Chapter 27

twenty-seven

DYLAN

“It’s over,” Luke sobbed.

Steve and I exchanged worried glances. We were halfway to the restaurant when Mom called, telling us to come home.

As soon as we walked through the front door, we knew something was wrong. Mom had been crying and Dad looked shell-shocked. It wasn’t until we went upstairs to see Luke that we realized how bad it was.

“What do you mean?” Steve asked.

Luke blew his nose. “The wedding. It’s off. I told Jarrod I can’t marry him.”

I stared at my brother, unable to believe what I was hearing. Where were the promises of ‘until death us do part’ and ‘I’ll love you until the end of time’? Luke had found his happy ever after—or so we all thought.

“Why can’t you marry him?” I asked.

“We were so caught up in planning the wedding that we forgot about us. I wasn’t sure I wanted to get married. But I thought it would be okay, that over time everything would make sense. But it doesn’t make sense. Nothing does.”

Steve handed Luke another handful of tissues. “You’re supposed to get married tomorrow. Why didn’t you tell Jarrod sooner?”

Luke looked miserably up at us. “Everyone’s put so much effort into making the day special. We’ve already paid deposits on almost everything, and Jarrod was excited.”

I’d bet a million dollars he wasn’t excited now.

“At least you called the wedding off now and not tomorrow,” Steve said soothingly.

Luke took a deep, shuddering breath. “No one will understand. People have traveled a long way to be here.”

All of that was true, but it wasn’t just the travel. They’d bought presents and paid for accommodation. Some of our family had decided to extend their stay and see some of Colorado while they were here. If Luke had told someone why he was worried, we could have done something about it sooner.

“He’ll never forgive me.” Fresh tears filled Luke’s eyes.

I hugged my brother. “Steve’s right. If you’d married Jarrod, you would have regretted it. You did the right thing.”

“It doesn’t feel like it.”

Steve sat on the bed beside Luke. “It might not now, but in a few months you’ll know you made the right decision.”

I looked around Luke’s old bedroom. The sports posters and study desk were as much a part of our childhood as the toy dinosaur sitting in an armchair. All the issues we faced were nothing compared to what was happening now.

I gave my brother another hug. “I’m going to check on Alex. He’s waiting downstairs with Mom and Dad. ”

“I’m sorry,” Luke said. “I know how busy you are and I wasted your time.”

I forced a smile. “Look on the bright side. At least I don’t have to wear my new shoes. I would’ve had blisters by the end of the night.”

A watery smile replaced Luke’s tears. “You all looked amazing in your suits.”

Steve rubbed Luke’s arm. “We’ll have to go somewhere so we can wear them.”

I was happy to say that the chance of that happening was slim to none—especially with the way Luke was feeling.

“Take these,” Steve said as he handed Luke a box of tissues. “I’ll go downstairs with Dylan. Mom and Dad might need some help contacting everyone.”

Luke wiped his face. “I’ll come, too.”

I followed everyone onto the landing. At least Luke had stopped crying. That had to be a step in the right direction. All he needed to do now was deal with the aftermath of a wedding that wasn’t happening.