“My hand—husband.” Dammit. I nearly slipped.
“He’s here, in town?”
Katherine probably thought I lied about having a husband. But no, he’s here. In the damn sexy flesh. “Unexpectedly.”
“At least you have a date for the reception now.”
A date? I blink at her. I haven’t had a date…since before everything with Enzo Jr. In fact, Tyler and I never dated before I signed that marriage certificate. Never even kissed, before or after. I can’t deal with this now. I hold up the bouquet. “An original arrangement, courtesy of the hotel garden.”
“It’s beautiful. Thank you.” Katherine takes the late-season arrangement. “You’re a lifesaver.”
A few minutes later, her estranged father knocks on the door, asking to walk her down the aisle. Stepping aside, I let him in. I have no idea if Katherine will let him escort her, but I wish I still had family—even an asshole. I don’t have anyone to be mad at.
Tears choke in my throat.
I have to get out of this room. I latch on to the sound of the piano, indicating it’s time for the ceremony to start.
“Meet you out there,” I tell Katherine before I escape.
Tyler comes to attention as soon as I step out.
“Why are you still here?” I hiss at him. Is it too much to ask for a few minutes alone to process all this heartache before I have to stand in front of all the wedding guests with a smile on my face?
“You’ll open the door to anyone. Do you have any sense of self-preservation?”
If I did, I’d be avoiding him. Instead, I let him take my hand and lead me to the garden doors. He sits at the back of the small gathering of chairs the staff has just finished wiping down. Hopefully, that’s the last of the waterworks.
* * *
It will bea miracle if I make it through this event without tears. The ceremony drew every emotion out of me. Katherine and Gabe’s love is the kind every girl dreams of finding. The rain paused long enough for them to exchange their vows. Heartfelt, soul-deep words of commitment. Words I’ll never hear. Because I’m already married to the man next to me, who might as well be a stranger, despite the intimatesessionswe’ve shared in the past. Heat creeps up my cheeks.
Tyler pulls out my chair. I introduce him to Sebastian, the young man Katherine and Gabe—and to the extent I could—cared for through his high school years, and his mother. Sebastian did an admirable job as Gabe’s best man.
“Who’s this?” Sebastian’s mom asks Tyler in a flirty tone.
He tells her he’s my husband, and I have to resist the urge to slug him. Not because he’s lying but because it’s such a farce after what we witnessed earlier out on the rain-soaked lawn. The servers place our plates, and thankfully, the topic changes to the food. I glance over at the Sweetheart table. Katherine and Gabe are eating their delicious dinner, glowing with happiness. I can’t taste a thing.
Tyler leans over and whispers, “I always saw you as a spring bride.”
I narrow my eyes and lean in close like we’re sharing a loving conversation. “As if we would ever have a wedding. I signed a piece of paper in front of a judge. Are we even married since my legal name is not even on the certificate?”
“Papers were filed,Amy.” His emphasis on my name—the name he chose—only adds to my distress.
It all came down to papers when he made me disappear for my own good. A new name, a shiny new marriage, a new home, a new job, a new life where I have to do everything exactly right or risk the wrath of a mob family. Even my taxes are designated as married filing separately. What a sad status. Being disconnected from the person I should be closest to. I finally ask the one question that has weighed on me since that whirlwind day when I became a new woman with a new husband: “Why?”
He mutters something about power of attorney and medical events before quickly initiating a conversation with Sebastian about his life at college.
Something about his reasoning is bullshit, but this is not the time or the place to figure it out. I smile and try to make polite conversation with Sebastian’s birth mom. Despite the horrible way she treated Sebastian, Katherine and I have included her in Sebastian’s life. She’s really not a terrible person, just a terrible mom. Sebastian is doing surprisingly well, mostly thanks to Katherine and Gabe, but I do what I can. Becoming a foster mom myself would break too many rules.
After dinner, the rain kicks up again, and Katherine and Gabe make the wise decision to skip the dancing and head for the cake. The tent sways with the wind. It’s as if Tyler brought the storm with him to reflect his terrible mood. He’s done a good job of hiding it, but it simmers under the surface, waiting to be unleashed.
Katherine navigates a sea of platinum damask-covered round tables and well-dressed guests to hand me her last-minute bouquet. “Thank you,” she says. “You went to so much trouble to get these flowers for me. You should have them.”
“Breaking the tradition of tossing the bouquet?” I tease, avoiding all my wishes and what-ifs as I take the arrangement.
“I think Gabe’s sister is the only single woman here, and with her five brothers, that’ll be her status for a while.”
Katherine and I laugh, and I give her a quick hug. “Have a wonderful time on your honeymoon. Call me for anything.”
