“Wow,” he said.
“Good?” I asked.
“Great,” he replied, taking his hands out of his pockets and putting them on my waist before giving me a soft kiss. “I don’t want to ruin your makeup.”
“It’s not too much? I don’t want to look trashy,” I said.
“Babe, you look amazing. Seriously, you have nothing to worry about. I wouldn’t be surprised if you stole the spotlight from Kelly,” he said.
“Well, that wouldn’t be good!” I exclaimed.
“Relax, I’m kidding,” he said, laughing as he rubbed my arms.
“You better be. I’d feel horrible,” I said.
“We have to leave in about twenty minutes. Do you have anything else to do?” he asked.
“I think I’ll just go pick up a little bit and put my things away,” I said before going back upstairs.
I put away my makeup and clothes, and I felt the nerves start to hit me as I paced around, wondering how this was going to go. I was going to meet them soon, sooner than soon, and this could make or break my entire relationship with Bentley. If they said no, if they said for me to go away or that they didn’t like me, he’d have to leave me. Sure, he was his own man and could make his own decisions, but he wasn’t going to date a woman his parents hated. At the end of the day he could find a new woman to date, but he couldn’t find new parents or a new family. They were far more important to him, as they should be.
I kept an eye on the clock and went back downstairs with my shoes on, as it was time to go. Bentley helped me into my coat before putting on his and we walked outside to his car, the sun shining, a small, cool breeze against my legs. I suppose there was a little bit of winter still left here.
The church parking lot was full as we pulled up and looked for a space.
“Man, I thought we’d be a little early,” he said, finding a place.
Parked in the back of the lot, we got out of the car and walked over to a sidewalk nearby so that I could avoid walking in the puddles scattered about the lot. I’d seen this church once before on a packed Sunday morning while driving by, but never like this. They had beautiful stained glass windows, probably twenty feet high, facing the road, and I always thought they were beautiful, even though I’d never had a chance to really stop and look at them.
As we got closer to the door, a few other people walking up as well, I began to feel a bit nervous again, my stomach twisting, as I gripped it and Bentley looked at me.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Is there a bathroom nearby? I feel a little sick,” I said.
“Right to the left when we walk in, before we get inside,” he said.
“Okay, I’ll find you then,” I said.
“Want me to wait?” he asked.
“No, go find your family and say hi and I’ll catch up,” I said.
“Oh, okay,” he said, and I went down the hall and found the restroom.
This was not off to a good start.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Bentley
The lobby of the church was full as I walked inside and looked all around for my parents.
“Bentley!” I heard, from across the room.
I looked, seeing my father waving at me, before I nodded and headed over towards them. They all greeted me with open arms. Cash and Liam were both already there, and they were the most excited of anybody to see me. I guess that’s what happened since they were too cool for this town. They missed out on seeing their older brother.
“Oh honey, I’m so happy you’re here. I have such a surprise for you,” my mother said, kissing me on the cheek.
My father shrugged as I looked at him, as he clearly had no clue what it was even about. That made sense. My mother routinely got surprises for people that he just stamped his name on and went along with. I knew he had no clue.
“What is it?” I asked.
“A special person,” she said, pulling someone closer.
My heart dropped, my stomach twisted, and I wanted to throw up. Candice?
“Hey, you!” she said, coming up and hugging me.
“H—hey,” I said, stuttering a little.
Both Cash and Liam looked shocked and a bit taken aback, probably because they knew Candice and weren’t too fond of her either. In fact, my mother seemed to be the only one who was excited. I looked around, looking for Anna, but didn’t see her, and I immediately started to think about what was going to happen when she came over. I was so shocked by seeing Candice that I hadn’t even thought about it.
“No date?” Candice asked.
“She’s using the restroom,” I said.
“And just leaving a handsome man like you all alone?” she asked, touching my arm.
“Bentley, aren’t you happy to see Candice? Your cousin Kelly invited her, and we ran into her here. Can you believe it? Maybe it’s fate bringing you two together,” my mother said.
“I’m here with someone, Mom,” I said.
“Yes, but that’s just a wedding date, Bentley. You have something with Candice—history. You can’t just burn those history books and forget all you’ve had with her,” she said.
Was my mother clueless, or did she forget about Candice and I breaking up? Maybe dementia was kicking in early, because there was no reason she should be pushing this.
Just when things couldn’t get worse, I felt a tap on my shoulder, and I turned around and saw Anna with a smile. Shit.
“Everyone, this is my date, Anna,” I said nervously, introducing her to everybody.
Cash and Liam, as well as my father, all took kindly to her as they greeted her and made her feel welcome. My mother, however, looked a little different in her greeting. She wasn’t rude, she rarely ever was, especially in public like this, but I could tell she looked a bit confused. After all, Anna was still somewhat of a secret. Maybe she expected something more with Candice and me, or maybe not, I didn’t know. But all I did know was that I didn’t like anything about what was going on.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Anna
I must’ve walked up to one tough audience, because they all seemed a bit taken aback and alarmed when I introduced myself. Cash, Liam, and his father, Ed, all looked uncomfortable and his mother was standing there with a girl I didn’t know.
“Aren’t you going to introduce me?” she asked, looking at Bentley.
Bentley, looking uncomfortable, didn’t say a word as she rolled her eyes and instead took the initiative herself.
“I’m Candice, Bentley’s ex-girlfriend,” she said, shaking my hand.
Ex-girlfriend? Was I hearing that correctly? What in the hell was his ex doing here? Was he talking to her again? Was that why she was here? I knew being with him was too damn good to be true. He had to have been playing me on the side or something. Maybe I shouldn’t jump to conclusions, though. Maybe there was a good explanation. I wasn’t going to get it right here and now, though, so I just needed to put on a happy face and grill him later. The last thing I needed was to look like a crazy girlfriend.
“Yeah, my mom just ran into her here. Apparently she’s friends with my cousin, the bride, which I wasn’t aware of,” Bentley said.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you,” I said politely.
A bell rang before somebody announced it was time to take seats so that the ceremony could begin. Bentley stayed closed to me as we all walked in before getting to our seats. Sensing the problem, Cash and Liam sat on either side of Bentley and me, shielding us from Candice, which I thought was nice. I had no idea if they intentionally did it, but I was appreciative.
The service began as the groom came down the aisle smiling, high-fiving some of the people in the pews. I smiled, and the groomsmen accompanied the bridesmaids down the aisle. Their dresses, a pastel coral color, were flowy and airy and they all carried small bouquets with rustic wildflowers.
Without much more of a wait, the bride, Bentley’s cousin, started her walk down the aisle, accompanied by her father by her side. Tears ran, both for the bride and groom, as they saw each other for the first time. Bentley grabbed my hand, holding it, and I looked over at him and saw the look in his eyes. It was a loving look, one that I didn’t think I’d ever forget, and I looked forward again and saw the father give the bride away.
I think I appreciated all this more as an adult, as I thought of my own father giving me away one day, should I be so lucky. I thought it was sweet, and I knew it would be a moment we’d never forget for as long as we lived, and even then some.
The service took on another layer, as they recited the vows they’d prepared, lit a large candle from two separate smaller candles, and the groom even sang a song to his bride, which brought a tear to everybody’s eye in the church. I liked that it wasn’t your everyday, standard wedding, but instead they took it and made it their own, doing things that were important to them. It was sweet.
It finally became time for the groom to kiss his bride. As he dipped her a little the crowd erupted in cheers. Holding hands after, he put his free hand in the air in excitement, and she laughed and the two of them took off down the aisle. We all clapped, and then it was over and we were again left in a sea of awkwardness. As we got up I saw Candice eyeing Bentley once again. I suppose it was too good to be true to think that those fun feelings could last all night.