Page 35 of Unraveled

They took a seat in the booth, and Hannah turned to Audrey. “Do you remember me talking about Luke’s friend, Jaxon?” Audrey nodded. “This is his wife and little girl.”

“Oh,” Audrey said, finally making the connection. “It’s nice to finally put a face to the name.”

“You, too,” Adalyn said as her eyes darted toward Audrey’s forehead. “I hope you’re feeling better.”

Adalyn had a savage-looking wound as well, and a small smile quirked Audrey’s lips. “I am, thank you. But it looks like we could be twins.”

Adalyn blushed and lifted one hand toward her head self-consciously. “Thankfully my hair is starting to grow back, so it’s not as noticeable as it was.”

Audrey nodded. Adalyn swept her hair to the side, partially covering the wound, and she was right; unless someone was specifically looking for it, it didn’t stand out. Adalyn still seemed a little bit uncomfortable, so Audrey moved the conversation along. “What do you do again?”

Audrey couldn’t remember ever hearing what Adalyn did for a living, but she seemed shy, and Audrey wanted to draw her out of her shell.

“I own Something Blue, a bridal salon downtown.”

Audrey grinned and turned her attention to Hannah. “Well, that’s convenient.”

“I know, that’s part of the reason I invited them,” Hannah allowed. “Adalyn will be designing my wedding gown. I hope you’re going to be my maid of honor. I’d like her to design a gown for you too.”

“I’d be thrilled,” Audrey said, and she meant it wholeheartedly. “So have you set a date yet?”

Hannah grimaced. “Not exactly. I want to keep it small, get married this fall, but Luke thinks it’s better to take our time.”

Audrey’s brows drew together. “Is he having second thoughts?”

“No.” Hannah rolled her eyes. “He says he wants to make sure it’s what I want, and he’s pushing for a long engagement.”

“I can’t blame him,” Audrey said softly. “He just wants what’s best for you.”

“I don’t know why he’s being so stubborn about it,” Hannah griped.

Audrey shot a look at Adalyn, who looked a little lost. She tipped her head toward Hannah. “She balked last time, so Luke is dragging his feet now,” she explained.

“I didn’t balk,” Hannah said with no small amount of disdain. “I just…”

Audrey barely held back a snort. “You freaked out and ended your relationship when he told you he wanted the two of you to move in together. Of course he wants to make sure he doesn’t screw up again.” She turned to Adalyn. “Right?”

Adalyn bit her lip. “I’m not sure I’m really the person you want to ask about relationship advice. I made a huge mess of things myself.”

“Between you and Jaxon?” Audrey asked.

“Yeah,” Adalyn breathed. “It’s not exactly common knowledge, but…” She glanced between Hannah and Audrey. “I’m sure I can trust both of you.”

“Of course.” They shared a look, then nodded, and Adalyn continued. “Jaxon and I haven’t exactly had a normal relationship,” she stated slowly. “We met at my cousin’s wedding in Vegas, then got to talking at the bar. Things got a little out of hand, and we… decided to get married.”

Audrey lifted her brows in surprise. Adalyn didn’t exactly strike her as the type of person to do something rash and impulsive. “Well, that’s one heck of a story to tell your grandkids.”

“Yeah, well there’s more.” Adalyn’s cheeks turned red, and she looked horribly contrite. “I woke up the next morning, then freaked out and told him I wanted a divorce. He was already heading back overseas when I realized that this little one was on the way.”

She ran one hand lovingly over the baby’s pale blonde hair, then dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “We hadn’t really taken the time to get to know each other, and I didn’t exactly have a way to reach him.”

All of a sudden, Audrey knew exactly where the story was going. “How did he find out?”

Adalyn bit her lip. “His tour ended just a couple months ago, and he ended up moving back. I emailed him a couple times while he was out of the country, but he never responded. Then he tracked me down one day and saw Jaclyn at the salon with me, and he just… knew.”

She gave a little shrug of her shoulders, and Audrey’s heart went out to her. Adalyn looked genuinely distraught, as if she truly regretted what had happened. Determined to stay positive for her, Audrey piped up.

“Well, it looks like everything worked out for you. That’s all that matters. Besides, I have friends in the military who missed the birth of their babies. There’s nothing to say he would’ve been able to make it back in time anyway.”