Chapter 29 #3
“I mean, don’t forgive him just because he loves you. Forgive him if he understands what he did. If he takes accountability. If he respects the fact that your heart isn’t something he gets to mishandle just because he’s waited a long time to hold it.”
My throat tightened.
“And what if he leaves?”
Mars was quiet for a beat.
“Then you need to decide if you’re okay letting him leave without knowing where you stand.”
The words knocked the air out of me.
I looked down at my phone sitting beside my plate.
No missed calls.
No messages.
Nothing.
For a month, nothing.
Maybe he was giving me space.
Maybe he was done.
Maybe he had decided Los Angeles was easier than me.
The thought made my stomach twist.
Mars reached for her glass.
“For what it’s worth, I don’t think he’s leaving because he doesn’t love you.”
I looked at her.
“I think he’s leaving because you told him to go.”
I swallowed hard.
“That’s not fair.”
“I’m not saying you were wrong.”
“It sounds like you are.”
“I’m saying Cal heard you. Maybe for the first time in his life when it comes to you, he actually listened.”
That silenced me.
Because I hadn’t thought about it like that.
Cal, who always pushed.
Cal, who always had something to say.
Cal, who could fill silence with a joke, an argument, a confession, anything to keep from feeling powerless.
He had left.
And he had stayed gone.
Not because he didn’t care.
Maybe because he did.
I stared at my phone until the screen went dark.
Mars’s voice softened.
“Nia.”
I looked up.
“You don’t have to know what to say.”
My eyes burned again.
“You just have to start somewhere.”
I nodded, but I didn’t pick up the phone.
Not yet.
Because my heart was still too full.
Full of love I had tried to fold small enough to hide, only to realize it had shaped my entire life.
I thought about David and the way his voice broke when he said he should have asked me to be his woman.
I thought about how badly I wished I could have loved him the way he deserved.
Then I thought about Cal.
Leaving Houston.
Leaving me.
Maybe not forever.
But maybe long enough for life to harden around the space he used to occupy.The next couple of days made it easy to keep my mind busy.
At least on the surface.
Between final wedding meetings, vendor confirmations, airport pickups, dress fittings, rehearsal schedules, and making sure Mars didn't lose her mind before walking down the aisle, every hour of my day was spoken for.
But it didn't matter how full my schedule became.
Cal always found a way to seep into my thoughts.
It was the smallest things.
Driving past the coffee shop where we'd argued for nearly twenty minutes over who had the better cinnamon roll.
Hearing a sports debate on the radio and instinctively reaching for my phone before remembering we weren't speaking.
Walking by the neighborhood court where he spent entire summers fixing my jump shot until the sun disappeared behind the trees.
Even silence reminded me of him.
I hated it.
No...
I hated that I missed him.
That realization weighed heavier than my anger ever had.
Because anger eventually cooled.
Missing someone settled into your bones.
Every night my mind wandered back to that hotel room.
Not just to what he said.
Everything.
The way he'd quietly stood behind me when David knocked on the door.
The panic in his eyes.
The regret that washed over his face the second those words left his mouth.
The way he looked after I told him to get out.
I'd never seen Cal defeated before.
Not after business deals fell through.
Not after interviews didn't go his way.
Not after years of grinding to make his podcast one of the biggest sports shows in the country.
But that night...
He looked broken.
I'd done everything I could to push that image out of my head.
It never stayed gone for long.
The following afternoon was wedding rehearsal.
The ceremony would take place at Bellavigna Estate, one of the most breathtaking vineyards just outside Fredericksburg.
The sprawling property looked like it had been plucked straight from Tuscany.
Endless rows of vineyards rolled across the hills while towering oak trees draped in white string lights lined the winding entrance.
A grand limestone villa overlooked the property, complete with cascading fountains, ivy-covered archways, and balconies that stretched over the vineyards below.
Even in the middle of winter, everything felt alive.
It was exactly the kind of place Mars deserved.
Elegant.
Timeless.
Completely over the top without feeling pretentious.
The rehearsal itself was surprisingly quick.
We laughed through forgotten cues, someone walked down the wrong aisle twice, and Stormy nearly knocked over one of the floral arrangements trying to avoid stepping on Mars's train.
Stormy somehow managed to keep us all in line.
There was only one person missing.
Cal.
I hated how quickly I noticed.
"He's covering something for work," Mars whispered as everyone started making their way toward the reception hall. "He'll be here tomorrow. I'll make sure he's caught up."
I simply nodded.
Like it didn't matter.
Like I hadn't unconsciously searched every face the moment I arrived.
The rehearsal dinner came and went without much excitement, and before I knew it, the night before the wedding had arrived.
Weeks ago, Mars insisted she didn't want anything crazy.
"I just want drinks," she'd said. "Nothing big. Nothing embarrassing. I'm too old for all that."
I smiled then, knowing full well I had absolutely no intention of listening. This was Mars. My best friend. She only got one final night before becoming Mrs. Jalen Carter, and I planned to make sure it was a night she would never forget.
Stormy. Becky. Pepper. Me.
The four of us had been secretly planning the entire thing for months, carefully keeping every detail away from Mars. As far as she knew, we were heading downtown for a few cocktails, maybe some appetizers, and an early night so she could wake up refreshed before the wedding.
She had absolutely no idea what was waiting for her.
Instead, we had rented out one of Houston's most exclusive luxury gentlemen's clubs for the entire evening. The whole place belonged to us. No strangers wandering around. No paparazzi waiting outside for a picture. No random phones recording every move. No interruptions.
Just family, friends, music, drinks, laughter, and one unforgettable celebration for our girl.
The guest list had been kept intentionally intimate. Close family. Lifelong friends. The women who had been there through different chapters of Mars's life. Everyone inside that building had a genuine reason to be there.
And then there was the biggest surprise of the night.
Pepper.
Mars hadn't seen her in more than five years.
There hadn't been some dramatic falling-out or friendship-ending argument between them.
Life had simply pulled them in different directions, the way adulthood sometimes did.
Careers took off, people moved, schedules became impossible, and suddenly years had passed where there had once only been days.
But Pepper was still one of us.
She was one of those rare friendships that time couldn't completely erase. The kind where five years could pass, but the second you were standing in the same room again, all those years disappeared.
And Mars had absolutely no clue she was in Houston.
She'd missed the bridal shower because she was living overseas, so flying her in for tonight became my private mission.
Nobody knew.
Not even Stormy.
As far as everyone else was concerned, Pepper wasn't coming.
We spent the evening getting ready at Mars and Jalen's house.
Every bathroom was covered in curling irons, makeup palettes, champagne glasses, and half-open garment bags.
The music blasted through the speakers while Stormy danced around the kitchen with a makeup brush, pretending it was a microphone.
Tonight's theme: Charlie's Angels.
Dressed to Kill.
Mars walked out of her bedroom first, and my jaw nearly hit the floor.
"Oh, honey..." I laughed, fanning myself dramatically.
"You look fucking hot."
She threw one hand on her hip before spinning in a circle.
The blunt black bob framed her face so perfectly it almost looked real.
Her white leather cropped jacket hugged her shoulders over the tiniest white mini skirt I'd ever seen, while six-inch white platform heels somehow made her legs look even longer.
She looked less like a traditional bride and more like every man's worst decision.
She laughed before pointing at me.
"Me?
Look at you!"
I glanced down, smoothing my dress.
I couldn't remember the last time I'd straightened my hair.
Seventeen, maybe.
The silk press flowed halfway down my back, feathered layers bouncing with every step.
My black leather mini dress hugged every curve just right, showing off my long legs before disappearing into five-inch black spiked stilettos.
A smoky eye, glossy nude lips, diamond hoops... for one night, the curls were taking a break.
Mars walked over and ran her fingers through my hair.
"I forgot how beautiful your hair is straight."
I smiled.
"I figured I'd switch it up for your wedding weekend."
She stepped back, admiring me.
"Stunning," she said.
Suddenly, the front door swung open.
"Oh my God," Mars frowned toward the foyer.
"Did one of y'all order food?"
Nobody answered.
The sound of heels clicking against the hardwood stole all of our attention, and every head turned toward the entryway.
Standing in the doorway was a woman who looked like she'd stepped straight out of the pages of Vogue.
A long camel trench coat draped effortlessly over a fitted black jumpsuit.
Black designer heels clicked softly against the floor.
A vintage Leica camera hung across her shoulder, a cream-colored carry-on rested beside her, and oversized sunglasses hid half her face.
Mars stared.
"No..."
The woman smiled, slowly sliding her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose.
Warm brown eyes met ours.
"Hey, Mar."
Mars gasped, her hands flying over her mouth.
"No way."
Pepper laughed.
"Hi."