“Is it, or is it about your dad?”
I shake my head, not willing to let her sway me. “I’m marrying Oliver. I weighed the risks, and if things had kept on the path they were on, we would have likely been married in a few years anyway. So, we’re just speeding it up in service of others. Just because it’s not perfect doesn’t mean it’s wrong.”
Devney’s eyes soften. “I’m not saying it’s wrong. I’m the last person who can say that getting married quickly or any of that is bad.”
“But you knew with Sean right away.”
“No, I didn’t,” she clarifies. “It took me almost being engaged to Oliver Parkerson to figure it out. Sean was always elusive to me. He was my best friend for . . . ever. He wasn’t the guy I was supposed to marry. We got drunk and kissed while I was dating someone else. I also know what I’m saying because I was living that life. I convinced myself that what I had with other men was good enough, but it wasn’t.” Devney reaches across the seat and takes my hand. “I know how you feel about marriage.”
“It’s forever.”
She nods. “Then make sure you’re forever-ing yourself with the right guy.”
Even if I didn’t think Oliver was the right guy, there’s no way I’m backing out at this point. All my dad wants before he dies is to walk me down the aisle. I won’t take that from him.
“I know what you’re saying, and I love you for it.”
Devney laughs. “But you’re still doing it.”
“I am.”
She nods. “Then, there you have it.”
I mean, I know what I want, and I’ve already considered all the possibilities. I want this. I could love him. I could at least see myself loving him, which is more than I have had with anyone else.
These are good odds.
I think . . .
Four
MAREN
“I’m so glad you came down early with me,” I tell Devney as we are entering the town of Willow Creek Valley.
“Me too. It gave me a break from the kids and forces Sean to play Mr. Mom for a bit.”
Devney’s husband is a major league baseball player. He’s amazing but on the road a lot, so they go back and forth between Florida and Sugarloaf whenever they can to maximize time together. I understand how hard it is to do the long-distance thing since Oliver travels a lot too.
It’s hard, but it’s what we do for the people we love.
“When will he get here?” I ask.
“Tomorrow. He and the kids are flying to Charlotte and renting a car.”
“Two kids on the plane by himself?” I ask. “Brave man.”
She laughs. “Please, the nanny is coming too. She is usually off for the summer, but we asked her to come on the trip so he and I can enjoy the wedding.”
I nod once. “Makes sense.”
We pull up to the house they rented, thinking it would be better to have their own place than be right under her ex’s feet. She said she talked to Oliver the other day, just to ease some of the awkwardness, but . . . I can’t imagine anything will completely relieve it.
Oliver Parkerson and Devney were supposed to be the real thing. I truly thought they’d end up together, but seeing her with Sean is otherworldly. They love in a way that I’ve never seen before.
Devney and I get out and unload the bags, putting the favors and table charts over to the side.
Once that’s done, we each grab a bottle of water.
“Do you want to head to the resort now?” Devney asks.
“Sure, do you mind driving? I’m beat.”
We make our way back into the car and use the directions that Oliver sent this morning since the resort isn’t on a map yet.
It’s about a thirty-minute ride and about halfway there, I dig out my phone. “I need to call my dad and check in.”
I grab my phone and dial his number. He answers, his voice is raspy. “Hello.”
“Hi, Daddy.”
“Hey, did you get there?”
“I did. Were you sleeping?”
He groans a little. “No, just had a bad night.”
“Are you okay?”
“Never . . . better. I get to see you soon.”
I smile, wishing he were here already so I could see him. “I’m really excited to see you. It’s been too long.” Six months of Linda finding one reason or another to keep me away. She has nothing this time to use as an excuse.
“Are you there yet?”
“We are. We’re heading to the resort now.”
“Good. I’m glad you made it,” he says before yawning. “I can’t wait to meet Oliver.”
Nerves hit me a little. “I can’t either.”
“I’m going to rest. Have fun with Devney.”
“I will. I love you, Daddy.”
“Love you, Princess.”
We hang up, and my phone rings almost immediately afterward. I answer it, thinking he forgot to say something.
“You okay, Daddy?”
“Maren, hey. It’s me.”
I blink a few times and smile. It’s not my dad, it’s my fiancé. “Oliver, hey! You’re back in range.”
“Yeah, I got back yesterday.”
“Oh. I didn’t hear from you or know you were back.”
Devney peeks at me. I hit the mute button and tell her, “He got back yesterday and didn’t call.”
Even though I left him two voice messages. But . . . whatever.
I unmute the phone.
“Yeah, I was going to call, but I didn’t know what to say,” he explains and then exhales deeply. “I just . . . I’m not really sure there is a way to say it.”
The hesitancy in his voice causes my heart to pound and my mouth to go dry. “Say what?”
“Look, I have a lot of shit going on at work and . . . I don’t know, Mare, it’s like, we got engaged really fast and are getting married even faster.”
“You know why.”
“I know, and that’s not . . . I mean, I was away the last week and we didn’t even try to reach out to each other. Isn’t that strange?”
My lips part as my mind goes in circles. What the hell do I say to that? “We’ve never been that way.”
“And yet, all the other guys do. They call or send a message. You and I don’t, not unless it’s mission related.”
“I’m not understanding what you’re upset about. Do you want me to sit at home and cry when you’re gone? You didn’t text me or call me while you were gone either. I didn’t know this was an issue.”
Devney pulls the car over to the side of the road and waits.
“No, that’s the thing. I don’t think about it either. Neither of us does. When I’m gone, do you miss me? Do you even want to see me? Do I want to see you?”
It feels as though I’ve been punched in the chest. “We’re getting married in a few days.”
Oliver sighs, and I squeeze my eyes closed, knowing I didn’t answer his question.
“Which is why I’m calling. I don’t think it’s the right time. I think we should wait and see how this goes.”
“You asked me,” I remind him with a very high-pitched yell. “You got down on your knee and asked me to marry you! I didn’t do that! You said you wanted to do it quickly, to give my dad what he wanted. Now you want to wait?”
“After hearing about your dying father’s last wish. Of course, I did.”
“I never pushed you to propose, Oliver! I was sharing what he said!”