Page 2 of Top Shelf

I follow Jamie out into the hallway, and she pushes open a door at the end of it. When we’re inside, she turns to me.

“What’s wrong?” I ask her. My heart drops. “Is she okay? Is everything alright?”

Jamie bites her lip and nods slowly.

“She can’t do it,” she whispers, and my eyes widen. “She told her parents. She’s telling Dallas now. But she needs to get out. She needs an escape route—and she wanted me to get you. Can you…can you take—”

“Of course,” I say, my stomach flipping on its end so much that I think it might be in a knot. My heart is beating in my throat, and my palms are sweating. “Where is… where should I—”

But just as I ask, the door opens, and there stands my beautiful best friend, dressed in the most beautiful wedding dress I’ve ever seen. Her auburn curls are pulled back, and if it were the right moment, I’d be ogling the shit out of how fucking perfect she looks. But right now, I need to put my best-friend cap on.

“Hey, Blackwell,” I say gently. She closes her eyes as the tears stream down her face. I rush toward her, swiping them with my thumbs and pulling her into my arms. “I’m not going to tell you how beautiful you look right now,” I whisper. “So remind me to tell you later. I hear you need a getaway car?”

She nods against my chest as soft sobs shake her little shoulders.

“I need to get out of this first,” she says. Jamie walks toward us, and they slip back into the room she came out of. I take the opportunity to pull my phone out and text my brother.

The wedding is off,I say.

Very funny,he writes back.

I’m serious. She wants me to take her out of here, so I’m going to. I’ll let y’all know where we end up.

Oh, fuck. You’re not joking?Tate says.

No. Tell Dad not to wait up for me. Safe to say you guys can probably leave.

Fuck,he writes back.Okay, be safe. Give her a kiss from us.

Just then, the door opens again, and Sadie reappears, looking just as breathtaking as she always does, with or without the designer gown. She looks up at me, and I smile, reaching my hand out for hers.

As we turn to walk down the hall, we hear a sob that stops us in our tracks. And I know exactly who it is, just from the pure melodrama that drips from it.

Her mother.Debbie, the bane of her—and, ipso facto, my—existence.

Sadie turns to her mother, and their eyes meet.

“You’re ruining everything, Sadie,” she whimpers before she bursts out into tears again, her father consoling her. Jamie watches us with sad eyes as I reach down and pull Sadie to me.

“This isyourlife, Sadie. Yours,” I whisper. “You tell me what you want to do, and we’ll do it.” I hold my breath, waiting for her to tell me she’s making a mistake. But she doesn’t.

“Just take me somewhere,” she whispers back, the tears welling in her eyes again. “Anywhere.”

I nod, reaching down to grab the duffel bag from her hand. I throw it over my shoulder and take her keys from her hands. I lead her out to the parking lot, unlocking her black Jeep and opening her passenger door for her to climb in. And then, I’m driving my best friend away from her wedding.

CHAPTERTWO

sadie

I feellike no matter how deep I try to suck in, no air is reaching my lungs. My heart is racing, and the comedown from the adrenaline is making my fingers tingle. The panic has settled on my chest like a goddamn elephant.

But there’s one thing I’m not feeling.

Regret.

Doubt.

Fear that I made the wrong decision.

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