It was hard not to run to Juno, pick her up over my shoulder, and leave with her as soon as I left the altar, but I had to settle things with Brigette first. Now that I have, I can’t wait to see Juno.
“I’ll be fine. Go.”
“You’ll let me know if you need anything?” I stop with the door open.
“I’m not your responsibility anymore. Go get your girl.”
I nod and shut the door, thankful Brigette is being so cool about the whole thing. Still, I feel bad for not following through on my commitment.
I jog down the stairs, but when I get to the bottom, I find my mom and dad sitting in Selene’s living room. They stand as I reach the final stair.
“I need to tell you both something.”
Neither of my parents are stern, but I haven’t done a lot in my life to upset them. Other than missing a few curfews when I was at the Baileys’. I’m not sure how they’ll react to the truth.
“How is Brigette?” my mom asks, sitting back down when I sit on the chair across from them.
“She’s good. She understands.”
“Colt, I’m confused. You’ve been engaged for months. What happened?” my dad asks.
“Brigette’s student visa was expiring…”
My dad’s hand runs along his forehead.
My mom’s forehead crinkles. “I don’t understand.”
“He was marrying her so she could get a green card,” my dad says, and I can tell he’s not happy.
“What? Really?”
I nod.
“Jesus, son, do you have any idea how much you put yourself at risk?” Dad asks. “It’s not something to mess with. You could have gone to jail if anyone found out.”
“Did Juno know?” my mom asks.
I shake my head, and she diverts her gaze to the fireplace.
“I know. I know. But Brigette needed the help, and I agreed to it.” They don’t need to know all the reasons why.
“Stupid. Just plain stupid, son. You’re a smart boy, but damn, this was a stupid decision. Thank God you didn’t go through with it.” My dad’s head doesn’t stop shaking.
“Why didn’t you?” my mom asks. “I mean, you took it this far.”
“Is this why you wouldn’t let us pay for anything?” my dad asks. “You could have told us.”
My mom puts her hand on my dad’s arm. “Hold on, Rich.” She squares her eyes on me. “Why did you call off the wedding? Is it what I told you in the painting room?”
I shake my head. “No, but next time I’m going to marry someone, let’s try not to tell me you think I should be marrying someone else.”
Mom just smiles. “As long as it’s Juno, I won’t be saying anything of the kind. I knew something was off. You’ve loved Juno your entire life, then suddenly this French woman comes to town and you’re going to marry her? I might not have figured out the green card thing, but a mom senses when her son is doing something he shouldn’t.”
I run my hand behind my neck.
“Juno is his best friend,” my dad says.
My mom stares at me and tilts her head, waiting for me to tell my dad. “Tell him.”
She’s really something else.
“Well, I’m not going to talk to you guys about this until I talk to her,” I say.
“Are you telling me that the whole time you two were hanging out all the time you were…”
“No, Rich, they were blind to it. Well, I don’t think Colton was, but Juno, you know, with Tim and Beth…”
This is how it goes in my house. We never actually talk about how the Baileys died.
My dad nods because he knows the drill. “Do you even know if she loves you?”
I stand, unable to continue having this conversation with them. I want to pull Juno aside and kiss her, tell her that I’m sorry for the way I acted, and start over. “Can we table this conversation?”
My mom must understand because she nods with way too big of a smile on her face for having a son who just called off his wedding. “Go, honey.”
I walk out the sliding door to the porch and head toward the white tent. Based on the music and sounds of conversation, most guests stayed.
Standing at the edge of the tent, I watch Juno for a moment. The first thing I notice is Jason is gone and she’s huddled in a corner, talking with her sisters. As if she senses me, she looks up and our eyes catch. I step forward into the tent.
Dr. Murphy steps in front of me. “Colton.”
“Dr.