Page 62 of Love Letter Lost
“But you’re the bigger person.”
I sat a moment, accepting the steps I needed to take, knowing that he was right.
“Fine, but if she even mentions dating, I’m blocking her number and avoiding all family holidays for the next year.”
“I’ll tell her to back down. She loves you, Mallory. We both do. She wouldn’t meddle if she didn’t care.” With that, Dad kissed the top of my head. “By the way, I need to talk to you about the apartment building. I have to give Milton Corp a response by the end of next week. In fact, Mr. Milton mentioned his daughter was attending this wedding.”
“Dad, I know the money is good, but think about the tenants. Audrey and Chloe need the cheap rent. And what about the Jeongs? They’ve lived there longer than you’ve owned the building. How can you just—”
Dad held up his hand, stopping my argument. “We’ll talk later. For now, let’s enjoy Livvy’s wedding.”
I nodded, my emotional bandwidth incapable of acknowledging what that conversation meant. Instead, I gave Dad one more hug and watched as he joined the rest of my family.
I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. Trying to block everything out for a moment. Family politics were exhausting, but Dad was right. I needed to forgive Mother, no matter how much I didn’t want to. I just prayed the conversation Dad wanted to have would not entail selling my home, forcing me to move once again.
A throat cleared and I opened my eyes to find Ridge standing in front of me, ruining any semblance of peace I’d found. He looked handsome in his black suit with his hair slicked back. I felt my mouth go dry just looking at him.
“Hey.” Ridge sat next to me, giving me a smile. “The scarf looks good.” He winked at me and I smiled, hoping he didn’t notice my blush.
“You look good too. Though, I bet you were wishing you could rock one of those awesome peach ties.”
He shrugged, adjusting his green striped tie. “Only truly sexy men can pull off peach.”
I laughed and shook my head. “Green makes a good backup.”
Glancing around, I noticed we were basically alone. Now was as good a time as any to tell him. To stop hiding and dodging and regretting and tell him my heart.
I took a deep breath, wishing I hadn’t left my notebook in the car. While my letters were far from eloquent, at least they were a starting place. Praying no one would wander over any time soon, I opened my mouth to speak only for Ridge to fill the quiet.
“I can’t believe Livvy is married. Our ranks as single people are shrinking.”
“It was a nice ceremony,” I supplied, unsure how to redirect the conversation.
“After today, I should be taking a step closer to shrinking those ranks further.” He patted his pocket, no doubt checking to make sure the ring was still there. “By the way, Amber had to go pick up her parents from the airport. Can you give me a ride to the luncheon? She took my car so I wouldn’t miss pictures.”
My breath escaped in a whoosh. Maybe waiting to talk in the car was a better idea. We’d be able to talk alone without the risk of interruption. “Of course.”
Now I just had to get through pictures and figure out exactly what to say before my nerves did me in.
“Pictures, everyone!” The call came from across the grass, next to the gazebo where Livvy and David had said their vows.
“I guess that’s our cue.” Ridge stood and offered me a hand up.
We spent the next hour posing for countless pictures. It was my first, and hopefully last, time acting as a bridesmaid. My cheeks ached from all the smiling. I had no idea so many different photo combinations could exist as different groups came forward and posed. I was in more pictures than I could count, and if I wasn’t in a picture, I was holding Livvy’s bouquet or tracking down a missing family member. By the time we left the gardens, my feet hurt and I regretted my choice to wear heels, though thankfully my ankle had stopped swelling enough that I no longer had to worry about keeping it elevated.
Ridge and I piled into my car and headed to a nearby restaurant for the family luncheon. My stomach growled at the thought of the pasta and breadsticks waiting for us.
Maybe confessions of love are better on a full stomach.
“My cheeks hurt.” I reached up to massage my face trying to return feeling. “So much smiling! And we’re not even done yet.”
“Luckily, we should be done with the formal photos. Everything else should be candid shots.”
“I’m not sure candid is a good thing either. I usually end up pulling a face or getting caught mid-chew.” I shook my head, remembering the many embarrassing and awkward photos from my brother’s wedding.
“At least you’re wearing a stylish scarf to go along with your awkward faces.” Ridge tried to look on the bright side, but it didn’t do much good.
The luncheon was low key and fun. Livvy was on cloud nine, seeming to have forgotten about her desperate need to see the reception venue. In fact, we were nearly late leaving the luncheon for the reception. In order to get everyone there on time, my car was crammed full of cousins who needed a ride over, eliminating my chance to talk to Ridge alone.
