Married to My Best Friend

“He’s straight.” Dumb statement number two. I should be fighting for my future husband here.

“That doesn’t change how you feel. You didn’t deny loving him, you just gave the reason you think it could never happen.”

“Ugh.” I dropped my head back. “Fuck.” He was right. I knew he was right. He knew he was right. “I thought it would be good, ya know? That we could make each other happy.” Damned if I didn’t feel tears prick my eyes.

“We wouldn’t have been miserable, and we might have even been happy, but not the bone-deep kind. I want that, and I don’t think I can have that with you…”

“I don’t think I can have that with you either.” Which meant I was fucked with a capital F, because the only person I probably could have it with left me to hook up with a woman yesterday. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’m as guilty as you are. I think we were both trying so hard to find what we were looking for, we told ourselves we found it in each other.”

“Come here.” I pulled Jack into my arms. He hugged me tight, and I couldn’t help wondering if there was someone else for Jack too. Clearly, there would eventually be, but what I meant was, did he already know who he was in love with? Had I been his consolation prize? Somehow, I had a feeling I was.

Jack said, “For what it’s worth, I think you’ll have more luck than I do landing the guy you’re meant to be with.”

I pulled away. “What?”

“Caden is crazy about you.”

“Not in that way. If he were, he would have said something. He’s not one to hold back, and I told him once that I was in love with him.”

“You’re blind if you don’t see how he looks at you. He might not have put all the pieces together yet, but he will, and you’ll get the happily-ever-after you deserve.”

While I hoped like hell Jack was right, I didn’t believe he was. I’d know if Caden loved me. “What about you? Who is it?”

“You’ve never met him. He’s from back home. Anyway, shall we go announce to our guests that there will be no wedding?”

“Oh shit. I forgot about that part.”

Jack laughed.

My parents were going to kill me.

Calling off a destination wedding an hour before it was supposed to happen was definitely not one of my favorite things I’d ever done.

I told Mom and Dad first, and Mom said, “Oh, thank God,” which totally surprised me. Almost as much as her telling Dad, who’d nudged her, “What? You’re thinking the same thing.”

“Well, yeah, because Alex isn’t in love with Jack, and I don’t think Jack is in love with Alex either, but…” Dad looked at me. “Is this because of Caden? Because we know how you feel about him, and we don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Jesus Christ, does everyone know I’m in love with Caden?”

“Yes,” they both answered, and I rolled my eyes. Yep, I was totally screwed.

“It’s not because of Caden, and I’m not stupid. I know I don’t have a chance with him.”

When we finished our conversation, I told Caden next. He grabbed me around the waist, lifted me up in the air, and danced around with me while laughing. Clearly, he was excited I’d go back to pining over him. Not that I actively pined a whole lot. I still got mine, I just wished I could have it with him.

Jack had been telling his family at the same time, and then he stood by my side at the front of the room, Caden grinning like a fool from the front row, while we announced the wedding was off.

It was a bit of a whirlwind from there. Jack and his family decided to head out, back to Oregon. Mine were staying, but at a different hotel. They’d be leaving in the morning, and I…wasn’t ready to go home. I didn’t want to marry Jack. I knew we’d made the right decision, but…was it still okay to be a little sad? Because if I couldn’t make it work with him, I wasn’t sure I could make it work with anyone.

I was sitting alone in the room where I was supposed to be announced husband and husband, elbows on my knees and face in my hands, when someone sat beside me. His body was warm and smelled like sunshine and rain, so I knew it was Caden.

“You okay? I know I acted a little excited earlier; it’s just, I knew in my gut Jack wasn’t right for you. But like I said before, I want you to be happy.”

“You tried to talk me into marrying him!”

“Like I said, I want you happy, and I didn’t want to screw that up. It was hard. I didn’t know what to do. I haven’t for the past three months.”