Chapter 22
twenty-two
. . .
HONOR
I got back to my room and had just stripped off my swimsuit to shower when a furious pounding sounded at my door.
I froze between the bedroom and bathroom, naked as the day I was born. They must have the wrong room, nobody knew I was here except Spence, and even then I hadn’t given him my new room number.
“Honor,” came a small, strangled female voice. “Honor, please let me in.”
Grabbing a towel from the rack in the bathroom, I hastily wrapped it around myself and hauled open the door.
“Kelly?”
She slipped past me into the room, tears streaming down her face.
She was dressed in a short, white robe with ‘brIDE’ embroidered across her shoulders in gold stitching. Her hair was falling in gorgeous waves down her back, the front pulled back with pearl combs. Her make-up was beautiful, save for the tear streaks staining her cheeks.
“Kelly, is everything okay? What’s happened?”
She paced the small space.
“ Reyna ,” she said hiccupping as she turned and paced the six steps in the other direction.
My heart dropped.
She’d found out. How? And why now? She’d had years to learn this information and she’d heard it hours before she was supposed to walk down the aisle? The timing couldn’t have been worse.
“I was about to start getting ready, but I really wanted to see Hudson one last time before I’d be seeing him at the altar.” Her face filled with longing for a moment, her love for Hudson consuming her.
Then the hurt returned.
“When I walked in, Reyna was there. He was holding her by the wrists like he was trying to fend her off and she was saying something about her being the right one for him, not me.”
I opened my mouth to speak, not sure of the right words to say to console her.
“Did you… what…”
Kelly pressed her lips together to try to stem the tears.
“She told me everything, then. My best friend, she…” A sob escaped her, more tears falling. “...tried to sleep with Hudson. When she was engaged to Blake!”
Sympathy and awkwardness squirmed in my stomach. “I’m so sorry, Kel.”
She stopped pacing, staring at me in surprise. “You knew?”
I grimaced. “I found out just after we arrived here.”
“Oh my God!” she wailed, throwing her hands in the air and resuming her pacing. “Did everyone know but me?”
Moving to take a tentative seat on the corner of the bed, careful to keep my legs crossed so I didn’t flash her parts of me she didn’t need to see when she was clearly having a moment, I pulled a face. “I’m not sure. I told Blake you had a right to know, and he said it was Reyna’s place to tell you.”
She nodded, wearing a track into the carpet with her steps. “And Hudson’s. I’m so angry with him for keeping this from me. We got into a huge fight, and we never do that. I told him I can’t trust him.”
She stopped still, her eyes filling with tears.
“I told him I didn’t want to marry him.”
My chest flooded with sadness at the heartbreak on her face.
None of this was Kelly’s fault. She hadn’t asked for her best friend to betray her, or her future husband to keep it from her. And now she’d been blindsided by it, hours before what was supposed to be one of the happiest moments of her life. Despite the tears, she was keeping it together remarkably well.
She sobbed hard, her shoulders shaking, and I got to my feet, pulling her into a hug.
“Oh Kelly, it’ll all be okay. I promise.”
She cried into my shoulder, muttering something about it all being ruined.
“Is calling off the wedding really what you want?”
She pulled back, shaking her head. “No. I love Hudson, and I was so excited to be his wife.”
I squeezed her shoulder. “Maybe you should tell him that.”
“He won’t want to speak to me. I was so angry, Honor. More angry than I’ve ever been.”
I fought my smile. “I think that’s justifiable at a time like this. He should have told you when Reyna didn’t.”
She smiled too, and it turned into a laugh.
“You’re right,” she said, laughing harder. “My best friend turned out to be a calculating bitch and my fiancée kept it from me, I have every right to be mad.”
I nodded. “You really do.”
“And you know what? I’m mad at Blake, too.”
My stomach twisted at the mention of his name. “You and me both.”
Her eyes filled with sympathy, but that was preferable over the tears that had been there moments ago. “He shouldn’t have treated you the way he did.”
I turned away, adjusting my towel. “Thank you, but this isn’t about me and Blake.” Sitting down on the bed, I asked, “So, how do we get this wedding back on track?”
Kelly’s expression dropped. “Well, I need a groom.”
“A crucial element, but one that’s easily fixed.”
“Do you think so?” Her eyes were both worried and hopeful at the same time.
“I don’t need to even speak to him to know that Hudson would marry you in a heartbeat. That man loves you.”
Tears filled her eyes again. “I love him, too.”
She plopped down on the bed beside me, sighing. Her gaze slid to mine. “I’m also in the market for a new bridesmaid.”
My eyes widened. “Oh no, Kelly, I can’t...”
“Please, Honor,” she said, taking my hands. “I can’t stand up there one bridesmaid short like a giant signpost for my humiliation. Everyone will be talking about how Reyna isn’t there because she tried to seduce the groom when she was engaged to the best man.” Her expression filled with anger. “I want my wedding to be about me, not her.”
I went to protest, but she wouldn’t let me.
“I’ve loved having you here this week, and I feel like we’ve become fast friends. I know you don’t want to see Blake, but I really want you there. I need you.”
I stared at those pleading blue eyes. Kelly was one of the sweetest people I’d ever met, she didn’t deserve to have her wedding day ruined by a snake like Reyna. As much as I really didn’t want to see Blake or have to face his family again, I’d do it for Kelly.
My heart thundered in my chest at the thought, my gaze sliding to hers. “Okay, I’ll do it.”
She squealed, pulling me to my feet and wrapping me in a hug. She let go, turning me to face the bathroom and giving me a gentle shove in that direction.
“You go shower and meet me in my room in fifteen minutes so we can start your hair and makeup. I’m going to go find you a dress, and see if I still have a groom willing to marry me.” She paused, thinking. “After he grovels for at least twenty minutes.”
I let out a small laugh, as she hurried to the door.
“Wish me luck!”
“Good luck,” I called after her, knowing full well I was the one who was going to need it.