“Yep. I got to the bridal room, and she was taking off her dress. She slung it over a chair and kicked off her shoes and then proceeded to burst into tears.” Juliette rolls her eyes. “Then she admitted she and Jeffrey had been having an affair for months. It started even before we had the threesome.”
Juliette raps a knuckle on the table. “You know what? I feel like flipping this table over right now. How fucking dare she!”
I can’t help but chuckle at the vision of this woman wreaking havoc in this fancy dining room.
“Trust me, I thought about flipping some shit over too.”
“What did you do instead?”
“I grabbed the dress and the ridiculously priced shoes and told her I was going to burn them. She freaked the fuck out, but I marched from the room, knowing she couldn’t follow because she was in her underwear.” I massage my jaw with one hand. “Then I went into the main room where everyone was seated, handed the clothes to my buddy Lane, and punched Jeffrey in the face.”
Juliette’s lips pop into an O, but before she can say anything, the waiter comes by with a dessert menu. We order, and then she leans forward. “What happened next? Did you really burn the dress and shoes?”
“After I punched Jeffrey, I turned to the crowd and asked if anyone else there had been fucking my former fiancée. You could have heard a pin drop. Then Lane and Marcus dragged me out the back door and stuffed me into the limo, where we proceeded to get shit-faced drunk while the driver cruised us around town.”
“Please tell me you changed the locks on your apartment.”
I nod. “Marcus handled that before we got too far into the booze. And no, I didn’t actually burn the wedding clothes. The next day I took them to a women’s shelter and donated them. They put them up for auction and raised a shit-ton of money.”
Juliette’s fingers tighten around mine. “That was a really thoughtful thing for you to do.”
“Yeah, I guess. I also gathered up Leia’s clothes and took them to the shelter. They have a program where they provide work clothing to the women who are trying to start their new lives.”
“I completely approve,” Juli says. “You got some revenge while also doing something really good.”
“I still felt the need to set something on fire, so the next night, Marcus, Lane, and I had a bonfire at Lane’s house and burned all the pictures of Leia and me.”
Juliette giggles. “Have you always had pyromania tendencies?”
“No,” I tell her with a grin, “but it felt damn good.”
The waiter serves the Riesling and our desserts, turtle cheesecake for me and some kind of fruit tart for Juliette.
“I’m sorry things didn’t work out with Leia,” she says sweetly.
Taking a bite of the delicious cheesecake, I tilt my head to the side and swallow. “I was miserable and angry for months after we broke up, but…” I twiddle my fork as I think about the right words. “I have more clarity now, and I realize she wasn’t the right one for me. So I guess it turned out for the best.”
Juliette’s lips turn up at the corners. “Sometimes things work out in unexpected ways.”
I return her smile. “Yeah, I guess they do.”
She finishes almost all her dessert and pushes her dish away before resting her chin in her palm.
“It makes more sense now, the reason you said you couldn’t pursue someone who was into the swinging lifestyle.” Her head tilts to the side, and her pretty blonde hair falls over one bare shoulder. “I mean, I know there’s a difference between full-fledged swingingand your situation, but the mechanics are similar. So it’s completely understandable that you wouldn’t want to be involved in that. I’m sorry I jumped to the wrong conclusion and kicked you out.”
“It’s okay. Water under the bridge.” I eat one more mouthful of cheesecake and set my fork down. “I’m honestly okay with other people doing whatever they want. I know swinging is very fulfilling for some couples, and I think that’s awesome.”
“From what I’ve read, it’s not something you just jump into on a whim. A couple needs to have complete trust and a whole lot of communication about it.” Juliette takes a sip of her wine and arches one brow. “It’s certainly not something you surprise your new husband with for your honeymoon.”
A half smile slides across my lips. “I still can’t believe she booked this place without talking to me about it.”
Juliette’s aqua eyes laser into mine. “I can’t say I’m sad you’re here though.”
Reaching across the table, I take her hand and kiss the back of it. “I’m not sad I’m here either.”
In fact, I’m really fucking glad.
Maybe I should send Leia a thank you card.
