of our pasts but still found the courage to look to the future. Nick did.
Part of the deal we’d made was for me to attend James and Katie’s wedding. I’d regretted agreeing to that the minute my head was clear. I dreaded it, and as the date approached I found myself making excuses why it was impossible for me to go. First off, I no longer had the invitation. I’d tossed it the day it arrived.
Not interested.
Not going.
Oh, I purchased a nice gift off one of the sites where they’d registered and had it delivered, but that was as far as I intended to go. That should be enough to satisfy Nick.
Then, as I was cleaning my room, that blasted wedding invitation showed up on my nightstand. It might as well have had vocal cords because I swear I heard it shouting at me that Nick wasn’t going to listen to my excuses. Besides, I wasn’t a coward. Okay, maybe I was, but I doubted anyone would blame me.
I looked at it a second time and read Katie’s sweet note. Please come. It would mean the world to us.
On a beautiful late-summer morning I put on my best dress and carefully applied my makeup. I’d purchased twenty-five-dollar mascara guaranteed not to run—I knew there would be tears involved—and braced myself emotionally for this event that was happy for them and not so happy for me.
The wedding was set for three in the afternoon in a chapel in the north end of Seattle, near the University district. I’d guessed it would be a small wedding, and if the size of the chapel was any indication I was right. I assumed those invited would be their closest friends and family. It should be an honor that they’d wanted to include me.
—
The weather was perfect, although I didn’t appreciate the sunshine, especially since it felt as if a threatening dark cloud hung over my head. My mood was better suited to a thunderstorm complete with lightning and torrents of rain. I hated that I’d been forced into attending. At one point Nick had offered to come with me. How I wished now that I’d accepted.
As I approached the chapel, I saw another couple. The woman was dressed in a bright pink dress with an outrageous hat reminiscent of Andie MacDowell in Four Weddings and a Funeral. While the dress and hat caught my attention, I found that she looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t remember from where.
The man with her had nerd written all over him, complete with the eyeglasses and saggy pants. The woman didn’t seem to notice. It was obvious the two were in love and had eyes only for each other. Great. Just great. This was exactly what I didn’t need. Then I noticed she was several months pregnant. Not only was the whole world full of couples madly in love, but they were having babies. Babies I would never have.
Another slap in the face of reality. Jayson had children and no doubt Katie and James planned on a family as well. The sense of loss I felt seeing this pregnant couple nearly overwhelmed me.
I really, really didn’t want to be here, especially alone.
As luck would have it, I reached the chapel at the same time they did. The nerdy guy opened the door and then the woman with the outrageous hat paused and looked at me, narrowing her gaze.
“Do I know you?” she asked. She twisted around in order to get a better look at me.
I shook my head. “I don’t think so.” Although she, too, looked familiar.
Her eyes widened and she waved her index finger at me. “I do know you. I’m sure I’ve seen you before. You know Katie?”
“Not as well as James. Were you at the reunion last summer in Cedar Cove?” I asked.
The woman’s eyes widened as the connection clicked into place. “You were the woman James was engaged to at the time.”
The reminder wasn’t appreciated. “That’s me.”
“OMG,” she cried, and threw out her arms, giving me a big hug. “If it wasn’t for you, today wouldn’t be happening. You’re the one responsible for Katie and James getting together.”
I accepted the tight squeeze around my neck as she hugged me as if I were a long-lost relative. Thankfully, she was tall enough so that I didn’t get hit in the head with her enormous hat.
“Hudson, this is…” She stared at me blankly, not knowing my name.
“Emily,” I supplied.
“I’m Coco and this is my husband, Hudson.”
I