that wasn't fair to her either.
When they'd broken up, it hadn't been some big dramatic thing with lots of crying and yelling. Ryan had brought up the subject first but she hadn't been surprised. They'd been working their way towards it for awhile. If anything, it had sort of been a relief. She didn't have to keep trying so hard anymore. Their relationship had turned into a great deal of work and they'd been too young to know how to do it.
Now that she was older and wiser it didn't look all that daunting, to be honest, but back then their issues had seemed insurmountable.
And actually kind of petty too, when compared to what was happening right now. She was sitting in the pew of a lovely old church listening to the clergyman talk about how wonderful of a person Brad was and how much everyone missed him.
Ryan was sitting next to her, his wide shoulders pressed closely to hers with Liza and her husband Mike on her other side. A few rows in front of them were Jack and Patricia, Ryan and Liza's parents along with Skip and Lily Harrington. Skip's face was stoic, almost carved from granite while Lily cried into a handkerchief as Patricia comforted her. Jack stared straight ahead, his hands folded on his lap and the small program they'd been given when arriving tucked into the breast pocket of his dark suit.
Brad's brother Sebastian was sitting to the left of his father with a pretty woman that appeared to be his girlfriend or maybe wife. Mariah hadn't heard that Seb had married but it was entirely possible. He had his arm around the woman's shoulders and she was sniffling into a shredded tissue while he patted her arm.
The room was full of people that Mariah recognized and a few that she didn't. It was like jumping into the deep end of her past seeing them again. These last several years she hadn't really kept up with most of them, preferring to live a quiet life with her art and a few friends and family.
When the minister finished, Daniel Bosworth went to the podium to talk about Brad. Dan was an old friend and he and Brad had always been close. They'd gone to the same boarding school and then college. They'd been like brothers.
Dan told the assembled guests a few crazy stories from their time at boarding school that had everyone smiling. He ended his speech in tears, his hand over his heart.
"I miss you every day, buddy, and I think of you every day. Rest in peace. You were just too good for this world."
When the service was over, they all filed outside where people were still milling about, hugging and talking.
"Brace yourself," Ryan warned, his hand on her elbow. "Jack and Patricia are heading right for us."
Mariah had always liked Ryan's parents and they'd gotten along well. She understood his frustration with them as they had some very definite ideas about what their son should have done with this career, but she'd never understood the ruthless way he'd basically cut them from his life after college. From what Liza had told her, he barely visited once a year and even then, he avoided his mother and father like the plague. Liza had said that their mother was heartbroken and his father was obviously disappointed, although he hadn't expressed anything out loud.
Jack Beck was an older version of Ryan except with silver hair and a few more lines in his face. Still handsome and vital in his sixties, Jack looked every inch the debonair businessman in his dark pinstriped suit.
Patricia was tall and graceful, her blonde hair cut into a sleek bob that just touched her shoulders. Today she was in a stylish dark blue Chanel suit paired with a simple strand of pearls. She might be sixty in a few days but she could have easily passed for forty-five.
After hugging Ryan, Patricia beamed at Mariah, giving her a kiss on each cheek. "We don't get to see enough of you, dear. You must come by for dinner sometime. I'll call you and set something up."
"I'd love that. I think the last time I saw you was at Liza's birthday party."
The older woman nodded in agreement. "I think that's when it was. Far too long, if you ask me."
"Son," Jack said gruffly, shaking his son's hand before turning to Mariah. "It’s wonderful to see you again, Mariah. Patricia is right, you need to come