Page 21 of Another June with You
“I’m NOT, okay? The sooner you accept that, the better off we’ll all be.” And then he did the thing he knew he had to do, the thing that made him feel like a world-class jerk. He hung up on her.
Micah dropped his phone into the passenger seat of the car and pulled out of the parking lot. His heart squeezed. He didn’t want to leave, and something held him back, like an invisible tether tied between him and Shannon, keeping him from pulling out onto the road. He wanted to put the car in reverse, park it, march up to her door, take her in his arms, and show her how much he still cared about her.
But instead, he reluctantly pulled out and headed to Keely’s house.
“Why didn’t you tell me Shannon was your wedding photographer?” Micah’s tone was sharper than he meant it to be.
The kitchen grew quiet at his question. Keely’s family, a couple of her bridesmaids, and Chase looked from Micah to Keely and back.
Keely stared at him, clearly put on the spot. “I forgot the two of you dated. Honestly. I wasn’t trying to hide it.”
He pressed his lips together. “It would’ve been nice to have a little advanced warning there.”
“I’m sorry,” she replied. “Truly.”
“Okay.” He gave her a little closed-mouth smile, wanting to ease the tension he’d caused.
Everyone went back to their own conversations, munching on chips and salsa, sipping their drinks.
Keely moved to where Micah stood in the entrance of the kitchen. “Was it wrong of me to ask you to drive her home?”
“No, but if you’re trying to get us back together, I don’t think you’ll have any luck.”
“Oh?” Keely raised an eyebrow. “You don’t sound so sure. Did you talk about it?”
“Not really.” Micah wandered over to the kitchen island, grabbed a chip, and dunked it into the salsa. He took a bite and immediately started coughing. “Hot!”
“Yeah, read the label, lightweight. Extra hot.” Chase laughed and pointed at the other bowl. “This is the mild salsa.” He rifled around in the fridge and came back with a glass of milk.
Micah coughed a little more and took a couple swigs of milk to calm the burning in his mouth. “Thanks.” He swiped away the milk mustache.
Chase chuckled. “You are such a wimp.”
Micah punched him in the arm.
“I didn’t realize Shannon our photographer was Shannon your ex.” Chase rubbed his arm. “She’s the one you were all moody over when we first got to college, right?”
Micah glared at him. “Thanks. Why don’t you announce it to everyone?”
Chase shrugged. “I think I just did.”
“It’s not too late for me to back out of this whole best man thing, ya know.”
“Hey,” Chase patted him on the back. “You wouldn’t do that to me, would you?”
“Keep making me the butt of your jokes and you’ll see.”
Chase walked through the kitchen and out the french doors onto the back deck, motioning for Micah to follow. “So, it’s the same girl, right? The one you were in love with when you got to Liberty? The one who broke your heart?”
“The same.” His heart ached just thinking about those first months in Virginia. A future without Shannon had seemed so bleak. He’d been hesitant to leave Michigan without her, but he couldn’t stay home either. He wouldn’t have been able to stand it, knowing she was so close and didn’t want to be with him anymore. So he had gone. And Virginia had been the right choice. He had moved on as best he could—playing baseball, earning his degree, and landing a great job. The life he ended up living looked entirely different than the one he’d imagined. Not that it was bad. But Virginia was supposed to be a temporary stop along his journey before moving back to Michigan. He hadn’t expected to settle down there.
“Was it awkward seeing her again?” Chase asked.
Micah thought about that and shook his head. “It felt good just being with her, but it was hard. I loved her so much.”
Chase patted him on the back.
“I guess she just didn’t love me as much as I loved her.”
