She hesitated, her forehead creasing. “They brought a guest.”
My stomach swooped. Three guesses whothatwas. “It’s not Caitlyn’s mother, is it?” I asked hopefully.
“No. Mr. Larkin’s twin brother.”
Fuck. I couldn’t stick my head in the sand and ignore this anymore. As much as I’d prefer to avoid Bryson for the rest of my life, he was the groom’s brother. He was the best man in the wedding, from what Caitlyn had told me. Even if he wasn’t, this was a small town and we were bound to run into each other again at some point.
I’d have to pull on my big boy pants and be a professional.
“Show them in, please.”
Amari nodded and withdrew. Seconds later, Caitlyn swept in, Branson just behind her, large hand on her lower back. A few feet behind them, Bryson entered, a sheepish smile on his face.
“Good morning, Silas. I hope you don’t mind we brought a plus one,” Caitlyn said with a little laugh. “I realize we’re kind of springing him on you, but I thought it might be good for you to see Branson and Bryson together, so we could all start over.”
Caitlyn had given me the perfect opening. I hitched on a polite smile. “Starting over sounds like a great idea. Please, sit down.”
Branson extended his hand. “I’d like to meet you properly. I’m Branson, the groom, and I’m madly in love with Caitlyn and would never two-time her with anyone.”
I shook his hand, a weird sense of Deja vu hitting me at the size and feel of his hand. “That’s a relief. I’m so sorry for the way I reacted at our first meeting.”
“Totally understandable.” Branson glanced over at his brother. “You’re not the first person we’ve fooled. It’s just been a few years since it’s happened, so it took me by surprise.”
Bryson cleared his throat. “We’ve never lived in such a small town before. It never occurred to me that you’d run into Branson so soon. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about him on our date.”
His eyes were so dang imploring and earnest. I could hardly look at them. I sat down quickly, before he could offer to shake my hand as well. I wasn’t ready for physical contact with the man.
“Well, we’re all on the same page now, so how about we get down to business?”
For the next thirty minutes, I studiously avoidedBryson’s gaze—while feeling it burning a hole into the side of my head—and went over the vendor updates with Branson and Caitlyn. We reconfirmed changes to the flower order, discussed the seating chart, and set up an appointment to tour the wedding venue again—this time with Branson along to see it.
We wrapped up the planning, and I flipped the binder closed. Heidi had taken notes on her tablet throughout the meeting, so I wasn’t worried about remembering the details. She’d add everything to my calendar for me.
“Okay, we’ll get these last details sorted, but we’re in the homestretch now. You’ll be living that happily-ever-after before you know it.”
Caitlyn beamed and bent over the table to hug me. Branson shook my hand again. “Thanks, man. Caitlyn can’t sing your praises enough. I know I haven’t been around for the heavy lifting on the wedding planning, and I really appreciate that you’ve kept my bride from leaving in a fit of frustration.”
Caitlyn laughed. “You think you’re joking, but without Silas, I never could have done this.”
I smiled, their words bolstering my confidence. “This is why I do it. Your wedding should be a celebration of your love. I want you focused on what’s important, not the small details. I’ll make sure everything goes as planned.”
They thanked me again and filed out of the room, but Bryson lingered, shifting from foot to foot.
Heidi glanced at him. “Uh, I’ll just go update your calendar and get set up for the Sheffield tour of their wedding venue.”
I nodded, my throat too tight to say anything.
It was tempting to hustle Bryson out and pretend I was too busy for this chat. But the man was owedsomeexplanation.
Heidi left the room. As soon as she did, Bryson stepped closer to the table between us. “You didn’t call me back.”
The hurt in his tone made my heart ache. I steeled myself to stay strong.
“I’m sorry for the misunderstanding. I shouldn’t have accused you of lying without verifying the truth.”
He tilted his head. “Silas, that’s not… I don’t care about that. I just want to see you again. To touch you and?—”
He reached out and I took a quick step back.
