“I didn’t realize she was close to Knox and Mae.”
“She’s not, really,” he says.
“So she’s what?” I ask, my voice getting higher. “Your plus one since I’m benched?”
“It’s not like that, Kailey. She’s not my date,” he says, calmly. “Maggie always travels with me, and since we were coming back to Haven’s Point, it just . . .”
“She’s staying with you, too?”
“You know I’m staying at Mae’s house with Knox. Maggie’s in a hotel. Where is this jealousy coming from?”
“It’s coming from the fact that you didn’t tell me she was going,” I say.
“I was so worried about leaving you. Making sure you were alright,” he says calmly. “It just wasn’t important.”
Now hardly seems like the time to get into all of this. Besides, his explanation seems perfectly logical. “Okay,” I say softly.
“Shit, I always hate fighting with you, but fighting with you long distance is even worse.”
“Yep.”
He exhales. “Coming home isn’t easy for me. Some bad shit happened here.”
“Stuff Maggie knows about, but I don’t?”
“Maybe I shouldn’t have called.”
“Maybe not.”
After an awkward goodbye, we both hang up. I stare down at my phone for a second then feel Addison’s hand land on my shoulder. “Ready to let me drive now?” she teases, trying to make me smile. “For the record, I don’t think you have to be worried about that Maggie chick. I’ve seen the way Ryder looks at you.”
“I know,” I say. “She just knows so much about him.”
“Give it time. Maggie’s known him for over a decade. They have more history together. You and Ryder will get there. It just doesn’t happen overnight.”
“I worry he’s never going to open up to me. Tell me all the things Maggie knows.”
“Do you need him to?” she asks.
“At some point, I think I do,” I say.
“But until then, you can’t be jealous. You’re dating a music god. He’s going to go on tour. Millions of women are going to throw themselves at him. You can’t get jealous every time that happens.”
The phone rings in my hands, and my heart skips a beat. “It’s him again.”
“Morning, babe,” he says. “Think we need a do-over.”
A smile spreads across my face, but I can’t help but wonder when his charm will eventually run out.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
You said you needed to talk
But you never told me
Ryder
“I thought you weren’t supposed to see the bride on the wedding day,” I say to Knox.
“She wanted to see our parents and her mom before the wedding,” my brother says.
To me, it seems weird to start your wedding day off by visiting a graveyard, but it’s not my call. Maybe it’s because I avoid this place at all costs. My ghosts never leave my side, so there’s no need to visit their home.
I hang back at the car, watching my brother and Mae walk to my parents’ graves, side-by-side. My eyes drift to the other side of the cemetery, near the edge toward the back. A cool Colorado wind whips through the air, like her ghost is beckoning me, seducing me with promises of peace.
A peace I know I don’t deserve, but that I want just the same.
Taking a step in that direction, I hear leaves crumble under the weight of my feet, like tiny bones breaking. The wind seems to get colder the closer I get. I’m not sure this is a good idea, but I can’t seem to stop myself, either.
Julia Cassidy.
Her name engraved on the headstone makes it all the more real. Years and years ago, Julia was the new girl in town. That’s a big deal in Haven’s Point, where we hardly ever got new kids in school. We basically went to school with the same kids from pre-K through senior year. So when she showed up, the guys went wild for her blonde hair, green eyes, and long, lean legs which she loved to show off. Fresh meat is what they called her.
I was the one that caught her eye, though. Varsity football quarterback and the new girl, we were hot shit for most of junior year. She was my first.
“Julia,” I whisper. “The last time I stood here, I made you a promise. I’ve kept it.” I look up into the blue autumn sky, remembering standing here and saying I would never tell another girl I loved her, that those words would forever be for Julia alone. “I need you to release me from it.”
“I was wondering if you’d have the balls to show up here,” I hear.
I turn quickly, finding the familiar hatred in the face of Julia’s mother, glaring at me with the same green eyes her daughter had. But she’s older now, much older looking than she should be. I guess losing your only child will do that.
“Rumors of your brother’s wedding had me wondering if you’d show your face.”
“I’m leaving,” I say, turning to go. “I didn’t know you were here. I swear, I’m not here to cause you any pain.”
Ms. Cassidy snickers at me. “I’ve seen you on the tabloid sites. Big superstar, new house, car, girlfriend with a baby on the way.”
I turn back to her, something about her voice threatening, ominous. She takes a step closer to me. “You think you get to have it all while my daughter is in the ground?”
“No, I know I don’t deserve the life I have.”
“Ryder!” Maggie calls out, rushing towards me.
“Ah, the former teacher, Maggie,” Ms. Cassidy says, disdain dripping off her tongue. “I see you’re still rescuing him.”
“Back off,” Maggie says. “You signed a non-disclosure years ago, so I suggest you stop, or you can pay back the five million Ryder paid you.”
Julia’s mom looks at me. “Five million is what my daughter was worth to you?”
“Ryder, let’s go,” Maggie says, yanking on my arm.
“How much is your new piece worth? What’s her name? Kailey?” I can only stare at her. “Your baby have a price?” she yells, as Maggie pulls me away.
*
“What were you thinking?” Maggie asks, straightening my tie, and I know she’s not really expecting me to answer.
The wedding is set to start any minute. I have to pull it together for the sake of Knox and Mae. And there’s no escape for me. I can’t disappear into my music. Hell, I didn’t even bring my guitar. That’s a first.
Pulling away, I say, “I’m alright.”
Maggie knows me too well, knowing when I’m lying through my damn teeth. But she doesn’t challenge me. She takes her seat, and I take my place beside Knox at the makeshift altar made of flowers.
Mae lives in a cottage on Wildflower Lake in Haven’s Point, and the wedding is in her backyard. There’s less than twenty people in attendance, all seated in white chairs, with light pink bows tied on the back. A string quartet plays against the backdrop of the crystal blue water.
It’s not a Hollywood wedding by any stretch of the imagination. There will be no ice sculptures, no swans, no fireworks, no celebrity guests (unless you count me), and they didn’t even ask me to sing. That was totally fine with me. It’s small and simple, with the focus on the couple.