Page 108 of Until You

Lanie stopped. She was getting damn tired of all the lies, but she needed to speak with Tyler before confessing all to Britt. “We had a fight in the car. I got pissed because he had the air too cold and wouldn’t turn it up. Now I really need to go apologize.”

“It looked like more than that.”

Lanie lifted her shoulder into a half-shrug, fresh out of cover stories.

“I knew we should have picked you up. Something happened the night Tyler took you home from Loose Park. The two of you have been avoiding each other ever since.”

Remembering when he’d brought her home that night brought fresh tears to her eyes. What was she doing? Was she really letting him slip away?

But her hesitation and her tears gave Britt the wrong message. “What did he do?”

“Nothing, Britt. He didn’t do anything wrong.” No. He’d been perfect.

She was an idiot.

“Then why are you so upset?”

Because he loved her, and somehow she’d broken his heart.

“Fine, don’t tell me. I’ll find out myself.” Britt spun around and stomped off toward Tyler.

“Britt!”

Lanie started to run after her, but her left heel snapped off and she stumbled, nearly falling on her face. She didn’t have to worry about witnesses this time, because everyone was gaping at the furious bride who was storming the clueless groomsman. She bent down and slipped off her shoe, but the heel was caught on her hem.

“What happened with Lanie?”

Tyler turned to Britt, his eyes wide.

“Well?” Britt demanded, both hands on her hips. “What happened?”

His face became an expressionless mask. “You need to ask Lanie.”

“She won’t tell me, so I’m asking you.”

Celesta hurried to Tyler’s side, clinging to his arm. “I have no idea what your cousin has done, but I’m sure Tyler’s the innocent party.”

Britt turned her glare to Randy’s cousin. “Stay out of this, Celesta. It doesn’t concern you.”

“No. I won’t let you attack him when it’s so obvious that Lanie’s the one to blame.”

“Celesta,” Tyler said in a warning tone as he brushed her hand off his arm. “Let it go.”

“No!” Celesta said. “This is so unfair. Why are you blaming him when he’s the one who’s obviously upset?” She pointed toward Lanie. “And she’s obviously drunk again, weaving around like that.”

Everyone turned to face Lanie, and their scowls suggested they believed Celesta. Not that she blamed them. She was bent over, still working on her heel, bobbing around like a boxer in a prizefight.

“I’m not drunk,” Lanie shouted, then blew out a puff of air to move the strand of hair hanging in front of her eye.

No one looked convinced.

Kevin grabbed Tyler’s arm and pulled him about six feet away in front of the fountain. “We’re burning daylight, and some of us actually want to go home. Let’s do this.”

Since this was their fourth photo shoot, everyone seemed to know where their places were, so they were all ready and waiting for Lanie as she hobbled to her spot and balanced on one foot, thankful her dress mostly hid her feet.

Tyler didn’t look at her, keeping his gaze turned instead on the street behind Holly and the photographer.

“Tyler,” she whispered.

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