Chapter 38
KYRA
The sun shines through the colorful leaves outside the cabin, and everything is golden and peaceful.
We got in last night, and it’s just under a week from the wedding.
The bridal party, aka Cal, Jason, Aly, and me, with Nyx and her men, are all sharing a giant cabin in the mountains before the actual big event.
Each of us has our own bedroom. Swinging my legs over, I place my feet on the plush rug under the bed.
The soft glow coming through the gauzy curtains warms my soul.
It is definitely not warm enough for my liking, but the sun is shining, so I will take it.
This week is going to be wild. It’s a giant Devil Dog vacation before the big day.
David and Molly have also joined us. With a big yawn, an image comes back to my mind.
Nyx and I are feeling good, dancing out in the middle of the makeshift dance floor. Grant has lowered the lights a bit to give the pub a little more of a club vibe. There aren’t many people here not involved with Devil Dog, so we don’t feel like we are just absolutely taking over.
Movement catches my eye, and I glance up towards the short hallway that leads to the kitchen and the bathrooms. Out walks the gorgeous Molly, fixing her lipgloss.
Directly behind her walks Cal…my heart drops out of my ass.
Tears immediately fill my eyes, and Nyx looks up at the scene.
Seeing exactly what I have just spotted.
She hands me her Jack and Coke, the glass damp in my hand from sweat. The moment I take hold of the drink, she breaks away from our dancing and walks up to slap the fuck out of her future brother-in-law. At that moment, he looks up at me, and his face drops.
Yeah, asshole, I saw you leaving a storage room with one of my fucking friends. Pulling out my phone from my pocket, I open the Uber app and call myself a car.
Knock, knock, knock.
The sound pulls me out of one of the worst memories I could relive when I am stuck on this mountain top with him and all of our friends.
“Kyra, Sunshine.” Nyx’s voice comes from the other side of the door. “Are you awake?”
“Yeah, come in,” I call out.
I am still sitting on the side of the bed, squishing my toes in the rug. This damn rug is so fucking soft on my feet. The door opens, and I feel Nyx jump on the other side of the bed.
“So I talked to Cal, finally.” She says with no delay.
Cal has been avoiding the house after the incident with Molly. I am not sure where he has been sleeping, but it hasn’t been at the house as far as Nyx knows. Graham knew, but “brother to brother confidentiality,” according to him.
“K,” Is all I say. I don’t want to hear his excuses. It’s all my fault; I pushed him away. Nyx wraps her arms around me from behind. My eyes locked on the mountain tops, and I can barely make out through the curtains.
“Both Molly and he just agreed to see if they could move on from you and Dav-“
“I don’t need to know, Nyx. I ruined it, it’s fine. Everything is fucking fine.” The tears break free of my eyelids and slowly track down my cheeks. “We are here for you. Celebrating your love.”
“You didn’t let me finish.” She climbs off the bed to stand in front of me and wipes away my tears. “They kissed one time, and both felt like they were kissing a sibling. He is terrified that he lost you forever, beautiful. Just talk to him.”
Nyx stands and walks out of the room. We all have plans to do all kinds of activities before the wedding.
Graham and Demitri have booked this entire mountain-top lodge for the week after the wedding for everyone, but right now we just have the giant guest house off the main lodge.
I believe everyone wants to go for a hike today, but I think I’m going to curl up next to the fireplace and read.
Just take some time for me. I need time to think.
The week has been a whirlwind of group excursions and dinners. We have gone into the town just down the mountain from the lodge. Taking over their small local bar and having a blast. Somehow, I have managed to avoid being alone with Cal.
What am I supposed to do? Go up to him and be like, ‘Hey, thinking you hooked up with Molly ripped my heart out. Let’s try this?’
Yes. That is exactly what you say to him.
“Hush, you.” I talk to myself quietly.
All of us girls are in the room Nyx picked for us to get ready in. It’s the rehearsal day. My best friend gets married tomorrow! That is insane. It’s been less than a year, and both of our lives have flipped upside down, in the best ways.
Molly and Aly are on the other side of the room doing their hair.
They are animatedly talking about the zip lining they did yesterday.
I am too much of a chicken shit for trusting a harness and some cable to keep me from plummeting to my death.
Nyx is putting the final touches on her make-up and I am sitting just soaking it all in.
I’ve been ready for a few minutes and just needed a bit to sit back and enjoy.
I think tonight, I am going to talk to Cal. Hear his side of the story, and lay my heart out at his feet. All this love in the air is to blame. Just trusting this feeling in my gut to lead me where I need to go.
Finally, you are going to listen to me. Thank God!
Rolling my eyes at the incessant voice that never gives me a moment of peace.
“Do you guys really think I should give Callum a chance?” The question is quiet, but I know they hear me because Molly crosses the room to kneel in front of me.
“Darlin’,” finally feeling comfortable enough with, she is no longer hiding her accent most of the time.
“I know that what you saw at the bar wrecked your trust in him, and me, for that matter. But I will stand in front of you and say we did it only to see if it was somethin’ we could do to get over David and ya. ”
Molly reaches out and brushes a perfectly curled ringlet back out of my face, taking away any sort of shield I have. Do I believe her? Yes, of course. She is one of my closest friends outside of Nyx. The four of us have built a connection between our trauma and lives that I hope never dies.
“Please believe me, Ky, when I say that kissin’ him was like kissin’ my brother. Like I told him, I may be from the south, but I am far from being that southern.” We both laugh. The sound lightens my soul.
At that moment, I realize that I have to at least hear him out.
If I get another vibe from him, then I can walk away, but I will never forgive myself if I don’t at least talk to him.
Standing up from the comfy chair I have taken up residence in, straightening out the flouncy skirt of my black dress.
Take a deep breath and walk out of that room with the confidence I have never known myself to have.
You got this, Bitch.