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Noah smiles and reluctantly releases her hands which is when he turns on me.
We stand in a silent stare off for what feels like the longest moment and all I can think about is how much I’ve missed my best friend. I’ll never admit it to him, but he’s been my rock since the day I met him at just eleven years old. He was there for me without even knowing and opened his world to me, and because of that, I was able to see what being part of a family truly meant. I was able to feel love for the first time, acceptance, and happiness.
Everything positive in my life has come because of Noah, and I owe him more than he could ever know, so whatever he needs right now to make himself feel better, I’m prepared to give even if it means one hell of a beating.
He makes his move and my whole body tenses in preparation, only the hand that I expect to come flying towards my face never quite makes it. It detours and comes around my back until Noah’s arms are around me, clapping my back with pride. “It’s so fucking good to see you, man.”
Joy like I’ve never known tears through me and my arms fly up around him, pulling him in tight as he welcomes me home. My hand comes down on his back just as he does the same to mine. “I’ve missed you, brother.”
“You know,” Noah says, pulling back and looking at me with his heart on his sleeve. “It wouldn’t be right if you weren’t standing up there beside me today. What do you say? Will you be my best man?”
I can’t stop the grin that tears across my face. “I thought you’d never fucking ask.”
Henley steps into our sides, taking both our hands as she looks up at us with pride. “Well, now that your cycles are back in sync, can we go and get married?”
“Do I even want to know what that means?”
“Trust me, you don’t,” Noah grins before looking down at his bride. He pauses a moment and that love-sick, starry-eyed look comes over him once again. He reaches around her and slowly sets the vale back over her face. “Yeah,” he murmurs. “Let’s make you my wife.”
Chapter 2
Tully
I choked.
Four long years. 1,567 days to be exact, which adds up to four years, three months and fifteen days, but who’s counting?
I still can’t believe it. Every day for the past 1,567 days I’ve thought of what I would say to Rivers if he was to ever show up on my doorstep. I was going to give him a piece of my mind and I was going to make it count. I was going to let him know exactly what kind of hell he has put me through and I was going to put him right in his place. The way he hurt me, the way I suffered, it’s something I’m never going to forget and he was going to know it. I’ve pictured making him hurt just as he did to me, but when it came down to it; I choked.
Four long years of waiting for him and I choked.
Fuck. What the hell is wrong with me?
Why did I allow him to affect me like that? I stood there like a fool, gaping at the man before me, wondering why I was struggling to breathe. My heart took off at inhuman speeds to the point where I was terrified it was about to beat right out of my chest.
I had to get out of there, and like the little bitch that I am, I ran.
I should have stayed and laid his ass out just like he deserves. I mean, four fucking years of nothing? Not one letter. Not one text. No phone calls? I thought I meant more than that. I thought that we shared something special that was worth fighting for and I know that he had his demons, but I always figured he’d work through them and come around.
How wrong was I? I got nothing for four fucking years.
And now this? How could he just show up like that without any warning? If he intended to destroy me, then he’s doing a pretty good job so far. I don’t know how much more of that I could handle. I wonder how long he’s staying or if he’s staying at all. Maybe he was just here to say congratulations and then left straight away. Maybe I just screwed up my one and only chance to let him know what he did to me.
If that’s true and he is gone…shit. I don’t even want to think about that.
What am I going to do? I’m a fucking mess.
Out of all the days for this to happen, why did he have to come back today? My brother is marrying my best friend and it’s supposed to be one of the happiest days of my life. Yet here I am, sitting in my car willing myself to hold it together as I stare out at all the people gathered here at the Haven Falls parklands where an incredible wedding ceremony has been set up.
