I wasn’t afraid to talk to him because I thought he’d cheated on me last night or even that he’d got back together with Luciana. I knew that Holden loved me, which made what I was going to have to do that much harder. I knew that I’d have to tell him to try with her. For the baby. Every baby deserved two parents that loved them at home raising them. I would never stand in the way of that, even for Holden.
And even if I didn’t, even if we stayed together, what was to say the two of them wouldn’t grow close again bonding over having a baby together. I couldn’t blame them if they did. It’s a magical experience.
I’d stayed up all night thinking about it and I just didn’t see any options where Holden and I still had our happily-ever-after.
“May I have this dance, young lady?”
I looked up and saw Mr. Rogers offering me his arm. I was relieved that it was him. Up to now, I’d been so diligently keeping an eye on Holden so I could avoid him, but I think the zero sleep was catching up with me and I’d been zoning out.
Never in my wildest dreams would I have believed that I would be relieved for someone to rescue me from Holden; when for so many years I’d imagined him coming back and swooping me off my feet. But that is exactly what I felt now.
“I’d love to.” I smiled widely and took Mr. Rogers’ arm.
We began to move across the dance floor and Mr. Rogers cleared his throat. “So, I heard you and Holden are going steady.”
I felt tears begin to pool in my eyes, but I blinked them back.
“Boy, that young man can’t take his eyes off of you.”
I glanced over my shoulder and sure enough, Holden was posted up against the wall staring at me. He looked so handsome in his suit. I wished so badly it was him that I was dancing with. But I knew that there was no way I’d be able to put on a brave face with him. I might be able to fool other people, but he would know something was wrong with me.
Mr. Rogers spun me out and pulled me back. He’d taken ballroom dance at the studio for years now. “You know, I’ve had my eye on someone for quite a while.”
“Really?” I faked ignorance.
Everyone knew that Mr. Rogers was sweet on Mrs. Dixie Rose Porter. It wasn’t a secret. He’d made it pretty obvious.
“I know the look of a man in love, and our young Holden has that look.”
My smile was tight as I sniffed back the tears that were threatening to fall down my cheek. This was one of the reasons I’d agreed to keep things private between us when we’d just been hooking up. The fallout from everyone knowing your business when you broke up in a small town, was catastrophic.
This day could not get over fast enough. We were at the finish line, I just needed to make it through the cake cutting and garter throwing and then I could fade into the background and go home.
I’d been so excited to finally have a date for a wedding. And not just any date, a boyfriend. And not just any boyfriend, the love of my life. And not just any wedding, a wedding that I was the MOH and he was the best man. It was my rom-com fantasy come to life.
Now, as I danced with Mr. Rogers waxing poetic about how much Holden loved me, I felt like I was living a rom-com nightmare.
When the song ended, I thanked Mr. Rogers for the dance and was walking off the dance floor when I looked up and saw that Holden was standing in front of me and he wasn’t holding his cane. I hated to admit this, but it had been easier getting away from him because he was moving slow.
He smiled down at me and held out his hand, “Can I have this dance?”
“Um, no I need to go check on the—” I gasped as my feet flew out from under me as he picked me up, just like he had the second time we’d had sex when he carried me upstairs.
My arms flew around his neck. “What are you doing?”
“I’m making your fantasy come true.”
“But your back!”
“It’s fine.” He was heading outside with the look of a man on