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“It’s fine. Go. I won’t say anything to the owner.”
I nodded to Bailey, who looked over at me with concern in her eyes. I knew she was afraid Glenn would give her shit in the morning, and if it came to it, I’d speak to him. She finally grabbed her purse and light jacket, and together we headed out the door and over to my car.
“Jackson, really, was that necessary?” she asked once we were in the car.
“Look, the guy was giving you the creeps, or you wouldn’t have called me.”
“But I’m going to get into trouble.”
“No, you aren’t. You let me know if Glenn has words with you on this. If he does, I’ll talk to him. They may be interested in knowing what Ben’s serving protocols are.” I said, referring to the number of drinks I’d witnessed him giving Bailey when she was clearly intoxicated. “Do up your belt.”
She did as I asked without hesitation, and I pulled away from the curb, heading towards her mom’s house.
* * *
The rest of the week had flown by, and by Friday night, the entire wedding party was seated at a long table in one of the event rooms of the hotel for the rehearsal dinner. I sat there, lost in my own thoughts and memories, thinking about Bailey and I. We had only just begun planning our wedding when we’d broken up. We’d actually planned on having our wedding reception in this very hotel and I wondered what would have happened had it of happened. I was deep in thought when I heard my name and realized everyone at the table was looking at me, waiting for a response to a question I hadn’t heard.
“All I can say is that I hope you don’t do this tomorrow when I ask you to pass the rings,” Ryan said, laughing.
Laughter erupted, and I glanced across the table at Bailey, a soft smile on her lips. She met my eyes for just a second before Cara stood and held her glass for a toast. Afterward, she broke out into a few announcements about the rest of the evening and tomorrow.
Fifteen minutes later, everyone began clearing the room, some going back to their rooms, others heading down to either the lounge or spa.
“Are you coming, Bailey?” Cara questioned, glancing at me, noticing I was watching them.
“Maybe in a bit,” Bailey said, smiling in her direction.
“All right, I will hold you a spot in case you want to join, okay?”
I watched as Bailey nodded, then reached into her purse and pulled out a card. I frowned. She seemed happy, but I knew the fake smile was just that. Deep down inside, something was on her mind. I waited until the room had cleared and stretched. Bailey glanced up from whatever it was she was writing. “Aren’t you going with the guys?” she asked.
“I told them I’d meet up with them soon. I need to let this food digest before I get into the drinks.”
“I see.”
“What about you? What are you going to do now?” I asked, walking around to her side of the table and leaning down beside her, a waft of her vanilla-scented shampoo hitting my nose.
She glanced at me and smiled. “A few of the girls are going to have a spa treatment. They asked me if I wanted to join, but I think I’m just going to take a walk in the park. I need to get some air.”
Our eyes locked, and she looked at me as if she wanted to say something. I waited, but she said nothing, just sat there looking into my eyes.
“You feeling okay?” I questioned. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes looked darker than normal.
She nodded and smiled again, only this time the smile didn’t reach her eyes. There was something bothering her. I knew that look way too well. “I’m okay. Just tired, I guess. I haven’t been sleeping very well, and it has been a long day,” she mumbled, popping the envelope back into her purse before turning to look at me. “Good night. Hope you have fun with the guys tonight. I will see you tomorrow.”
There were so many things I wanted to say to her. Mostly, I wanted to lean in and give her a kiss. Instead, she surprised me by putting her hand on my chest, leaning in and placing a gentle kiss on my cheek before she stood up. She gathered her things, and I watched as she took her time walking out of the room. I heard a familiar laugh and looked around. Ryan stood off in the corner speaking with one of the hotel employees.
In a matter of minutes, he was by my side. “Sorry, just had to take care of a last-minute dietary restriction. You ready for some drinks or what?” he said, gripping my shoulders. “I sure as hell am. I’m hoping it takes my mind off what I’m about to do tomorrow.” He chuckled.
“In a few. I’m just going to take a breather for a half hour, maybe run up to my room, get changed. I’ll meet you there?”
“Sure, but you better be ready to drink your face off for my last night of being single. I can’t experience this night without my best friend at my side.”
“You know me. I’m always up for drinking my face off.” I laughed.
“Awesome! Okay, see you soon,” Ryan called as he made his way toward the bar.
I watched until Ryan disappeared out of sight. I had no intention of going back to my room. Instead, I took off out the front door of the hotel and wandered across the street into the park. I’d spent the entire evening sitting across from Bailey. I’d also spent most of that time wondering where we might have been if we had chosen a different path. We’d have been married by now. We might have even had a couple of kids. Instead, I was sitting across from her at our best friends’ wedding like we were strangers.
