I guess I’ll see you there.
With a big smile, I take a swig of my beer then type back.
Looking forward to it.
CHAPTER FOUR
MEADOW
“We home tomowo!”
Tate’s little voice squeals with excitement over the phone line. Tears well in my eyes as I realize my three-year-old is trying to convince me that it’s okay, that a week apart isn’t too much to handle. As much as I appreciated the time to get us settled, it feels like part of me is missing.
“Did you have a good day?”
“Mm-hmm. I wuv vacation.”
A laugh bursts straight from my chest at the sound of him repeating something he surely heard my mom say. “I just miss you so much, my Tater Tot.”
“I miss you, Mommy.”
I hear my mom shuffling to get close to the phone. “Tell Mommy what you saw this morning.”
Tate gasps like she just triggered his memory. “We see’d dofins!”
A tear leaks from my eye, and I swipe it away with a laugh at his excitement. “Oh, that’s so cool. Bring one home for Mommy, okay? I want to see a dolphin too.”
I hear my mom in the background feeding him more answers.
Tate lets out a high-pitched giggle. “No, Mommy. Dofin in da ocean.”
I can imagine the serious scrunched-up look on his face as he lectures me. “Okay, then take some pictures for me instead.”
“Otay, Mommy.” He gets quiet for a second. “I wuv you.”
My heart aches. “I love you too. I’ll be waiting for you as soon as you get off the ship tomorrow, okay?”
He gasps as if he remembers something. “Gwamma and me on a boat.”
“I know, buddy. That sounds like so much fun. And I hear you’re going to a party tonight.”
Tate starts to make zoom noises like he’s playing with one of his transformers, so my mom takes over the call. “He’s already dressed up in his little suit. We’re going to dinner, and then I’ll let him hang out in the daycare room for an hour while they party it up, toddler style.”
I laugh. “I bet that’s a sight. He sounds so happy, Mom. Thank you for taking him with you this week.”
“He’s been the best little buddy. He definitely misses you though. What about you? You getting all settled in?”
I don’t want to worry my mom by telling her about all the difficulties I’ve had with my clients courtesy of the fender bender from last week. “I am. Work is already keeping me busy, and I think Tate will love what I did with his room. Oh, and I met up with Becca the other night. It was so nice to see her before her big day.”
“Oh gosh,” my mom exclaims. “That’s today. You must be getting ready to go.”
I walk in front of the full-length mirror in my bedroom and pat down my rose-red satin dress. It’s an off-the-shoulder number with a cinched top and one full sleeve that puffs out around my wrist. The skirt portion is a floor-length dress in the back that slants into a miniskirt in the front, exposing one full leg up to my thigh. I chose tan heels with an ankle strap and left my almost-black hair parted down the middle to frame my face in long, thick layers.
“All dressed. I wanted to call early since I won’t be able to talk tonight.”
“Give Becca a hug for me. And Meadow…” I can hear the warning in my mom’s voice before the familiar lecture comes. “Don’t sit in the corner all night. Smile. Enjoy yourself. You deserve to have fun. Who knows, maybe you’ll meet someone there.”
I’m internally cringing as I do every time my mom says the exact words to me before I step out of the house. There’s nothing like being thirty-three, single, and having your mom eagerly awaiting your next engagement.
“I promise to smile and have fun.”
“Good,” she says before telling Tate to take something out of his mouth. “Can’t wait to hear about it tomorrow.”
I say goodbye to Tate one more time before I hang up, grab my purse, and head to the venue. It’s an elegant outdoor wedding set in front of a rustic, open-door barn. Pops of fall colors are everywhere, from the flower arrangements to ribbons strung through the trees and cloth wrapped around the tables and chairs.
I’m seated near the back on the aisle, so I have a clear view of everything. When Becca learned that I was moving home, even though we hadn’t seen each other in years, she still wanted to make me a part of her wedding. I knew letting her bring me on as a bridesmaid would be too much considering my move and her plans that were already in motion, so I assured her I was fine with being a guest. Still, I would have loved to be part of this setup. I look around in awe. Clearly, not a single thing was overlooked.
An orchestra plays from the side of the gazebo, and when the music switches to start the ceremony, my heart is in my throat. I can’t wait to see Becca walk down the aisle. Back in grade school, when we would have sleepovers at each other’s homes, we would throw fake weddings. She was always the bride while I threw petals in her wake. Today, her vision will finally come to life when she marries the man of her dreams.
When the final groomsman walks through the thin fabric opening of the tent, I have to blink twice to make sure my eyes are working correctly. It’s him. The jerk EMT guy who turned out to not be a jerk at all. In fact, he was actually kind of sweet.
My pulse quickens, and my palms feel all sweaty. It takes me a minute to realize my reaction has to do with how exceptional this man looks in a suit. All men look great dressed up like that, but him? He’s simply mouthwatering. The way his black pants wrap his muscular legs like they could be glued to him, revealing every small movement. The way his thin seafoam-green tie lies flat against what I imagine are washboard abs beneath a crisp, white button-down. And that’s just his attire.
His chiseled jaw wears the same scruff I saw him with last, only it looks like the edges have been cleaned up a bit. His big steel-gray eyes hold the same wide-eyed innocence he carried when he was joking with me in the bar. And when he links arms with a bridesmaid at the start of the aisle, my eyes stay glued to him. I swear, after he offers her a polite smile, her cheeks redden with obvious lust. Then again, who wouldn’t blush when they looked at him?
I remember the air that left my body when our eyes first collided and the way his fresh scent enveloped me when we were near. His friendly demeanor was almost irresistible. Almost. The man is charming, and that makes him dangerous, but I’d be lying to myself if I didn’t admit wanting to know more about him.
He makes his way past me, parts ways with the bridesmaid, and takes his spot at the end of the line of groomsmen. He looks back down the aisle, toward where Becca should be appearing at any moment, and that’s when he spots me.
My heart catches in my throat as a smile blooms on his face.
It’s just my luck that I would run into this man, yet again. The only difference is that this time there’s no escaping him.
I’m still swiping tears from my eyes when the wedding party escapes inside its tent. The ceremony was gorgeous, and Becca looked stunning in her long-train princess dress. I can’t wait to give her a giant hug when she finally arrives at the reception.