A sparkle near the leg of the bench where I’d been sitting on caught my attention. I bent over to see what it was and realized it was an earring. Picking it up, I turned it between my fingers, recognizing it as the earring worn by the captivating bride who’d made my heart skip a beat with just one glance. It twinkled like a diamond, reflecting at various angles under the dim lighting. For the second time that night, I was reminded of something my sister, Isabella, had once said to me.
“You’ll find the girl who’s right for you, little brother. Your diamond in the rough is out there somewhere—probably in the place you’ll least expect her.”
When life spiraled and changed, I could always count on my sister for support. She was my rock, anchoring me when I needed it most. When I was bullied for being overweight as a kid, my sister took me to the YMCA and bought us a membership. Together, we ran the track and swam in the pool until my pudgy pre-teen body became hard and lean. Her decision shaped my life for years to come, and I credited her for the scholarship I received to attend Syracuse University for Sports Management.
We were close, and I was there for her as much as she was there for me—especially when we got older and she started dating Christopher, her longtime boyfriend and now husband. They were good together but had their ups and downs, just like all relationships. However, the good far outweighed the bad. Christopher cherished my sister in ways that mirrored my father’s affection for my mother. They shared an unexplainable connection that anyone around them could feel. After years of watching that kind of devotion, I wanted to experience it for myself.
At twenty-nine, I still hadn’t found what I was looking for. After a while, I gave up on chasing it, choosing to focus on my vision for The Mill instead. It worked for a time. I’d given up on the one-night stands and had only been with a handful of women over the past couple years. I didn’t look for anything serious, but let things happen naturally. Unfortunately, things never worked out and often ended before they really began—whether their fault or mine.
Then tonight, I’d met the runaway bride, and all of those old desires came rushing back. She was everything I’d ever dreamed of and all the things I never knew I wanted. I didn’t know how I could feel so strongly about a woman who was practically a stranger. I only knew the intense emotions were there. I wanted her, but I couldn’t have her. Just like the misplaced earring, my feelings for her were misplaced, and I found myself disappointed over the lost possibility. I was mad some other lucky bastard got to her before I did. It didn’t matter if she was the first woman to really stir my senses in a very long time. Fate was a capricious bitch, teasing me with a mystery bride who could never be mine.
I rolled the sparkling earring between my thumb and forefinger, watching the way the subtle lighting in the courtyard reflected off the sides.
“I should probably get this back to her,” I mumbled aloud to no one in particular. Slipping the orphaned piece of jewelry into my pocket, I headed back inside. Finding the banquet room for the wedding reception was no trouble. I simply had to follow the music and the sounds of happy chatter from the guests. Walking down the corridor toward the sounds, I paused when I heard shouting coming from around the corner.
“For fuck’s sake! You’re still in your wedding dress!”
Slowing my steps, I approached the vestibule at the end of the hall, stopping short when I saw it was the runaway bride. Her husband looked enraged as he grabbed hold of her arm. Unsure what to make of the situation, I took a step back and partially hid from view behind a tall, leafy planter.
“I just stepped out for some air, Ethan. I’m sorry. Honestly, I don’t even know the guy’s name. It was just—ouch! That hurts! Let go—”
“Not again,” her husband barked.
What an asshole.
My eyes widened in surprise at his rough handling. Instinct propelled me to step forward, intending to come between them, but just before I revealed my presence, I paused.
Is this really any of my business?
I quickly ran through the options in my head. If I did nothing, it would be as if I condoned his actions and that would make me no better than him. If I interfered, it could result in an altercation. I certainly wasn’t afraid of that but I also didn’t want to be the jackass who ruined someone’s wedding. Or maybe I wouldn’t ruin it—perhaps she’d want me to. Visions of the bride ditching her husband for me flashed in my mind.
Get a grip. That’s never going to happen.
I studied the bride’s face, hoping her expression would help me decide what to do.
“Not again. I promise.” Her quiet whisper wavered. If I wasn’t mistaken, she looked terrified. My blood started to boil. I knew his type—asshole pricks who got off on making women feel small.
“Good. Now, no more fighting,” he cajoled, his tone now remarkably calm. He let go of her arm and seemed to relax but I still didn’t trust the bastard. When he raised his hand to her face, I nearly jumped out from my hiding place to get between them. Thankfully, all he did was touch her ear. “You’re missing an earring.”
“I am?” she replied. “Maybe I lost it outside.”
I reached into my pocket. Looking down at the earring now resting in my palm, I wondered if now was the right time to make my presence known.
“It doesn’t matter, Gia. It’s only junk costume jewelry. Leave it. We need to get back to the party. We’re being rude to our guests.”
Gia.
So, that was her name.
Wrapping an arm possessively around her waist in a steely grip, the two walked away and entered the reception hall. When the doors closed behind them, I stepped out from my place behind the planter. Next to the door where the newlyweds had disappeared, a black and gold sign with glittery writing rested on an A-frame stand. The scrolling font read:
Wedding reception for Ethan & Gianna Walker
Happily Ever After Starts Here
I frowned. They didn’t appear to be a happy couple. The girl I’d barely got to know deserved better. She had so much spirit and all he seemed to want to do was extinguish her spark.
A strange feeling of melancholy settled over me. My fingers clenched around the earring in frustration before I stuffed it back into my pocket once more. I turned away from the glittery sign boasting of happily ever after and headed to the elevators that would take me back to my room. My chest was heavy with an odd sense of loss for a girl who was never mine to begin with. For the first time since I laid eyes on her arresting face, I wished I’d never met her.
It had been better not knowing there was a girl out there, who just might be my perfect match, than knowing she was unobtainable because she was committed to a guy like that.
Part III
Survival of the Fittest
5
Gianna
Indian Hill, Ohio
Two Years Later
Of all the reasons a woman could miss her period, I prayed this wasn’t the most common one. Yet here I sat on the bathroom toilet, my entire future in the hands of a little plastic stick. I opened my legs and raised the urine-stained stick to eye level. The gray moisture line moved across the little window until one pink line appeared. I held my breath and watched as a second line appeared.