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“Letting you leave for New York without telling you how I really felt.”
And in that moment, I fall a little more.
19
MCKENNA
The bakery is a cute little place with an assortment of delicious things on display. I want to try them all. A girl behind the counter with pink hair greets us as soon as we enter, asking if there is anything she can help us with. When I tell her who we are and that we have an appointment for our cake tasting, she directs us to a table and tell us she will go get the owner. I thank her before Parker and I sit down.
“This place is adorable.” I remark, looking around at all the different décor.
Parker smiles and nods. “Tatum chooses the best of everything, I’ve noticed.”
“Yeah. She’s really good at her job.”
The owner comes out and introduces herself. Her name is Elizabeth. She’s an older lady, probably mid sixties, with short black hair. You can tell by the way she talks about her cakes, that she loves what she does.
“You two are a beautiful couple.” She compliments.
Parker thanks her while I smile down at my lap. His arm goes around my shoulder and I swallow down the lump in my throat. Would he still be like this if he knew about all the time I’ve been spending with Colton lately? Who am I kidding? He wouldn’t even be here if he knew.
Elizabeth goes to retrieve the samples from the back. Once she’s gone, Parker leans over and kisses my cheek. “I feel like this is one of the few things we’ve done for our own wedding.”
I shrug. “That’s what happens when you hire a wedding planner. They do it all for you. It’s what we’re paying her for.”
“Well, I still want to be the one to pick out your wedding band.”
As I think about how quickly the summer is starting to go by, I can’t help but feel uneasy. I’m supposed to be using this time with Colton to figure out what I want, but if anything, it’s only confused me more. On the one hand, Parker is amazing. He’s everything I always knew I should want. On the other, Colton was the first person to hold my heart in his hands and I’m not sure I ever got it back.
“Okay.” Elizabeth returns, placing two plates in front of Parker and I. The tiny cakes on each one make my mouth water. “We’re going to go one at a time and I’ll write down your thoughts and a score from 1 to 10. Don’t be afraid of offending me. Everyone has their likes and dislikes.”
The first piece we try is a white cake with a hazelnut filling. I let the taste settle in my mouth, really thinking over how I feel about it. The cake itself is perfectly moist, but I’m not sure many people like hazelnut. Overall, I rate this one a six. I’m sure it won’t be my favorite, but I can’t bring myself to give it a lower score.
The second is a red velvet cake with a sweet cream cheese filling. It’s absolutely mouthwatering and if it were for something less formal, I would probably go with this one. However, my mother has always insisted there is something taboo about a dark wedding cake. And trust me, this wedding has enough bad karma already.
By the third piece, my phone vibrates in my pocket. I discreetly slip it out to find a new text.
Colton: Can you sneak away for a bit? I miss you.
I smile around my fork and type my response.
McKenna: I miss you too, but I’m stuck at a bakery for at least the next hour and a half. ??
Within seconds, my phone starts to go wild with incoming texts. My brows furrow as they come in faster than I can read.
Colton: Wow.
Colton: You’re at the cake tasting?
Colton: With him?
Colton: So, what am I? Just someone you’re filling your time with while you wait for your wedding day?
Colton: I can’t even believe I’m surprised. Of course you’re still planning on marrying him.
Colton: Forget it. Have a GREAT time, McKenna.
Okay, so maybe his reaction isn’t a total surprise. If the situation was reversed, I’d probably be even angrier than he is. But, at the same time, I told him I wasn’t going to leave Parker right away. Sure, maybe I don’t need to continue planning a wedding that might not even happen, but if I put a pause on things, he’ll know something is up. It’s better to just go along with it and make up my mind before the end of September.
