Secrets of the World's Worst Matchmaker (The Baileys Book 7), стр. 37
I hear the click of the door opening and closing behind her.
My chin falls to my chest and I stuff my hands into my pockets. The jagged corners of the necklace’s charm press against my fingertips. I take it out and twirl it in my hand.
Another knock on the door sounds behind me, followed by the creak of the door opening.
“It’s time, Colton,” Selene says.
I put the charm back into my pocket and turn to face her.
“You look very dashing,” she says.
I smile, although the last thing I feel right now is happy. “Thank you.”
I walk out of the room, out the door, through the garden, until I’m standing in front of the lines of white chairs. I smile at Preacher Reynolds and she smiles back.
Glancing around the small area, I see all the people who have witnessed me being raised in this town. All the Baileys, my second family, are sectioned together. Juno, pretending to be busy on her phone, sits with Jason next to her.
I try to picture myself in her position and I can’t. I’m not sure I could ever see her marry someone else.
The music starts, and as everyone turns to watch Brigette walk down the aisle, Juno looks at me. Our gazes lock and her green eyes reflect everything I’m feeling.
I shouldn’t have lashed out at her. To know Juno is to know how much it took for her to come to me.
Before I can blink, Brigette’s standing at the altar in front of me in her simple white dress with no veil. She looks like a bride, but she doesn’t beam. There’s no love between us. This is a business transaction. One I hoped to use to finally force myself to move on from the dream of Juno being mine someday. How did I think I could go through with this?
Preacher Reynolds smiles at us, and Brigette passes her bouquet to my mom since we opted not to have bridesmaids or groomsmen. Brigette holds out her hands and my gaze strays to Juno once again. She’s yet to actually look at the two of us, her head turned toward the ground as if she’s picking a piece of lint off her dress.
Brigette continues to hold her hands out for me to take so we can say our vows. “Colton?”
Fuck, I made a mess for myself.
“I’m sorry,” I say. “I can’t marry you.”
Brigette blinks rapidly a few times then nods. She doesn’t ask any questions. She just turns and walks down the aisle back into the Cozy Cottage B&B.
I hear a gasp from the crowd. All the guests’ eyes follow her before returning to fix on me.
“Colton?” my mom asks softly, concern thick in her voice.
I stand in front of our guests and swallow the lump in my throat. “I’m very sorry, everyone. There will not be a wedding today. I apologize for the inconvenience. Thank you all for coming.” I bow my head and walk down the aisle, past all the whispers. I stop at the end of the aisle. “Please stay and eat. The food is paid for already.”
I’m not sure what I expected to feel when I walked out of my wedding, but I sure as hell didn’t expect to feel relieved.
Nineteen
Colton
I knock on Brigette’s door, and she tells me to come in. She’s already taken down her hair, and she sits at the window that overlooks Selene’s garden.
I walk in, rubbing my hands together, and sit on the edge of the bed. “I’m sorry.”
“You said that,” she says. “This is about Juno?”
“Yes… no… I don’t know.” It’s the truth. I’m not sure what will happen with Juno, but as I stood at that altar, I knew I couldn’t marry someone I don’t love. I do really want to help Brigette, she’s a friend, but if Juno is ready to confess her love to me, I can’t throw it away no matter how angry I am that she chose now to tell me.
“It’s funny. I almost didn’t show up this morning,” Brigette says, sounding resolved.
“Why?”
She turns in her chair to face me. “Because you love her. And I don’t say that out of anger, but I’m not an evil person, Colton. I can’t let you throw your entire life away just so I don’t have to go back to France.”
“But you did show up,” I say.
She nods. “I convinced myself that we’d come to some kind of agreement. Figure it out. Maybe we could tell Juno eventually. But that’s no life for you or her. I was just being selfish.”
“What will you do now?”
She shrugs, taking more bobby pins out of her hair. “Go back to France, I suppose, but first I think I might go on a date.”
“With who?” I figure it’s either Rhys or Jason. I’m not sure which one she likes.
“Rhys has been bringing his dog in a lot. We ran into each other last night and—”
I hold up my hand. “Say no more.”
Whatever she did is her own business. This was never a relationship.
“I’m not this person,” she says. “I’m sorry for ever putting you in this position.”
I stand and take her hands, helping her to her feet before I hug her. “I agreed to it. I guess it all sounded easier than it ended up being in reality. I thought I could do it. I was angry at Juno at the time and desperate to move on with my life. But we were in this together.”
She turns around and pulls up her hair. “Do you mind?” I unzip her dress, and she turns back around. “Thank you. And thank you for everything, Colton. You’re a good man.”
“So you don’t hate me?”
She disappears behind a changing screen, and the wedding dress comes to lay over the top