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“What’s with that look?” Shaw asked as the driver pulled into traffic.
I blinked and glanced at her. “Hmm?”
She cocked a brow at me. “I can’t tell if you’re mad, sad, or happy. I’m getting this weird vibe from you, and it’s making me all jittery.” She took my hand and gave it a firm squeeze. “Are you sure you want to get married like this? There’s plenty of time before you start showing if you want a huge wedding. I promise not to let the moms get carried away and ruin the experience for you if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“No, no,” I said, smiling. “I think this is perfect. Actually, when I realized I was pregnant, I decided I didn’t really want a wedding after all. I would have been fine going to the courthouse. But Remington wants a wedding. And a million pictures to go with it.”
“Then what’s with all these emotions rolling off you?” she asked with a frown.
“I’m mad because I saw people taking pictures of us in the hotel lobby. Why can’t people just leave me alone and let me live my life without needing to tell the world every move I make?”
“It sucks, but that’s the hand we were dealt being born to celebrity parents, Vi.” She shrugged. “I hate it sometimes too, but I wouldn’t change who my parents are for anything.”
“Yeah,” I muttered, my heart feeling heavy. “Me either.”
“But why are you sad?” she asked. “It’s supposed to be one of the happiest days of your life.”
I hadn’t told her about Remington’s illness, and I didn’t know if I would or even should. It seemed disloyal to him to tell anyone when he hadn’t even wanted to tell me. It didn’t feel right to share it, not even with my best friend. My therapist had told me talking about my feelings was always the best medicine. But I couldn’t talk about this. Not yet. Not when he hadn’t left me yet.
And maybe I was hoping a miracle would happen and I wouldn’t lose him to this fucking disease after all. Maybe we would be given more time. Maybe we would grow old in each other’s arms as we raised our baby together.
I didn’t want to think about him dying.
I didn’t want to know what it was going to be like to be a single mo
ther.
And I didn’t want to fucking think about what life would be like without the man I loved.
“I’m pregnant, Shaw,” I reminded her with a small smile. “It seems like my emotions are all over the place. I don’t know why I’m feeling all of this at once.”
Her blue eyes stayed on me for a long moment, as if she didn’t fully believe me. But before she could call me out on it, the limo pulled to a stop in front of a beautiful wedding chapel and Jagger opened the back door for us. Leaning down, he offered her his hand first and helped her out before reaching back in to assist me.
“Sweet Jesus.” I heard Cannon say, and I glanced at him. “You’re so beautiful, Violet.”
A genuine smile lifted my lips, and I tucked my arm through his when he offered it. For the longest time, I’d blamed everything bad that happened between Luca and me on this guy. I’d hated him almost as much as I hated Luca for cheating on me. If he hadn’t kissed me that night, nothing would have been ruined. But I’d learned to forgive him with my whole heart because it wasn’t his fault Luca did what he did. It wasn’t mine either, but that had been a harder lesson to learn back then.
Now, I realized none of the past mattered. Not Cannon kissing me. Not Luca cheating.
It wasn’t meant to be. But this moment? Marrying the man who was my whole heart, even if I wouldn’t get to grow old with him, was exactly what was supposed to happen all along.
The chapel smelled like sweet flowers when we walked in. A man and a woman were waiting for us when we entered. The woman, a friendly older lady with gray-streaked dark hair, handed me a bouquet of lilac roses. “Your groom picked these for you, dear,” she said kindly. “You look so lovely. He’s a very lucky man.”
I lifted the flowers to my nose and inhaled deeply, fighting back the sting of tears. “No,” I told her when I lowered the bouquet. “I’m the lucky one.”
Jagger and Shaw came in behind us, and the man instructed us on how to proceed. Shaw was given a smaller bouquet of roses as well, and then Jagger and Cannon were told to take their seats inside. The couple left us, and Shaw hugged me tight until the music started.
“I’m so happy for you,” my best friend whispered as she pulled back, her eyes glazed with unshed tears. “You look exquisite. The most beautiful bride I’ve ever set eyes on. And I’m not ashamed to say I’m a little bit jealous of you right now. You’re getting the whole fairy tale, my friend. The amazing man who would move heaven and earth for you. A baby. A life you always dreamed of is right at your fingertips. Until right now, I didn’t think I cared if I ever had any of the things you always said you wanted. Sometimes when you would talk about how you wanted to marry Luca and be his wife and a mother, I would roll my eyes behind your back.” Her chin trembled as she smiled down at me. “But I get it now, Vi. I understand the draw, the need to want to just be loved and let someone love me back.”
“You can have that too,” I promised her. “You just have to tell him.”
She glanced over her shoulder at where Jagger had just disappeared. “And if he doesn’t want the same things I do?”
“Then you have to learn it’s okay to let go,” I told her sympathetically. “Whether it means letting go of the dream, or the man, only you can decide.”
She clenched her jaw for a moment, but then determination entered her eyes, and she smiled, making her dimples pop. “Let’s get you married, my gorgeous friend.”
Shaw stepped in front of me and started down the aisle. I held back, needing a moment to gather myself. Now that I was alone, everything felt like it was pressing in on me. The last ten hours had been crazy, and I felt like I was still in shock after everything Remington had told me earlier.
