Not That Kind of Guy - ANDIE J. CHRISTOPHER Page 0,1
noticed that they would exchange looks when she made it over for dinner or game night. When that happened—their roles reversed so they were the ones worried about her instead of the other way around—she knew she had to get her shit together.
After she’d dealt with the emotional and physical remnants of the future she no longer had or wanted, she hadn’t looked back.
She was a Nolan, for Christ’s sake. Nolans didn’t wallow in the past. Nolans didn’t cry over the demise of a romantic relationship— at least her father hadn’t after her mom walked out on him. They bucked up and moved on.
A few months after the breakup, she’d decided that she was through with crying, thinking, and talking about the relationship. In fact, she was going to stop crying, thinking, or talking about any relationship. She wasn’t any good at them anyway. In fact, romantic relationships were the only thing that she was really bad at. Maybe she got it from her dad. Once the idea that she didn’t have to be in a relationship really sank into her psyche, it was simple to decide to focus on her career, her friends, her family, and herself. And no one else.
And, to be honest, she was kind of relieved. She was done doing the emotional labor for an overgrown baby man.
She was happy to be helping to plan her brother’s wedding instead of her own. This brunch wasn’t really planning—it was more of a war strategy session—with her brother’s newly minted fiancée, Hannah, and Hannah’s best friend, Sasha. They were both wedding and event planners, so this shit was serious.
And, to her surprise, she didn’t think about what it might be like to be doing this with Chris. It had been so long since they’d broken up, she barely thought about him at all anymore. At first, he’d been sort of like a phantom, haunting her at odd moments. But when she focused on other things, she realized that she was definitely better off without him.
Bridget was grateful that they’d hit a cycling class first, because she’d needed to burn off some energy before diving into wedding planning. Not that Hannah wasn’t beyond lovely and way too good for her middle brother. The whole thing just made her remember that she was a failure at relationships.
Bridget’s future sister-in-law raised her glass. “So, here’s the game plan—no hashtags, no fairy lights, not a single, solitary, fucking mason jar.” She pointed her mimosa at Bridget and Sasha. “Just you two as my bridesmaids.”
“Me?” Bridget hadn’t known Hannah for that long, and she’d assumed that her bridal party would be populated by her college friends. Not being a part of the wedding party would also aid in her efforts to avoid running into Chris at the wedding. She could wear green and white and blend in with the giant floral arrangements with a magnum of champagne. She’d emerge for the toasts and then slink back into the greenery like that GIF of Homer Simpson disappearing into a hedge.
As a bridesmaid, she would have no such quarter. There would be the rehearsal dinner, the pictures, the dancing—thank God Hannah wouldn’t do a big bridal party entrance at the reception—but there would also be the toasts and the smiling and the keeping her inflamed case of irritation toward her ex bottled up for hours at a time. She would probably snap at least one molar if she couldn’t land at least one or two cutting barbs about how his suit game had deteriorated since she’d stopped picking out his clothes.
She didn’t want him back, but his face had turned remarkably punch-worthy since they broke up.
“Yes, you.” Hannah scoffed as though Bridget’s surprise was ridiculous. “We have brunch almost every weekend and you’re going to be my sister, for Christ’s sake.”
“Is this just for Jack’s sake?”
“Well, he does make me see God on a regular basis.” Hannah smirked, and Sasha blushed. Bridget just tried to keep her shrimp and grits down. “But I wouldn’t invite you to be in my bridal party if you were an asshole. I’d make you be his groom’s bitch.”
Bridget shook her head, suppressing a laugh. Hannah was nothing like any of the girls Jack had