Page 66 of That Secret Something

“Yikes.” He sidestepped a man and his two children as they made their way to the till, clinging onto their packets of sweets like they were a lifeline.

I glanced at the shopping basket in his hand, noting the many beers. “What about you? Quiet night in?” I realised I hadn’t seen him much—not since the awkward night with the bridesmaids’ dresses.

“I hope so. It’d be nice not to think about the wedding for a while. Though it seems to still follow me, regardless.” He gestured at me. “No offence.”

I paused at the heartfelt tone. I knew exactly how he felt. “None taken. Seems like everyone’s stressing about the big day, huh?”

He snorted. “That’s putting it lightly. Lily’s been obsessing for months. It’s made me start to question the whole thing altogether.” His gaze snapped to me. “Don’t tell her I said that.”

It made him question the whole thing altogether? “You mean you thought about…calling off the whole thing?”

“Don’t look at me like that, Jess. You know what she’s like. Try living with her. It’s non-stop.”

Panic shot up my spine. I felt the need to defend Lily and clear her name, despite agreeing with what he was saying. “She’s calmed it down a bit though, right? Have you spoken to her about it?”

“We have. And it’s better…but…” He sighed. “The honeymoon can’t come fast enough.”

“Oh my god, Tyler. Please don’t leave her. You mean everything to her, and I know she can be hard work, but she loves you so—”

“Woah, woah, woah!” He placed his shopping basket on the floor and grabbed my arms, forcing me to look into his eyes. “Who said anything about leaving her? I could never do that, Jess. She can be a nightmare, sure, but she’s my nightmare.” His eyebrows drew together, and his voice dropped. “Do you really think I could do that?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know. I’m sorry, I just… Yeah. It’s not my place. I’m sorry.” My heart thumped against my ribcage.

His hands were no longer a comfort, but more like a vice tightening around me.

Tyler seemed to notice and dropped them, but he peered at me closely. “Are you alright, Jess? Seems the wedding is getting to you as well.”

That is putting it lightly.

“I’ve…been struggling a bit with keeping all the balls in the air,” I admitted.

“Rebecca has been helping though…right?” He arched his eyebrows.

There was something teasing laced beneath his tone. My insides coiled together. What was he getting at? “Yeah, she’s been great.” I forced a tight smile.

He nodded, opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but decided against it. He cleared his throat. “Me and Lily both really appreciate all the help you’ve given us. We probably haven’t said that enough. But please make sure you’re taking care of yourself, too. Your needs are important.”

My needs? “Of course.” I smiled again, but my veins were still full of adrenaline, making me nauseous. Had he raised his suspicions about us with Lily? Surely not. Or was he just another person who thought Rebecca wasn’t up to it?

Was I missing something here?

“Hey, it’s going to be the best day. And it’ll come and go, and before we know it, it’ll be over, and we’ll be wondering what the hell we were so stressed about.” Tyler pulled me in for a hug.

I didn’t know when he’d started comforting me instead of the other way around, but I appreciated it, nonetheless.

“Now, get back to your party.” He drew back and picked up his basket. “And, Jess, enjoy yourself. Have a little fun, yeah?”

“You too. Enjoy your quiet night while it lasts.” He headed to the checkout, and I blew out a breath. That was a lot.

I was so glad I wasn’t a wedding planner full-time. I’d stick to parties instead.

I parked the car and followed the thumping music back to my apartment. Surely the party couldn’t have got any worse.

Tyler’s conversation lingered in my mind as I carried the stack of plates, avoiding the cracks in the pavement.

If he had seen something between Rebecca and me, he didn’t seem bothered. But that was Tyler all over. Laidback and easy, quite the opposite of his bride-to-be. I always thought they balanced each other out nicely. The yin and yang. The unspoken question on his lips replayed through my mind. I couldn’t shake the feeling he knew something.

I flung open the door to my apartment; the entire guest list seemed to have doubled in size. Had they recruited more people while I was gone? I pushed myself through them, shouting ‘cake’ as I went, but everyone seemed to be focused on something else entirely.

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