Chapter 4
four
Talia
He’s gone.
It’s the first thing I notice when I wake up. Sometime after we made love at dawn, he slipped out of the cabin, leaving me alone with only the memories of last night and no way to reach him. I’ve never had a one-night stand before, so I don’t know the proper morning-after etiquette.
Last night, he said he was a virgin, but I’m starting to think he was lying. Not that he owes me an explanation—I got what I wanted. There’s no shame in experimenting with sex—we were both willing participants. Besides, he gave me enough orgasms to last a lifetime.
Then why does my heart hurt so much?
Done with the pity party, I throw the bedspread aside and get out of bed, refusing to cry over someone who was only mine for one night.
After a long, hot shower spent scrubbing the memory of his touch from my skin, I do my hair and makeup, then change into my bridesmaid dress before heading to the winery to meet the bride and the rest of the bridal party.
“Talia, there you are.” Rachel stands, a slight grimace on her face from the effort.
“I want to talk to you in private.” She lightly grips my wrist and leads me to an empty room across the hall.
The soft swish of her wedding gown fills the air.
“I wanted to apologize for my behavior over the years. Ever since my mother married your father, I’ve been a brat.
I was jealous that you still had your father in your life, while after the divorce, my father didn’t want to have anything to do with me.
” She lets go of my wrist and turns to look out the window.
“It was wrong of me to take out my anger about my father on you.” She turns to face me.
“I know it’s a lot to ask, but do you think you could ever forgive me?
” Her sincerity convinces me she’s telling the truth—something I’ve never heard from her before.
Never in a million years did I think Rachel would apologize for how she’s treated me over the years.
I’m not ready to respond until I hear Lex’s voice in my head, telling me that the only way to truly be happy is to forgive those who have hurt you.
“I forgive you, Rachel.” Rachel smiles and steps closer, arms outstretched.
I raise my hand to stop her. “I might have forgiven you, but I’m not ready to hug you. ”
Rachel steps back, her smile faltering, “Understood.” She nods. “I’ll see you at the altar.” She walks out of the room, leaving me alone to absorb what just happened.
After years of believing she was only being mean to me because she could, I find out she was just a scared, hurt little girl who missed her father. Not that it gave her the right to treat me the way she did, but it gives me a little insight into what was going on in her head.
It feels like a weight being lifted off my shoulders.
But there is one more person I need to forgive before I can truly move on and be happy, even if he’s not around for me to say it to his face.
“I forgive you, Lex,” I whisper into the empty room, before stepping out into the hallway and shutting the door, leaving my forgiveness to hang in the air of the empty room.