Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 89324 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89324 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
My heart raced as I stepped out. “Hey.”
She flinched and looked around. “What are you doing here, Tate?”
“I’m sorry.” I looked over my shoulder.
“You need to go back inside.”
But I couldn’t. “I need to ask you something really quick. Something occurred to me...”
A look of alarm crossed her face. “What?”
“I know you and Taylor are great friends. That’s very apparent.” I pulled in a breath. “But were you ever more?”
She shook her head. “No. Never. We never had that kind of relationship. Not even once.” Blair looked me straight in the eyes, and I knew she was telling the truth.
A long breath escaped me, and I felt a little euphoric, like a cloud of calm had enveloped me after I’d nearly sent myself off the deep end. It was pathetic, really.
“I’m sorry, Blair. Not very mature of me to be focused on my jealousy when we have bigger fish to fry.” I placed my hand on my heart. “But I couldn’t breathe until I knew.”
“It’s okay.” She nodded. “I get it. I’d want to know the same thing.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“There’s no playbook for how to react to this situation,” she said.
“That’s for damn sure.”
“You’d better go back inside, Tate, before someone sees us.”
I looked over my shoulder again. “You gave me your number. Is it okay if I call you soon?” I shook my head. “I assure you, I don’t have an ulterior motive. I just feel like we need to talk. I’m not going to be able to focus until we do.”
“I agree that we should talk more, but I need you to give me some time. I’m not at a place in my life where I can easily handle this.”
My brows drew in. What the hell does that mean? But I couldn’t very well force her to keep in contact with me. “Will you promise to let me know when you’re ready?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
My stomach twisted, but there was nothing else I could do. “I’m going back in now.” I exhaled. “Take care of yourself, Blair.”
“You, too.”
I stepped back inside and started down the hall to the brunch, but my pace slowed as I noticed Taylor walking toward me. I stiffened. How close had I come to getting caught talking to Blair outside? Jesus.
“Have you seen my friend Blair?” he asked.
My blood went cold. Why is he asking me that?
“No.” I cleared my throat. “Why? What’s going on?”
“I saw her leave the brunch a while ago, and I wanted to be sure she was okay. She’s been acting a little bit strange this whole wedding.”
“I see…”
Had he noticed my strange behavior? I had to have been just as conspicuous.
He sighed. “When are you heading home?”
“Probably right after brunch.”
“It was nice meeting Leah. I was just chatting with her.”
I forced a smile. “I’m happy you like her.”
“Do you think that’s going somewhere serious?” he asked.
“I honestly couldn’t tell you.” I shook my head.
“Well, she seems great.” Taylor smacked my arm.
Leah was great. And I’d thought maybe I could learn to be happy again. Yet the only time I was sure I’d been happy was with his best friend, Blair. It was so fucked up.
“I appreciate your approval,” I told him.
“I know you and Mom have your issues,” he said. “But I’m proud of you both for getting along this weekend. It can’t be easy being around each other, but it’s meant a lot to me.”
“Your mother deserves my respect. She did a damn good job raising you to be the man you’ve become. And I’m happy she and I are cordial now.”
“Yeah…” He smiled. “Me too.”
“When do you leave for your honeymoon?”
“In a week. We’re so psyched. We need a vacation badly. Work’s been crazy for Juliana and for me.”
“Aruba, right?”
He nodded.
“I hope the trip is everything you want it to be.”
“Well, I’ll let you know.” He smacked my arm again as he walked away. “Make sure you come say goodbye before you leave.”
“Of course.”
I watched him continue down the hall. I wondered whether Blair had left her spot outside the door or whether he’d find her still standing there. I hated that she would have to look him in the eye and lie again about why she’d been acting strangely.
As I returned to the brunch, I prepared to face Leah. What was supposed to be a quick bathroom trip had turned into a twenty-minute disappearance.
“Sorry I took so long,” I said.
“Were you in the bathroom all that time?” she asked.
“Actually, I ran into Taylor, and we had a quick chat.”
Her mouth curved into a smile. “Oh, okay. I’m happy you and he are getting along.”
“Yeah, so am I.”
“What do you wanna do for the rest of the afternoon?” she asked.
I scratched my chin. “Actually, I have a ton of errands. Just some stuff I’ve been putting off around my new place. Need to go to Home Depot for some supplies. I’ve got a busy work week, so I won’t have much time to deal with that stuff other than today.”