Page 2 of Kissing My Soulmate

Audrey rolls her eyes and smiles. “He has a meeting that he just couldn’t move. He’ll be here in the morning.”

I’m not sure how she’s so calm. If Jasper did that to me, I’d be freaking out. This isn’t about me; this is about them. The Belisa Beach Resort is absolutely stunning and the perfect spot for a wedding.

If I ever do it again, I’d do it somewhere like this. To be honest, the thought of marrying anyone but Jasper fills me with dread. Nope, I can’t think of that now. If I do, they’ll know something is wrong.

I grab a piece of prosciutto, a slice of cheese, and a cracker. Taking a bite, I listen to Audrey tell Charlotte what time the cake is being delivered. “The resort assured me they would have space in their refrigerator, where it will stay until showtime.”

There’s a knock on the door and Amara answers it. The men spill into the room and Jasper comes toward me. I stand as he reaches me.

Our kiss is soft and brief, but before he pulls away, I grab him, clutching him tight. He kisses my temple and then lets me go. Side by side we head out to the little bar and grill on the beach.

I sit with the girls and he sits with the guys, which is good because being around him is making it that much harder for both of us.

Once Linc gets here, we’ll be so busy I won’t have time to be sad.

***

I stand in front of the bathroom mirror. Everyone is none the wiser that Jasper and I are no longer together. My face hurts from fake smiling, and luckily everyone is so distracted they don’t notice.

Who spends their whole life swearing they never want children, then turns into someone who is wanting one so bad they feel this large ache inside? Me, that’s who. My parents were teenaged drug addicts who gave me the ugly scar on my thigh, that is covered/camouflaged by a huge flower tattoo that runs up the side of my leg, from my knee to upper thigh. I guess they thought it would be funny to burn their two-year-old with their crack pipe.

A police officer had been patrolling in the area and had been nearby. Hearing my scream, he broke the door down and arrested both my parents. I was thrown into foster care because none of my family wanted me, bouncing between homes until I aged out. Growing up I had one goal, and that was go to college and in turn, change my life.

I did it, I changed my life.

Knock, knock, knock. “Lorelei?” It’s Charlotte, Audrey’s big sister. “Sweetie, are you okay? You’ve been in there a long time.”

“Y-Yes, sorry. I’ll be right out.” I run my hand through my caramel brown waves and look at myself, turning side to side. I’ve worked so hard to slim down and tone up a bit for this weekend. Having an hourglass figure means I have to be diligent about avoiding bad carbs and a lot of sugar.

That doesn’t mean I don’t indulge in those things; I just have to be careful. I step out into the room and find it empty. I slip on my heels and find the rest of the girls in the main area of the room.

“Sorry, ladies,” I say as I step farther into the room. I stop next to Audrey, and I give her my best fake smile. “What’s going on?”

“Linc still isn’t here and we’re supposed to do the rehearsal without him,” Charlotte states.

What the heck is happening? He’s not bailing, is he? I’m not going to even ask. We meet the guys outside and without thinking I go right to Jasper, slipping my hand in his. He pulls it to his mouth, kissing the back of it.

My eyes burn, but I slip on my sunglasses so no one can tell. I lean in toward him. “Have you talked to Linc?” I ask quietly.

He shakes his head and brings his lips to my ear. “Spencer talked to him and it’s his meeting that he stayed back for.”

“Jesus, even doing the work you do, you were never not there for me.” Jasper is a good husband—no—a phenomenal one, always put me first, and I did the same. The day I realized it was over I died a little inside. If there was any other way for it to work, I would try, but at the end of the day I want to be a mother.

We do the walk-through of the ceremony and I, of course, walk with Jasper. The day we got married, Elvis gave me away, but that was the best day of my life.

Now, I’m drunk and Jasper is walking me back to the suite. The bride-to-be left right before me, even though I told her to wait, I’m sure Liam was making sure she was taken care of.

We’re both quiet but he’s got his arm wrapped around my waist. How am I going to survive without his touch?

***

Linc’s not coming, who the hell backs out of their wedding while everyone is already where said wedding is supposed to take place? An asshole, that’s who. Audrey took off to their suite a while ago and the rest of us are drinking.

There’s a DJ playing music in the corner. “Faithfully” by Journey begins to play and I bite my lip to keep from crying. That’s our song, the first song Jasper and I ever danced to, and even the song we danced to at our reception.

A hand appears in front of me and I look up into the eyes of my husband. He doesn’t say anything, no words are needed. I almost refuse him. I should refuse him. I just can’t. Taking his hand, and once he’s got me where he wants me, I wrap my arms around his waist, gripping the back of his shirt.

We barely move and there is not an inch of space between us. I hold on tight, like I’m afraid he’s going to run away. Well, maybe because I know after this weekend, it is over.

---