Now, as we’re dressing for the big event, she’s barely speaking. I’m walking on eggshells, worried I’m going to say the wrong thing.
After I slip on my shoes, I approach her from behind, cup her shoulders, and kiss her crown. “You look beautiful.”
She turns to face me, wearing a simple off-the-shoulder dress in a blush pink. She’s slipped on pearls at her throat and ears, along with bone-colored sandals—and a tight smile. “Thanks. You look good. Wow.”
Since I’m wearing roughly what I had on the night we met, it’s nothing new. “Ready?”
She reaches for a little clutch, then sets it back down. “Maybe you should go without me.”
Everything inside me wants to push her to come. An evening of hope and happiness would probably be good for us. But I don’t.
“What’s this about?”
“I feel like I’m crashing Bethany and Clint’s big day. I’ve never met either of them.”
“I RSVP’d for a plus one, and they were thrilled.” Then I force myself to shrug. “I won’t make you go if you’d rather not, but I’d love to have you by my side.”
She turns to me. I see tears in her eyes.
My heart drops. “Honey?”
“Why?”
“Do I want you with me?”
“Yes.”
I grapple to find the right answer. She’s really asking something else, looking for an answer to a question I’m afraid to answer. Should I keep the conversation light and joke about looking way better with her by my side? Grumble again that I don’t want to be one of the few single people at this wedding? Neither of those feel right. I know Harlow said Masey isn’t ready to hear how I feel, but I’d swear she’s begging me for something—reassurance?—without speaking the words.
“Honey, I need to tell you something. This”—I gesture between us—“isn’t just about sex for me anymore. It hasn’t been for a while.”
She presses her lips together like she’s stunned…but not really surprised. “It’s not just about sex for me anymore, either.”
And that’s a giant goddamn relief. “You’re scared?”
“Terrified.”
I cup her face. “Don’t be. We don’t have to decide anything today. We just have to attend a wedding and have a good time.”
Her small nod doesn’t encourage me. “What about tomorrow?”
Masey is a doer, so of course she wants to solve every problem the minute she becomes aware of it, but that’s compounding our issue. “That’s a problem for then. For now, just come with me.”
“All right.”
I tip up her chin and press a long, soft kiss to her lips. “It’s going to be all right.”
Her uncertainty bleeds between us as we grab Ranger, dressed in his best shorts with smart loafer-like shoes, and head out.
About twenty minutes later, we reach Keeley and Maxon’s Sunshine Coast Bed-and-Breakfast. The day is cloudless. The palms sway with the gentle tropical breeze. It looks peaceful. Perfect.
Not even close. As soon as we get out of the car, trouble becomes obvious.
Keeley is testing the malfunctioning sound system while trying to sing Norah Jones’s “Come Away With Me.” Evan curses as he tries to fix it while Britta and her mother, Eleanor, put the finishing touches on the catering. I hand Ranger and his gear to the sitters, settled with the handful of other kids in the ohana out back.
By the time I return, Masey is doing Bethany’s face since the makeup artist she hired was a no-show. Harlow clucks over them while searching high and low for her shoes. Nia tries to help everyone, but she’s winded and uncomfortably pregnant. Maxon and Griff are setting up chairs outside while Lono, the officiant, positions his podium at the plumeria-draped altar. Meanwhile, Evan’s buddy Sebastian is directing the photographer and cake maker. Clint’s two younger brothers, along with his friend Asher, all try to keep the impatient groom from demanding they get this damn show on the road.
In short, it’s a barely organized shit show.
That leaves Noah and me standing together, shaking our heads.
“Glad you made it, bro.” He claps me on the shoulder. “You okay?”
Not really. “Why?”
“You look like shit.”
“What the fuck? I shaved and showered.”
“I mean you look like a train wreck waiting to happen. But I know that because I know you better than all these other people, who will buy your BS smile. Nothing better with Masey?”
“Yes…and no. The elephant is finally out in the open between us, but neither of us knows what to do with it.”
“Well, the night is young, and interesting things always happen after a wedding.” He winks at me. “At least they did