Selena presses her hand to her hip, tilting her head. “I’m not talking about that side of your marriage. I’m asking how youfeelabout him.”
I swallow, suddenly too aware of the heat in my cheeks. “I like him a lot.”
“I like him a lot?” Selena snorts. “Come on, Camila. That’s how a person describes their dentist, not their husband.”
I shrug, unsure of what to say.
Mom throws away a stack of plates then turns to me. “So are you staying married? Or are you going to divorce him after all of this over?”
That’s the big question that everyone, except for me and Hess, keeps asking.
I force myself to seem nonchalant. “I don’t know.”
“How do you not know?” Selena asks. “The end is right after the wedding. That’s only a few weeks away.”
“I don’t know. We just haven’t talked about it yet. We need to get the next court hearing out of the way first and then we’ll talk about it.”
“Then let me help you.” Selena’s tone softens. “Hess is a good guy. You can’t string him along. You need to be honest with him about how you feel.”
“Ihavebeen honest.” Kind of. I don’t express actual feelings for him like he does for me, but I reciprocate in other ways.
“You’re not even being honest with yourself.” Mamá’s eyes soften. “It’s time you admit how you feel about him. Don’t run away from the best thing that ever happened to you.”
“I’m not going to run,” I bristle, my voice sharper than I mean it to be. “This time, everything is different.”
I say the words, and I believe them. I really do.
But despite my belief, there’s always a twinge of doubt in the back of my mind.
Hess
It’s wedding day.
My barn doesn’t look like a barn anymore. It’s been transformed into something out of a storybook. White drapery sweeps across the beams, softening the rugged wood. Strings of lights crisscross above, glowing warm and golden. Greenery winds up the posts and spills onto the tables, where candles sit in little clusters, waiting to be lit. And in one hour, it will be filled with family and friends who’ve come to witness two people committing their lives to each other. But right now, it’s quiet. Just me and Landon standing in the middle of the aisle as he adjusts his tie in the reflection of one of the windows.
“Nervous?” I ask.
He shakes his head, smiling as he glances at me from the side. “Never been more sure of anything in my life.”
“You’re gonna weep like a baby when Selena walks down the aisle.”
“Yeah, probably.” He turns to me, giving me a look that’s way too knowing. “What about you? Are you going to cry when Camila walks down the aisle?”
“I’m the one who escorts her. Best man and maid of honor, remember?”
“That’s right.” Landon nods. “Selena said things are pretty serious between you guys.”
My mouth pulls into a smile before I can stop it—one of those dumb, helpless grins I only get when I think of her.
Landon laughs, pointing at me. “Oh, you’re in trouble.”
“Yeah,” I admit, pushing out a breath. “I’m insomuch trouble.” The words come out before I realize how true they are, but standing with my best friend as he’s about to marry the love of his life, I say it for the first time out loud. “I fell in love with my wife.”
The confession hangs in the air, and I almost laugh because it sounds ridiculous, and yet it’s the truest thing I’ve ever said.
Landon claps a hand on my shoulder, grinning. “Then you need to tell her. Before this whole crazy thing ends, make sure there’s no doubt in her mind how you feel.”
It’s never been a question ofifI’d tell Camila that I love her. It’s always been about whether or not my love is enough to make her stay.
