Maybe he should have some time to deal with learning about Lila and Cole, but I wasn’t going to wait another day to have this out. It was now or never. Even if it meant never.
I headed out of the party without saying good-bye to anyone. Luckily, Ash’s house was only a few blocks from here. I didn’t even need to Uber to get there. My house was much farther, but I wasn’t going there. Not yet.
The lights were on when I stepped up to the mansion Ash owned downtown. That was a good sign. I’d gotten halfway here and worried that he’d gone to a bar. But he was predictable at least in that he’d want to start drinking at home.
I rang the doorbell and waited for the door to open. When it didn’t, I ground my teeth together and twisted the knob. It was unlocked, and I walked inside, uninvited.
“Ash?”
He didn’t say anything, but I heard the sound of a chair scraping against the hardwood, and then his figure appeared in the hallway.
He held a crystal glass of some amber liquid. “What are you doing here?”
“We need to talk.”
“No, I don’t think we do,” Ash said. Then, he turned and headed back into the living room.
“That’s unfortunate for you because I’m the one who is here.” I followed him into the living room. “And I say it’s time to finally have this out. What have we been doing, Ash?”
He looked up at me with a raised eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean.”
“I don’t want to deal with this right now.”
“Why? Because Lila’s getting married?”
He winced. “To Cole.”
“Yes. The person she walked out of your wedding with. What did you think was going to happen? Did you think they wouldn’t get married? Shit, I’m surprised it hasn’t already happened.”
Ash’s eyes were molten lava when he looked up at me. We’d skirted around her name for ages. Been careful with his feelings, but enough was enough.
“Stop.”
“No,” I shot back. “Just talk to me.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“So, this … this was just to pass the time?” I demanded.
“What do you want me to say?”
“I want you to tell me the truth. We’ve been tiptoeing around this. But everyone else already thinks we’re dating, Ash. I’ve been giving you all the space you need. But I can’t keep doing this if you still love her … if you’re still waiting for her.”
His eyes were solemn as he assessed me. “The truth?”
“Yes. Stop wasting my time.”
“I’m not wasting your time.”
“Do you still love her?”
“I’ll never stop loving her.”
The words were a punch to my gut. Even though I’d been expecting them. “So, what? You’re going to go to their wedding? Object like he did at yours? Try to win her back after she tossed you aside with such ease?”
He turned his face away from me, but I could see that he’d already been thinking about it. That he’d been plotting how to ruin the day.
“Lila picked Cole. She didn’t choose you. If you show up at that wedding, you’re only going to be hurting her. The person you claim to love.”
“And don’t they deserve it after what they did to me?”
“Deserve it?” I gasped in shock. “Were they terrible to you? Yes. Does anyone deserve to have their wedding day destroyed? No. If you love her, you wouldn’t even be contemplating this. You’d want her to be happy. Because I bet you anything that she wants you to be happy, and you’re not. You haven’t been in two years.”
Ash ran a hand down his face. “Amelia …”
“I thought you’d realized what you had,” I spat at him. Tears came to my eyes, and I tried to wipe them aside. “I thought you were ready to move on.”
“I couldn’t lie to you.”
I took a step backward. “As if that’s kindness.”
“Amelia, wait …”
But I shook my head. I had been the fool. Again. When I’d said that I wouldn’t be.
“You do whatever you want, Ash. But know that if you go to that wedding, you will never see me again. Ever. It will be as if I never existed.”
I didn’t wait to hear what he was going to say or to see his expression. I didn’t wait for any of it. I turned on my heel and walked out of his house. I’d been broken by Ash before. But this felt like the last time to me. I was going to start dating other people. I was going to find someone who cared about me as much as I’d always cared about Ash. I deserved that after all. I deserved so much more than that.
Part III
21
Savannah
Present
Josie turned in a slow circle. The wedding dress I’d designed for her hugged her curves and gave her an elegant appearance. It was her third wedding, third dress, third groom. And yet this was the only one that mattered.