25. Chapter 25
Chapter 25
O nce they were let back inside, it was a rush to finish getting everyone touched up and out to the location for the wedding. “Bag, check. Flip-flops, check. Lipstick, check,” Jane said under her breath to herself, hurriedly making sure they had everything.
“I’m going to forget something,” Haley said, still frazzled. “I know I’m going to forget something.”
“The only thing you need to bring is yourself,” Jane said as she glanced down at her phone for, oh, the millionth time. Luke still hadn’t replied, and she hadn’t seen him outside. She wanted to find him before the wedding—maybe stop by his room and check—but there was no time.
She looked down at her phone again, even though it had only been seconds. He’s really not going to reply to me ? she thought.
Her mind started to spiral. When he saw her with Tommy, did he think it was something it wasn’t? Was he even still interested? Was he even still there?
She knew that one was totally irrational. Stop , she told herself. Of course he was still there. Of course he was still going to the wedding. Of course he would understand everything once they talked.
But what if he wasn’t, and what if he didn’t , her mind argued back with her.
The thought that kept rocketing around her head, like a gumball-sized bouncy ball she couldn’t catch: What if she’d imagined the whole thing with him? What if she’d read too much into it? What if he was just doing his friend a favor, doing exactly what Haley had asked him to do: be her date for the weekend? Just the weekend? And now the weekend was almost over, and all of the whatever-else-it-had-been was almost over, too.
Stop , she told herself again.
She started repeating the words to herself, like a mantra: It’s Haley’s wedding. It’s Haley’s wedding. It’s Haley’s wedding .
It was Haley’s wedding. That was the important thing. The rest, she’d think about later.
***
They made it over to the venue with time to spare, helping to soothe some of the jangled nerves. The wedding party gathered in an enclosed space, fluffing their dresses and straightening their jackets, while they waited for the guests to take their seats.
The girls were clustered together on one side, checking each other’s teeth and hair and jewelry one last time , when Haley spoke up. “While everyone’s here,” she said, “I have a couple things to say.”
Jane looked over at her, unprepared for this unscripted portion of the proceedings. “I just wanted to make sure to say, I am so happy to be here with all of you,” Haley said. “You all look amazing, and I couldn’t ask for better girls to be standing by my side on my wedding day.”
It was sweet. For a minute.
“And also,” she said, waving her bouquet in the air, “no offense, but no one else is catching this later but Jane.”
Jane’s cheeks flushed. “That’s not really how it works.”
“It’s my wedding,” Haley said. “It’s how it’s going to work.” She looked around, laser focused on Ashley, and then on Maddie for good measure. “Everyone got it?”
“Why are you looking at me?” Ashley said.
Haley’s eyes got big— why do you think —as she glanced over at Jane, but she let it go.
Maddie, always the peacemaker, jumped in then. “All right,” she said. “Time to take the walk to becoming a wife!”
***
The music started, and Jane’s breath caught with anticipation. This was it: The wedding was underway. Haley and Blake’s grandparents and parents took their seats, and the rest of them waited for their turn. Ashley went first, with Blake’s friend Kyle. Then Maddie and Ian. And then Jane linked her arm in Tommy’s and started the walk to the front.
Her steps were slow, her smile was big, her nerves were in overdrive. For a second, his arm loosely around hers, the thought sprinted across her mind: This is it, this is what it would have been like with Tommy. But then it was gone. Her nerves weren’t about Tommy, not like how she’d thought it would be. They were about Luke.
She saw him right away, sitting by Bree in a white folding chair near the front. He’s here , she thought, followed, right on its heels by: Of course he’s here . He was in a white shirt and navy jacket, and he looked handsome. So handsome.
He was turned to watch the processional, like all of the guests were. She kept trying to catch his eye, but it felt like she just kept missing him, his gaze sliding just past hers.
Why isn’t he looking at me ? she thought. She glanced around even as her mind raced, her maid-of-honor smile wide, taking in the captivated guests around her.
And then back to Luke. I like him so much , she thought as she passed by his row. I can’t believe how much I like him.
She took her place at the front. What am I going to do about that , she thought.
There were things to figure out. There were still going to be bumps to iron out in the story, inevitable lows paired with the highs and plenty of ordinary moments stringing them together. But she liked how the story was starting so far.
I want him in my story , she thought. I want it to be OUR story.
It hit her then that she did, she really did. She snuck another look over at Luke, and this time he met her eyes. There was a moment that seemed suspended in time, where everything around them went gauzy around the edges, and it was just her and him. Her mouth lifted up at the edges—not the big, for-the-cameras smile she’d had walking past the other guests. A tentative, just-for-him smile. For a fraction of a second, he looked at her, and she saw the lines go up next to his eyes.
And then the music changed. Her eyes shifted to see Haley taking her first step down the aisle on Uncle Bob’s arm. She glanced over at Blake, who was standing as straight as she’d ever seen him, even as his face started to crumple with emotion. She saw Tommy, who gave her a short, quick smile, and then she swung her eyes back to Haley.
All of it, the nerves and the uncertainty, swept out like an ocean wave. The tide would bring it back in eventually, but for the moment the foam and the crashes and the waves receded, leaving nothing but shimmering sand under her feet, as she took in her best friend, lit up with love.
“SO beautiful,” Jane mouthed to Haley as she approached.
Haley blew her a kiss. She handed Jane the flowers and took her place across from Blake, who was still wiping his eyes.
The ceremony was sweet, funny and full of joy, a piece of perfection in an imperfect world. “You may kiss the bride,” the officiator said, and they all cheered.