Page 12 of Chasing Forever
Sadie’s hand grips mine, and she nudges me to follow her.
Shaking my head, I let her guide me toward the bathroom, and once we’re inside, she spins me around. “I’m sorry. I should have been there for you last night.”
“What?” I frown.
“It’s just that since Daisy, Jude and I don’t get a lot of alone time, but I was a shitty best friend to leave you knowing you were struggling with Emmett getting married.”
I shake my head as if the thoughts will connect to help me understand what she’s saying.
Sadie implores me with her eyes wide. “Last night. You were upset, and I should’ve stayed with you instead of going out with Jude.”
“Oh god, Sadie. No. This isn’t your fault. I’m a grown woman. And?—”
“But I wouldn’t have let you go to the chapel with him.” She leans her shoulder against the tile wall.
“I’m not sure anyone knew where we were going. I don’t even remember what happened. But it’s fine. I didn’t want anyone to know, but now that they do, I just need to keep it away from all the parents so I can get it annulled and forget it ever happened.”
Her lips purse, and she looks away from me.
I sigh. “What?”
“Nothing.”
This is so Sadie. If I could have an ounce of the patience she has, I probably wouldn’t be in this situation. I’m a go-with-my-gut-and-act-fast person, where she’s more about weighing the pros and cons with lists and graphs.
“Spit it out.” I cross my arms.
“It’s just… Brooks is sweet on you.”
I roll my eyes and step around her to the sink and mirrors. “He feels responsible for me. There’s a difference.”
Sadie stands next to me, staring at me through the mirror. “What on earth are you talking about?”
I pull my hair up into a messy bun because the dry heat in Vegas feels as if it’s made my hair brittle, and I don’t have the patience to deal with it hungover. “Holden is his brother. Brooks clearly is trying to find a way into this family tree, and he can’t have me being upset with him because his brother left me at the altar. Brooks is a good guy, and he’s just trying to fix what his brother broke.”
“Brooks’s wanting to join the family is just a joke, Lottie. It’s a way for the guys to bust his balls because of how much time he spent there growing up.”
I shrug. “Maybe not.”
Sadie’s forehead creases, and she tilts her head as if she’s trying to solve some impossible math equation.
“What don’t you understand?”
“I say he’s sweet on you?—”
“Quit saying sweet on you. What are you, eighty?” I scowl at her through the mirror.
She shakes her head. “Yeah, I blame it on Marge working for me, but I swear she’s a chicken whisperer. She just crouches down, whispers a few encouraging words, and they scatter.”
Sadie started a pasture-raised chicken farm last year, and Marge is her newest employee—and apparently, a chicken whisperer to boot.
Sadie waves. “Anyway, you understand where I’m going with this.”
“That you want to clone Marge?”
She laughs and shakes her head at my usual deflection. “No, Lottie. You know what I’m saying and how you’re not making sense. Brooks isn’t sweet on you just because his brother is a jackass and treated you like shit. He’s sweet on you because he’s always been sweet on you.”
“Did you purposely use that three times?”
