Page 23 of One Night Valentine

I wait until we’re in the elevator and push the button for the lobby before I answer her. “And no one is going to talk to you like that either.”

She opens her mouth and then closes it before leaning into me. I put an arm around her shoulder. “You okay?”

She nods without looking at me. “Yeah, it’s just nice having someone on my side.”

Right here and now, I want to profess my love for her. It’s a crazy feeling, one that I’m not accustomed to or ready to even deal with, but the need to protect and love this woman is something I want to do.

The idea that I’m going to keep my distance from her is not possible. Not anymore.

13

TARA

Cruz and I laugh as we walk through the lobby, but as soon as we walk into the room where the rehearsal and wedding is going to take place, I tense up.

All eyes turn toward us, and I automatically feel like curling into myself. I hate this feeling, and I hate that Cruz is going to see me through these people’s eyes.

Even my mom and dad are disappointed in me on a daily basis.

“Tara, you’re late.”

I nod my head but keep my mouth shut. Normally, I would tell her that it’s still ten minutes before I was supposed to be here, but I know there is no winning with my mother, so I’ve given up trying.

“Mrs. Brooks, if we’re late, it’s my fault. I thought we were supposed to be here at six, and it’s ten till.”

My mom’s face morphs in front of my eyes. I expect her to double down, but instead she smiles and comes toward Cruz. “Oh no, of course. You’re a busy man, we understand. We thought it was Tara running behind with her head in the clouds.”

Cruz stiffens beside me. “Tara is one of the most responsible people I know. Plus, she wouldn’t miss this for anything. She’s a good sister.”

There’s a silence in the air, and I don’t know who is more stunned: my mom because someone has stood up to her, my sister for the slight with the sister remark, my dad that someone finally stood up to my mom, or me because someone has stood up for me.

My mom recovers quickly, but her smile isn’t as bright as before. “Right, of course. Well, let’s get started so we can get to dinner.”

She turns to my sister. “Brynn and Grant, you ready?”

The rehearsal starts, and Cruz reluctantly lets go of me and sits in a seat. I go toward the back to stand with my mom, sister, maid of honor, and other bridesmaids.

“Oh my goodness, Tara, he is hot.”

“I can’t believe you’re dating Cruz Payne.”

“My husband is going to die when he finds out that Cruz is here. He refused to come to the wedding, so he’s going to be mad he missed seeing him.”

They are all talking at once, drooling over Cruz, and I just soak it all in. Usually at social events, I have to deal with jokes and insults, so being on this end is nice.

But Brynn doesn’t like it. “Hello. This is my wedding. Can we please quit talking about Tara’s date that is probably going to dump her when he gets bored with her.” A few of the girls gasp, and some of them roll their eyes because they’re used to Brynn’s attitude.

My mother comes up to me. “Tara, I’ll remind you that this is your sister’s wedding, and it’s not right that you’re trying to upstage her. I knew you were jealous, but this is a whole new low.”

I open my mouth to argue, but instead I just seal my lips. I know there’s no arguing with her. As far as I’m concerned, after this wedding, I’m going to keep my distance from my family because they obviously don’t care anything about me. When my parents found out that Grant cheated on me with Brynn, they automatically thought I should be supportive of my sister. They didn’t care how I felt about all of it.

So I stand here, stay silent, and wait for my cue. I’m one of the first bridesmaids to walk out, and I’m holding back tears as I walk down the aisle and stop at the end. I can’t even look at Cruz through the whole thing. Probably by the end of the night, he’s going to see me as a loser like my family does. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted.

As soon as the rehearsal is done, Cruz is by my side. He puts his arm around me, and I turn into his chest. His arms go around me, and he holds me to him. I take deep breaths, trying to commit this feeling to memory.

He strokes his hand up and down my back. “Talk to me, sweetie.”

I lift my chin to look up at him. “I’m fine.”

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