The Mistake (Bad Bridesmaids #1) - Noelle Adams Page 0,49

serious her heartbeat sped up. She sat very still as she nodded.

“I love you, Amanda. And I know some people throw the words around easily, but I don’t. I’ve never said them before. To any woman except my mother. I’ve never felt this way about anyone. So I know we haven’t been together for very long, but this doesn’t feel like the beginning to me. And I know I need to work on being more open about how I’m feeling, so I’m going to just say this flat out. I’m fully invested in this. I’m committed all the way. I’m not going to be seeing anyone else or even thinking about anyone else, and I’m really hoping you feel the same way.”

“Of course I do! You think I want to see someone else?”

“Well no. Not really. But I know people have different expectations about early stages of relationships, so I thought it was wiser to say something.”

She giggled and nuzzled his neck briefly. “Yes, it’s very wise. I’m definitely not going to be dating anyone else, and I’d be mad as hell if you did. I love you too, Robert. The same way. I’ve never felt like this about anyone else either.”

He nodded, his jaw relaxing slightly. “Good. And just one more thing. I’m expecting this to last a long time. Like forever. My feelings aren’t going to go away. And on that issue, it’s fine if you don’t—”

“I do! I feel the exact same way. This is the real thing for me too. It really is.”

“Okay. Good.” They gazed at each other for a sappy minute before he added, “So now that we’ve gotten that issue taken care of, you can go back to doing what you were doing before.”

“And what exactly was that?” She grinned.

“It was something like this.” He took her head in his hands and showed her exactly what he meant.

epilogue

SIX MONTHS LATER, AMANDA was at another wedding—her zillionth wedding that year.

Not that she was complaining. If she hadn’t gone to so many weddings this year, she might never have gotten together with Robert. And the past months with him had been the happiest she’d ever known.

At least she wasn’t a bridesmaid this time. She’d been a bridesmaid enough this year to last her a lifetime. This evening was the wedding of an old school friend, but she was just a guest, so she could wear what she liked and do what she liked, which made for a much more enjoyable evening.

She smoothed down the skirt of her dark blue silk dress. Winter formal wear was always tricky, but she’d managed by pairing the sleeveless dress with a little gray cardigan with a few glittery threads woven in to make it sparkle.

She looked good, and she also wasn’t freezing her ass off.

“Hey, Amanda,” a voice said, coming out of the far bathroom stall. “I didn’t know you were in here.” Serena appeared, looking pretty but kind of tired in her green dress and sleek chignon. “That’s a great outfit.”

“Thanks. You look good too. Are you feeling all right?”

“Yeah. Just tired. Eva watched a scary movie with her dad last weekend, and she’s been having nightmares. So I was up with her a lot last night.

“On no. That sounds terrible. Poor little thing. And poor you.”

“I’m okay. She’s just eight, and I’ve told him that she’s not ready for movies like that. She’s really sensitive, and those things affect her. But he doesn’t listen.” Serena rolled her big blue eyes, making her feelings about her ex-husband more than clear.

“I’m sorry you’re having to deal with that.”

“Thanks. We’ll get through it. But never again am I going to do that to myself.” Serena made another face, this one less annoyed and more bitter.

“Do what?”

“Put my life in the hands of a man, especially now that I’d be putting my daughter there too.”

“So you don’t think you can trust any man again?” Amanda was genuinely asking since she didn’t want to sound skeptical or judgmental. People needed to do what was best for them, and marriage wasn’t best for everyone.

“Sure, I can trust some men. I trust my dad. And I trust my brother. And I trust Keith. But anyone else...” She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

“Well, at least you have your family and Keith.”

Serena smiled, her face clearing. “Yes. I do. And I can always count on them not to change or let me down. But enough of my whining. How are things going with you?”

“Good.