Chapter 26

TIME NEVER SEEMS to go the speed you want it to and the past month absolutely dragged for Hailey.

It felt like forever for her to get her test results: all negative! And she got her period two weeks ago so she wasn’t pregnant either. It was a weird feeling to consider herself lucky after what Hailey went through, but other people have endured way worse.

Marley definitely helped her a lot and taught her some coping mechanisms to get through everything. She spent the past month using them when she would wake up in the middle of the night after another nightmare.

Avery helped a bunch, too. He offered some resources like support groups she could join, even some private anonymous ones where she could talk to people in chat rooms. Both he and Marley suggested journaling to work through feelings, which did work for a little while. Then, Hailey realized something that worked even better. Scott became a character in her book that just so happened to die a horrible, painful death thanks to a fire-breathing dragon. Writing that chapter was pretty cathartic.

Sure, violence was not the answer, but fictional violence had many benefits.

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As the wedding approached, Hailey was getting more and more nervous for her night with Avery. It was something she had fantasized about a lot lately, but she didn’t think he was on the same page. He mentioned talking to another girl for the last couple months but not sealing the deal yet, so Hailey figured he was just going with her as a good friend.

If only that weren’t the case.

It was the first time in forever they were single at the same time, not that she had ever thought of him that way before. How did she miss it? It was hard to ignore the butterflies multiplying in her stomach whenever she thought of him. Hopefully, she could keep a clear head at the reception. And at night. In the hotel room.

The chances of something happening were next to nil, but that didn’t keep Hailey from thinking about it.

When the day finally arrived, Hailey was already at the venue the night before for the rehearsal dinner and night-before-the-wedding drinks with the bridal party. Avery would meet her at the reception and they could drive home together the next day. If things didn’t go well, she could always ride home with another bridesmaid. She was hoping this night wouldn’t do anything to make their friendship awkward.

For now? She had to focus on getting Bridget married to the love of her life.

Hair and makeup started at an ungodly hour considering the wedding wasn’t until 5 p.m. It was crazy how long this shit took. It helped Hailey decide that eloping would be the way easier path to take.

Once everyone was dolled up in the two-bedroom suite that overlooked the Delaware River, the bridesmaids started putting on their dresses so they could help Bridget put on hers.

Hailey thought she loved Bridget before, but when she chose a bridesmaid dress for her that was not only comfortable to wear, but she could wear a regular bra with? Damn, Hailey was ready to marry her herself.

She shimmied the rose gold dress up her body and pulled the straps over her shoulders. They took turns zipping each other up and then the other girls started taking two hundred selfies. Hailey, meanwhile, looked in the floor length mirror trying to decide if she looked good or not.

The front of the dress was a V-cut and showed off a good amount of cleavage, but not an “I can’t talk to your creepy uncle wearing this” kind of cleavage. Who was she kidding? Creepy uncles would still be creepy if she wore a potato sack.

The dress also had a slit in it that reached mid-thigh and she had to admit the heels she was wearing did show off her legs pretty good. Soccer definitely affected your legs and Hailey’s were toned. The dress was form-fitting to just under her ass so this dress showed off everything she possibly had. All she was wondering while she looked in the mirror was what Avery would think.

How pathetic am I? He’s not coming here for that.

She shrugged while still facing the mirror surrounded by way too much mahogany, and played with all the curls in her hair. She usually had beachy waves, but the hair stylist tightened those up, letting the soft curls cascade down her back. She also wore a flowered headband in her hair and it was probably the most feminine she’d looked since, well, the last wedding she was in.

Turning back to the rest of the women in the room lounging across both of the beds, she saw Bridget making sure everyone had their mimosas before they helped her get her dress on. Why it took three people to help someone put on a dress was something Hailey would never understand. Bridal gowns were so much work.

The photographer was also in the room, catching candid photos of everyone while they got ready, as if she didn’t feel awkward enough.

Time to put on a smile and get through the day.

The days were significantly better now that Gage was out of her life. Everyone’s reaction to her leaving him was the same: utter excitement.

Being single certainly wasn’t new to her, but it was always a bit of a downer being the only single woman in a bridal party. They’d be distracted by their partners all night and probably wouldn’t dance much together. How did everyone else find their person so quickly?

Hailey kept reminding herself she had Avery coming that night. The nerves were definitely hitting her.

Since the night he offered to be her date where she was incredibly flustered and embarrassed, the texts between her and Avery remained friendly. They enjoyed their nights out after soccer games and they even hung out at a bar with everyone on a night they didn’t have a game. It was exciting not having to answer to anyone and do whatever the hell she wanted. She really had to relearn how to be her own person. At least these days she had more reasons to smile instead of faking it half the time.

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Hailey looked at Rick as Bridget walked down the aisle, and the happiness on his face and tears he shed made Hailey’s eyes water a bit. She just hoped one day someone would look at her that way.

Their vows took longer than expected because they kept cracking each other up. They both managed to get multiple rock climbing puns and metaphors into their vows. Bridget said she’d be the thick mat to catch Rick if he fell. Rick said their relationship “rocked.” Only a few people in the crowd groaned.

Eventually they got through it and filed out of the chapel to head to the cocktail hour. Rick and Bridget did the whole “first look” thing before the wedding, so they didn’t have to take anymore posed pictures with the bridal party. The only benefit of starting makeup at seven in the morning.

Hailey was practically vibrating with excitement for two reasons. 1. Cocktail hours were the best parts of weddings and that’s where you got the best food. 2. Avery was around somewhere waiting for her. There was a chance he didn’t get there yet, since he really didn’t have to sit through the ceremony.

The cocktail hour took place in a big room next to the bigger room they would be in for the main reception. One wall had large windows draped in white silk curtains, and there were accents of cherry wood everywhere to give the place a classy vibe. There were high-top tables scattered throughout the room for eating and mingling and there were intricate chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Hailey thought they must be a bitch to dust.

There were food stations everywhere and the options were overwhelming, but Hailey went right to the Italian station and got a small helping of tortellini in some kind of cream sauce. She hadn’t eaten all day and she needed to get something in her stomach before she started drinking.

As she ate the little bit of tortellini on her plate, she scanned the room for Avery. No sightings just yet, so when she finished her pasta she made her way to the bar to grab something to take the edge off.

There was no real need to be nervous. There were no expectations for them tonight and they’d been friends since high school and have hung out at dances and other weddings before. But, it was that hotel room looming in the back of her mind, taking over her thoughts whenever she stood still for too long.

The line for the bar wasn’t too bad. She was already next in line, and as Hailey waited she continued to scan the crowd while bouncing on her toes out of excitement. That’s when she saw him.

He was wearing a three-piece navy suit and looked like he walked off the cover of some men’s magazine. Her mouth suddenly went dry.

“Miss? What’ll you have?”

Turning back to the bartender, it was her turn apparently so she grabbed a Dirty Shirley for herself and a beer for Avery. When she turned back around to find him he was chatting up one of Rick’s friends they all went to school with.

As she approached, Avery caught her in his peripheral and turned to see her. The smile on his face knocked the air out of her lungs for a second and she had to remind herself to breathe. He wore the shit out of that suit.

“Hey there, stranger!” Stranger? Crap, she was already flustered. “I got your usual for you.”

Please don’t trip. Please don’t trip. Please don’t trip.

This is where the alcohol came in handy and she started sipping her drink while handing the beer over to Avery. The friend he was talking to got distracted by the seafood station (totally understandable) so she had his full attention.

“Hailey! There you are! Thanks for the drink.” Once he relieved her of his drink, he gave her a friendly hug hello.

When they separated, she saw Avery’s eyes trail over her body and she was hoping she wasn’t blushing too hard.

When his gaze got back to her eyes, he seemed lost for words. He opened and closed his mouth like he wasn’t sure what to say. Shaking his head, he finally remarked, “You look incredible,” as his eyes dropped back down to her dress for just a moment.

That was it. She was melting. She needed to finish this drink and then get four more to relax.

“I …” It seemed she was at a loss for words, too. After what felt like way too long, she finally found her tongue again. “Thank you. So do you!”

Hailey took that opportunity to let her eyes drift over Avery’s body, trying not to outright ogle him, but taking him in enough to show she really meant the compliment.

They spent the rest of the cocktail hour grazing the different food stations. The seafood station was unreal and they stuffed their faces with as much as they could. Free seafood just didn’t happen often.

Although, was it really free after she paid for the hotel room, the dress, the makeup and hair, the bachelorette party… Yeah, she was going to eat all the seafood.

Hailey and Avery made a couple more trips to the bar and she was finally starting to feel a little more like herself when she got a nice buzz going.

When she reached a bowl full of black olives, she tried to talk herself out of following her impulses.

Don’t do it. Don’t do it. Don’t do it.

She was doing it. She put an olive on the end of each of her fingers on one hand before turning back to Avery.

“I’m the olive master!” she said with a growl and a big dumb smile on her face, flexing her fingers to show off her super classy accessories.

“Thank goodness. These olives were getting out of hand and they need to be domesticated immediately!” She loved it when Avery joked around with her. If this was Gage, he would have literally just walked away.

She started eating the olives off of each of her fingers when Avery asked if he could have one. Hailey held out her hand and told him to pick one.

What she did not expect was Avery to lightly grab her wrist and bite the olive off her pinky finger.

Hailey was frozen and didn’t think she would ever move again, holding eye contact with Avery.

“I have defeated the olive master!” he said to pull her out of her trance and make her laugh.

She loved being able to joke around with Avery. It’s why they got along so well over the years. Not so many people encouraged her silliness, but he matched it.

Hailey put on a surprised face and said, “How could you? That was the baby olive’s mother!”

They just laughed and let the moment pass. Was he just playing around with her or was that … flirting? Who the hell knew? Well, he probably did, but Hailey wasn’t about to ask, so she finished off the olives.

Then, to distract herself, she reached into her mini clutch for her chapstick. Bridget got each of the women in the bridal party a fancy one with their names etched onto the outside, but when she reached into it all she found was her phone.

“Dammit!” She let out a breath of frustration and tried to let it go, but when she looked back up and saw Avery grinning at her she was thrown off.

“What’s that look for?”

“You lost your chapstick, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, I did.” Hailey looked down at her feet for a moment. She was used to Gage teasing her all the time and making her feel a bit worthless for losing chapsticks all the time, but she didn’t expect to get it from Avery.

While she was looking down, she noticed Avery reach his hand into his pocket and then he held it out to her. Sitting on his palm was a brand new tube of cherry chapstick.

Her eyes darted away from his hand back to his face where his grin was now a full smile.

“I had a feeling you might need backups so I came prepared.”

Hailey could do nothing but gape at Avery. Who was this man and how was he standing here in front of her offering her something so thoughtful? She was floored. And sure, it’s not like it was some super fancy gift, but it was all she needed.

She managed to get her brain to function again and managed to utter, “Prepared?”

“Yeah, I bought a three-pack in case you need another one later.”

Oh my God, I could kiss this man.

Hailey clenched her fists for a moment just to make sure her limbs were still solid because she had a sudden fear that she was actually melting.

“Thank you! You are officially my favorite person and I’m nominating you for MVP of this wedding.”

Avery chuckled as Hailey grabbed the tube out of his hand and opened it to apply it to her lips. She noticed his eyes follow her movement before she capped the tube and dropped it into her clutch.

She didn’t want to say she was crazy about this man, but she wasn’t not saying it.

They spent the rest of the night mingling with their friends, drinking more than they should, and dancing the night away. They were out on the floor rocking out to Whitney Houston, shouting the lyrics and hitting that high note and singing about wanting to dance with somebody who loved them. It was certainly apropos for the moment.

As if the DJ did it on purpose, a slow song came on next and Hailey simply looked around looking sheepish until she turned back to Avery. He was holding out his hand for Hailey to take and once she did, he pulled her against him and started swaying back and forth to the music.

After letting out a deep breath, Hailey tilted her head up so she could look Avery in the eyes.

“Are you having fun?”

Avery’s lips turned up into a soft smile. “I always have fun with you.”

Hailey was again lost for words so she just smiled and turned back away. Avery spun her a few times and that’s when she realized she should definitely stop drinking. Luckily, she swung back into Avery’s hard torso and he kept her steady in his arms.

Either she was drunk, or she was lightheaded from dancing with Avery. Either was a distinct possibility.

They made it through the rest of the reception and were delighted to find a fried food station with takeaway bags. Mozzarella sticks, sweet potato waffle fries, tater tots. Best wedding favor ever.

Hailey and Avery loaded up and figured they’d have a second dinner back in the hotel room.

The excitement about the food helped calm Hailey’s nerves as they made their way through the hotel lobby and into the elevator. She continued to make small talk about the wedding and the food they were about to enjoy.

Hailey had left one of her room keys with the front desk so Avery could put his overnight bag in the room before he came to the wedding, so when Hailey scanned her card to enter the room, she realized they were finally alone. She didn’t think she was freaking out, until she heard Avery.

“Hailey, you okay? You weren’t answering.”

She waved the comment away with her hand and mustered up more confidence than she actually had. “Oh of course, I was just thinking about this food.”

“Same. We brought so much we could have a picnic.”

“Yes! We can lay all the food out on one of the beds. Which bed do you want to do it on?”

Avery raised an eyebrow at Hailey and then she realized what she said.

“I mean, the picnic. Not … it. Or any other meaning you may have … um. Yeah, the picnic!”

Avery chuckled as he took all the food and spread it out in the middle of the comforter on the first bed. The room was pretty sparse. Bland artwork on the walls, a desk in the corner and a pretty big TV. And quiet. Lots of quiet.

She grabbed a couple bottles of water she had in the mini-fridge and handed one off to Avery before she sat across from him on the bed with the food in between them. Her legs out to the side and leaning on her left hand, she tried to keep her modesty, but the slit in her dress wasn’t making it easy. Avery had seen her in shorts that went higher than this slit, but this was not in the middle of a crowded soccer field, or even on a public beach they’d visited together over the years with the rest of their friends.

This was alone in a bedroom, and that changed everything.

They picked at the fried food and Hailey started thinking the same thing was going through Avery’s mind. She saw his eyes dart to her legs a few times and tried not to look into it. The alcohol was almost completely worn off and her nerves were starting to return.

Trying to calm the craziness happening in her brain, Hailey tried to focus on small talk. But it was not helping. She needed to get off this bed before she did or said something stupid to hurt their friendship.

Standing up and walking over to the mirror above the desk, she sighed and said, “I gotta get these bobby pins out of my hair. It’s ridiculous; my hair is mostly down but there’s still a ton in here.” She needed to lighten things up a bit because things were feeling tense. “Bet you can’t guess how many!”

“How many bobby pins are in your hair? Hmm. I have nothing to base this on. How about eight?”

Hailey gave him a smirk because she knew there were more than that in her hair. Pulling them out one by one and counting, she surprised Avery by finding twelve. Definitely not a record, but for this hairdo it seemed excessive. He was astounded and she could not explain it.

After removing the final pin, she ran her hands through her hair and shook out her curls. She noticed Avery’s eyes on her the whole time.

Feeling like she needed to solidify the fact they were just friends so she could relax a little more, she decided to bring up a topic she wasn’t actually crazy about while she gathered all the pins into a pile in her hand.

“So, how are things going with that girl you were talking about? You never said much about her. Any progress?”

Avery took a deep breath and seemed to steel himself. “Some. I’m kind of crazy about her but I’m just waiting, I guess, until the right time when I know she’s ready.”

Hailey tried not to react to him saying he was crazy about someone else. She was hoping her face didn’t show her disappointment. They were still friends. She could still be a good friend.

“Well, have you guys hung out at all? Any dates?” Hailey was not excited to hear the answer but she had to remind herself where things stood.

“We’ve hung out a few times but usually in a group. But, I think I made some progress when she asked me to go to a wedding with her and I did.”

Hailey chuckled, but on the inside she was dying just a little bit. “Really? Damn, you are a popular wedding date. Um. How did it go? Did she … did it work out?”

“I’m not sure. The night isn’t over yet so I’m hoping I still have a chance.”