Page 62 of Collide (Collide 1)

After staring at the back of Gavin's head for a few lingering seconds, Dillon looked to Emily and gave a tight nod. Knees weak with relief, Emily silently released the breath she was holding. As they turned and made their way through the party, she made eye contact with Olivia from across the room where she stood talking with Fallon. Shaking her head, Olivia looked down to the ground and then back to Emily. It was then that Emily realized that she and Gavin's situation had put all of their friends in a very bad spot - and for this, the unrest in her stomach grew. Trying to push her guilt to the side, she plastered a smile on her face as she walked hand in hand with Dillon through the room, greeting their guests.

After enduring a few minutes of light conversation - namely with guests she barely knew - Emily's eyes landed on her sister, Lisa, and her husband. Considering the torture the evening had shown thus far, Emily felt slightly at ease as they approached her and Dillon.

A wide friendly smile spread across her brother-in-law's face as he pulled her in for a hug. "Where'd you run off to before, soon-to-be Mrs. Parker?"

Crossing his arms, Dillon cocked his head to the side after Michael released her from his hold. "Yeah. Where were you actually? My mother said she looked everywhere and couldn't find you. "

Emily opened her mouth to speak, her heart racing.

"Michael," Lisa chirped up, glancing at Emily. Her hazel eyes showed a wealth of knowledge. "I told you she went outside for a breath of fresh air. "

Staring at her sister, Emily gave a weak smile and mentally thanked her for the save.

Appearing confused by his wife's statement, Michael ran a hand through his tousled brown hair. "Hmm, maybe you did," he laughed, holding up his martini. "It's quite possible that I've had one too many of these. "

"Why'd you go outside?" Dillon asked, placing his hand on the small of her back. "I asked if you were alright before, and you said you were fine. "

Smiling, Lisa reached for Emily's hand. "Us girls can get a little. . . emotional before the big day. " Feeling nearly lightheaded, Emily gripped her hand tighter. "Michael, why don't you explain to Dillon what we're looking to do with our retirement fund? I'd like to talk with my sister about the semantics of the wonderful 'honeymoon' phase. "

"Oh, yeah," Michael said, turning to Dillon. Dillon peered at Emily for a second and adjusted his tie. "If we don't get our shit together, Lisa and I will most definitely not be retiring on an island somewhere. "

Hesitantly, Dillon dragged his gaze from Emily and gave Michael his attention.

Hands still locked, Lisa pulled Emily through the party, avoiding every possible guest that tried to stop and talk with her. Taking a seat at a small cocktail table in the corner of the room, she gave Emily a sympathetic look.

"What did he say to you?" Lisa whispered with panicked curiosity burning behind her eyes.

Emily rubbed the side of her temples. "He keeps saying he didn't do anything with her," she answered, trying to keep the stinging tears threatening her eyes from spilling out. "He just. . . I don't know. "

Pressing her lips into a hard line, Lisa studied her with concern. "Emily, is it at all possible that he's telling the truth?"

Slowly, Emily turned her head, her gaze immediately locking with Gavin's. As it did every time she stared at his beautiful face, her heart raced, and her breathing became uneven. Though he was talking with Trevor, standing with both elbows propped on the bar, his eyes were intent on hers. The sadness surrounding his presence was sickening, dragging her spirit down with him. Emily didn't know how long they stared at one another, but it felt like forever. She ran a hand through her hair, the need to believe his words growing to unbearable heights in her chest. Unwillingly, she tore her attention from his, bringing it back to her sister.

"I'm so confused, Lisa," she whispered. "I keep seeing her open his door. She wasn't dressed. . . she was so. . . beautiful. "

Before Lisa could question the situation any further, Joan called out to Emily from a few feet

away. Emily's head snapped up, her body trembling in the process.

"There you are," Joan huffed, a questioning look molding her face. "I searched - "

"Yes, Joan," Lisa interrupted, rising to her feet. She reached for Emily's hand, and Emily stood up with her. "We know. You searched high and low for my sister. She needed a breather. I'm sure you understand how nervous a bride can be the day before her wedding," she said, offering a smile, one that Emily knew to be as fake as they come.

Joan drew up a slow brow. "Of course I can," she flitted. Taking a sip of her white wine, she waved her hand in the direction of the U-shaped table in the middle of the room. "Everyone needs to take a seat now. The maitre d' just notified me that the waiters should be coming around shortly to get everyone's orders. "

Without waiting for a response from either, Joan turned on her heels, her voice echoing throughout the room as she repeated her announcement to the rest of the guests.

Lisa rolled her eyes. "I swear if that woman dyed her hair anymore blonde than it is, she could beat out the sun in its blinding effects. "

Emily pulled in a deep breath, shaking her head.

Cupping Emily's cheeks between her hands, Lisa leaned into her ear. "I love you, little sis. I wish I could help you through this. The only advice I can offer is to go with what your heart's telling you. " Emily stared into her eyes, reflections of their mother swirling around her head. "It doesn't matter that tomorrow's the big day. You could postpone it until you figure all of this out with Gavin. The important thing here is that tomorrow represents the rest of your life. You need to know that you're spending it with the correct man. Don't feel stuck in a box. You know Michael and I will help you in whatever way is needed, right?"

Grabbing for her sister's hand, Emily nodded and started making her way through the crowd. With every step she took, the sound of a clock's pendulum swaying in her head reverberated through her ears.

Time was running out.

Tick. . .

Dillon's words to her a few hours before she took him back:

"Do you remember what your mother told us before she died, Emily? She told us to take care of one another. She told us to stick through whatever uphill battles life throws at us and to never give up on our relationship. "

Tock. . . .

Gavin's searing pleas to her in the rain.

"You don't hate me. You love me. And, Jesus Christ, Emily, I love you with everything inside of me, with everything I am, with everything I'll ever be. "

Palms sweaty and body shaking, Emily took another few steps across the room.

Tick-tock. . .

Trying to fight back tears, Dillon's voice kept pounding inside her thoughts:

"Let me fix it. I can fix it and make us better again. I can bring us back to where we used to be. "

Tick-tock. . . tick-tock. . .

"Leave with me right now. Don't do this. Don't marry him. We'll tell him together. I told you I wouldn't let you do it alone. Gina means nothing to me anymore. I shouldn't have let her in, but for fuck's sake, I didn't do anything with her. "

Tick-tock. . . tick-tock. . . tick-tock. . .

Feeling completely torn, it was all Emily could do to make it to her chair without passing out. Letting go of Lisa's hand, she sank into her seat at the head of the table, her eyes following Gavin as he moved across the room. He positioned himself just diagonally from her, their view of one another as unobstructed as a full moon on a clear night. Draping an arm across Trevor's chair next to him, Gavin tipped his bottle of beer in Emily's direction with a lazy smile on his lips.

Shifting uncomfortably in her seat, Emily tore her attention from him when Dillon sat down next to her. As he leaned over to kiss her, her eyes flew back to Gavin's, and if she wasn't mistaken, she could see his jaw tense. Swallowing hard, she quickly pulled away from him.

"What the hell is wrong with you tonight?" Dillon asked, his tone showing annoyance.

She cleared her throat. "Nothing. I told you I wasn't feeling well. That's all. "

"I hope that by tomorrow you'll snap out of whatever's going on with you," he said, pulling his seat up to the table. "And something tells me you're fucking lying about not feeling well. "

Emily's body rippled with an involuntary shudder at the thought that he could see right through her. Not saying a word, she reached across the table for her glass of water. Nervously sipping it, she tried to coax her racing thoughts down. One of the waiters circling the room approached to take their orders, offering temporary reprieve from the conversation. She needed a strong drink desperately, but considering Dillon told her he hadn't drank since he'd returned from Florida, she decided to forgo it. Trying to keep her eyes from roaming to Gavin's, she kept her head downcast, staring at her twisting hands in her lap.

"So," Dillon's cousin, Peter, called out to him from across the table, "one would assume that you and the Mrs. are going to start working on making some babies tomorrow night after the wedding. "

Emily's head snapped up, her eyes darting to Gavin.

Gazing at her, a tight smirk curled Gavin's lips. "They should have bucketloads of babies - and a green minivan, too. "

Emily's mouth hung ajar as she watched him casually lean back in his seat. Downing the rest of his beer, he gave a shrug and exhaled a light laugh that didn't reach his eyes.

Other than those who knew what was going on between them, the room broke out into quaking hysterics.

"Let's hope so, Gavin," Henry chuckled. "Joan and I want us some grandbabies as soon as possible. If they could fill a green minivan with little ones, then that would just make us all the happier. "

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