The Forever Girl (Wildstone, #6)(89)

“Thank God she wasn’t the ring bearer,” Walker said with a smile.

AT DINNER, MAZE somehow ended up sitting next to Walker.

“We aren’t seated together on the seating chart,” she said, checking her notes again.

Walker took her iPad and set it facedown on the table. “I switched with Jace so he could sit next to Heather.”

“That was nice of you.”

“Nice had nothing to do with it,” he said. “I wanted to sit next to you.”

She squirmed in her chair and his smile faded.

“What’s wrong?”

She sighed. “Earlier you said I was perfect, which has me thinking that you’ve lost your marbles and don’t know what you’re doing.”

His smile came back. “You’re still freaking out about that?”

“Among other things.”

He shook his head. “Maze, I meant it. You’re perfect—for me.”

Something deep inside her warmed, but she also felt . . . worried.

He tipped up her face to his. “What else?”

She squirmed again. “I just don’t think we need to be shoving this down people’s throats.”

“This?”

She looked away. “You know what I mean.”

He waited until her eyes met his again. “I’ve got no intentions of being your dirty little secret, Maze. I’m not hiding us. If that’s what you’re hoping for, tell me now.”

“I’m trying to be logical,” she said. “What happens after tomorrow? We go back to not speaking for years?” She had no idea why she said that. Maybe because she knew what she secretly wanted to hear—that no, they would not be going back to not speaking for years.

But Walker just looked at her for a long moment. “That’s entirely up to you.”

“Great,” she said with a soft, sarcastic snort, because when she self-detonated her life, she usually jumped in with both feet. “And let’s be clear—you did more than your fair share of avoiding me as well. At least own that much.”

He brought their joined hands up to his mouth and brushed a kiss to her palm, his eyes dark and solemn. “I do own it. I’ve been with you, and I’ve been without you. And I learned one thing with absolute certainty: my life’s better with you. You know where I stand. I love you, Maze. There are no doubts for me. All that’s left is for you to get off the fence, on one side or the other.”





Chapter 24


Caitlin’s to-do list:

—Survive the day.

Caitlin stood in front of the mirror in the bridal dressing room staring at herself. Her wedding dress was admittedly beautiful, her hair and makeup were done up to perfection, and she was confident enough to know she looked like she had walked off the cover of any of the million wedding magazines she’d read over the past few months.

But . . .

She sighed. So many buts. First, it’d rained heavily earlier, a huge sign if she needed one. Second . . . well, everything else was tied for second. All the worries, concerns, doubts . . . “What are you even doing?” she whispered to herself.

Herself didn’t answer.

Her gaze drifted to the earrings she was wearing. They were simple sapphire studs and not even real. But Michael had given them to her on her sixteenth birthday. He’d been seven at the time, which meant her mom or dad had helped him, and they weren’t worth any sort of money. But they were still one of the most valuable things she possessed.

He should be here today.

She drew a deep breath. Through all the feverish planning these past months, she’d been so sure it would all work out. She’d just kept thinking if she buried herself into things 100 percent, she’d outrun the doubts chasing her and the doubts that kept trying to tell her this wasn’t right.

But she hadn’t outrun them at all. They were right here in the room with her.

Everyone had just left to make their way to their places for the ceremony. Her mom. Heather, Maze. For this one last minute she was alone while Maze and Walker made sure everyone was ready to go for the processional.

It was quiet. So quiet she could hear those doubts incredibly clearly now, and they’d multiplied. Exponentially. In fact, they were screaming at her.

But she wasn’t a quitter. She didn’t back out of things. She didn’t flake. She came through on her promises, and she’d made one to Dillon when she’d accepted his ring.

Yes, her doubts whispered, but he’d made promises too, and he’d changed his mind on a few key things, which in turn changed everything for her.

The light knock at the door nearly had her leaping out of her skin. It was Maze, who stuck her head in the door. “Walker’s got everyone lined up, good to go. Your dad’s waiting for you.” She smiled. “You look gorgeous. Are you ready?”

“Yes,” Caitlin’s mouth said, but at the same time her body—acting independently from her brain—shook her head in an emphatic no.

Maze paused, studied her, then slipped inside the room and shut the door behind her. “We running for the hills?”

Caitlin stared at the sister of her heart and bit her lower lip.

Maze blinked. “Oh shit. I was just kidding. Okay. Okay, talk to me. What’s the plan? Out the window?”