by Lucy Gage
Dan looked like the happiest man alive. Tears filled his eyes as he looked at his bride, who had taken her place by his side. Emily fixed Charlie's train again and her sister handed her the bridal bouquet, heavy with cream-colored English roses and hydrangea.
As she stepped back into her position, Emily's eyes darted back to where she thought she had seen Rob. When he wasn't there, she took a breath to steady the tears that sprang instantly at the memory of a love as overwhelming as what she saw between Charlie and Dan. At least everyone would think her emotional display was about the bride and groom. She tried to smile, but it was a struggle. Em was genuinely happy for her sister, but it was painful to be reminded so acutely of what she had lost.
When she attempted to look away from the happy couple for a moment to compose herself, she found Josh staring at her with the oddest expression. She had no idea what he was thinking, whether it was about the fact that this could have been them or something else. Emily couldn't maintain his gaze – the guilt was too oppressive – so she looked back at the bride and groom as they exchanged vows, and she forced a smile.
Though the wedding ceremony was beautiful and mercifully short, it felt like it took ages as all those emotions swirled inside Emily's head. She was thankful when the minister announced the happy couple and they made their way down the aisle. Taking her place next in line beside Dan's brother, Peter, she linked arms with her escort. Em maintained her smile as she walked down the aisle and paused for a photo when the professional photographer stepped in front of them.
Soon, they arrived at the end of the aisle, at the pew where she had thought she saw Rob. To her surprise, when she looked to her right, he was there. As always, he read her so well and she knew by his half-smile that he noted the astonishment on her face. Before she could do anything about it, Peter guided her outside and around the back of the chapel.
Charlie had opted against a receiving line in favor of greeting her guests at their tables during the reception. Em knew she would be required to pose for photos while the guests had the cocktail hour in the tent that was set up between the hotel and the chapel. She wanted desperately to find Rob, to speak to him, and was determined to make her way back into the chapel so that she could catch him before he went to the reception.
Em turned back in the direction from whence she came, and ran smack into the chest of a man who wore a charcoal colored suit and a tie that matched the soft yellow of her dress. Emily teetered in her heels and strong arms grabbed her shoulders to steady her. She lifted her eyes and there was Rob. He looked at her with his huge grin, and her insides instantly turned to mush.
She swallowed hard, muttering a barely-audible, “Hi.”
Em stared at Rob, not quite sure if she was seeing things. She patted his chest and he huffed a little laugh.
“You're real.”
“I am. Did you think I wasn't?” he asked, though he surely read the answer in her expression. He still grinned at her.
She shrugged and lifted her hands to indicate it was true.
“What are you doing here?” Emily asked. She didn't want to sound ungrateful, but she was truly flabbergasted that Rob was standing in front of her right now.
She had wished for months that Rob would appear, that she hadn't run scared from him in L.A., that she could go back and start over, do it right this time. And here he stood at Charlie's wedding. She thought she'd hallucinated when she saw him at the back of the chapel, had just wanted that random guest to be him, but he was really here.
“I couldn't let you do this alone. I knew you wouldn't bring a date because you would try to spare his feelings, and that meant you'd be alone when you were blindsided by Annie and Josh's announcement.” His hands still rested on her shoulders and he gently rubbed her arms. She had missed his touch, how it seared her skin.
“What are you talking about?” Emily was confused and a little disoriented by Rob's presence. “Why would Annie and Josh have an announcement?”
Rob shook his head, closed his eyes and tipped his chin to the sky. Then he sighed, swiped his hands over his face, clasped them under his chin and spread apart his legs in a stance that said he was bracing himself. He looked at Emily.
“So you don't know yet?”
“What am I supposed to know?” What was he getting at? Sure, it was a little weird that Josh was at the wedding, but so was his whole family. She had known that they'd all still attend. Their families were friends and that wasn't going to change just because Emily and Josh broke up or because of the fallout from her 'fling' with Rob, as her mother called it. She'd been told as much by both her mother and Charlie months ago.
“I can't believe they haven't told you. I can see why they waited to tell everyone else, but they owe you the courtesy to give you a heads up, at least.”
Emily started to freak a little. What could possibly be so important that Rob would come all the way to Maine and crash her sister's wedding? Was Josh sick? Had Annie been taking care of him? She was an oncology nurse...
“Does Josh have cancer? Has Annie been keeping that from me?”
“Canc...what? No. I mean, I don't think he has cancer, no.” Rob made a noise of disbelief, somewhere between a laugh and a snort. “That might be better, actually.”
“How could it be better if Josh had cancer, Rob? I mean, I don't love him anymore and I don't want to get back together with him, but I also want him to have a good life. I'm the one who effectively cheated on him, remember? If it's not that, then what is it?” Emily got impatient.
“They're engaged.”
Emily blinked. Did she hear him correctly? “Did you say engaged? Are you talking about Annie and Josh? My sister and my ex-boyfriend of five years?”
“Yes.”
“They aren't even dating. And how could you possibly know that if I don't?”
Rob explained that Jenna had been doing her daily search when she saw a small story with a headline, Deac Roberts' ex goes back to her former flame, gets engaged. She was astonished to see a picture of Emily in Star. She dug into the story a bit and it turned out that it wasn't a picture of Emily, but of her sister, Annie. And Josh. And, yes, they were getting engaged. The photographer on the story had thought it was Emily when he took the pictures and realized later that it wasn't. His editor ran with the story anyway.
“Jenna told me that they were going to print the story about Annie and Josh despite her request to the contrary. You might not be the one who got engaged, but the tabloids thrive on stories about betrayal and they told Jenna they'd run it today. She made an anonymous call to Annie to warn her. We hoped you'd get the news from your sister and not from a paparazzi who will surely show up in the next day or two for your reaction. I take it Annie didn't mention any of this?”
“No.” She said it so quietly, she wasn't sure if she even said it aloud. She didn't love Josh anymore, hadn't for a while, but how was it that he and Annie had dated and she didn't know it? Who else knew?
“Why didn't you tell me this before?”
“I found out yesterday afternoon, Em. Jenna told me as soon as she knew what was going to happen. I took the first available flight to Bangor so I could be here for you. I figured Annie would've told you last night or at least before the wedding.”
“Why didn't you just call me?” That seemed a more reasonable option than to fly across the country and crash a wedding where he knew he was unwelcome.
“Well, I tried, but your cell is off. I hoped to catch you yesterday and ask if you wanted me to come here for support. And then you never answered and I just...I wanted to be here...for you. It took all night to get here and I couldn't call you at 4 a.m. from Chicago. I raced here as soon as I landed in Bangor and probably broke a few laws on the way. I tried your cell again, but it's still off.”
Em sighed. “I lost it four days ago. I just got my replacement this morning. That's what your message was about, right? I got it earlier.” She fought tears but they came anyway.
He nodded.
“Hey,” Rob said. He scooped her into his embrace. “I'm sorry I was the one to tell you. So they haven't said anything to you or to anyone else?”
“Well, I can't speak for anyone else,” Emily said into his shoulder, sniffling, “but obviously, they haven't said a word to me. I feel like an idiot.”
“You're not an idiot. Why would you ever think your sister would go behind your back and date your ex?” He pulled her closer and rubbed her back. After a minute, he leaned back and looked at her with a question on his face. Before she could ask him what it was, Annie appeared around the corner.
“Sorry to interrupt, but they want you over at the gazebo for pictures, Em. I was sent to look for you.”
Emily wanted to yell at Annie and ask if it was true, but this was Charlie's day, and she wouldn't ruin it. She'd speak her mind to Annie later, after the wedding stuff was done and she had time to clear her head a bit. Instead, she did what she had to do to push through it.
“Give me a couple minutes to fix my makeup.”
“Okay, sure.” Annie nodded, backed up and nearly tripped. “I'll tell them you'll be right there. I'm sure they can take the pictures with you in a few minutes.” With that, her sister turned quickly and headed toward the gazebo as fast as she could on grass wearing a floor-length gown and heels.
Emily scoffed. “She ran out of here pretty fast, didn't she?” She said it almost to herself as she stared at the spot where her sister had just been. She wasn't sure things could ever be the same between her and Annie after this moment.
“She looked relieved to be leaving, that's for sure. When do you think they'll tell everyone?” Rob looked down at Em.
Emily looked up at him, thankful that it was Rob's blue eyes giving her comfort. She sighed. “Well, they're both hopeless romantics, so he's probably going to reenact the proposal during the bouquet and garter toss.”
“Really? You think they'd do that?” Rob was incredulous.
“What do I know? I didn't even know they were dating, let alone that serious about each other. It's only been nine months since we broke up, it doesn't seem like they had enough time to get to that point. You don't think...”
“No, I don't think they were cheating behind your back. Do you?”
Emily thought about it for a split second. “No. I guess I don't believe that. Look, I should get to the pictures. Will you...will you be here when I'm done?” She looked in the mirror of the catering truck parked nearby. Thank goodness for waterproof mascara and a professional makeup job. It had paid to stay friends with Reggie, and it had been worth every penny to pay for the girls' makeup as a shower gift to Charlie.
“I'll be here as long as you want me to be here. Do you want me to come over to the gazebo with you or should I just go get a drink at the bar and pray no one recognizes me?” Rob grinned, tucking a loose hair behind her ear.
Oh, how Emily loved that grin and had missed it. She smiled back. “Thank you. And, no, you don't need to come with me. I'll be okay. I can't do much about the recognition. I'd limit your drinks though. I have no control over what goes up on YouTube from the guests,” she teased.
Rob laughed. “I'll try to behave. Now go. I'll be at the bar when you're done.”
She knew he watched her walk away, that the five-inch Louboutins made her just the right height and made her legs look very long. She sashayed just a little, giving him a show and hoping it might remind him that he wanted her, once. That he loved her, once.
He flew across the country just for her, right?
Hopefully, that meant it wasn't too late.
Emily arrived at the gazebo for pictures and caught her mother's eye. Gail Ward was doing her best to refrain from scowling, since the photographer's assistant was snapping candid photos while her boss was staging the posed ones. Emily knew her mother must have seen Rob and she was surely furious that he dared crash the wedding.
It was more than just poor etiquette. Though Rob hadn't technically breached etiquette, since Emily asked Charlie to let her keep her plus one on the off chance that it might be needed. Or to piss off her mother, whichever fit the bill best by the time the wedding happened. With Josh in attendance, Charlie could hardly tell Em she couldn't bring a date. Emily had almost asked her high school boyfriend, Joey, but changed her mind at the last minute. And then lost her iPhone, which had his cell phone number programmed into it.
No, it was the fact that her mother had expressly forbidden Rob to attend the wedding and when things ended between him and Emily, Gail thought she had won. Gail stood with Annie and Josh, forced her best fake smile and muttered under her breath. Though she was too far away to hear, Emily knew that it was likely about the uninvited guest. Given what was sure to happen later in the evening, Em smiled wide. Rob had defied her mother's wishes and prioritized her emotional well-being over impressing her parents.
Emily stayed away from Annie, Josh and her mother as much as possible. She intentionally engaged anyone else in conversation and stuck close to Meg.
“Did I see Rob in the chapel?” Meg asked. Emily nodded. “Why is he here?”
Em lowered her voice to a whisper. “For me. Annie and Josh are engaged.”
“No way!” Meg shouted, then quickly lowered her voice. “You're friggin' kidding me!”
“No, I'm not. I'm not jealous, but I'm pissed. Annie had the nerve to be mad when I kissed Rob and constantly harassed me. And they were screwing behind my back.”
“Were they together when you were still with Josh?”
“I don't know. I don't think so, but I have no idea.”
“Are you going to slap her?” Meg might be a therapist, but she kicked ass if the situation called for it.
“No. I won't ruin this for Charlie.”
“Speaking of...” Meg said. She turned to leave as Charlie walked toward them. “I'll talk to you later. You better introduce me to Rob. I'll try to stop fantasizing about him if you're going to take him back.”
Emily smiled and rolled her eyes at her best friend.
“Thanks.”
Despite her preoccupation, Charlie had noticed something was amiss. When Dan posed for photos with just his attendants, Charlie came to speak with Em.
“What's going on, Emma Bean?” Charlie asked, concern in her voice.
“No worries, Charlie Brown. I won't ruin your big day with my personal drama.”
“What personal drama would that be?”
“Rob is here.”
“Here? At the wedding?”
“Yes. I thought I saw him at the back of the chapel during the ceremony. He came and found me afterward.”
“What's he doing here? Are you happy he's here?”
Emily tried not to cry. She took a deep breath. “He's here for me. To support me. And, yes, I'm very happy to see him. You know I've wished he'd contact me for months.”
Charlie hugged her. “Oh, Em. Do you think he still loves you?”
She shrugged. “I hope so. Charl...” she began. Just then, her sister was called for one last picture and the rest of them were sent to the tent to get lined up for their entrance.
“I'll talk to you more later, Em. I'm glad he's here.” She squeezed Emily's hand and went to have her photo taken.
Peter offered his arm to escort Em back to the tent. She thanked him – it wasn't that easy to walk across the grass in stilettos. As they stood outside the tent, she saw Rob as he casually leaned on the bar. Emily excused herself and said she'd be right back.
Rob watched her walk toward him. His smile widened as she approached. The nearer she got, the more lustful his expression became. He looked her up and down. “Nice dress,” he whispered in her ear when she got close.
“You like?” she asked, grinning as she twirled carefully on her five-inch stilettos. Even if he didn't still love her, he still wanted her. It felt nice to be wanted again and a wave of lust rolled through her.
“It really should be a crime to be that beautiful. Whose idea was it to wear your hair like that?
” he asked, playing with the curls that tumbled across her shoulders. He had always loved her hair curly and it was longer now that she didn't trim it monthly.
“Mine. This guy I knew once told me I looked sexy with my hair like this. I figured it couldn't hurt to look sexy at a wedding when you're single.” She gave him a sad smile.
“That guy was right. You do look sexy with your hair like that. Maybe you'll get lucky and take some handsome stranger home with you.” He winked. He was flirting with her and she loved it.
“Maybe some lucky guy will get to come home with me, you mean.”
“Or that. Either way, you're the most beautiful woman here. I feel fortunate you're even speaking to me.”
“Well, then today is your lucky day, my friend. See that table over there? The one with a number four on it, right near the dance floor? There's a seat for you at that table.”
He looked at her, confused. “How is that?”
“You're my date. Didn't you know?”
His reaction was pleasant surprise. “I do now. Does it matter which seat I take?”
“There's a spot with no name card next to mine. Sit there. I'll see you in a few minutes.” She kissed him on the cheek and he headed into the tent. She watched him go and her heart started to slow down a little. Rob could so easily cause her heart to race. He sat down at the table and Emily saw him introduce himself. Satisfied things were all set, she went back to the wedding party just as they lined up to enter.
As she took her place with Peter in front of Charlie and Dan, her sister leaned forward and whispered, “Did you tell him to sit with you?” Em nodded. “Good. Steer clear of Mom for now. I think she's about ready to burst a blood vessel. I told her I didn't care, but she's pissed. Em?” She looked at Charlie, the tone in her voice causing Emily to turn. “I'm glad he's here for you. There's something I need to tell you...” Once again, they were interrupted by wedding duties. “I'll come find you as soon as I can,” Charlie said, and they all moved forward.
