I run, faster than I’ve ever run in my life, breathing in and out, until I reach the rose petaled aisle. “Stop,” I say, gasping for oxygen. “Stop. You can’t marry him.” I’m bent over, sucking in as much air as I can.
Everyone around me gasps. “Who the hell are you?” a voice demands.
I point. “I lo…” I straighten so I can look Nola in the eyes. “I love…”
“Quinn?”
I look to the right and there she is, dressed in soft pink with her hair curled and pulled to the side. “Nola,” I whisper. I thought she’d be happy to see me, but she’s coming toward me with a very pissed off look on her face.
“What the hell are you doing here?” she grits out as she grabs my arm and pushes me away from the gazebo. “My, God. You’ve gone and ruined the wedding.”
“I came to save you from making a mistake.”
“What’re you talking about? What mistake?”
“By marrying Roy, the douche,” I repeat Kellie’s words. “And to tell you that you don’t have to do things alone, I’ll be by your side.”
“Do what alone?”
“The baby.”
Nola’s eyes go wide, and her mouth drops open. “Oh, I’m going to kill her. You.” She jabs me in the chest. “Need to sit right here and don’t you freaking move. I’m going back over there to stand by my best friend while she marries the man of her dreams, and then you and I are going to talk. Ugh,” she grits out as she walks away.
Luckily for me, only a few people are staring. I smile and wave sheepishly and take a seat like Nola said.
38
Eleanora
“He’s hot and sexy,” Susannah whispers as I return to stand next to her. I smile and try to focus on her, but my mind is back on Quinn, and Kellie, who I’m going to maim. I’m going to fly back to California just, so I can do her bodily harm.
“Hurry up and get hitched, will ya. Sorry, Tanner,” I say to my friends.
He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. I’m sure he saw red when Quinn made his little outburst. I spot Roy, staring at me. I think now he realizes why I won’t get back together with him, at least I hope he does.
“You may kiss your bride.”
Tanner bends Susannah back and kisses her, much to the delight of everyone. I hand her back her bouquet and she holds it high up in the air. Music starts, and they take their first steps as husband and wife. I follow behind with Tanner’s best friend asking me what’s going on.
“Long story for another night.”
As soon as we’re at the end, I veer off and go back to where I left Quinn. He’s still there like I hoped he would be. “Can we talk?” he asks when I approach him.
“Follow me.”
I ignore everyone as I take Quinn out to the pond, which anyone else would call a lake. My great-great-great grandfather dug it out by hand when he found a natural spring flooding his land. The boathouse is the only place where we’ll find some peace and quiet.
Quinn helps me open the door, and I lead him to the end where we can sit on the dock. “How’d you find me?”
“Kellie,” he says as he helps me sit down. “She came to see me this morning.”
“This morning?” I look at him, wishing immediately I hadn’t. He’s so damn sexy, even when he’s sweating.
“Found me at the Bean Song. It’s weird, I went there looking for you.”
“You did, why?”
Quinn shrugs. “I don’t know. These past few days have been really odd for me, you’ve been on my mind a lot and—”