“Don’t do that, dear,” her mom said. “You’ll snag that dress. That fabric you picked is beautiful but I’m seeing little snags all over.”
Meade shook her head at Maya, rolling her eyes a little.
The door opened. “We’ve got five minutes before show time, ladies,” Sebastian said.
Maya nodded her thanks, and Sebastian put his hand over his heart. “I’ve never seen a more beautiful bride.”
Her mother pursed her lips, but kept her mouth shut, thankfully.
Sebastian left and Meade put her arm around her sister. “He’s right about that.”
Maya’s mother glanced around at the group. “You all look stunning. Gosh, Maya, you could have picked at least one unattractive bridesmaid.”
The room stayed dead silent, the comment not going over well, coming from her.
Felicity inspected her nails while Meade closed her eyes like she was calming herself. Shayla wasn’t sure if she’d ever had a more miserable day, then she remembered she had.
“What?” Mrs. Forbes said. “It’s true. The bride needs to be the most special one on her day, am I right?”
They sat in uncomfortable silence mostly for the next five minutes, with an occasional joke from Felicity and bicker between Meade and her mother. Shayla could think of nothing other than Brian standing outside by his vehicle.
“Shayla,” Mrs. Forbes said, “do you always bite your nails?”
The door opened to reveal Sebastian’s smiling face. “It’s time,” he sang. “I’ll take all the ladies except for Maya, and I’ll replace them with your father. So I need Mrs. Forbes first, Meade second, Felicity third, and Shayla fourth please.”
They lined up and Sebastian marched them to the end of the aisle where the guys were waiting. Maya winced as she saw Chase waiting in the back of the line, her escort up the aisle.
They took their places, and Chase glanced down at her, forcing a smile that didn’t get near his eyes. They stood silently by one another, staring forward as the mothers were seated by Bo and Dale. Shayla’s mind whirled around with everything that was bearing down on her. She couldn’t believe she’d asked Chase about his child. She couldn’t believe Brian was there.
Bo and Dale took their places in line, and then Sebastian nudged Bo down the aisle. Sebastian peered down the line, and then leaned in where Chase and Shayla could both hear. “Arm and arm please,” he said pointing.
Chase offered his arm, and Shayla took it, closing her eyes, pumping herself up to smile as they walked down the aisle, or at least some version of a smile. With each couple that took off down the aisle, Shayla’s heartbeat accelerated. When Dale and Felicity were almost to the end of the short aisle, Shayla squeezed Chase’s arm. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
He glanced down at her, and then Sebastian nudged them along, Shayla taking off with a small trip over her own two feet, Chase steadying her.
Shayla stood near the front door, glancing around the room, one eye on the parking lot. Brian was waiting for her out there. She couldn’t go. Of course she couldn’t.
What was the end game here? Was she just going to continue to pretend like he wasn’t there? Was she going to throw birdseed at her brother and his new wife and then hop in Chase’s car and let Brian follow them back to where she lived? Had he already been there?
She glanced around the room, taking stock of everyone. Bo and Maya were totally caught up in one another on the dance floor. Felicity and Scott were cheek to cheek as well. Blake and Seanna, Sebastian and Desiree, and Marigold and Chase were all in a circle laughing and drinking beer and wine. The cake had been cut and eaten, the bouquet thrown, and the food and the crowd were dwindling. If there was going to be a time to sneak out, this was it.
What could he possibly do to her here? If she stepped outside, she’d stay right by the front door. With people leaving, it’s not like he could knock her out and drag her to his car.
She wanted this to be over. He came to say something. She’d let him say it and tell him if he tried to follow her she’d call the police. She’d get a restraining order against him. Neither of them wanted that. If anything at all happened, all she’d have to do was yell, and someone would be outside instantly.
She snuck out the front door and stood on the sidewalk, just out of sight of the windows behind some heavy greenery obstructing the view.
Brian stepped out of his SUV and shut the door, walking her way. She closed her arms over her chest, erecting a wall around her. Brian walked up, hands in his pockets, no doubt a peace offering.
“Hey,” he said.
She just stared at him wordlessly.
“Look, I know this is a big day and I don’t want to ruin it. But I needed to talk to you, and this is the only way I know how since you’ve cut me off, which I’m not blaming you for.” He shifted back and forth in his stance. “First off, I’ve moved out. That’s your house. I don’t want anything from it. Last time we talked I was hurt and pissed and I spoke completely out of turn. Of course you don’t owe me any part of it.” He bit the side of his lip. “Next, I’ve been thinking a lot after what you said to me on the phone the last time we talked.”
She rubbed her forehead. “Brian, I don’t want to—”
“I’m so sorry, Shayla.”
She met his earnest gaze.
“I don’t remember doing that, but I believe you…that I did that. I can’t believe myself. I know it sounds disingenuous, but I really have learned a lot about myself, not only through that program, but through my sponsor who would kill me if he knew I was here right now, actually. But I couldn’t just let this go. I love you more than anything on this earth, more than I’ve ever loved anything, and the idea of hurting you, especially that way…you have no idea how sick I am over it.” He shook his head, his eyes bloodshot and watery. “I don’t need your forgiveness, but I need you to know I’m sorry from the depths of my soul, Shayla.”
She blinked, her guard still very much intact, but her heart opening for him just a tiny bit, not to let him back in, but to accept what he was telling her. She didn’t nod or say anything. She just stared at him, letting him know silently that she wasn’t up for a reconciliation.
He nodded. “Okay. That’s what I came to say, so I’ll leave you now.”
“Leave me for how long?” she asked.
He frowned, his mouth open, but no words coming out.
“I’ve been living in fear of you, Brian. I’ve been looking over my shoulder every day. I’ve been paranoid that you were going to be waiting in the bed of my truck or behind a tree at my house. I’ve been afraid you were going to pop up out of nowhere and attack me…shove me against a mirror or bend me over a table. Do I need to keep worrying about that? Or are you going to let me have my life back?”
He shut his eyes tightly, and then wiped at them with the back of his hand, shaking his head. “You don’t have to worry about any of that. Not anymore.”
She stared at him, so contrite, and a wave of anger rose in her so strong that overcame her with a force that was so much bigger than she was. She shoved him as hard as she could, and he stumbled backward, his eyes wide. “Fuck you!” she screamed. She slammed her palms into his chest again. “Fuck you for taking everything from me. You took my dignity from me. You made me feel embarrassed and ashamed for falling for a guy who would hit me and rape me. I made excuses for you and lied to my family and friends. That’s not who I am.” She shoved him one last time, with strength she didn’t even recognize. “I’m not your goddamned victim.”
The door opened, and Chase walked out followed by Scott and Felicity, and maybe a few others. She was so out of her own mind she wasn’t even sure of where she was anymore.
Chase made eye contact with Brian, barely even hesitating before swinging at him, the crack of his fist against Brian’s face sending a shock through Shayla’s core that woke her back to reality. Brian stumbled around from the impact, his confused expression quickly turning furious.
S
cott stepped between Chase and him. “Get the fuck out of here.”
Shayla’s stomach sank to the ground as Bo stepped outside with Maya behind him. “What the fuck?” he asked, his expression registering Brian. “What’s going on?”
Everyone clammed up, like this whole situation was going to somehow evaporate before their very own eyes.
Shayla tucked her arms around her stomach. “Leave, Brian.”
Brian glanced around at everyone, his gaze landing on Shayla. “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice in a whisper, meant just for her.
Everyone stood stone still as he walked to the parking lot and got in his SUV.
Bo glanced around from person to person, presumably looking for answers that nobody was willing to give. “What the fuck just happened?”
Shayla looked at Chase, who looked at his bloody hand.
“Shayla,” Bo said, a command for a response, which he no doubt deserved.
She met his gaze, her whole body coming down from the adrenaline of the moment. “Let’s just go back inside.”
Bo lifted his eyebrows. “Are you fucking kidding me? Chase, who has never so much as killed a bug, just punched your ex. What the fuck?” He looked at Chase. “Are you that fucking jealous?”
Chase looked quickly at Scott and then at Shayla, and then nodded. “Yeah. I’m jealous.”
“And the worst fucking liar on the planet,” Bo said. He pointed at the ground beside him, his face turning beet red. “What the fuck is going on?”
As people poured out, Maya’s expression became more panicked. Felicity scratched her forehead. “You know what? We haven’t done the electric slide yet. I’m fixing this now. Maya, come on. Everyone, let’s dance. Come on.”
Felicity herded the group inside, touching the back of anyone who hesitated and nudging them along until everyone was inside except for Shayla and Bo.
Shayla scratched her forehead, her eyes closed tightly.
“Come here,” Bo said, pulling her in for a hug. She kept her arms close to his chest, her brother, doing all the hugging, which despite its intention was making her feel ten times worse.
She pulled away. “I’m sorry for all that.”
“Want to start by telling me what Brian was doing here? Did you invite him to the wedding?”
She shook her head, pressure building behind her forehead.
“Do you want to get back together with him?” he asked.
“No, God no.”
“Oh,” he said, looking relieved. “What’s he doing then, stalking you?”
“He just wanted to talk.”
“At my wedding? Couldn’t he have picked a better time than this?”
“I’ve cut him off. That’s why I changed my number. I didn’t lose my phone.”
“Well,” he said, lifting his chin, “I was wondering about that. Didn’t sound like you.”
“He’s here this weekend because he didn’t know where to find me otherwise.”
“He doesn’t know you work at the shop?”
She scratched her cheek, wishing her lying skills were better. “He does know I work there, obviously, or I’m sure he could figure it out. But he wouldn’t come there, knowing you were there.”
“Why would that stop him?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe because he knows you don’t want us together.”
He narrowed his gaze, and she tried to put on her best poker face, but if anyone on earth could see past that, it was her brother. “What the fuck’s really going on here, Shayla? I’ve already deduced that Scott’s not here as your date, based on the way he can’t keep his hands off Chase’s date, or fake date, or whatever. So you’re with Chase. Is that what this is about? I had no idea he was so jealous.”
She let out a resigned breath. “He’s not jealous.”
“Okay?”
She met his gaze, her chest hot. “He’s being protective. Brian is…dangerous. Or he was, I guess, but I think it’s over.”
He stepped back from her, looking her up and down, and she shut her eyes tightly, not believing she’d just told him, but not sure how else to proceed at this point.
“Dangerous? Like a threat, to you?”
She looked off to the parking lot at the empty space left from his exit. “Yeah.”
“Fuck, Shayla. Since when?”
She glanced down at his shiny tux shoes, not able to believe that her actions had ruined this day for him, the worst possible result of weeks of worry. “Just…let’s just go inside.”
“Shayla, for how long?” he said, his voice unwavering.
She met his gaze with pursed lips. “For a while, okay? It’s over now though. Can we please go inside?”
“What’s over?”
She just stared at him, watching the color drain from his face. “Holy fuck,” he said.
“I’m fine,” she said, her voice a shaky mess. “It’s over. He just came to apologize. The rehab he’s been in has been helpful. The one he went to wasn’t only about the alcohol, it was for…” She couldn’t finish the sentence.
“Abusers?” Bo asked, his eyes wide. “Fucking shit, Shayla. Why are you just now telling me this?”
“I’ve got it under control,” she said through clenched teeth.
“How? How did this even happen?”
She watched as his expression revealed what his mind was conjuring. Every worry she ever had about what her brother would think of her if he found out was coming to fruition. The humiliation and dread of the past six months pounded down on her.
“Did he hit you?” he asked, his voice weak, as if the words pained his throat.
“Just fucking leave me alone, okay?” she shouted and pushed past him to the door of the church. She walked to the dressing room as inconspicuously as she could but feeling eyes on her. She found her purse and pulled out her phone to dial up an Uber, but she had no service down this wooded road. “Fuck,” she said, tossing her phone back in her purse. “Fuck it. I’ll walk,” she said aloud and opened the door to find Chase standing just outside of it.
“Wanna go home?” he asked.
She pulled him into the room, shutting the door behind him, and wrapped her arms around him so tightly they’d have to get the Jaws of Life to get her loose.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The car ride home was spent in utter silence. Felicity and Scott said they would catch a ride with Sebastian, so it was just Chase and Shayla. Chase didn’t know what to say or how to say it, so he said nothing for once in his life. Shayla just peered out the window, her brow furrowed in thought. He wished he could kiss that frown line and make her worries vanish, but everything she’d been anticipating for months had just played out, so no amount of kissing was going to relieve her stress at this point.
They got out of the car, and he followed her through the house. He hesitated before the stairs up to his room, but she headed to her own space.
Collapsing on his bed, he stared at his bloody hand. He’d never hit a man in anger before. He’d evaded bar fights most his life, assuming guys thought twice before messing with him because he was so big. Besides that, Chase had used humor to get out of most unwanted situations throughout his life.
But when he’d laid eyes on the guy who had made Shayla’s life hell, there was nothing in him that could stop his fist from flying without permission, like someone else had taken control of his body.
It had felt great.
He hadn’t anticipated his own hand hurting so badly as a result, but that was a small price to pay to get that kind of satisfaction.
He washed his hand and bandaged it up the best he could with the other one, got out of his penguin suit and into some sweats, and then headed downstairs. He needed a beer. He’d refrained from drinking at the wedding reception, not in the mood after what Shayla had asked him, standing there on that altar.
How had he been so stupid as to leave that box in that closet? He’d completely forgotten it was out there. He remembered now. He’d put it out th
ere years ago when he’d come across it after the move and wanted it as far away from him as possible, though not ready to rid himself of Sam’s favorite books and toys.
He stuck a handful of beers into a bucket, covered them with ice, and then headed out by the pool. He sat in a chair and popped the cap. It wasn’t long before Shayla joined him wearing a tank top and shorts that covered way too much of her luscious thighs.
“Pilsner?” he asked.
She sat beside him. “Thanks. How’s your hand?”
He looked at it. “Satisfied.”
She gave him half a smile, and then stared down at her beer bottle. “Didn’t you say you weren’t a fighter?”
“I’m still not. That was an isolated incident.”
She gave him a curious look. “How did you know that was Brian?”
“I took one look at your face.”
She looked down at her beer again, a humorless smile crossing her lips.
He picked up the picture of Sam he’d brought downstairs with him and took a deep breath. He handed it to her as he exhaled. “This is Sam. I know you’ve already seen other pictures, but this one’s my favorite. It was taken right before he died.”
She met his gaze, her expression worried.
He smiled at the picture. As many times as he looked at it, he never tired of it. “Kids grow so fast and their faces change so quickly. When I think of what this picture looks like compared to his baby pictures, it doesn’t even seem like the same little boy. I try to imagine what he’d look like now. He’d be ten years old, a fifth-grader. It’s crazy to think of this little boy who I held and fed and changed sitting at a desk taking standardized tests or learning about what causes tornadoes and hurricanes…whatever fifth-graders learn.” He swatted a hand through the air. “Anyway, I’m sorry I kept him from you.”
“Chase, I—”
He held up a hand. “I was going tell you. I promise I was. I’d gathered up my nerve earlier today, but I wanted to wait until the madness died down. I wanted it to be just the two of us when I told you.” He gauged her, making sure she believed him, and by the look on her face he was sure she did.
Seagrove Secrets (Love Along Hwy 30A) Page 23
