After far too many minutes, Paul returned and waved me out the door. “Come on.”
My heart thumped against my ribs with the hope he’d thought of some way for me to see her. I followed him through the back church hallway and down a side aisle to the church lobby.
Craig was on my heels. “Is this a good idea?”
Paul whirled. “Remember how nervous I was before we got hitched?”
“Yes.” Craig nodded. “You only tried to call it off a half a dozen times.”
“What did it take to get me down that aisle?”
Craig grinned. “If I remember correctly, a kiss and a little something else.”
“Exactly. Now, I love you, but shut the fuck up.” Paul turned and kept hurrying through the church.
I was just glad that I seemed to be moving in Jess’ direction. We entered the church lobby and I could almost feel Jess nearby.
“This way.” Paul pressed past a couple of guests and into a side hallway. He ran right into Daisy, who’d blockaded a door that was marked “bride’s quarters” on a cutesy chalkboard.
The maid of honor narrowed her eyes at me and stood up straighter, staring me down.
What the fuck is her problem?
“I just want to see her, okay?” I said. Daisy and I weren’t fast friends, but I didn’t know why she was looking at me like I was the enemy.
“Really?” She pulled a crumpled piece of paper from behind her back and shoved it into my hand. “You sure you don’t want to see her instead?”
I opened the paper. I could feel the blood drain from my face as I saw the photograph. It was the one the paparazzo took of Sadie and me after the shoot at the beach. It looked even worse than I thought—her pressed against me in what looked like an intimate embrace as she kissed me. From the angle, it looked as if she were kissing me on the lips. Motherfucker.
I balled the paper in my fist, squeezing my fingers until it was nothing but a tiny wad of bullshit. “Has she seen this?”
“Yes,” Daisy hissed and leaned toward me. It would have been menacing if she weren’t built like a ballerina.
“Daisy, move.” I would do whatever it took to explain the photo to Jess.
“No.” Daisy put her hands on her hips.
I could have easily manhandled her out of the way, but I was in enough trouble as it was. Still, I took a step toward her, hoping to intimidate her. Nope, she just kicked her chin up and dared me to do shit about it. No wonder Jess loved her.
“Daisy, please.” Craig said from over my shoulder. “You and I both know that Michael’s head over heels in love with Jess. That photo doesn’t mean shit. Let him by.”
She pointed her finger in my face, so close it almost touched my nose. “You better have a good goddamn explanation, because if you don’t, I will have your goddamn balls in a jar on my mantle. If I can find a small enough jar. Wait here.” Daisy turned and disappeared behind the door. I couldn’t catch a glimpse of what was inside, though the space looked roomier than the groom’s quarters.
After a few moments, the bridesmaids filed out, their eyes downcast.
“Come in,” Daisy called.
I darted in, desperate to find Jess, to explain.
“Whoa.” Daisy blocked my path and held up a swatch of cloth. “Turn around. You can’t see her before the wedding. I’ve already blindfolded her. I don’t know if her seeing you is bad or not, but I’m not risking it. Once your eyes are covered, you can talk to her.”
If she’d said “I’m going to drive bamboo shoots under your fingernails and then you can talk,” I wouldn’t have cared. I would have held my hands out and waited impatiently for her to get it done. I had to get to Jess.
I bent down and let her tie the sash.
“Okay, follow me.” She led me a few steps and then directed me to sit.
A sniffle caught my ear and a piece of my heart froze and shattered. Jess was crying.
“She’s sitting right next to you. I’m going to stand outside. Jess, yell if you need me.”
“O-Okay.” Another sniffle.
I reached my hand out next to me and patted around until I found hers. She didn’t pull away at least.
“Let me explain.”
“Okay. Explain why you were kissing a model.”
I winced, but I wasn’t going to pass up this chance. “I was doing the swimsuit edition shoot. Sadie wanted to know if she made the cover. She hugged me and kissed me on the cheek. That was it. I told her that you’re my girl. She knows I love you. She just wanted to know if she made the cover. I swear, baby. Please don’t cry. I can have my assistant get her number if you want. You can call her. I promise you’re the only one for me. I love you. I would never do that to you. I swear on my life.” I ended my plea on a desperate note.