Page 66 of The Wedding Fake
She sighed. “And you don’t have to make yourself unhappy for me or anyone else. You don’t owe anybody that, and Lawrence wouldn’t have wanted it. It would’ve broken his heart.”
I pressed my palms to my face, but I didn’t stand a chance of stopping the tears that came, tears that shook my whole body. Amy must’ve stood, must’ve walked to me, though I didn’t see her, because her arms were around me, and she held me, and for a long time we didn’t speak.
And then, finally, I said, “I’m sorry.”
And she said, “I know.”
34
CLAIRE
Only five percent of couples meet as neighbors.
It’s a stat I rolled around in my head over and over as I smiled at wedding guests over goopy eggs at the B&B. Not everyone stayed at the B&B, but plenty showed up for brunch this morning, meaning the B&B’s usual breakfast faire was replaced with foil containers of bacon, eggs, and sausage. It didn’t matter that the buffet didn’t include any food I could eat as a vegan except for a bowl of apples and bananas, because I couldn’t even consider eating.
Only five percent of couples meet as neighbors.
I wasn’t sure what to make of this statistic. The optimistic side of me would like to think it’s a sign reminding us how hard it is to find someone, but the realistic side was pretty sure it was a sign that Hudson and I were simply part of the ninety-five percent of people who would find forever somewhere else.
I milled, greeting wedding guests and making small talk, working the room as fast as I could so I can leave.
Because I had to leave.
Hudson wouldn’t come back for me, so I had to go to him.
I spent the whole night lying in bed, reliving the past week leading up to the wedding, and then the wedding itself. In the dark of my empty room—a room I’d always intended to share with Hudson—things seemed so much clearer.
Dan was Dan. He was a cheater, a manipulator, a miserable twat. Hudson was none of those things. He hadn’t given me any reason to believe he’d cheat. On the contrary, he took the whole week in stride. He was attuned to my feelings at every turn, and even when my mother was crazy, even when Grant was determined, Hudson didn’t falter.
“If you'd been paying attention, you'd already know I don't want anyone but you,” was what he said to me, and he was right. I hadn’t been paying attention. I’d been distracted by my own jealousy and hurt and ego and I’d taken Hudson North for granted. So, now I had to go get him back.
Which was an incredible epiphany, if only I could get in my car and drive away from this brunch.
By my count, I had roughly ten people to go, including Nora and my parents, who were the most likely to disapprove of my leaving quickly.
Did it matter, though? It seemed like Mom was always going to be disappointed with something, always want something more from me. Maybe it was time to start letting her down so she could adjust to the possibility of not always getting her way.
“Yes, it was a beautiful wedding,” I agreed for the hundredth time, this time to some aunt of Ethan’s. She talked for a few minutes about her own wedding, and then I was able to move on. Nine left.
“So good to see you,” I gushed, hugging two aunts and an uncle in quick succession, bringing my total down to six.
I circulated until only Nora and Ethan and my two parents remained. “I’m going to head out, Nora,” I said. “Congratulations. This was positively beautiful.”
Nora squinted at me, as if trying to read a foreign language. “You sure you’re good?” she asked.
“I’m good,” I agreed. It was mostly true.
“And you’re not upset I hit Dan?”
I smiled. “Not in the least,” I said. She pulled me in for a hard hug and I squeezed back. “Take care of yourself.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of her,” Ethan assured me, and I smiled gently.
“Okay,” I said. I probably failed to keep the condescension out of my voice, but at least I didn’t actively roll my eyes at him.
“Are you leaving?” My mother sounded upset, like my leaving was a personal attack.
“Yeah, Mom. I have to get back to the city.”