Page 10 of Recklessly, Wildly Yours

He opens the door, places one hand on the roof, and leans his face down into the car. “Hey.” His eyes search mine like he’s assessing me. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” I try to give him a reassuring smile but fail. It’s a wobbly smile at best.

His brows furrow at the same time the puppy jumps toward him, excited to see him again.

As he catches her, I murmur, “And right when I’d calmed her down you come and stir her up all over again.”

His eyes flick to mine while he accepts licks from her. There’s concern etched into his face. “You know, you don’t have to be alone today if you don’t want to be.” At my confused expression, he continues, “Why don’t you come to the reception with me? Unless that’s harder for you, of course, but the offer’s there if you think being with people might be easier.”

My natural instinct is to decline. I hate putting people out. Dragging them into my troubles. But there’s something about this man that pulls me to him. That makes me feel like I’m safe with him. That he might be able to help me forget, if even just for a few hours, the shambles my life is in.

However, we have a puppy to return to her parents. I reach out to pat her. “I need to get this pup back to her owners.”

“George can do that.”

“We can’t expect him to do that.”

Ethan grins. “Trust me, I’ve asked him to do worse things.”

And just like that, for the second time today, I make a new plan and have no idea where I’ll end up.

4

Madeline

The fun vibe of Ethan’s brother’s wedding continues into their reception and helps lift my mood. The champagne I drink helps too. I’m onto my third drink when Ethan stands to give the best man’s speech.

Smiling as he casts a glance around the room, he says, “The year was 1999, the class was grade three. Callan was into video games, baseball, camping, and”—he grins—“pulling Jenny Johnson’s pigtails. She was not into him pulling them, but as much as she kept rejecting him, he just kept on trying. That is, until the day our new neighbor marched up to him after school one day and announced that she wanted to learn how to ride a bike and that he should be the one to teach her.” His gaze meets Olivia’s. “He never did pull Jenny’s pigtails again after that day. Instead, he taught our bossy neighbor how to ride a bike, how to play baseball, how to pitch a tent, how to catch a fish, and a whole lot of other things I’m sure none of us need to know about.” He pauses while everyone laughs. “For those who don’t know me, I’m Ethan, Callan’s younger brother and one of Olivia’s oldest friends, and along with my three other brothers, I’ve had to sit through twenty-two years of watching these two figure themselves out and realize they were made for each other.”

I relax a little more as I listen to Ethan share some stories about Callan and Olivia before reading out the congratulatory messages from friends and family who couldn’t be here. I’m struck again by his easy manner and charismatic way of engaging with people.

After he reads the messages, he praises the bridesmaids and then turns to Olivia. “Liv, we’ve been through a lot together over the last couple of decades. Some down times, but more good times than bad. You’ve been the sister to me that I never had and while I know Callan is the luckiest and happiest man here tonight, I’m coming in a very close second. You’ve always been a member of our family but now there’s no getting away from us and I am more than glad about that.” He pauses for a moment, his affection for Olivia blazing from his eyes. “You look beautiful today, happier than I’ve ever seen you.” He looks at his brother before looking back at her. “And you’ve made my brother happier than I’ve ever seen him.” He reaches for his glass and raises it in a toast as he looks around the room. “Please join me in raising a glass to the happy couple. To a long life together, filled with the kind of memories that make a fulfilling and wonderful marriage.” He gives them one last smile. “May you always be friends as well as lovers.”

There are tears in Olivia’s eyes as she mouths thank you to Ethan. Callan also appears emotional after his brother’s toast. I also feel emotional even though I don’t know these people. The speech was touching.

Callan and Olivia share their first dance to the song “At Last” by Etta James and my smile throughout is the most genuine smile I’ve experienced in months. I may have had a wedding day calamity today, and I may have just discovered that my fiancé has been cheating on me for years, but I will always be a romantic at heart. I write love songs for a living after all. I love getting lost in all the feels of love. Attending this wedding and reception has reminded me that there are beautiful love stories out there.

“That’s a smile worth celebrating,” Ethan says, leaning in close as the first dance comes to an end and the couple’s parents join them on the dancefloor.

Thanks to being Ethan’s guest, I’m sitting with him at the bridal table. I’ve enjoyed the conversation between everyone as they talked about Callan and Olivia’s honeymoon plans and reminisced over years of shared memories. Mostly, though, I enjoyed feeling anonymous and not having the spotlight on me.

I look at Ethan who is close enough for his scent to invade my senses. It’s spicy, dark, and musky, and I find it quite distracting. “Thank you for inviting me,” I say softly. “I think being around people was exactly what I needed today.”

“I’m glad. I was a little concerned it may have been hard being here.”

I shake my head. “It wasn’t hard to be here.”

He studies me silently, questions no doubt filling his mind. He doesn’t ask them, though. Probably because I wasn’t in a question-answering mood earlier.

“I must seem like an awful person to you,” I say.

“Why?”

“Because I walked out on my fiancé without telling him.”

“You had your reasons.”

“I did. But still, it’s not a nice thing to do, leaving someone in that way. Especially when I’ve had my doubts over the wedding for six months.”

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