Page 85 of Falling for Nicole
Chapter Seventeen
Nicole
I’m awake just as the sun rises the next morning. My nerves about being part of the wedding party are getting the better of me. I’ve never been to a wedding before, let alone as a bridesmaid. I’ve no clue what I’m meant to be doing.
Swinging my legs over the side of the bed, I let out a slow breath to try to settle my stomach. I made sure not to drink too much last night, but even still, I feel a little shaky this morning. I look over my shoulder when Dec moves, but it seems he’s fast asleep.
Silently, I grab some clothes before letting myself out of the room. The hotel is deadly quiet, and I don’t see another living person until I spot the night manager sat behind the reception desk fighting his exhaustion.
“Morning,” I sing. It comes out lighter than I was expecting.
“Morning. It’s going to be a beautiful day by the looks of things,” he replies.
I smile back before walking through the electric doors and out to the fresh morning air. I instantly feel better with a little space.
I’ve no idea where I’m going, but it’s not long before I find myself at the sea front. The smell of a bakery entices me with its sweet scent, and I walk along until I find the shop. It’s not open, but when the girl who’s filling the counter with goodies spots me, she comes and opens the door.
“Everything’s fresh out of the oven, take your pick.” She must have been up all night baking all the pastries and breads laid out in front of me, but her eyes are sparkling with excitement at the idea of me eating one. I recognise the look—it was the same one that used to stare back at me before I’d perform. A look I haven’t seen in so long.
I manage to choose only two pastries, knowing I’ve got a full breakfast at the hotel in a few hours. I’m hoping eating something now will help settle my nerves a bit. Surely it should be Molly and Ryan who can’t sleep, not their back-up bridesmaid.
Finding a spot on the sea wall, I pull the first buttery pastry from the bag, moaning in pleasure as it melts on my tongue.
Watching a man run along the beach with his dog by his side makes me miss Bailey. I know it’s stupid, I’ve only been gone a few hours, but that dog is like a baby to me. Forgetting about the time, I pull my phone from my pocket and pull up Liam’s number. It rings twice and I go to hang up, feeling stupid needing to check up on them, but just as I’m going to end the call, it connects.
“Morning.” He sounds much more awake than I was expecting.
“Morning, just checking in to make sure everything’s okay?” I cringe as I hear my own ridiculousness.
“We’re all good. We’ve just had a slow, short walk, and I’m about to head to work.” The mention of his radio show reminds me why he’s so awake at this time of morning.
“Did you both sleep okay?”
“Well…he did stay up a little past his bedtime, but once he went down he was out like a light,” he says with a laugh. “Seriously, Nic, I’ve got this.”
“I know you have. Thank you.”
“You’re more than welcome, he’s awesome. So why are you up so early? Molly got you running errands already?”
“Nah, I just couldn’t sleep, so I went for a walk. I’ll let you get to work. Thanks again, Liam.”
“Have a good day.”
I hang up and look down at my phone. A photo of Bailey with his head poking out of a blanket stares back at me. It’s not natural to be this attached to a dog, is it?
Shaking my crazy thoughts, I start to think about what’s in store for me today. Molly seems to have everything under control, so I know it’s all going to fall into place. I can’t help but think about how much work it all is for a lot of other people. The moment they all looked back at me last night, I think I’d pretty much decided that if I ever get married, I’m not interested in having something so big. If I’m being honest, the thought of actually getting married and not having my mum there almost puts me off the whole thing.
She always used to talk about my big day, the kind of dress she thought I’d have, the flowers she thought were elegant, and all those kinds of things. She never got a chance to have her own special day, so she wanted mine to be everything I’d ever dreamed of. I feel a lump grow in my throat as all the memories assault me. The moment my dad proposed to her, she started a scrapbook of everything she liked. There wasn’t a detail that was overlooked. It tears me apart that she never got to plan any of it properly. They were going to wait until I was a little older, but they never got the chance.
My first tear drops and hits the paper bag sitting on my lap. How will I ever be able to plan my own day without her? Go dress shopping without her opinion onthe one?How will I be able to walk down the aisle and not have her next to me, sobbing into a tissue because it’s everything she wished for since the day I was born?
I’m a fucking mess when my phone pings. Wiping my tears with the backs of my hands, I pull it back out and see a message on the wedding group chat I’m now part of.
Molly:Get up here now!
I give myself a few minutes to pull myself together before I head back. I stop off in our room to grab my stuff. Dec’s still out cold with the note I wrote for him this morning exactly where I left it on my pillow. I stand and watch him sleep for a few seconds, grateful that he’s here, before I turn and leave once again.
As I turn towards Molly and Ryan’s suite, I see him heading towards me.
