I almost turn to Bob and ask him to do it. The idea of walking down the aisle alone, with everybody staring at me, is terrifying. If I ask Bob, at least I’d have somebody holding my arm, making sure I don’t fall on my face. And he’s always been like a second dad to me, especially after I lost my actual dad. If this wedding wasn’t a scam, I wouldn’t hesitate to ask him.
But I know how much it means for a bride to ask a man to walk her down the aisle. Bob would feel so honored, and I can’t bring myself to make a special memory with him I know up front is tainted.
“We won’t keep you,” Emily said. “We just wanted to stop by and congratulate you since we were in town.”
Bob gives me a light hug, mindful of the Great Dane slobber. “I know you’ll be busy getting ready for the wedding, but you’ll have to bring him for dinner after.”
Tears prick my eyes, not only because I really hate lying to the Pearsons, but because they always give me the kind of love and support I wish I could get from my actual mother.
“We’d love that.” I get another hug from Emily and then they’re gone with a reminder to call them if I need anything at all.
Guilt weighs heavily on me as I prep the shop for my next client. I’d focused so much on Gin while making the choice to become Hayden’s co-conspirator, I hadn’t really considered how it would feel to lie to everybody else in my life.
But I can’t back out now. And I told Georgia I’d do whatever it took to get Gin to sell the house to Hayden. There’s no way she meant to marry the guy, but that’s what it’s going to take.
All I can do is have faith that the people who love me and really matter to me—Mel and her parents—will understand why I had to do it.
I don’t know if Gin will ever truly understand, but this is my only chance to live my own life and I have to take it. Even if it hurts the people I love.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Cara
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I ask Hayden for the third or fourth time. I’m not sure if it’s for his benefit or mine, but I keep hoping he’ll change his mind. I’ve been so hopeful he’d back out, in fact, I didn’t tell my mother we were coming.
Now that we’re standing outside the flower shop, I wish I had. Not so she’d be prepared when Hayden walks through the door, but so she could have told Sherry she couldn’t make it in today at all. I’m sure that’s what she would have done because she hasn’t said another word about him or the wedding to me, and I think she’s hoping if she ignores it, it’ll all go away.
Denial isn’t going to work on Hayden any better than it does a dying water heater.
“Of course we’re going to do this.” His hand is on the door now. “We need flowers for our wedding, sweetheart.”
My teeth clench, and I have to make a conscious effort to relax my jaw as he steps aside and gestures for me to go first. I hear the soft chime as I step through, and then I have to blink at the transition from bright sun to Sherry’s cool, softly lit flower shop. I hear my mother’s sharp intake of breath before I even realize it’s her behind the counter and not Sherry.
“Hi, Mom,” I say because I can’t think of anything else.
“Hello, Gin,” Hayden says from beside me, and then his hand is on the small of my back. It’s even harder to think once he’s touching me, but I realize he’s trying to gently nudge me forward, away from the door, so he can get in. “It’s good to see you again.”
My mother’s mouth is pinched and her eyes narrow at the casual use of her first name, but she’s not yelling or throwing the vase of flowers by the cash register at him. That’s a small win, but I’ll take it.
“Welcome,” Sherry says in a bright voice as she emerges from the back room. “I heard the happy news. Congratulations to both of you!”
“Thank you,” Hayden and I say in unison.
Gin still hasn’t said a word.
She’s taking turns, staring at each of us, and every time her gaze lands on me, it feels a few degrees hotter in the room. Maybe that setting people on fire with her eyeballs thing is starting to work for her. Then I see her mentally gather herself, blow out a hard breath, and paste a very fake smile on her face.
“Yes, congratulations,” she says finally. “It’s good to see you, too, Hayden. I guess you’ll be needing floral arrangements for the wedding.”
Relief saps the tension out of my muscles, and Hayden must feel it because his hand makes two small circles on my back. I know I should probably take the lead in this endeavor, but my mind is suddenly blank. I need a bouquet, at the very least, but I don’t know what I want. Some flowers with a ribbon, I guess.
Hayden comes to my rescue again. “We’re not really sure what we want, so if you have any ideas, we’d love to have your input.”
I watch Gin thaw slightly, which seems like a miracle, and then she nods. “Let me run out back and grab a few things to show you.”
She’s gone before Sherry can say a word, but I don’t kid myself. It’s not a sudden enthusiasm for her daughter’s wedding planning. She needs a few minutes to process and get her head on straight, and then she’ll be back. Hopefully with some flower ideas, because I still don’t have any. I like flowers in a general sense, but I don’t know a lot about them.
Hopefully she won’t emerge with Harry 8.0. Sherry keeps the Harry lookalikes in the back room in case Mel’s dad wanders in, and a prickly cactus as a Reilly wedding arrangement might amuse her enough to try the joke.
