“She’s always been great with kids,” Ember reminded her. “You know, Eva and I had our first dance in this barn.”
“What?” Hailey’s eyes returned to Ember.
“Yeah, it was pretty amazing. I think tomorrow’s first dance as a married couple might beat it, but it will be close.”
“I saw the tree house. It’s amazing, Em.”
“It was Charlie’s idea,” Ember said.
“What? She said you came up with it.”
“I told her about how we had our first kiss there, how Eva used to spend a lot of time up there, but Charlie actually gave me the idea to fix it up. She helped me draw up the stuff I had to do on my own, and then she was helping me finish it since we got here. Don’t tell Eva, though. I want her to think it was all my idea.” She winked at Hailey.
Hailey laughed and watched Ember walk over to dance with her father, who she’d gotten close to since Eva entered her life. She saw Charlie whisper something into the ear of one of the boys. He ran over, looking adorable in his little bowtie and suspenders.
“Would you like to dance?” He asked her and held out his hand.
Hailey nodded, gave him a smile, and accompanied him to the dance floor.
◆◆◆
Charlie found Hailey outside the barn. She’d noticed her missing a few minutes before, and after a quick glance outside, she saw her around the back. She was lit by the light of the barn emanating down from the loft inside. Hailey had worn a beautiful yellow dress for the occasion, along with that same pair of white strappy sandals Charlie had seen her wear at the party. Her hair was pulled back into a braid but had loosened throughout the night. Charlie found that she liked the imperfections even more than the perfections she found in Hailey Grant.
“Hey, what are you doing out here?”
“You brought my cereal,” Hailey said without turning around.
“Yeah, I set it out for you this morning,” Charlie stated. “I figured you’d forget it.” Charlie stood beside her. “You brought me a night light.”
“I thought it might be rude to leave the hall light on in Eva’s family home.” Hailey turned to face her.
Charlie heard the music still playing softly inside even though nearly everyone had left. Ember and Eva were still around as was Anna and her husband. Hannah and Alyssa had gone back to the house. A few more stragglers had been leaving every couple of minutes, but still, the music played.
“Hails, do you, maybe, want to dance with me?” Charlie let out the breath she’d been holding in and awaited Hailey’s reply.
“Sure.” Hailey gave her a small smile.
Charlie placed her hands on Hailey’s hips and held them there for a moment while connecting with green eyes. Hailey placed her own on Charlie’s shoulders and then wrapped them solidly around Charlie’s neck. Charlie slid her arms around Hailey’s waist and pulled her into her. They hadn’t been this close since that day in Charlie’s kitchen. Holding Hailey like this made her feel like her world was back in balance.
◆◆◆
Hailey gripped her hands tightly around Charlie’s neck. She was fidgeting with her fingers and staring at the ground around their feet as they began to sway. Charlie’s hands ran slowly up her back and pulled her just slightly closer. Hailey calmed and rested her head on Charlie’s shoulder, relaxing her hands.
“I missed you,” she said after a moment.
“I missed you too.”
“Hey, I-” Ember started. “Shit. Sorry.”
Hailey and Charlie pulled apart slowly.
“What’s up, Em?” Charlie asked.
“I just wanted to let you know that Eva’s parents are being really old-school about this thing. They don’t think we should sleep in the same room tonight.”
“Oh.”
“So, I’m going to bunk with one of you and Eva will be with the other. Is that okay? I wouldn’t actually do this, but I think her mom might check in the middle of the night, and I kind of fear her.”
“It’s fine, Em,” Charlie told her.
“I’ll pull out the other air mattress, and we’ll flip a coin to see who gets it, Hails.”
“So, you’re bunking with me then?” Hailey checked.
“Yeah, Eva doesn’t mind the light. I’m not a fan. Sorry, Charlie.” She pointed at both of them. “And sorry for… yeah. Oh, and we’re heading out in like two minutes. So, get to the van if you don’t want to walk,” she called out without turning back around.
“Well, I guess we should go then,” Charlie suggested.
“Yeah, I guess.”
◆◆◆
Hailey slept on the air mattress again, leaving the bed to Ember, because it was the night before her wedding. Sleep was hard to come by though, because she kept thinking about how good it felt to be in Charlie’s arms, to feel her pressed against her, and then what it felt like to have it taken away so quickly.
When she woke up the next morning after getting a couple of hours, Ember was already up and on the move. Hailey went over to Eva’s room to check on her and see if she needed anything, while Ember was in the shower. Eva wasn’t there though. Charlie was. She was standing in front of a floor-length mirror holding up Eva’s dress as if she wanted to see how it looked. Hailey caught the whole thing through a crack in the door and swallowed hard.
“Hails, can you grab my stuff in there for me?” Ember asked, leaving the bathroom and heading back into the guest room where she would be getting ready.
“Yeah,” Hailey returned and then opened the door to see Charlie hanging the dress up on the closet door.
“Morning,” Charlie greeted.
“Hey, Ember’s going to get ready in that room.”
“Okay. I’ll hop in the shower and then head in if that’s okay.”
“Sure.”
Hailey gathered up Ember’s things, including her dress, since she wasn’t allowed to see Eva’s dress, or even Eva herself today, and carried everything back to the guest room. Hailey and Charlie spent the day with Ember, helping her get ready alongside Francine, Ember’s mom. Eva was being taken care of by Hannah, Alyssa and her own mother, while Anna floated between the two rooms trying to make sure everything was perfect. After makeup and hair was done for all of them, Hailey watched as Charlie began to change into her dress. She didn’t mean to, but she couldn’t avert her eyes. Ember’s mom had left the room to go get ready. It was just the three of them. Ember was focused on putting on her jewelry. Hailey was looking into a mirror, pretending to apply more lip gloss, while Charlie stood over by the closet, sliding out of the sweats she’d worn all day and revealing white underwear beneath. She pulled her t-shirt over her head, showing off an equally white bra. The dresses Ember and Eva had chosen for the bridesmaids were navy blue. Hannah and Alyssa would be wearing the same color to support the symmetrical theme. Ember’s dress had a navy-blue sash around the waist that matched, and Eva’s accent was a one-inch wide ribbon at the top of her strapless dress that wrapped around the back and tied into a neat bow.
Hailey watched as Charlie pulled the dress up her legs and then over her torso. She slid the straps over her shoulders and then turned to the mirror to see how it looked, while Hailey turned her eyes away. Her heart was going crazy, and she knew her breath was coming in short bursts.
“Can you help me?” Charlie stood next to her and turned around, facing away from Hailey.
Hailey saw the zipper and the skin of Charlie’s back under it. She wanted to reach out and touch her. She wanted to wrap her arms around her, but now wasn’t the time. Instead, she pulled the zipper up slowly and allowed Charlie to walk away.
Hailey needed some space and some air. She headed downstairs and into the kitchen. She grabbed a glass of water. She practically chugged the whole thing and then stared at the box of cereal on the counter. It was something so stupid, so silly, but she sat the glass down and stared. Her eyes got big, and she thought back to her last argument with Charlie about Hailey not being able to live up
to Charlie’s expectations or fantasies. Then, she thought about the cereal, and it made sense. She thought about the wedding dress she’d seen Charlie holding against her body earlier, and it made sense. She’d been so confused this whole time. She’d thought Emma was the one for her, only to realize she couldn’t be the one, because neither of them was who they used to be. And then she thought she could be with Charlie, but she’d gotten scared, because Charlie had been in this for far longer; but things were clear now. She had finally achieved the clarity she’d been trying to find forever.
◆◆◆
Charlie stood just outside the barn and tried not to look at Hailey, who looked perfect in the bridesmaid’s dress Ember had picked out. The guests were already inside. The music had started playing softly. Anna motioned for Hailey and Alyssa to walk first, and a few seconds later, Charlie and Hannah followed them down the aisle. Charlie made it toward the front just in time for Hailey to turn around and catch her eye. Charlie smiled at her and then took her spot next to her.
A few moments later, she watched her best friend, Ember, and the love of her life walk down the aisle together with their fathers at their sides. They were all smiles. Charlie listened as the reverend began the ceremony. She stared at Ember’s back and Eva’s smiling face while they stood facing one another hand in hand. It was a beautiful ceremony. Anna had made the barn look rustic, yet classic at the same time, although Charlie doubted Ember and Eva cared at all about the décor. They likely wouldn’t remember the details of the accents in the flowers or hanging along the rows of chairs. They probably wouldn’t remember that the wind from outside blew open a shutter in the loft and caused a slight knocking sound in the middle of the vows. Charlie knew though that they would remember the color of each other’s eyes, the happy tears that streaked down their cheeks, and the feel of sliding a ring on a shaking finger.
Charlie felt something too and looked down to see that Hailey’s hand was behind her, reaching for Charlie. She looked out at the guests, but their eyes were rightfully on the brides, so Charlie took a step closer to her and placed her hand into Hailey’s. She felt Hailey’s hand tighten around her own, and then, she laced their fingers together. Charlie wondered if her hand was shaking, and if it was, if Hailey could tell. They stayed that way until the reverend gave permission for the new wives to share their first kiss as a married couple. Only then did Charlie pull her hand back to applaud. She followed Hailey back down the aisle and outside, where everyone took turns hugging the two newlyweds.
“Picture time.” Anna began pushing them over to the side yard before anyone could really say anything more than congratulations.
They took probably over a thousand pictures in every configuration; some with the wedding party, some with just Ember’s side and some with just Eva’s. Then, there were the family pictures and then just some of the two of them, while Anna took her pictures as a part of Eva’s family first and then returned to the barn to help the small staff they’d hired move the chairs around and replace them with tables. There were caterers also setting up a buffet line as the pictures went on.
“Hey, Charlie.” Hailey and Charlie stood off to the side by Hannah and Alyssa, while Ember and Eva took the final pictures.
“Yeah?”
“I know it’s technically half over already, but…” She faded. Charlie turned to face her with a quizzical look. “Will you be my date at this wedding?”
CHAPTER 23
“Will you be my date at this wedding?” Hailey asked her.
“What?” Charlie questioned after a moment of trying to make sure she’d heard Hailey correctly.
“At the reception, technically,” Hailey added. “And I don’t mean my friend date. I mean my actual date.”
“Hailey, we-”
“We’ve been trying to ignore one another. I hate it, Charlie. I hate it,” she said.
“You two. Let’s get one just of the two of you with Ember, and we should be good.” The photographer pointed at them.
“Please.” Hailey shrugged.
“Yeah, okay,” Charlie agreed and smiled.
They were ushered over next to Ember, who was glowing. They stood on either side of her, and after a few more clicks of the camera, they were dismissed to join the party with Hannah and Alyssa. Ember and Eva would make a grand entrance in a few minutes. As much as Charlie wanted to just be alone with Hailey right now, she had obligations as co-maid-of-honor to fulfill. She did make sure to stick close by Hailey, though, whenever she could. While they weren’t exactly alone and couldn’t share too much, there was a new ease with Hailey that Charlie could feel, and it felt great. When they stood in line for food, Hailey pressed a hand to the small of Charlie’s back to usher her along. When they sat at the table to eat, Hailey’s hand went to her thigh and rested there like it was meant for that very spot all along. Charlie found herself staring at it for a while before she placed her own hand on top of it and linked their fingers under the table. They carried on conversations with everyone at the reception and occasionally said a few words to one another, but the touches between them were enough to sustain Charlie until they could really talk later. When the dancing started, Charlie caught Hailey’s eyes watching Ember and Eva sway to the music. They both looked beautiful, but Charlie was staring at the new gleam in Hailey’s eyes and wondering what exactly had brought it on.
“Dance with me?” Hailey turned and caught her staring.
“Okay,” Charlie said without thought.
Hailey pulled her up and onto the dance floor that was now crowded with couples. Hailey’s arms went around her waist this time and pulled Charlie tightly into her. She felt Charlie’s stiffness at the new touch and lifted Charlie’s arms around her own neck before placing her hands back where they were.
“It’s okay,” she whispered into Charlie’s ear. “I promise.” She kissed her just below that ear, and then placed one hand on the back of Charlie’s head, encouraging her to rest it against her shoulder, which she did. Hailey kept her hand there, grazing her fingers over Charlie’s short hair and neck, and then, cupping the back of her neck tightly as if to tell Charlie to stay there before she slid her hand back down to meet her other one. The song carried on, with them remaining in that position until well after it finished and the next song began. They returned to their table and rejoined conversations. Ember gave them both a lifted eyebrow and a smile, but her attention was diverted to Eva who placed her hand on her shoulder and asked for another dance.
◆◆◆
It was several hours later when nearly all the guests had gone. Ember had taken Eva off to enjoy their night in the tree house. Charlie was looking forward to hearing Eva’s thoughts on it tomorrow when they drove back. Hannah and Alyssa had just left, and the hired staff was cleaning up the remnants of a great party. When Charlie saw Anna calling it a night and paying the two staff members that were still there, she realized that she and Hailey were relatively alone in the barn. It was after one in the morning. Hailey said goodnight to a woman Charlie hadn’t gotten around to meeting, and then turned around to see Charlie standing near the table, grabbing the sweater she’d brought, but hadn’t needed.
“You ready?” Hailey asked her.
“Yeah,” Charlie said, and they headed out toward the long driveway, where Ember had left them the van to drive back.
“I’m driving. I don’t trust you with this thing,” Hailey teased and took the keys from Charlie’s hand.
“No argument here.” Charlie climbed in beside her.
The drive was short, and they pulled into a spot right in front of the house.
“Have you explored this place yet?” Hailey asked while leaning back in the driver’s seat.
“Not really. I spent most of my time in the house or helping Ember with the tree house. Why?” Charlie asked.
“I did,” Hailey began. “Yesterday, I walked around. And, apparently, about twenty years ago, they had this family that needed work and a place to live. They let them s
tay in the caretaker house a couple of acres away from the main house, and the family helped with the farm.”
“Okay. Where are you going with this, Hails?”
“It’s been empty for a while now,” Hailey told her. “I checked with Ember tonight, and she said that if we wanted to stay out there tonight, we could.”
Charlie watched Hailey swallow hard with nervousness.
“You want to stay out there?”
“I do, yeah.” Hailey turned to her. “I asked Hannah for a little help earlier too. It’s one of the reasons she and Alyssa left so early. Will you come with me?”
“Okay,” Charlie agreed with a gulp of her own. “Should we get our stuff?” She nodded toward the house.
“It’s already there,” Hailey said.
She opened her door and then walked around to the other side of the van to open Charlie’s for her, because Charlie had yet to do it herself. Charlie climbed out and closed the door behind her. Hailey took her hand immediately and then began walking them around the side of the house and around the back, where the driveway got thinner but continued along the property. As they passed the tree house, they both looked up at the sound of laughter and the sight of muted light in the room. They laughed before looking away to give Eva and Ember their privacy.
“Eva’s parents decided not to stay here tonight. Did you know that?” Charlie asked her after several moments of silent steps.
“No. They’re not there?” Hailey turned her head around as if expecting to see Eva’s parents there.
“No, they stayed at the farm we were on, with Anna and her husband. I guess they didn’t want to be in the house while their daughter was getting defiled by Ember.”
“Pretty sure Eva was defiled a long time ago.” Hailey laughed alongside her.
“True, but would you want to hear someone having sex with your kid right outside your window?” Charlie asked.
Just Tell Her Page 26
