Unwrapped (10 page)

Keep dreaming.

I swallow back my foolish dreams and hurry back
into the warm house and upstairs.

“I’m here, I’m here!” I proclaim brightly,
looking around the bedroom Juliet has commandeered as Bride
Central.

“Finally!” Brit smothers me with a hug. Her
choppy hair has a bright pink streak in it to match her short,
frothy silk dress — one of her own designs, I’ll bet. “You better
sit down,” she adds, looking me up and down and reaching for a
makeup kit. “We don’t have much time if I’m going to fix all of …
this
.”

“So where’s the VIP?” I ask, settling in a
chair.

“In here!” Juliet’s voice comes, muffled from
behind the bathroom door. “Wait a sec … OK, I’m coming out. Promise
not to laugh,” she adds, a tremor in her voice.

The door opens, and she emerges: a vision in
white.

“Oh my god,” I breathe, taking it in. Juliet’s
dress is a simple column of silk with a strapless neckline and a
long, flowing skirt that pools out behind her. Tiny pearls are
embroidered along the princess neckline, and Brit rushes forwards
to help fix a long veil to her hair, spilling down her back in a
swoop of delicate lace.

“Is it OK?” Juliet twists, anxious.

“It’s perfect.” I promise.

“You’re perfect,” Brit agrees.

I swallow, feeling tears again. “I can’t believe
you’re getting married!”

“Me either!” Juliet chokes up, reaching for me
in a hug.

“No crying!” Brit orders us. “You’ll smudge your
makeup!”

“OK!” Juliet sniffles, hugging me.

I’m suddenly hit with the truth. For years,
Juliet has been my person, the one constant in my life; but now,
she’ll belong to someone else. To Emerson.

And I’ll be alone.

The emotions of the day are finally too much: I
break down into loud, messy sobs. I’m trying so hard to keep it
together, but something inside has broken wide open and I can’t
keep it in anymore.

“Lacey?” Juliet gasps. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing!” I choke, embarrassed. “I’m
sorry, ignore me!” I try to get myself under control, but the tears
keep coming. The others are looking at me like I’m crazy, and I
know I must be making a mess of my makeup, but I can’t help it, it
hurts too much. My heart’s been aching all day long, beating out a
miserable song, and with the wedding looming, just hours away, it
can’t take it anymore. Everyone here has someone: their lover,
their partner, their friend. And as much as I’ve tried to deny it,
I can’t avoid the truth.

I wanted Daniel to be my someone. I want it so,
so bad.

“Give us a minute?” Juliet asks Brit over my
head.

I try and protest through the tears, but Brit
sends me a sympathetic smile “I’ll go make sure the guys haven’t
rolled in the snow,” she say, quietly closing the door behind her.
Finally, we’re alone.

I sniffle, feeling like the worst kind of
buzz-kill. This is her special day, and me and my ugly sobs are
ruining it. Juliet finds a box of tissues on the dresser, then sits
beside me on the bed, carefully smoothing out her dress. “What’s
going on, Lace?” she asks softly, taking my hand.

“Nothing,” I shake my head, tears still
streaming down my face. “I promise. I’m fine.”

“Sure you are. This is what you always look like
when you’re deliriously happy.” Juliet smiles at me softly.

I choke out a laugh, but I can’t tell her, I
just can’t. BFF exes are off-limits, it’s like one of the most
sacred girl-code rules there is, and I not only went and broke it,
I danced around on the smashed pieces like there was no
tomorrow.

Juliet rubs my back gently and waits. “Is it
about Daniel?” she finally asks.

My head snaps up in shock. “How did you …?” I
trail off, realizing too late that I’m totally busted.

Juliet gives me a smile. “I had a hunch. The way
you two were trying so hard
not
to look at
each other …” she lets out a breath, cautious. “Did something
happen?”

I nod, miserable. “I’m sorry,” I say again, “I
know I’m the worst friend in the world. We were snowed in, and we
started doing shots, and one thing led to another …”

I stop.

“No, that’s not the truth,” I say quietly. If
I’m going to be honest, I need to come clean — about everything.
“The truth is, I’ve always liked him. Even when you guys were
dating. And when we wound up together last night … I couldn’t help
it. I know I should have stopped, but, I wanted him too much.”

I brace myself, waiting for Juliet’s confusion
and disappointment. But nothing comes. The silence stretches. I
finally break, forcing myself to peek over at her. I catch my
breath: she doesn’t
look
mad. “Do you hate
me?” I ask in a small voice.

“No!” Juliet exclaims, looking thoughtful. “I
just … I never knew, that’s all.” She pauses again, processing. “So
last night …?”

“I thought it might mean something, to him too.
I know it was stupid,” I add quickly, “And this is probably, like,
my karmic punishment, but, I couldn’t help it. It’s him, Jules,” I
say, miserable. “It’s always been him.”

“Aww, babe.” Juliet hugs me again, and I fall
against her, my heart aching in my chest. Admitting it out loud
makes it all real somehow. I love Daniel, and now I’ll never have
him. That one night was all I’ll get; hell, now I’ll probably never
see him again.

“I’m sorry,” I say again, because I am: for
letting her down, and for getting my own foolish hopes up, for
thinking that anything real could happen. For making any part of
this day about me.

“Don’t be,” Juliet says firmly. She looks at me
intently, “I mean it, I just want you to be happy. Both of you, and
if it’s with each other—”

“That’s never going to happen.” I cut her off.
“He couldn’t have made it clearer. This was just a stupid one night
thing. He doesn’t want to be with me. Why would he?”

“Don’t even say that.” Juliet orders. “You’re
amazing, you know that, and if he’s too dumb to see it, that’s his
problem.” She looks so fierce that for a moment, I think she’s
going to go marching off through the snow in her wedding dress to
give Daniel a piece of her mind.

I manage a laugh. “I love you,” I tell her.

“And I love you too,” Juliet smiles, looking
anxious. “I’m sorry you’re hurting, I really am.”

“It’s OK, I’ll live.” I give her a weak smile.
“Now, enough sitting around, being miserable. Are you going to help
me get fixed up for the wedding of the year— no, make that, the
century?”

Juliet makes that sympathetic face again.

“Don’t look at me like that!” I exclaim quickly.
“I feel great. Awesome! Ready to get you down the aisle. But first,
this pretty face of mine is going to need serious work.”

“Dunk your head in cold water,” Juliet advises
me. “I’ll call the others up. Don’t worry, she adds softly, “You’ll
be just fine.”

My heart catches. I nod, “I know.”

But know it’s a lie. I won’t be fine, not
without him. And he’s not mine to have. He never was.

“Come on, babe,” I swallow back the pain, and
put my best face on. “Let’s get you married.”

***

I make it as far as the gas station by the
freeway entrance before I have to pull over. It’s crazy. I need to
keep driving, and make it to the airport to catch a flight home,
but every instinct in my body is screaming to turn around and go
right back to Beachwood Bay.

To Lacey.

Damn
.

I hit the steering wheel in frustration. What
the hell am I doing? It was one night, just one night I spent with
her.

One night that changed everything.

I sink back and close my eyes with a sigh. Right
away, I see her: running for the flight, hair shimmering in the
neon lights, her smile, so wide and breathless. Her body, like a
goddamn miracle.

I can’t get her out of my head.

I don’t know how it happened, but now, she’s all
I can think about. Even back at the beach house, seeing Juliet for
the first time since everything went down, I didn’t care. All I
could care about was Lacey.

Something was wrong, I knew it even on the drive
up. The way she avoided my gaze, staring out the window, carefully
moving around me, so we wouldn’t even accidentally touch. I wanted
to ask, to see if I’d done something wrong, but somehow, I couldn’t
find the right words. Maybe she just felt awkward, being stuck with
me long after she’d usually make her morning-after escape. After
all, one night flings aren’t supposed to stick around the next day
like I did.

That was it, I tell myself. She just wanted to
get away from me and forget the whole thing ever happened.

But what if you’re wrong …?

The possibility slips into my mind and shimmers
there, too bright to ignore. If I’ve read this all wrong, if Lacey
might be open to seeing where this could go … Hell, I don’t need a
promise from her, I’d settle for a single date: any chance I get to
make her see I’m not the boring, straight-laced guy she thinks I
am. That I can make her happy, treat her like the queen she really
is.

Love her the way she deserves.

It’s crazy. I should feel wrecked, seeing the
girl I used to love so happy to be marrying someone else, but the
strange thing is, I didn’t feel a thing: looking at Juliet was like
a memory from a different life, like I was someone else when I was
with her, and now, that moment is gone. Juliet is my past, but
Lacey …?

She could be my future.

It’s a chance. The smallest, slimmest, craziest
chance in the world, but even that tiny piece of hope is enough.
It’s everything.

Before I know what I’m doing, I put the car in
drive and spin a U-turn in the parking lot, the wheels screeching
in protest. I head back on the coastal highway—heading the exact
direction I just came from.

To Beachwood Bay. To Lacey.

I’m going to make her mine.

***

By three, everything’s ready. The backyard
looks perfect, Juliet is dressed, and the rest of the guests have
arrived and are taking their seats out back, wrapped in extra
blankets and scarves. It’s a small group, just friends from town,
and close family, but as the clouds finally part and shine crisp
winter sunshine down on the snowy scene, I know, it’s everything
Juliet and Emerson wanted.

Everyone they love, right here, to share in
their happiness.

“All set?” Brit asks, pulling on a long,
fake-fur cape. She’s standing as a bridesmaid, and has a bouquet of
white roses, with fur lined boots on her feet. Hunter comes in from
the other room to collect her, his eyes softening at the sight of
her.

“You look beautiful,” he murmurs quietly, and
her cheeks flush pink.

“You look pretty dapper yourself.” Brit adjusts
the lapel of his tux, and they share a look so full of love and
passion, I have to look away.

“All set,” I busy myself with my own wrap,
ignoring the lump in my throat. “You get everyone settled, we’ll be
out in a minute.”

They head outside, and I’m left alone in the
foyer for a minute. I catch sight of my reflection in the mirror,
and have to wince at the grim expression on my face.

Quit moping!
I order
myself.
You’re happy for her, so try and look
it!

I plaster a bright smile on my face and open my
mouth to call Juliet down, but then I catch sight of something in
the drive that makes the words die in my throat.

Daniel.

My heart skips a beat as I watch him leap out of
the car and stride up the front steps, looking deadly determined.
He throws open the door then stops in surprise, just inches away
from me.

God, he’s gorgeous. I stare at him, at those
deep amber eyes, and feel a wave of longing crash through me so
powerful, I have to reach out a hand to steady myself on the
bannister.
But what the hell is he doing back
here?
My mind races, and then I realize.