Page 83 of Kiss the Bride

“Give it time. You’ll be back in my bed, and we’ll erase all others and have so much fun doing it.”

“Good night, Mitch.” I switch my full glass for Tash’s empty one, and she downs it without thinking. I need a clear head, not more reasons for more mistakes. “Coming?” I ask my friends, already moving towards the door whether they follow me or not. I’ve dropped a bag off at their villa and know my way around the island as if it’s my second home.

Tash crashes within minutes of getting inside our villa, her drunken declarations of drinking and talking until dawn forgotten after six hours of non-stop drinking.

“What are you going to do?” Jess asks, offering me a cup of black herbal tea.

“Give Mitch the 24 hours he seems to want.”

“Why bother, unless you think he has a chance?”

“That’s just it. There were times tonight when I wished we could go back in time.”

“And you didn’t know the truth, or he didn’t sleep around?”

“What if we can forgive each other?” I suggest, trying to find comfort in the hot liquid and suddenly wishing I’d matched my friends cocktail for cocktail. Being sober and sensible doesn’t seem smart when my head is spinning with so many options.

“Well,” Jess leans back in the comfortable chaise, “I came here determined to kick your ass all the way back to Mitch. But now, I’m not so sure.”

Great, there’s still a box of chocolates in the girls’ welcome basket. I toss a couple to Jess. The fact that she, the most calorie-conscious of my friends, actually puts the wicked cube in her mouth proves either how drunk she is or how this situation has messed with our friendship group.

“Are you going to give me the benefit of your advice, or keep it to yourself?” I toss her another chocolate and she swallows it whole.

“You trusted Hunter, back in the day. He broke your heart. You trusted Mitchel, and I can’t even imagine how it felt to walk in on him with someone else. He broke your heart.”

Did he? I’m still struggling to differentiate between broken heart, betrayal, and now relief. “They aren’t the only men in the world.”

“Even if you can forgive Mitch, and it seems you were able to forgive Hunter, could you trust either of them? Maybe it isn’t about forgiveness but trust.”

Something to think about.

“And Livia,” Jess adds as I have a thought that refuses to die.

“What?”

“If you end up with Mitch, will he trust you or make your life miserable? After all, you guys have one fight, and you end up in bed with someone else.”

“Hunter isn’t just someone else.” How can Jess not understand?

We sit in silence. Jess apparently thinks I need time to absorb her drunken wisdom, while I try to gather the courage to do what I want despite the consequences. I’d prefer a lack of judgment and a ton of discretion but can I trust my friend? I stand, ready to leave and when Jess curls around on the sofa, I find a blanket and toss over her.

“It’s okay, Livia.” Jess waves her hand toward the door. “Whatever you decide, I’ve got your back.”

“I’m going for a walk.” Not that I need her permission, but there’s one thing I need to do before morning.

“Make sure you’re back before breakfast.” Jess blows me a kiss and I take it as permission to keep my secrets. “I’ll cover for you if Tash wakes up before you get back, but if Mitch drops by, it’ll be harder.”

Jess knows where I’m going. How is it that my friend knows my heart before my brain has a chance to catch up?

Tomorrow is almost here.

I’ve committed to spending one day with Mitchel, and the honest and good part of me wants to give him a chance. Try to relax, allow him to prove why we’d already agreed to spend the rest of our lives together. But while Mitch wants 24 hours, Hunter wants—well, me.

Hunter—just a rebound. Hunter—always mine, just as I’ve always been his.

But what if none of this is real and I’ve been using Hunter to ease the hurt?

With Jess’s blessings, I scurry along paths until I reach Hunter’s villa—ourvilla.

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