Page 22 of Aisle Come Back to You

I interrupt before she can say anything else. “We can’t change the past. What happened, happened. He chose her. End of story.”

“But you can fix your future, and what if you’re supposed to be together? What if he’s your soulmate? You can’t just give up on that,” she says, her voice full of passion, which for her makes sense. She’s always been someone who likes to look for the silver lining, even when she probably shouldn’t. She’s also someone who believes in fairytales and happily-ever-afters, but for someone like me, those don’t exist; I just can’t pretend or hope anymore, it’s too exhausting.

I sigh. “It’s not that easy. I just—I think if we were ever truly supposed to be together, then it would have happened years ago. Maybe this is all a big sign that we were never supposed to be anything.”

“I don’t believe that. Even now, I still see the way he looks at you, and even with that intense poker face of yours, I know you love him too,” she insists, pointing an accusatory french fry in my direction.

“Can we just not talk about this?” I plead. Yes. I still have feelings for Ford, but this isn’t what I came home to do. “I want to focus on you, and that’s all I want to think about from now until your wedding day,” I add, needing her to let this go.

“Fine, we can change the subject, but I want to make sure you know that you’re allowed to change your mind about this. If you need to focus on you and your love life, there truly could be nothing that would make me happier. Besides, isn’t it often said that weddings are the perfect setting for finding love?” she asks with a playful wink and shimmy of her shoulders.

It’s clear that she’s not as willing to move on from this as she made it seem, but I can’t help but smile and let out a small laugh as I shake my head. “I’m pretty sure what they say is that a wedding is a great place to find a hookup. Isn’t there usually a joke about the maid of honor and best man sleeping together?”

“Well, considering Pete’s best man is his married older brother, I unfortunately have to inform you that’s out of the question.”

I wrinkle my nose. “Noted.”

“He does have a few cute friends though, even if none are actually as good-looking as Ford.”

My mouth flattens as I give her a deadpan stare. “Ronnie!”

“Fine, I’ll drop it—for now.”

“You better,” I warn, and for good measure, I reach across the table and steal one of her fries.

I’m uncertain if it was the attack on her fries or what, but luckily the topic shifts, even if Ford remains on my mind. I may be ready to move on from him, but my mind and heart seem to have completely different ideas.

12

Ford

Despite my best effortsto distract myself, all I can do is think about Blair. Unfortunately, every conversation and interaction replays in my mind like a broken record. I enjoy my job, but I don’t usually eagerly anticipate going into work each day. However, these past few days have been an exception—I’ve found myself genuinely excited. At least when I’m teaching, I have something else to focus my brain power on. I swear, if my brain goes back to that dressing room one more time…

The chemistry in that small space was undeniable, and I know she felt it too. She wanted me to touch her, just as badly as my hands wanted to sink lower and discover the way her soft skin felt beneath my fingertips, but given our long history, it’s not exactly the easiest topic to broach. I was so tempted to bring it up during our bachelorette meeting at the coffee shop, but we both knew that moment needed to be about Ronnie. Then, thesecond Jenny walked in, any chance of us talking about anything serious went completely out the window.

There’s no way I can do it now, either, since once again, the theme of this afternoon is Ronnie. When the two of them had asked me to come lend a hand with Ronnie’s bridal photoshoot, there’s no way I could’ve said no.

Jenny used to claim that it was because I was spineless and wasn’t capable of saying no to either of my best friends, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Even beyond my feelings for Blair, and my desperate need to be with her every second she’s in town, I genuinely enjoy being around them.

There’s a reason our friendship has stood the test of time, or at least it has with Ronnie. They are two people who just get me, and I get them. It’s that simple.

Sure, I’m doing a bit of the grunt work since I was asked to pick up the flowers from the florist, and now I’m the one carrying the props, holding the light reflector, and managing any other extra equipment, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

This may be Blair’s big gift to Ronnie as her personal wedding present, but it’s also fun to watch, especially since they’re both killing it.

As Ronnie gracefully poses in her gown, adorned with perfectly styled hair and flawless makeup, it’s even more exciting to witness Blair so blissfully in charge and thriving in what is so obviously her element.

We’d all known that Blair possessed a talent for capturing the perfect picture and uncovering beauty in even the most ordinary objects, but it’s clear why she’s now a highly sought-after photographer. She knows exactly what she’s doing, and isn’t afraid to get a little dirty in order to get the perfect shot, especially as she lays down on her stomach in the dirt and grass to get the perfect angle.

Ronnie wanted a nature-inspired look, so we opted to go a little outside of town. Luckily, we’d stumbled upon the perfect spot with tall, towering trees, wildflowers, and the striking backdrop of the Rocky Mountains.

“Alright, I need to see that one,” Ronnie requests, lifting her gown as she makes her way over to Blair, who brushes herself off after standing.

“Just remember, I haven’t done any editing yet,” she warns before holding out the camera with the small screen for our friend to look at.

“Oh my God! It’s amazing,” she squeals excitedly, dancing from side to side.

“Of course it is. You’re literally the most beautiful model I could’ve ever asked for,” Blair scoffs as I take a step forward to look as well.

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