Page 15 of Back in the Bay

"Thanks. It took about eight months. Nearly drove Rowan crazy with the delays, but We had to get it just right.."

She laughs, and I find myself leaning closer, drawn by the familiar sound. "Some things never change. You always did get lost in the details."

"And you always did avoid difficult conversations," I counter, the words slipping out before I can stop them.

Her smile falters. "I deserved that."

"No, I'm sorry," I say quickly. "Tonight's about Rowan and Cilla. Not... whatever this is."

Mabel takes a step closer, close enough that I catch the scent of her perfume—different from what she wore as a teenager,more sophisticated, but underneath it, something familiar that makes my heart stutter.

"And what is this, Cole?" she asks, her voice barely audible above the party.

Before I can answer, Ellie appears at my side, slightly breathless. "Cole, sorry to interrupt, but Fox says there's an issue with the lighting on the back deck. Something about a circuit breaker?"

I close my eyes briefly, torn between responsibility and the conversation I've waited thirteen years to have. "I'll be right there."

Ellie nods and disappears back into the crowd. When I look back at Mabel, her expression is unreadable.

"Duty calls," she says.

"Always does." I hesitate, then add, "Save me a dance at the reception tomorrow?"

Something flickers in her eyes—hope, maybe, or regret. "I'd like that."

As I turn to leave, her hand catches my wrist, her touch sending electricity up my arm. "Cole," she says, "for what it's worth, you look great."

The confession hangs between us, and I want nothing more than to pull her into my arms, but Ellie is waiting, and thirteen years of questions can't be answered in a stolen moment at a rehearsal dinner.

"And you look beautiful, Mabel," I say simply, and the smile that breaks across her face is worth every second of heartache.

I walk away, feeling her eyes on my back, knowing that tomorrow everything could change. Again. For better or worse, Mabel Maxwell is back in my life, and I'm not letting her disappear a second time without answers.

The circuit breaker turns out to be a five-minute fix—loose wire that Fox could have handled himself if he wasn't busymaking moon eyes at Prue. But I'm grateful for the distraction, for the chance to get my hands dirty with something tangible instead of drowning in the mess of emotions Mabel's stirred up.

When I return to the party, she's gone.

"She left a few minutes ago," Ellie says, reading my expression as I scan the room. "Said something about an early morning and needing to prepare for the wedding."

I nod like it doesn't matter like I wasn't counting on stealing another few minutes with her. The rest of the evening passes in a blur of congratulations for Rowan, small talk with relatives, and way too much whiskey.

By the time I get home to my house on the hill overlooking the lake, my head is spinning, and my chest feels too tight. I stand on my back deck, staring down at the pavilion where tomorrow Rowan will marry the love of his life, and I can't shake the feeling that I'm standing at a crossroads.

Thirteen years ago, Mabel left for college and never looked back. Never called. Never wrote. She just vanished from my life like we hadn't spent two years planning our future together. I'd waited that whole first semester for some explanation, some sign that what we'd had meant something to her.

It never came.

Now she's back, looking at me like no time has passed, asking what this is between us. Hell, if I know. All I know is that seeing her tonight felt like coming up for air after drowning.

My phone buzzes with a text from Rowan: Thanks for everything, man. Tomorrow's going to be perfect.

I smile despite myself. At least one of us is getting his happy ending.

mabel

. . .

I gripmy coffee cup like it's the only thing keeping me tethered to reality, and it might be.

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