Diary of a Wedding Planner in Love (Tales Behind the Veils Book 2) (15 page)

Friday, February 21st

I marched right into the office today armed with my notes on why the Lakeside management position did not further my interests. Well-rehearsed in how to explain the benefits I offered the company in my present position. Confident in my ability to offer solutions that could help us all achieve our goals.

It took one arch of Lillian's eyebrow and one curt question from her to unnerve me, and before I knew what had happened, I'd accepted the job.

I even ended up thanking them for the opportunity after she explained why it was such a great role for me and how I should be honored to have it.

I don't think you're supposed to feel this discouraged after getting a promotion. I could be wrong, but I thought a promotion was supposed to be a good thing. Maybe somehow it will be. Right?

Saturday, February 22nd

Talk about a first-class royal ass of a bitch. Definitely not one of my favorite brides. Victoria's been a thorn in my side since our very first meeting, and I'm just relieved this wedding day is over. I don't understand what Wyatt sees in her or why he wanted to marry her.

Wyatt's mom, Andrea, refused to come to the wedding for a while in protest of this union, but I guess Wyatt talked her into it.

Victoria retaliated by insisting Andrea not be included in the ceremony processional. Victoria's dad passed away a couple of years ago, and she only had her mother walking her down the aisle behind one maid of honor. Veronica decided Andrea could just be seated with the other guests, but Wyatt disagreed. He wanted his mom involved, so he told Victoria to let her walk by herself in front of the maid of honor.

You could cut the tension with a knife during pre-ceremony pictures. It got so bad the photographer ended early just to escape without bloodshed.

I sent Wyatt and the best man to the altar area with the minister and tried to corral the ladies with no cat fights. I cued the violinist to start the music, but as I told Andrea to start walking, Victoria leaned forward and grabbed her by the arm. She leaned in close to her future mother-in-law and spat her venom so quietly I barely heard the words above the hissing.

"You go ahead and walk down the aisle, and I'll be right behind you. When I get there, I'm gonna marry your son, and you will no longer have any say-so at all, you miserable hag. I will be first in his life, and he will be mine. All mine."

Victoria let go, and Andrea turned to make her way toward her smiling son. He had no way of knowing what words had transpired. For all he knew, his beautiful bride had extended a peacemaking olive branch.

Poor Wyatt. Stuck in the middle between his wife and his mom. That must suck. I feel sorry for him and for Andrea, who cried her way through the ceremony. I feel pretty confident Victoria will be a temporary problem. I don't see this marriage lasting long.

Wednesday, February 26th

Maggie called me around ten this morning to invite me to lunch. I immediately went to Melanie's office.

"Maggie wants to take me to lunch."

Mel gasped and put her hand over her mouth. "Oh wow. Did she say why?"

I shook my head.

"Okay. Well, maybe she misses you and just happens to be in the neighborhood."

I cocked one eyebrow and screwed up my lips to show her how ridiculous that concept was.

"Why on earth would she possibly be in this neighborhood? I've known the woman five years, and she has
never
asked me to lunch before."

"Okay, okay. Don't panic. Wait and hear her out."

"But what if she's going to go off on me like Galen? What if she's mad at me or something? What's she going to say?"

Mel sat back and crossed her arms. "You won't know until you go. Doesn't seem like Maggie's style from what you've told me about her. I don't think she'll be ugly to you."

"Should I tell Cabe? He got really pissed when I didn't tell him about Galen."

"Not until after you hear what she has to say. It may be nothing."

I walked outside when Maggie texted to say she was waiting in the parking lot.

"Hi there! Get in and I'll drive," she called out the window.

My stomach fluttered as I climbed into her Lexus, but she smiled and extended a hug across the console, immediately putting me at ease.

She asked me how work was going, told me about a charity function she was coordinating with the symphony, and asked if I was okay with a nearby French cafe for lunch.

By the time we'd received our salads, I had relaxed, feeling pretty silly for questioning her motives. She'd been nothing but nice since I got in the car. The same old Maggie. No tension, no discomfort. But the moment I let my guard down, it happened.

"So about this Paris trip." She smiled and took a sip of water before continuing. "Are you dead-set on going?"

My lettuce suddenly felt solid in my throat and I couldn't swallow. I gulped several swallows of water, but the lump in my throat lodged tighter. Maybe it wasn't the lettuce.

"Dead-set? I don't know if I'd say that, but we're planning on going."

"Do you think that's a good idea?"

I sat back in my chair and stared at her. Other than Maggie's eyes being green where Galen's were blue—the same blue as Cabe's—Maggie looked like an older version of her daughter. She shared Galen's dark red hair, though Maggie's framed her slender face in soft waves whereas Galen's hung ramrod straight. Maggie's face was softer. Her jawline not as rigid. Her eyes were more compassionate. More soulful. Even now as her challenge radiated across the table at me, it didn't assault me like Galen's. She was protecting her son, just as Galen wanted to protect her brother, but Maggie’s approach held more kindness. I sensed a concern for my feelings as well.

"I don't know. What do you think I should do?" She'd obviously brought me here to tell me, so I gave her the floor.

"Well, I can't really answer that, Tyler. I think it's a difficult decision, and I think you both have a lot to consider. I don't pretend to know how you feel or what you want in this situation, but I can tell you I'm worried about Cabe."

I shifted in my seat. I'd been mentally preparing for her anger just in case she went on the attack, but she didn't come across angry. She seemed genuinely worried, which unsettled me more.

"Worried about him? Why?"

"Well, I'm certain he wouldn't be happy to know I'm having this conversation. Especially not with him so angry about Galen right now. So I will leave it to you as to what you choose to share with him. I would never ask you to hide anything from my son."

Did his anger at Galen have anything to do with me? It sounded like it, but I didn't think it would be appropriate for me to ask. I nodded instead and drained the last sip of water from my glass, scanning the room for someone who could get me a refill.

"I've watched the two of you tango for years, Ty. I've seen him pursue you, and I've seen you pursue him. I think you two have a powerful connection, and I think it scares you both. For quite a while, you weren't in a place to fully receive what Cabe was ready to offer. You needed time. You needed healing. Growth. Now, I think the tables have turned and Cabe is not in a place to fully receive what you want to offer. He's dealing with a lot."

Moisture glistened in her eyes, but she looked away and blinked rapidly. When she looked back at me, it had gone, and a fresh determination filled her face.

"Give him time, Tyler. Give him space. I can't make you any promises of what will happen between the two of you, but I can tell you he needs space right now. He needs to breathe without the fear of losing you. This trip is a mistake. It's too much right now."

"I told him he could cancel the trip, Maggie." I crossed my arms and struggled not to feel defensive. Did she think somehow I was making him go? That I was pushing him?

She waited for the waitress to fill my water glass and leave. "I don't think he'd ever back out of it because he knows you want it, and he gave it to you. But I'm telling you, it's a mistake. I know my son very well, Ty. Not as well as you in some areas, I'm sure, but better than you in others. Cabe needs to work on himself. He needs to be alone and process some things. If you love him, and I believe you do, then give him space. Give him room."

"He says he wants to go, Maggie. I'm not forcing him."

She smiled at me, but I could sense frustration hiding behind the curve of her lips. Her eyes didn't even try to fake the smile.

"He wants to make you happy. He wants to keep from hurting you. It doesn't mean he should go."

I wondered how much of this they had discussed. What had he told her that he couldn't tell me?

"Did he tell you this?" I asked.

"We've talked. I don't intend to share details, but suffice to say I wouldn't have called you and asked for this meeting behind my son's back if I didn't feel certain about what I'm sharing with you. I'm fond of you, Tyler. I think you care a great deal for my son, and I know Cabe cares deeply for you. I don't want to see either one of you hurt, and I'm willing to reach out to you to try and prevent it."

What was I supposed to say to that? I didn't want either one of us hurt either. I had my own apprehensions about going to Paris under the circumstances. Was I supposed to tell him I didn't want to go?

I didn't know if I could do that. I wanted to go. I wanted to get him away from here. From Galen. From Maggie, even. They both seemed to be against us being together. I just felt like if we were alone, if we went away together, we could escape all the background noise and connect. Without all the pressure.

Was I wrong? Was she right? Was the trip going to be too much for him, or was it what he needed to see how it could be between us? Why should his mom and his sister get to decide what Cabe and I should do?

I squared my shoulders and forced my voice to sound nonchalant despite the growing burn in my throat. "I appreciate your concern, and I'll think about what you've said. But ultimately, it's up to Cabe what he wants to do."

I wanted to get up and walk out. To get out of there. Her eyes pleaded with me and condemned me at the same time. I couldn't take her stare, and I just wanted to be gone. But I had no car. I had no way back to the office, and we still needed to get the check and pay before we could go. Minutes dragged interminably as we sat in silence.

Finally, she spoke.

"Okay. Well, I tried. You're both adults. Your decisions are your own. Dessert?"

I almost laughed. Her clipped manner belied her disappointment and the offer of dessert provided a mask of politeness which I in turn politely refused.

We rode back to my office without talking, but she reached across the car and gave me another hug before I got out.

Her eyes glistened again, and she smiled at me. "I hope everything works out for the best."

So now the ball is in my court. What do I do? And what do I tell Cabe?

Friday, February 28th

Cabe and I went shopping tonight for cold weather clothes and a few other items for the trip. I wavered all night over whether or not to tell him about my lunch with Maggie. He was in such a great mood, and he seemed genuinely excited. He had been to Paris twice before. Once with his mom and Galen, and again when he took a year off college to backpack across Europe and India.

All night, he described things he wanted to show me, his passionate enthusiasm so contagious I found myself getting pumped up for Paris. But the whole time, Maggie's warnings and the fact Cabe didn't know we talked weighed in the back of my mind, like a slow, blinking red light cautioning me not to fully engage in his excitement.

As we unloaded the shopping bags in my living room and separated out our purchases and receipts, I couldn't hold it in any longer. I felt like a traitor hiding something from him and pretending everything was alright.

"I have something I need to tell you, and I want you to promise you'll stay calm and not get upset."

He froze in the act of folding a shirt and looked at me with confusion. His voice was taut with tension. "I've never understood why people say that. How am I supposed to promise you I won't get upset if I don't even know what you're going to tell me? Not to mention obviously it's going to upset me, otherwise you wouldn't preface it by saying that."

He was right, of course.

"I just don't want you to get all mad or something and it ruin the mood. I've had a really good time with you tonight. I don't want to end it on a bad note, but I also feel like I want to be upfront with you."

He sat down on the edge of the chair, the shirt rumpled and forgotten in his hands. "Go ahead. Shoot."

He was already upset.

"I want you to promise me what I tell you will stay between us, and you won't mention it to anyone."

"You're asking for a helluva lot of promises when I don't have any idea what you're talking about. Just tell me, Tyler."

I took a deep breath and prayed he would take it okay.

"Your mom asked me to lunch on Wednesday."

I could tell he didn't know. It caught him off-guard, and his facial expression changed right away.

"She said she doesn't think we should go to Paris." I exhaled as I said it, the words running together as I rushed to get them all out before he reacted. I barely made it. He stood to his feet pretty much immediately and tossed the shirt aside.

"You're kidding me. Tell me you're kidding. I swear to God if I could just get my family to stay out of my damned life." His jaw tightened in anger, and I could see his pulse pumping at his temple.

I tried to reason with him, although I don't know why I felt the need to defend Maggie. "I think she was just concerned because we haven't been getting along so well, and—"

"I don't care what she was concerned about. She has no business talking to you about my life. She has no business playing puppet master and trying to have other people make my decisions for me. I'm sick of it."

He gathered up his purchases and shoved everything back in the bags.

"Cabe, please don't tell her I told you. I don't want her to be mad at me, and I don't want any tension between the two of you."

"Well, it's a little bit late for that. She's gone too far, and she knows it. But by God, her and Galen are going to learn to stay out of my life. I'm going to make sure of it."

I walked between him and the door, desperate to stop him from leaving that way.

"Wait, Cabe. This is exactly what I didn't want. I don't want you leaving all upset and being mad at your mom. I honestly think she wanted to help. Can you please not say anything to her?"

"No, Tyler. I can't. I'm going to say something to her. I'm going to say a lot to her. You don't even know what all is going on."

I put my hand on his arm but he flinched and jerked it away.

"Then tell me. Tell me what's going on. Let's talk about it. Don't leave upset. Talk to me."

"We're going to Paris. I'm not letting her tell me, or you for that matter, what I can do with my life. Now please step out of the way. I'll call you tomorrow."

Did I do the right thing? Should I have just not told him? He got so mad when I didn't tell him about Galen at the comedy club. I feel like if my mom went behind my back to talk to him, I'd want to know. He got so upset. I knew he wouldn't be happy about it, but I had no idea he'd be so angry.

He commented about Maggie playing puppet master and going too far. He lumped her in with Galen as though the two of them did something to him. What happened? He said I didn't know what all is going on, but I don't know because he hasn't told me! What else has she done? Maybe it has something to do with Valentine's weekend. The long story he never got around to telling. We're supposed to go dancing tomorrow night. Maybe I need to insist he clues me in.