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Hadley wrapped her arm around Molly’s shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “I’m sorry, honey. You deserve so much better.”
Molly rested her head on her friend’s shoulder. “Thanks. I don’t love how it went down, but it all worked out for the best. And now it’s time to leave the past in the past and focus on the future.”
“Absolutely. Your perfect forever is out there.”
“For sure,” she agreed. Only, she had no intention of finding him.
The truth was, she didn’t trust herself. She’d come dangerously close to marrying a man she hadn’t loved because she’d been so blinded by matching scrubs that she couldn’t see the truth that’d been sitting in front of her the whole time. Who’s to say she wouldn’t do it again?
Nope. The only way to make sure she didn’t repeat that mistake was to take herself out of the game. From here on out, the biggest commitment she’d be making was as a non-date plus-one.
Hadley let go of her shoulders and picked up the abandoned tube of lipstick. “For the record, I’ve been at a wedding with Grant before. He’s an excellent dancer. There would’ve been no need to question his moves.” She leaned toward the mirror as she applied the lipstick.
“Is that so? You want me to get you his phone number? Because I happen to know he’s single,” Molly joked.
Hadley rolled her eyes. “Just remember that a non-date plus-one doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy yourself. Have fun.”
Molly grinned as excitement pulsed through her. Regardless of what she wanted to call it, she always loved spending time with Grant, no matter what they were doing. “I’m sure that can be arranged.”
Grant bounced on his toes as he stood under the porte cochere of Seashell Inn. There was so much anticipation in the air that the day seemed electric, and the one person he wanted to share it with was Molly. He’d been waiting for her all day, and now, according to her text, his wait was almost over. She was due to pull up any minute.
If he really stopped and thought about it, he’d been waiting for Molly his whole life. He’d seen great examples of beautiful couples, like his parents and his aunt and uncle, that defined what real love looked like. They laughed together, had fun together, conquered life’s problems together. They didn’t just stand side by side, they had each other’s backs. Always.
Of course he wanted that. Who didn’t? But after a few failed attempts, he’d been starting to wonder if maybe that kind of relationship didn’t exist for everyone. Maybe, like Mateo said, he was looking for a unicorn.
And then Molly had shown up.
She’d only been around for a couple of months, but she’d quickly become his first person. If he had good news, she was the first person he wanted to tell. If there was an adventure waiting, she was the first person he wanted to come with him. And if she was doing something great, he wanted to be the first person to cheer her on. He wasn’t ready to call that love. At least not yet. Love seemed much too big and much too scary. Maybe a better description would be allure. He’d even go so far as to say like. He liked Molly.
Her black SUV pulled into the drive, and a wide grin spread across his face. It seemed to be automatic anytime she stepped into the room lately, and he was powerless to do anything about it. He was going to have to come to grips with the fact that if Molly was around, he was one of those guys who had a big, permanent goofy grin.
The valet walked to the driver side and opened her door. They traded spots, and Grant waited for the car to move out of the way to be able to see her. After what seemed like forever, the valet shifted the SUV into gear and slowly pulled forward, like the big reveal on one of those home-makeover shows, until he could finally see Molly standing on the other side.
He’d heard of people being described as breathtaking before, but never had he had his breath taken away by someone until now.
She was stunning.
He didn’t know anything about hairstyles, but he knew the way hers was pulled up showed off her sparkling sapphire eyes. And he couldn’t tell you the style of her dress, but he could tell you it was the same color as the deep ocean and the long skirt billowed in the coastal breeze like a wispy cloud on a clear summer day. It was as if he was looking at a vision from a dream, and a powerful, all-consuming feeling swirled inside him.
“Wow.” He was aware it was a clichéd response, but uttering it was a completely involuntary reaction. He hadn’t realized, probably because it’d never happened before, that being rendered breathless also left you speechless.
Molly grinned as she crossed the driveway toward him. “Wow, yourself. You clean up nicely.”
He glanced down at his tux. “I was going to wear shorts, but since they were all dirty, I figured this would have to do.” He shrugged. “Guess I need to stay on top of the laundry situation.”
She laughed. He loved her laugh. It was as if joy had become tangible, and he found himself wanting to be the one who made her laugh more often.
“You look gorgeous, by the way.”
Pink tinged her cheeks, but she still held his gaze. “Thanks.”
“Also, before we head in there, I have some news to tell you.”
“What?”
“I got the job.”
Molly’s eyes widened with delight. “You did?”
