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I squinted to get a better look.
Definitely Mallory.
Her eyes were unmistakable, and her long, black hair fell to just below her breasts—medium-sized ones, smaller than mine. She was much taller than I was but shorter than Ryder. She had her hands crossed in front of her and seemed to be watching every interaction he had as if she were some sort of gatekeeper.
I’d wanted to be the one to protect him, to be by his side tonight, but apparently she had the same idea.
My heart beat so fast.
What the hell is she doing here?
They broke up.
My mind raced, filled with some crazy scenarios. What if they’d never really broken up at all? Or maybe she’d come to comfort him the past couple of days, and they’d gotten back together. Maybe that’s why he’d been distant.
The line in front of me kept getting shorter, and I was running out of time to decide how I was going to deal with this. It was only a matter of seconds before Ryder would spot me.
Should I just act like she wasn’t there? I couldn’t confront him about her at a time like this.
Breathe, Eden.
The moment his eyes met mine, I wanted to burst into tears. I felt so many conflicting emotions. Then a smile spread across his face, and his eyes never left mine even as he greeted the last few people before me.
When Ryder finally embraced me, it was like I fell into his arms and evaporated into his body. Mallory no longer seemed to exist. His heart beat so fast against my chest.
He held me tightly as he whispered in my ear, “I can’t believe you’re here.”
I closed my eyes and breathed him in. His body was warm against my skin, which had been riddled with goosebumps moments ago. It felt so incredible to be in his arms—I’d done nothing but long for that for forty-eight hours straight.
“How did you manage to get away?” he asked.
“A friend is watching Ollie.”
He shook his head slowly as he squeezed my hands. “I’m so happy you’re here. So happy.”
Our attention seemed to turn to Mallory at the same time. She stood there frozen, looking as surprised to see me as I’d been when I first noticed her. The sudden look of concern on Ryder’s face told me he knew I recognized her from the photo.
“Mallory, this is my girlfriend, Eden.”
Relief poured through me. His girlfriend. He’d still called me his girlfriend.
Mallory looked like she’d been smacked in the face. She cleared her throat. “Girlfriend… Oh, I didn’t realize.”
“Hello,” I said.
“Hi.” She nodded. “Excuse me for a moment.”
I watched as she rushed through the crowd and disappeared into a hallway.
I turned my attention back to Ryder. “I’d better move. I’m holding up the line.”
He grabbed my arm. “Don’t go. I want you to stand with me.”
“Really?”
“Yes, if you don’t mind.”
I was honored that he wanted me next to him. My bladder felt like it was going to burst, though. I had rushed here from the airport and hadn’t used the bathroom since Utah.
“Let me just find a bathroom. I need to go badly. And I’ll come right back.”
He nodded. “Okay.”
I found a lavatory across the hall and relieved myself. As I was washing my hands, it became clear where Mallory had disappeared to as she was suddenly staring at my reflection in the mirror. We were totally alone.
“I’m sorry for walking away rudely,” she said.
I shut off the water and shook my hands. “Oh, I didn’t take it that way.”
Her eyes were red. They weren’t that way before.
She’s been crying.
“It’s just… I was a little taken aback,” she said. “I didn’t think Ryder was with anyone.” She exhaled as she turned on the water. “I needed a moment to breathe.”
Not knowing what else to say, I blurted out, “You’re his ex-girlfriend.”
“Yes. I’m sure he’s mentioned me?”
“Yeah. He has.”
A look of sadness washed over her face. “I’m so devastated for him.”
“Me, too.”
“I love him,” she confessed. She started to wash her hands and repeated, “I still love him.”
All of the muscles in my body seemed to tighten at once as I swallowed. “Okay…”
“I’m sorry. I know you probably don’t want to hear that.”
Yeah. No shit, I don’t.
When I didn’t respond, she asked, “How long have you guys been together?”
“A few months…”
She grabbed a paper towel and began wiping her hands. “Is it serious?”
“I care about him very much.”
I love him, too, but I haven’t told him that. So I’m sure as hell not telling you.
She looked like she was almost ready to cry.
“Look, I don’t know what’s going on here,” I told her. “I thought you were engaged to someone else.”
“Aaron.” She shook her head. “I broke it off with him.”
Ugh. Of course.
I pretended to be calm as I panicked inside. “What happened?”
“To make a long story short, we ran into Ryder one night, and I didn’t do a very good job of hiding my feelings after we got home. Aaron kept pushing, trying to get me to admit I still had feelings for him.” She inhaled then exhaled slowly. “In the weeks after that, I started to realize I’d been in denial. I’d rushed into the relationship to hide from my sadness over the way things ended with Ryder. I realized ending things with him was the biggest mistake I’ve made in my life.”
