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“I personally like option two. The chandelier in the ballroom is gorgeous.” Tatum voices her opinion.
“Yeah, gorgeous.”
Her eyes narrow from across the table, but I’m not really paying attention enough to notice. “And the bright purple walls really made the room pop don’t you think?”
“Definitely. Great color.”
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The next thing I know, a flying mozzarella stick hits me smack in the forehead. It shakes me from of my dazed state and I find Tatum giving me a knowing look with her eyebrows raised.
“What was what for?!” I balk.
“There wasn’t a single place we went today with purple walls, Mac.” I open and close my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. I’m busted. “You’ve been out of it all day. What’s up with you?”
“Nothing. It’s nothing. I’m just in my own head.”
“Does this have anything to do with me finding you and Colton in the kitchen this morning?”
“No.”
“McKenna.” She says my name like a warning.
“Okay, yes.” I groan, rubbing my hands over my face.
“I knew it! Spill.”
Taking a sip of water, I try to figure out how to even put this morning into words. “I went to grab the coffee pot and didn’t realize it was basically on fire. Why the hell does your coffee pot get so damn hot?!”
“It’s broken.” She waves me off dismissively. “Not the point. What happened with Colton?”
“Well, I almost burned my hand and in the process of pulling away, I slipped and ended up in his arms.” I stop to take a breath but I can tell she’s waiting for me to continue. “Neither of us moved for a couple minutes and I started to remember how things used to be between us. I can’t explain it and I sure as hell can’t get it out of my head.”
Letting out a long sigh, she runs her fingers through her hair. “Do you need me to tell you all the reasons this is a horrible idea?”
“I don’t know what idea you’re referring to.”
“Don’t play coy with me. It’s not cute.” I pout but she doesn’t let me say anything before she’s speaking again. “You and Colton ended horribly. Do you remember that? Because I remember you showing up at my door at one in the morning. You were a mess - sobbing so hard I thought you were going to have brain damage from lack of oxygen.”
The memory of that night is all too clear. After Colton had left, I was a wreck. I wanted to run to Ivy but she had already left earlier that day for college; a one semester stunt she did at Pepperdine University before deciding she couldn’t handle being so far away. Thankfully, Tatum was home. I spent most of the night soaking her lap with my tears.
“Trust me, I remember.”
“Do you? Because I’m not sure you do. If you did, you wouldn’t entertain the thought of you and him for a single second - not when you have someone like Parker wanting to spend the rest of his life with you.”
The mention of my fiancé is like being doused with a bucket of ice water. What kind of horrible person am I? I’m supposed to be planning my wedding, the day Parker and I vow to spend forever together, and here I am, hung up on an ex. Hell, I don’t even know if I could call him an ex. He was never my boyfriend to begin with.
“I’m such a bitch.”
She snorts but shrugs her shoulders. “I mean, I won’t tell you you’re wrong. You have a great guy who only wants to give you the world. I really don’t want to see you mess that up for someone who treated you like a summer fling and tossed you away when it was over.”
I won’t lie, the way she describes what Colton and I had together burns, but I think that was her intention. Tatum has always been the kind of person who tells it like it is. It’s something I admire about her. Besides, she has a point. Colton shattered me into pieces, and Parker managed to at least somewhat put me back together without even realizing he was doing it.
“You’re right. I’d be an idiot to let myself get wrapped up in all things Colton Brooks again. I have Parker and our wedding coming up.” Taking another sip of my water, I nod with a newfound determination. “Him and I will just have to stay away from each other.”
I WAKE IN THE morning to my alarm blaring into my ear. I slam my hand down on the snooze button and groan tiredly. When I roll over, I’m happy to find Parker asleep next to me. He had gotten tied up in Boston with something and didn’t end up getting home until after I was asleep. I smile as I see his eyes flutter open and lean over to kiss his cheek.
“Mmm. Good morning.” He greets me.
