Page 37 of Our Chaotic Love Affair

She’d set a boundary. Maybe the first one she’d set in a long time, based on everything I’d come to understand about her. And I would honor that even if it sucked. It was the only thing to do.

I changed, got into bed, and lay in the dark for a while. Sleep came eventually. It wasn’t particularly restful.

In the morning, the house was alive and busy. I quickly dressed and headed downstairs. Kent had their car pulled around before most of us had finished coffee. I helped Sylvie carry down two bags while Kent navigated the elaborate process of loading an infant’s worth of equipment into a vehicle that probably should have been a bus, given what they brought along.

I stood in the driveway with my coffee and watched him install the car seat. He only cursed a few times.

“It’s a four-point harness,” he said, without looking up. “There’s a specific sequence.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything.”

“You were thinking loudly about it.”

Across the drive, Cleo had her camera up. Melody was on the front steps posing in the morning light. Cleo was moving around her, crouching slightly and shifting angles.

I watched her and felt that same thing I’d felt on the beach the first evening. That protective pull that I still didn’t have a satisfying explanation for. She was so good at making other people visible. So focused on preserving everyone else’s moments.

Who was doing that for her?

I knew Melody wasn’t taking advantage. That wasn’t what this was. Melody loved Cleo, relied on her, and thought the world of her. But love didn’t automatically make a person notice when someone was running on empty. And nothing would change in Cleo’s life unless Cleo decided to change it. I hoped Rome might be part of that decision.

Finn appeared with his bag, said his goodbyes, and left with zero fanfare. Just breezed in and out without a care in the world. And then they were gone, and it was just the four of us. The house felt different with the headcount reduced.

“Come inside,” Melody said. “I have a surprise for you, Cleo.”

We followed her into the living room. There was a box wrapped with pretty paper and prettier ribbon sitting on the coffee table.

“What’s that?” Cleo asked.

“Open it and find out,” Melody said.

Cleo sat on the edge of the couch and opened it. Inside was a collection of things I couldn’t fully see from where I stood. She picked up the letter on the top.

I watched her read it. I’d spent the whole weekend paying attention to her face. It seemed to be a good letter.

Cleo got to her feet and hugged Melody. The women started blubbering and speaking a language I didn’t understand.

“Maid of honor,” Austin said. “Melody wanted to do a big ask.”

The girls separated, and Melody immediately shifted into planning mode, a gear she’d apparently been saving for this precise moment. She had a list. Multiple lists, from the sound of it. Venues, vendors, timelines, appointments already made.

“Our first dress appointment is in three days,” she told Cleo. “I already called ahead.”

Something went still in me. That was the day we were supposed to be on a plane. I caught Cleo’s eye across the room.

“Excuse us for a second,” I said.

Cleo followed me into the foyer. We stood near the base of the stairs, far enough from the living room that our voices wouldn’t carry.

“Tell her,” I said quietly. “Tell her about the trip. She’ll understand. You could shift the appointment or go a day earlier.”

“I’m not going.” Her voice was gentle but final. “I’m not going to miss this, Cash. She just asked me to be her maid of honor.” She smiled and patted my arm. “This is exactly what I’m supposed to be doing right now.”

“You could do both.”

“I could.” She looked at me steadily. “But I don’t want to. I want to be here for this.”

I tried to find the angle where she was making the wrong call. I couldn’t find it. Because she wasn’t wrong. This was Melody’s wedding, and Cleo was her person, and no business trip to Rome was worth more than that.