“Are you girls ready?” her mother asked with the wedding dress in hand.
Though a simple question, Heather didn’t know the answer.
***
Allen sat at one of the dining tables inside Maple Meadow’s Bed and Breakfast. A trendy chalkboard had written specials on it, while other customers sat at surrounding tables. People murmured around him, laughing and talking, and he took a sip of his black coffee.
It was now or never. Divorce scarred both parties involved, and Allen’s wounds were beneath his skin. Crystal bruised his heart. From then on he promised he wouldn’t get that far with anyone else.
Then everything changed when he met Heather. She was different. She saw him. The real him.
Wringing his hands together on the table, he saw Crystal. After eighteen months apart, she looked the same but different. He always loved her curves, but she looked more toned and fit now. His eyes diverted to her left hand, recalling the ring he’d put on her finger. She sat across from him, her eyes not leaving his.
“I didn’t notice that before,” she said pointing to his stubble chin. “I thought you enjoyed being clean-shaven.”
“That’s what you liked.” He rested his elbows on the table. “How did this even happen?”
Crystal sighed. “There was a storm. Over four feet of water damaged the building and destroyed a lot of files. Our paperwork didn’t process. With so many people to contact, the courts are only putting a dent in notifying everyone.”
He recalled the severe storm. It was the final event he experienced before moving to Maple Meadow. “What happens now?”
“We can get the divorce expedited since we’d already compromised on a settlement.”
Allen rubbed the back of his head. “No one told me. Not even my lawyer.”
“When my lawyer called, I called yours and asked him not to. I dismissed my parents' lawyer and took the case myself.”
“Crystal—”
“When I remembered everything, I wanted to find you. Especially now that I'm...”
“You're what?”
Crystal twisted a diamond ring on her right ring finger, but then took it off and placed it on her left. “I'm... engaged. I would’ve said something sooner, but everything’s been a shock.”
Allen's eyebrows shot up.
“So you can see why this is a problem for me.”
“How long?”
She sighed. “A few months, so imagine my surprise when I get the word that I'm still married.”
Allen scratched at his stubble chin. Everything seemed unreal. Crystal remembered him. He was in love with Heather. He was still married. Crystal was engaged to someone else. “How long until it’s final?”
“There’s a waiting period in the state of Texas of sixty days. Since it's uncontested, it shouldn’t take that long.” Crystal blew out her cheeks. “I can’t change how my family raised me, but I didn’t have to let them come between us then. I also let my career get in the way.”
He stared back at her. He saw the warmth in her eyes. Then her gaze dropped to the smooth tabletop.
“We both made mistakes.” He folded his arms on top of the table.
“I just realized mine too late.” Her gaze met his once more. “I didn’t come here to disrupt your life. I only want you to forgive me. I thought we could make peace.”
Allen stared at her for a moment. “This guy you're marrying, how did he take you still being married?” he asked.
“Much like me. Shocked. I had to convince him to let me come here alone.”
Allen exhaled. “I don’t blame him.”