He shook his head, hating that stupid nickname that kept coming back to haunt him. But when it came down to it . . .
“Mel, I’d rather be Free Willy for the rest of my life than you be alone another minute.”
“Pssh.” She shook her hair back from her face, taking on an intentionally haughty expression. “I know I’ve still got it. Some man is going to be lucky to marry me.”
There was the sister he knew and loved. Will allowed himself a smile. “He’ll need a manual, that’s for sure. I should start writing that now, actually. Save him the trouble.”
Melissa laughed. “See? He’s coming. We both know it. I might not get married as soon as I’d planned once, but you know what, Will?” She tugged at their joined hands until he met her eyes. “If my ex couldn’t handle the ‘for worse’ before we even got married, then he sure as heck doesn’t deserve my ‘for better.’ I’ll wait for the guy who can.”
He’d never thought of it that way—that being jilted by her fiancé after the accident could have been a blessing in disguise. Melissa always chose to view the hard things in life that way. He could learn a lot from her.
But it still wasn’t right that he didn’t have to pay the same price Melissa did. He gripped her hands tighter. “It was my fault.” His voice hitched. Had he ever owned that to his sister before? He’d admitted it a thousand times in his own head, but out loud? He wasn’t sure.
“What was your fault?”
“The wreck. Your accident.” Unshed tears slashed at his throat. “It’s all my fault.”
Confusion filled Melissa’s face. “Will. That’s crazy. You weren’t even there.”
“Exactly. I was supposed to have picked you up.” His words tumbled over themselves. “If I had been there, you wouldn’t have gotten a ride with Taylor.”
He remembered that night all too well. He had promised to pick Melissa up from the New Year’s Eve party at her work. She didn’t want to drive herself and park and walk in the rain while dressed up, and her fiancé had been out of town on business. So Will had agreed to come get her before midnight.
But he’d been at his own party, living it up with friends he didn’t even talk to anymore, friends whose names he couldn’t even remember. Flirting. Pitting girls against each other to compete for him. Being a womanizing jerk. And he’d forgotten his promise. It was well after midnight that he remembered, saw all the missed calls on his cell, and tried to call her back. He couldn’t reach her—but the police finally reached him, and that particular call changed his life forever.
“I was the one who refused to wait for you and asked Taylor for a ride home. I knew how he felt about me. I should have known he’d start a fight about me being engaged.” Melissa shook her head. “You know all this, Will. Yeah, maybe you should have picked me up, but I shouldn’t have asked Taylor to drive me. And Taylor shouldn’t have gotten so agitated while driving. And the person who hit us shouldn’t have been speeding. There were a lot of mistakes that night.” She squeezed his hands. “But it wasn’t your fault. It was an accident. You have to let it go.”
It couldn’t be that easy. That simple just to . . . let it go. What would he even do without the weight of guilt anymore? It had been his constant companion for years.
He tried the idea on for size. It wasn’t his fault. Melissa’s accident wasn’t his fault.
It wasn’t his fault.
The burden shifted a little. He closed his eyes. It wasn’t his fault. He didn’t have to stay under it anymore. He was free.
He took a deep breath.
Free to live his life.
He slowly released Melissa’s hands.
Free to let Melissa live hers.
He turned his palms up to the air.
Free to love Charlotte.
Charlotte. His eyes flew open. Melissa must have been on the same page, because she immediately rolled her chair back so he could stand up. “Charlotte? It’s safe to come out now!”
No answer. No footsteps. No shuffling.
In fact, it had been quiet in there for some time. Too quiet.
Melissa's grin faded. They looked toward the front door at the same time. Open a crack.
Will’s heart thudded painfully against his chest as he leapt to his feet. “Do you think she heard—”
Melissa nodded. “Yep.”
Will closed his eyes, sinking back onto the couch. It was too late. He’d blown it. “I’m an idiot.”
Melissa patted his arm. “Don’t worry. I already told her that.”
The last thing Charlotte wanted to do was deliver the cake to Adam and Brittany’s wedding. She wanted to stab it with a knife. Maybe don sweatpants, grab a fork, and eat every bite of it, all by herself.
And yet, underneath the anger threatening to boil over at Will's rejection, she understood it. Understood the helplessness and fear that drove someone to make such a decision. Hadn’t she almost made the same one about him? She understood it and hurt for him.