Dropping the phone from her ear, Leia gasped, and her rapid breaths set free a torrent of hot tears down her cheeks. She pressed the back of her other hand against her mouth and gulped. It’s Simon’s wedding. How do I even…?
She swung away from the happy glow of the reception and trudged deeper into the adjoining park, her white dress dragging through a half-frozen puddle clogged with leaves, their edges furry with ice. “Oh, NO! Fuck!” she barked between sobs, fisting the material and hiking it above the sludge. Her hasty inspection revealed no grass stains or splotches of dirt. So, my dress isn’t ruined—but what about my relationship?! She glared into the dark stillness of the barren trees, cursing loving boyfriends and unfaithful partners and everyone in between.
“Ginger, there you are!”
Tarquin. Leia’s breath bottled in her chest. She peered over her shoulder. He can’t see me like this. Swiping away all teary evidence, she blew out her cheeks and stuffed her phone in her dress’s pocket, where her fingers tangled with the fabric measuring tape from her mini sewing kit. So that’s where it went. She bunched it up with a nervous twist of her fingers and thumb.
“I’ve been looking all over for you, then I spotted you through the window.” Tarquin’s tone was boyish and champagne-soaked. “Spencer’s a good laugh, but she pogos to bloody well everything! I need my dance partner. I need you!”
Leia painted on her best ‘Everything is awesome’ grin and slowly swiveled, finding Tarquin’s smile firing on all cylinders, eyes shining, dimples teasing, her winter coat draped over his arm. So adorable and considerate. God, I love him.
Her shattered heart soared, and for that moment, everything felt carefree and bright—until her hand raked over the phone in her pocket and reality swooped in, hurling those fluttery swoons into a spiraling nosedive.
“You’ll be proud of me!” Tarquin chuckled. “I didn’t lay a single finger on your apple tart, although I was tempted.” He unfurled her purple coat, swaddling her shoulders in the welcome warmth of its wool.
Always thoughtful and charming. “Thank you.” Her mouth flickered with a genuine smile as he kissed her forehead, careful not to muss up her elegant up-do. But the brief press of his lips on her cold skin rippled through her body, whirling all the grief and sadness around inside her.
Tarquin pulled back and rubbed his hands together, blowing on his skin. “Why’d you come out here? It’s bloody freezing!” A shiver surged through him, and the shoulders of his unbuttoned tux jacket rounded as he shook. “Brrr! My nipples could key a car!”
So goofy! Leia snort-laughed. No one makes me crack up like he does.
Wasting no time, he wound his arms around her, and Leia surrendered, snuggling into him, savoring his warm, loving embrace. Tarquin is everything I’ve ever wanted.
“See?” He pressed his chest against hers. “My nips are lethal weapons!”
She giggled through a shiver, thwarting more tears. “Hey, you’re in luck—I have nipple covers in my bag.”
Tarquin’s laugh vibrated through her body. “That’s my girl! What would I do without you, eh?” His voice danced, all light and playful, overflowing with joy as he gently swayed, stroking her coat-covered back. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m the world’s luckiest bloke! You are my everything!”
Her heart panged, suddenly mourning for the day he might propose, the minute she’d say ‘I do’, the moment their newborn was placed in her arms. It’s all going to slip away—I can feel it!
“So, why’d you fancy a solo stroll in the park?”
Loosening her grip, Leia stepped back, her eyes poring over his black bow tie and white shirt. “It was so noisy in there. Then I couldn’t get good reception…” She tugged the cozy coat around her neck, but her trembling wouldn’t stop.
Tarquin protectively wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “Come on, let’s get you inside—”
“Wait!” A puff of warm air escaped her tight lips. She stiffened, heels digging into the winter-beaten grass. “Tarquin, I have to tell you something.”
Worry creased his forehead. He swung around, facing her. “It’s the phone call, isn’t it? Who rang?”
“Shantelle. She’d texted me six times during the speeches, but I didn’t see them. My phone was in my purse. When I didn’t answer, she called.”
“Did something…bad happen in Paris?”
Bad doesn’t even begin to… Nausea rolled in her stomach. “Bastien has been cheating on Shantelle. She left him and called me from the plane. She’s flying home to New York.”
Tarquin’s throat pulsed. “Your