Chapter 32
Chapter Thirty-Two
Magnolia
I was a hot mess as I drove off from Luke’s.
While my dramatic exit had been fueled by anger, I actually did need to get to Presley’s house to work on the guest favors. I had to hold it together for a few more hours before I could go home and collapse and give in to my stormy feelings.
In the meantime, I tried to drown out my thoughts with loud music. It was enough to get me the ten minutes from the farm to Presley’s. I parked in her driveway behind Chloe’s car, climbed out, slammed my door, and sucked in the crisp, cold lake air, trying to get a grip.
The sun had set while I was at the barn, even though it was barely after five. The evening was cloudy, but the briskness in my lungs made me believe I could forge through the next few hours of wedding prep without losing it.
Presley let me in and hugged me, which I kept short and surface level because if I sank into her comfort, I knew the tears would come.
“Hey, Mags,” Chloe said from the farm-style kitchen table where the favors would be assembled. Her smile faded as she looked closer at me, so I made my smile brighter.
“Hey, ladies,” I sang out. “Let’s get this tree factory going.”
The favors were one-year-old evergreen saplings from Luke’s farm, potted in a little silver bucket.
Tonight we were wrapping the buckets in cellophane, tying them with raffia and a tiny pinecone, and adding stickers, one that said Let Love Grow and had the bride and groom’s names and the date, and one on the back that had planting and care instructions for the spruce tree.
“You just sapped the romance right out of the favors,” Chloe joked.
“I see what you did there, punny lady,” Presley said. “Would you like a drink, Magnolia? I’ve got wine, seltzer, beer, water, lemonade, or soda.”
“Just lemonade,” I said, eying her wineglass and Chloe’s water. “Alcohol would knock me out at this point.”
“You look exhausted.” Chloe was eying me again. “Is everything okay?”
Presley came up to the table with my drink, scrutinizing me as she set it down. “Magnolia?”
That was all it took. I crumpled into tears that quickly evolved into blubbering. I would have been mortified if I had any energy left for it, but I didn’t.
“Sweetie.” Presley pulled me into another hug, and just like I’d feared, that made me lose it further.
All I could do was hold on and let my body try to purge the emotions that had taken over.
“Hey,” Chloe said, coming up to us and putting her arms around both of us. “What’s going on?”
I couldn’t speak if I wanted to. Not yet. They seemed to understand, and we just stood there in a group hug, with me soaking them with my tears.
When I could finally get it out, I said, “I’m so sorry. This is the happiest time of your life, and I didn’t want to do this.”
Presley grabbed my shoulders and forced eye contact. “Stop that. Welcome to life. Nothing is all joy all the time. What happened? Did your mom do something? Did you and Luke fight?”
“Yes to both,” I said and collapsed into sobs again. “These are angry sobs,” I insisted, because dammit, I was so flipping angry. And hurt. And frustrated that I couldn’t just shove everything in a box for three days and deal with it later.
“Let’s go sit by the fireplace and talk,” Presley said.
“We need to do trees.” I used the cocktail napkin she’d put under my drink to blow my nose.
Chloe made a sound that said I was being dumb. “We’ll do trees eventually, but we don’t want them snotted on by the wedding planner. Come on.” She wove her arm with mine and guided me into the living room, where the gas fireplace glowed and the lights were low, making it warm and cozy.
We all settled on the sectional, the two of them flanking me.
“Tell us everything,” Presley said. “Who are you mad at?”
I sniffled, and Presley produced a box of tissues from somewhere. After blowing my nose, I took another to dry my eyes, a futile action because the tears were still falling, which only fueled my frustration and anger.
“Is it your mother?” Chloe asked, knowing I’d had a meeting with her today.
“She was first.” I told them how she’d promised her society friends positions on our board of directors without asking me.
“You even told us you’d need to get her agreement,” Presley said.
“Exactly. It’s a partnership, not a dictatorship.”
“That would piss me right off,” Chloe said.
“Yes,” I hissed. “I finally got her to back down. She’s going to call her friends and tell them we have a lot of candidates and we’ll finalize the list soon.”
“That’s good,” Presley said. “What was she thinking?”
“I imagine she meant well,” Chloe said. “But she went about it wrong.”
I nodded, wiping my eyes again, noticing my jaw was tight enough I could crack my skull. “She completely disregarded me, just like she and Felix have done my whole life. Like I can’t make a decision myself. I thought I got away from that.”
“You did,” Presley said. “You just had to remind her you’re partners in this project.”
“Who was second?” Chloe asked, frowning. “You fought with Luke?”
Tears poured out again. “It was Luke, and the stupid thing is, I think he probably meant well.” My composure slipped again, and I buried my face in my hands, my anger mixing with doubt and shame because the more I thought about it, the more I knew that was true. He had my best interests at heart.
“Tell us what he did,” Presley said, her hand on my forearm.
Chloe handed me another tissue. I told them the latest chapter in the Ella McCabe wedding-planning story. “He apparently asked Everly Ash to run interference, taking advantage of her friendship with Ella. I would never do that on my own behalf.”
“Knowing Everly the way I do, I’m sure it didn’t bother her at all,” Chloe said. She would know, as they were sisters-in-law.
“But I completely understand why that would bother you,” Presley said.
“And to have Everly go to Ella and explain Felix and my over-the-top family drama… I’m so embarrassed.”
“Felix is the one who should be embarrassed,” Presley said.
“If he had any decency whatsoever,” Chloe added. “Which, as we know, he doesn’t.”
“So I made the appointment with Ella, but now I have to figure out how to act like I’m not the product of a train wreck.”
“Magnolia, you’re not,” Chloe said. “You’ve overcome your unfathomable upbringing to be a well-grounded, competent event planner and businesswoman.”
“Thank you,” I said between sniffles. My next thoughts pulled me under with another wave of sobs.
“Hey, what is this?” Presley asked. “It’s going to be okay in the end. You can meet with Ella and keep it professional and pleasant. She won’t say a word about Felix the Fuck’s antics—unless it’s to apologize again for believing his lies.”
I couldn’t answer, couldn’t get any words out for several minutes, during which both women held on to me and let me get it out.
When I could finally manage it, I said, “I was so mad at Luke, and he was just trying to do something nice for me. All I could think in that moment was someone else was trying to control me.”
“And that’s a trigger for you,” Presley said.
“Apparently a big trigger.” I pressed my lips together, so tired of being hysterical.
Chloe made a sort of aha sound. “And if you’re like Presley, who also had a controlling father, who also hadn’t had a healthy romantic partnership before, you tend to snap defensively before seeing the true motivation behind something that was done out of love.”
“Because you’re used to having someone try to control you,” Presley said, raising her hand as if to own it. “I completely understand your reaction, Magnolia.”
I leaned my head on her shoulder. “It doesn’t make it okay though. I screwed up everything.”
“You didn’t,” Presley insisted. “You’re entitled to your feelings.”
“I made him feel terrible.”
“Maybe some quieter communication would’ve been more effective, but you’re human,” Chloe said with a half smile. “And, hey, communication is important. Now he knows that helping you behind your back might not land right.”
“What if he doesn’t want to be with me anymore?” I asked in a high-pitched voice.
“He will,” Presley said.
I wasn’t sure he would, and honestly I wasn’t sure I could blame him if he didn’t. “You don’t know that. He acted out of kindness and caring. I reacted with anger and frustration.”
“He knows you’re under a lot of stress right now, right?” Chloe pointed out.
I massaged my temples, wondering how I could ever make this up to him. “He’s under just as much if not more. Probably more.”
“So he should understand you weren’t at your best,” Presley insisted. “If you apologize and he doesn’t accept it, he’s not the guy I thought he was.”
“I think he is, and he will,” Chloe said quietly. “That night you guys were at Humble’s together, I watched the way he was with you. Caring, loving, happy to have you at his side.”
“I wasn’t being irrational or easily triggered that night,” I said before blowing my nose again.
“All you can do is apologize,” Presley said, “but I’d advise going big.”
“Oh, for sure.” Chloe pulled one leg up and faced me. “You’re going to need to grovel.”
Something about that made me laugh. “Is there one step beyond a grovel? Because I need to do that.”
“Do you want us to help you come up with something?” Presley asked.
I took in a slow, shaky breath as I thought about how I could ever convince Luke to give me another chance. “I’ve got the start of an idea,” I said. “And tonight is supposed to be about you, Presley, Ms. Bride to Be.”
“You were there for me in my time of need,” Presley said, undoubtedly referring to the night not that long ago when West had broken her heart.
“And you’ve been here for me in a big way now, but I’ll ponder my grovel when I can’t sleep later tonight.” I clasped both girls’ hands in mine. “Thank you for letting me vent and for understanding me, even when I mess up spectacularly.”
“Happens to the best of us,” Chloe said. “Someday maybe I’ll tell you how I screwed up with Holden.”
“But you got the guy in the end,” I said, taking hope from that.
“I got the guy in the end.” Her contentment and love shone on her face.
“And you’re marrying the love of your life in two days,” I said to Presley, whose face also lit up. “We’ve got a lot of work to do, and you’re my number one client, so I officially pronounce it wedding time.”