "Elaine certainly treats me like family."
Everyone laughed.
The conversation moved on.
No lie.
Not a single untrue word.
Grace looked down at her menu.
Across the table, Paige caught her eye.
She'd seen it too.
Brooklyn had been handed the perfect opportunity to untangle years of assumptions.
Instead...
She had wrapped them just a little tighter. When lunch ended, Brooklyn hugged each bridesmaid goodbye. She hugged Grace last. "I think this is going to be such a beautiful wedding."
Grace smiled politely. "I hope so."
Brooklyn stepped back. "So do I."
She walked away toward her car, waving once before climbing inside.
Paige waited until Brooklyn had driven out of the parking lot. Then she turned to Grace. "She had the chance."
Grace nodded. "She did."
"And she didn't take it." Grace looked toward the road where Brooklyn's car had disappeared. "No."
She climbed into her own car, but instead of starting the engine, she rested both hands on the steering wheel.
For weeks she'd questioned her instincts.
Wondered if she'd become suspicious. Wondered if she'd invented patterns that weren't really there.
She wasn't wondering anymore. Brooklyn had just made a choice. A very small one.
One that no one else at the table would ever remember.
But Grace would.
Because for the first time, she'd watched Brooklyn deliberately preserve an illusion she could have dispelled with a single sentence.
And she hadn't.