Chapter 22
TWENTY-TWO
The rest of dinner is delicious and mainly uneventful. Gia seems to have sobered up a little since she threw up, and Mark seems to be taking great care to make sure she eats as much of her meal as possible, even taking to feeding her like she’s his child.
The lights are dim, casting the room in a warm golden glow, perfectly set for the real party to begin.
The macarena and the chicken dance are queued up, sure to be guest favorites, and the energy starts to shift, laughter bubbling up as people get ready to let loose.
A few couples are already on the dance floor, bobbing and shuffling to some top-forty music.
Mom and Nicholas sit quietly at their table, holding hands instead of French kissing, thank God. Dad said he needed to get some air about half an hour ago. Hopefully he comes back and hasn’t run for the hills.
I find myself staring at Claire, stunned that I never noticed how much she looks like me and Gia until now.
She’s glued to her phone, probably feeling a bit out of place.
Her eyes are the same bright blue as ours, and her long, wavy hair matches ours too, though hers is a lighter shade.
Her Tinkerbell nose and heart-shaped face are just like ours, but unlike Gia and me, who have Mom’s smile, Claire’s features lean more toward Dad’s side of the family.
She must catch my gaze because she looks up and offers a tentative smile.
I weave through the crowd on the dance floor and settle into the empty seat across from her.
“I don’t know how to start this conversation,” I admit. “It’s nice, but also confusing, to meet you. I mean, to really meet you.”
“You too,” Claire says, facing me with teary eyes.
“I went from having an absent mother, and an aunt and uncle I barely see, to having lots of relatives. Sisters even. I’m just as confused as you are.
” She reaches her hand across the table, and I grab it and give it a light squeeze.
“Now I guess you see why I really wanted to come, to see my sister get married. How could I miss that? And I guess you can also see why Dad wanted me to sit this one out.”
Just as I am about to slide over a few chairs to sit next to her, I catch sight of Dad, who’s entering the hall with Jayden.
Jayden’s clutching a huge bouquet of red roses in one hand and a nearly empty bottle of whiskey in the other, the remnants of amber liquid sloshing around as he lumbers forward.
Both he and Dad look like they’ve had their fair share of drinks.
Dad’s arm is draped around Jayden’s shoulder, and the two of them wobble toward us, faces flushed and shiny.
“What are you doing here?” I nearly shout when Jayden comes to a stop in front of me, red-faced and glassy-eyed, swaying in place.
He ignores the question and thrusts the roses at me. “These are for you,” he says loudly.
I grab his hand and pull him into the seat beside me. Claire catches the vibe, stands, and politely gestures that she’ll give us some space.
“Giving me roses at my sister’s wedding?” I whisper. “That’s not usually something people do.”
Jayden gazes at me, his eyes almost crossed, probably cursed with a case of double vision. Maybe he sees two of me—two mortified copies of me—at this point. I wouldn’t be surprised.
He clears his throat dramatically. “I’m tired of Gia’s stupid, darn wedding and you giving all your time to her when she’s never done diddly squat for you. This wedding has put distance between us, Lexi, and I’m not waiting one more minute.”
Before I have a chance to react, he springs to his feet and approaches Larry, and the next thing I know, he’s got the microphone. Abort mission. Abort it now. Someone should have passed on the memo that we’ve had more than enough speeches for one evening. Train wreck number two, coming right up.
“Congratulations to the happy couple,” Jayden says, too loud. “May their marriage be long and successful. Gia sure did a lot of planning, planning that took the love of my life away from me. So, let’s raise our glasses and toast to them. To Gia and Mark!”
The guests exchange uneasy looks but raise their glasses anyway. Slowly, the room joins in the chorus: “To Gia and Mark.”
“Speaking of the love of my life and losing her. I wanted to add that since this is a place for love, I’m sure Gia won’t mind sharing a moment of spotlight with her sister, who pretty much manages her life.”
Gia jumps to her feet, eyes blazing. “Jayden, what the hell!” She points at our cousin. “Jeez, Larry, what kind of MC are you? Take the microphone away from him. Now!”
Larry slowly approaches Jayden, but Jayden holds up a hand, stopping him. Larry tries again, and Jayden responds with a karate chop in the air. Larry throws up both hands in surrender and backs away, shaking his head like he’s thinking, Maybe this isn’t such a good business venture after all.
“All of that aside,” Jayden continues. “I’d like to ask Lexi a question.”
My heart starts thumping a mile a minute. I’m frozen in my chair. I want to go and grab the microphone away from him—I doubt he’d try to karate chop me too—but it’s like I’m cemented in place, watching it unravel in horror and not able to do anything to stop it.
“Lexi, we met almost ten years ago today at Pub Night. I knew from the moment I laid eyes on you that you were going to be in my life for a long time. And I’m confident enough now to say that I’d like you in my life forever.
Not only are you beautiful, but you are also the most caring, helpful, and beautiful soul I know.
You bring out the best in everyone around you and I wanted to ask . . .”
I know exactly where this is headed. The word “stop” is on the tip of my tongue, but I’m frozen, like a deer caught in the headlights of a Mack truck, unable to move, unable to speak. Helplessness crashes over me, and I feel like everyone watching can see my heart pounding through my dress.
Jayden bends down on one knee and pulls a small, dark-blue velvet ring box from his pocket. He opens it to reveal a sparkling diamond ring that has my innards twisting.
“Alexis Elizabeth Callen, would you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?”
The silence that follows is astounding. In a room of nearly two hundred people, not a single soul moves.
All eyes are fixed on me. I still can’t find my voice, but suddenly my legs start working again—and they’re not just casually working either.
It appears that they have a mind of their own and it’s set into flight mode.
First, I’m standing, and then suddenly I’m running, bumping people aside as I bolt toward the door.
I fling it open, race through the foyer, push through the heavy oak doors, and burst out into the garden.
The sky above is black, speckled with stars. The night air is still, so calm, a sharp contrast to the absolute storm raging inside my head.
I crouch behind the bushes at the back of the building and drop down hard onto the ground. The slit in my dress rips open even more, flashing way more skin than I want. If I don’t clamp it shut, when I stand back up, my underwear will practically be hanging out. Shit.
I drag a trembling hand over my slick, sweaty face, gasping for breath in sharp, ragged bursts.
What the hell just happened? Jayden. Quiet, predictable Jayden, who usually has two glasses of wine tops before he falls asleep, shows up to my sister’s wedding, insults her, and then proposes to me?
Complete bombshell dropped. How is this real life?
And more importantly, how long can I really stay out here? What should I do next? Of course I don’t have my cell phone at a crucial time like this. My breathing finally slows, and I hear Maren calling my name.
“Lexi, I know you’re hiding here somewhere. Come out. The coast is clear.”
I stand up, holding my dress carefully, and step out from my spot on the soil. “Hey.”
Maren rushes forward to meet me on the grass, linking arms with me and guiding me toward a bench near the trellis.
I let go of my dress to sit down and Maren gasps. “Whoa. You definitely took that dress from conservative to sexy since I last saw you.”
“Sure did,” I say with a sigh. “I hope the wedding guests won’t mind seeing my Spanx. They’ve been through the wringer already. What’s one more tacky detail?”
“Don’t worry about Jayden. I told him he needed to give you time and that wedding proposals at weddings are seriously uncool. Got Liv to drive him home.”
“Is he okay?” I ask softly.
“Yeah, he’s fine,” Maren says, taking my arm and gently turning me toward her. “But are you okay?”
“Yeah. I think so.”
“Good, because this day has been a lot. And when I say a lot, I mean a lot, a lot.”
I rest my head in my hands. “Yeah, definitely won’t forget today anytime soon.”
Maren laughs. “Okay, queen of the understatements.”
“I’m ready to go back in there and finish the night,” I say, slowly standing to avoid any more dress rips.
Maren takes my arm, and we head back into the hall, straight onto the dance floor. A few people shoot me concerned glances, but for the most part, everyone seems ready to leave the drama behind and have fun.
A Latin song kicks in, and Maren grabs my hand, spinning me around with a huge grin on her face. We dance through hip-hop, country, and upbeat pop. A bunch of the guests begin kicking off their shoes as the night livens up.
After a while, I stop holding my slit closed, letting my thigh breathe since everyone’s too absorbed in the dancing to bother checking out my Spanx.
Claire and Gia swirl together on the floor, Dad sits at the table with a small, quiet smile.
Mom and Nicholas dance off to the side, as into each other as ever.
When a slow song starts, some guests drift back to their tables to sip drinks, but Mom and Nicholas, a handful of my aunts and uncles, and of course Gia and Mark stay on the floor.
As I make my way back to my table, I spot Zach entering the hall, dressed in a dark-blue suit tailored perfectly to highlight his muscular build. He brushes his hair back from his face.
He doesn’t see me at first, pulling his beard as he scans the room.
His gaze lingers on his dad and my mom for several seconds before moving on and finally landing on me.
The moment he spots me, his face breaks into a smile that makes my heart flutter, pulling me back to that intimate moment in the forest when I felt more energized, inspired, and alive than ever before.
I move toward him, and he moves toward me, as if we’re gliding in time with the music’s steady beat.
I step into his arms, and he holds me close, steady and warm.
We fall into the rhythm together, our movements easy and natural.
For a moment, it feels like we’re the only two people in the room, like one of Zach’s photographs set in hyper-focus, while everything else around us fades into a quiet, soft blur.
I tilt my head to meet his gaze. His eyes hold a gentle glow, and they say so many things without him having to utter a single word.
“I’m glad you’re here,” I say.
“I’m glad I came, Lexi,” he says. His voice when he says my name does something to me, makes me warm inside, makes me feel a jolt of electricity.
“Lexi? What is this? What are you doing?” someone shouts and it takes me a second to place the voice. I swivel around, still in Zach’s arms, to see Jayden.
“Maren said Liv drove you home,” I say.
“That’s your response?” Jayden says, taking a shaky step toward us, his eyes flashing with hurt.
“I was coming back to apologize. I told Liv to bring me back, and I’m glad I did.
Now I’m able to see this for myself. I proposed to you fifteen minutes ago, and you ran out of the place straight into someone else’s arms. What’s wrong with you and your family? ”
“Who is this?” Zach asks, his hand resting on my shoulder. “Why is he talking to you like that?”
“Who am I?” Jayden repeats. “Who am I? I’ve been Lexi’s boyfriend for nearly the past decade.”
Zach’s hand drops to his side, and he takes a step back. “I didn’t know you had a boyfriend.”
“I don’t,” I say, moving closer to him. I reach to touch his arm, but he steps back again. “I broke up with Jayden. I told him about you.”
“Well, you didn’t tell me about him. How long ago did you break up?”
I take a deep breath. This isn’t going to sound good. Not at all. “A week ago.”
“A week ago, after ten years, and then . . .” Zach shakes his head, looking at me.
“Maybe we should take this outside?” Maren suggests, glancing uncertainly at Gia. Gia nods slightly but shoots me a worried look.
“No,” Jayden says, shaking his head emphatically. “I’m not going to do this anymore. Lexi, you and your family are a bunch of cheaters and I’m done. I can’t believe you broke my heart like this. No wonder my cat hates your guts.” He storms out of the hall.
The DJ turns up the volume, playing one of the songs that had everyone dancing earlier. A bunch of people return to the floor, leaving a noticeable space between Zach and me.
“I knew I liked you the moment I met you,” I say, meeting Zach’s eyes with all the honesty I can muster.
“It scared me, but I let myself feel it. When I realized how much I liked you, I broke up with Jayden. I told him I had feelings for you. What happened between us, the sex, that all came after I ended things with him.”
“Why didn’t you tell me all of that?” Zach asks softly, his eyes searching mine for an answer.
“You never asked, and I never felt like there was a right time.” I reach out and gently place my hand on his arm, which is held tightly against his chest like a barrier. His muscles tense beneath my fingers, but I don’t pull away.
He sighs. “I feel really blindsided. I think things would have gone so much better if you’d been honest from the start.”
“I know, and I’m sorry.” He lets out a long sigh and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this upset—at least with me. “What does this mean for us? I’ve never felt anything like this before.”
“I have to go,” Zach says. “Sorry.” He runs a hand through his hair, avoiding my gaze for a moment before turning and walking toward the door.
Every part of me wishes he’d feel that pull—the pull I always feel when I’m near him—that would bring him back.
He pauses for a second outside of the doorway, as if tempted to stop, but then shakes his head and keeps walking out, leaving me standing there alone.