One Week to the Wedding--An unforgettable story of love, betrayal, and sisterhood

by Olivia Miles

“Fine.” Alec straightened his back. “If you’re not going to be the romantic in this relationship, I will.”

  “What?” Kate faltered. This wasn’t something he was supposed to say. He was supposed to…give up. Walk away. Go back to Boston. His business.

  But he didn’t want those things anymore, did he? No. He wanted her.

  “I want you, Kate,” he murmured as he grazed a hand over her hip, the other reaching around the curve of her waist. His face was so close, she could smell the musk of his skin and see the gold flecks in his deep brown eyes. “I never wanted anything in my life more, and I took a chance—a big chance—and left everything else behind to try and have the life I want to have. I have no idea how it will turn out, but I know it has to be better than what it was. Take a chance on me, too. Take a chance on this.”

  He lifted his hand to brush the back of his fingers against her cheek, and she felt herself melt under the heat of his touch. He bent down and grazed his lips to hers, slowly at first, until she felt her resistance weaken and she opened her mouth to his. She combed her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck, not caring that Elizabeth or William could drive by at any point, or that if Meredith found out about this, she would be fired for good. All that mattered was that Alec was in her arms. That he had found her. And that he had made her believe in love again.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Kate checked her watch with a start. It was later than she’d expected, and if she had any hope of checking on the tents, she’d have to leave now. “I have to check on some things before I meet the girls,” she explained.

  Alec reached down and took both of her hands in his. “There’s something you should know. I didn’t come here alone.”

  Kate straightened in alarm. “There’s someone in the car, you mean?” Only then did she realize the engine was still running, the soft purr of it noticeable on the quiet street.

  “When you left the hotel, I went looking for you. I tried your parents’ house first.” He blew out a breath as Kate’s heart began to hammer, trying to make sense of what he was telling her. “It’s Charlotte, Kate. I think you should talk to your sister.”

  “What?” She pulled back, feeling the heat spread to her face as she stared at him, and then glanced at the car. The windows were tinted, and she had no way of seeing in, but her sister…Her sister was watching her. Sitting there. Waiting.

  Those phone calls…

  “Don’t be mad, Kate. It was something Jake said. Something I thought he might have told you. I thought you might have gone to your parents’ house, and when I didn’t find you, I talked to your sister.” He stepped forward, took her hand again, gave it a firm, tight squeeze and didn’t let go, even when she wanted him to, even when a part of her wanted to turn and run into the house nearly as much as she wanted to walk to that car.

  She blinked back tears, looking up at him. “You know what she did.”

  “And you know what kind of man Jake Lambert is,” he replied. He arched an eyebrow, silencing anything else she might have said. “This week I learned what family is all about. It’s about moving forward, accepting people for who they are even if you don’t like some things they’ve done. The past can’t be undone. But it can be…put in its place.”

  Kate nodded, knowing he was right. She looked at the car again, thinking of those calls, knowing it must have taken courage for Charlotte to reach out, and knowing that she was sitting there right now, waiting. And hoping.

  “Thank you,” Kate whispered. She let his hand go and walked slowly to the car, her heart pounding as she thought of what she might say, how she might react, but everything she came up with disappeared when the door opened before she was even halfway down the path, and out came her sister. Holding a baby.

  * * *

  Charlotte stood pale faced with wide eyes, her auburn hair pulled back in a disheveled ponytail, staring back at her. The baby was small. An infant. It was wrapped in a light pink blanket, its tiny hands curled into small fists below its chin.

  “This is Audrey,” Charlotte said quietly, her large green eyes filling with tears. “Your niece.”

  “My…” Kate blinked, trying to understand. This was Charlotte’s baby. Charlotte and…Jake’s.

  There are two sides to the story. I don’t need Charlotte making trouble.

  She looked at her sister. Gone were the sparkling eyes and the big smile and that laugh, that infectious laugh. Her sister looked like she hadn’t slept in months. She probably hadn’t.

  “It’s Jake’s,” Charlotte confirmed, without having to be asked. She pinched her lips, shifting the baby in her arms. She struggled to make eye contact. “Not that he’ll admit it.”

  Kate frowned deeply. Of course not. Jake wasn’t the kind of man to honor promises or responsibilities. And Charlotte. Flirty, fun-loving Charlotte…Maybe Charlotte wasn’t the kind of person she’d started to think she was, either. She’d changed. And not just in physical appearance. She had grown up. It was there, in her eyes, when she looked down at her daughter, when she tucked the blanket a little higher.

  The Charlotte from last summer probably wouldn’t have been chosen to babysit the neighborhood kids. But the woman standing before her was a mother. Her little sister. A mother. It didn’t seem possible.

  Charlotte looked up, her big eyes searching. “I didn’t do it on purpose, Kate. It’s not how it looks. I promise. Jake—he saw me at a bar one night, told me you’d broken up with him, gave me this sob story about the wedding being called off…”

  The lying cad. Why had she believed his story, when he was capable of admitting to cheating on her? Why hadn’t she cut her sister some slack, assumed there must be more, that her own sister wouldn’t deliberately hurt her?

  Because she’d been too hurt. Too blindsided. Because she’d trusted Jake and he’d broken that trust. Not just for him, but for everyone else.

  Kate sucked in a breath. All this time…“And you believed him. Just like I did.” The lies…all lies.

  Charlotte shrugged. “I shouldn’t have believed him. Or I should have called you, checked the facts, checked to see how you were. Instead I fell for his line. His charm. I didn’t know he was using me as some pawn for a clear-cut break with you. It was that or be cut off by his family, you know. That’s why he did it. By the time I knew the truth, you believed something else. I didn’t blame you for hating me. What I did was unforgiveable.”

  Everything was so clear now. So…obvious. His family had never been supportive, but she’d never considered they’d take it this far. “He should have just told me. Ended it. He didn’t need to break us apart.”

  “I don’t think he was thinking of anything but himself.” Charlotte sighed. “For what it’s worth, Kate, I think he did love you. Maybe he didn’t think he’d have the guts to end it decently. I think he used me to be sure there was no going back. That it was over.”

  Maybe there was some truth in that, but she didn’t care anymore if Jake had ever loved her. She had been jilted, but Charlotte had fared much worse. Charlotte, and this sweet little baby who was her niece, had been abandoned. Looking at the little baby now, Kate knew she’d go through all of it again. The same, she could tell by the way her sister looked at her little daughter, could be said for Charlotte.

  “I guess I got what I deserved in the end.” Charlotte sniffed.

  “Don’t say that,” Kate said firmly. “We were both betrayed by that man.”

  “But I shouldn’t have gone along with him that night. And then afterwards…how could I not? For the sake of my baby I wanted to try and make it work. I followed him to Boston. I know it probably looked like we ran off together.” Charlotte frowned. “Can you ever forgive me?”

  I already have. Just seeing the remorse in her sister’s eyes was all the relief Kate needed to wash away the pain she had felt for so long. She just wished that her sister wasn’t suffering as a result. “Can you ever forgive me for not being there when you needed me the most?” she asked,
leaning down to touch the hand of the baby girl resting peacefully in Charlotte’s arms. Her skin was soft as silk; she had never felt anything like it.

  “I’ve managed,” Charlotte sighed. “Mom and Dad have helped a lot since I called them.”

  Kate almost didn’t dare broach what she suspected to be true. “And Jake?”

  Charlotte shook her head. “He won’t take my calls. He’s never met his daughter.”

  The bastard. Well, this was it. The end. Kate had given that man enough of her time. Today was the day she let go of the past. Today was the day she didn’t just move forward, forcing one foot in front of the other. Today was the day she looked forward.

  “I can’t tell you how much it means to me to see you.” Charlotte reached out and touched her arm. “I thought you would never speak to me again.”

  “I’m sorry you felt that way. I’m sorry…for a lot of things. I should have answered the phone when you called. I just wasn’t ready for what I might hear.”

  Her phone started ringing in her bag, alerting her that it was time to leave for the hotel, to go over a last-minute walk-through with the hotel liaison.

  Kate shook her head in regret. “I wish I could stay. But Elizabeth’s getting married today.”

  “Mom told me.” Charlotte smiled. “I’m happy for her. William seems like a good guy from the few times I met him last summer. And his brother is pretty great, too.”

  Kate stiffened, wondering if she should be worried, if Charlotte was going to make a play for him. But then she saw the way Charlotte was gazing down at her baby and she knew she didn’t need to worry about that anymore. Charlotte had learned her lesson. The hard way. But more than that, she’d changed.

  “He is pretty great.” Kate grinned. “How about tomorrow morning? Want to come over?”

  “Wouldn’t miss it,” Charlotte said, reaching in for a hug.

  Kate kissed her sleeping niece on the forehead, wishing she could scoop her into her arms and snuggle her, but knowing it wouldn’t be fair to wake her. “Tomorrow then,” she said quietly, realizing she could barely wait for the day to come.

  She walked slowly up the path to where Alec was sitting on the bench, waiting for her. “Oh, Alec, I should have answered the phone. I should have known something was wrong. I was so busy thinking of how angry I was, how much I had been hurt—”

  “Don’t blame yourself,” Alec said, pulling her down to sit beside him. “It’s all going to be fine now, right?”

  Kate thought of spending an entire day with her sister and niece, catching up, laughing, healing wounds she’d thought could never be mended. “You know, I think it is.”

  Silence stretched and Alec finally spoke. “She’s on her own, I take it.”

  Kate shook her head. “Not anymore. Not after today. Thanks to you.”

  Beside her, she heard Alec release a long, angry sigh. “That fellow of yours is a real jerk.”

  Kate nodded. That much could never be argued. “There’s just one part of your assessment that I have to disagree with.”

  Alec looked at her sharply. “What’s that?”

  “Jake’s not my fellow.”

  “Oh.” Alec’s lips tugged into a slow grin, and Kate reached out to hold his hand. This might end in disaster, but she’d never know unless she tried. And she knew that there was only way to live life without regret now. And that was to take a chance when your heart told you it was the right thing to do.

  “I was sort of hoping that maybe you could be my fellow.”

  Alec’s smile broadened. “I’d like that. If you don’t mind seeing me every day.”

  Her pulse quickened at what he was implying. “So you’re staying in Misty Point, then?”

  He nodded. “Joining William’s practice. I told him so this morning.” He grinned.

  “And your dad?”

  Alec pulled in a breath and released it heavily. “My dad is who he is. William realized that long before I did. Maybe the family business wasn’t meant to last forever. Maybe it’s going to have another chance, here, with us running it.”

  Kate licked her lips. She wasn’t one for impulsive decisions. But she was one for leaps of faith. “I’ve decided to make some career changes, too. I’m going out on my own. I’ll give my notice on Monday.”

  Alec looked at her thoughtfully. “I was wondering when you would come to your senses.”

  “The future’s looking bright,” Kate said, admiring the man in front of her.

  And full of possibility.

  Epilogue

  Kate smoothed her pink bridesmaid dress and shifted her bouquet to her left hand, so she could pull open the curtain of the tent where the bridal party was gathered, waiting for their cue from the string quartet. The sun was shining; the music from the instruments was mixing with the call of the seagulls that swooped overhead and out to the sea beyond. Kate did a quick scan of the guests, just in case there were a few stragglers, but she stopped counting when she saw her sister sitting in the fourth row, beside her parents.

  Well, crap. She hadn’t seen this coming.

  “Elizabeth.” She licked her lips, trying to figure out how to word this to her friend and wondering if she should even bother. The bride might not even notice the extra guest sitting in the audience. Her eyes would be on the groom, after all.

  Still. “There’s something you should know.”

  Elizabeth’s eyes burst open in panic. “Oh my God. Is my dress ripped? Do I have a stain?” She craned her neck to inspect the back, and Kate held out a hand to settle her arm, letting the curtain fall behind them, shielding her once more from the view.

  “No. Your dress is fine. It’s…my sister. It seems she’s crashed the wedding.”

  Because that’s something that Charlotte would do. She closed her eyes, feeling the disappointment land heavy in her chest. She’d dared to think something had changed. Now, everything felt uncertain again.

  “She didn’t crash the wedding.” Elizabeth gave a small laugh. “I meant to tell you, but…well, I had other things on my mind.” She gestured to her veil.

  “You mean, you knew?”

  Elizabeth nodded. “Our moms talked. When I heard what happened…Well, it didn’t seem right not to invite her. I figured it might be a nice way for you guys to spend a little time together.”

  Kate felt her eyes brim with tears. “You did this for me? But…I know how you feel about Charlotte.”

  “Look, it’s you I care about. I’m on your side, always. And if you want to welcome Charlotte back into your life, then I support that.” Elizabeth grinned. “However, I’m not really sure how this is going to impact those seating arrangements.”

  The seating arrangements. A few days ago something like this would have sent her into a panic, but today, Kate didn’t care. All she cared was that her best friend was going to have the best day she could.

  And if possible, she might just try to do the same.

  A shiver of excitement chased its way down Kate’s spine as the string quartet gained momentum. Kate glanced over at Elizabeth, who gave her a nervous smile from behind her veil.

  “Are you ready?” Her voice caught in her throat and came out in a hushed whisper. She clutched her best friend’s hand, willing herself not to tear up at how radiant Elizabeth looked in her wedding gown.

  She’d seen hundreds of brides on their wedding day, after all, but this one was different, she knew. This time, it was extra special.

  “More than I thought I would be,” Elizabeth admitted, but her smile shone in her eyes.

  Kate marveled at how calm Elizabeth was—of all the brides she had ever worked with, Elizabeth stood, waiting for her cue, with more poise and composure than she had seen before.

  It was a good sign, Kate thought. It meant she was marrying her true love.

  Kate poked her head out of the curtain to make sure everyone was in place and felt Elizabeth wiggle beside her. “He’s actually there,” her friend breathed. A month ago this type of
comment would have made Kate’s breath catch, would have brought back the horrible reminder that her own groom hadn’t stuck around to see the wedding, but there was none of that now; those days were over.

  “Alec looks handsome today,” Elizabeth observed, and Kate pulled back, turning in surprise.

  “I thought you didn’t like him!”

  Elizabeth shrugged. “What can I say? He’s grown on me this week.”

  Kate’s stomach turned over as a smile took over her face. “It’s almost wedding time.”

  Elizabeth stood quietly clutching her flowers, her cheeks naturally flushed, her eyes bright and shiny, and Kate knew that this was what it all came down to in the end. This moment. She had wanted so much to give her dearest friend the wedding of her dreams, but despite all her efforts, she wasn’t the person to offer that gift. There was only one person who could make today everything it was meant to be, and that person was already standing at the altar. Waiting for his bride.

  Her family members had begun chatting in hushed and excited voices around her, and Colleen and Bree were smoothing her veil and adjusting the train of her dress. Kate had never seen her friend so happy, and she knew that no matter what happened today, the wedding was going to be perfect. It wasn’t about the favors or the food or even the cake. It was about the beginning of her life with the man she loved.

  The music shifted and Kate changed from maid of honor to wedding planner, checking on the flower girl and ring bearer one last time to make sure the rings were still on the pillow and that the basket of flower petals hadn’t already been tipped.

  The procession was starting, and Kate instructed the first bridesmaid to begin her march. She watched as each of the women before her disappeared through the curtain and onto the pathway along the sand, only daring to give one last glance behind her at Elizabeth before she clutched her bouquet tightly in two hands, waiting for her turn.

  It wasn’t the walk she’d imagined she’d be taking a year ago, and the bouquet wasn’t the one she’d chosen for herself, and the man who came to take her arm wasn’t the one she’d envisioned…He was so much better.