Page 59 of Bordeaux Bombshell
Maggie grins at my words.
“But who cares about him? You look gorgeous, and I’m so happy and excited for you guys. Is everything ready for tomorrow?”
Kel chuckles, pulling Maggie against him. Even if I didn’t genuinely like Maggie, I’d love her for the light she brought back into Kel’s life.
After he and June split up, he shut down hard. The only person who could get him to smile was Olive. Nursing through the pandemic had turned him into a shell of a man—when June left him for Shelby, I thought he would never recover. We, my parents and I, thought spending a few months working and living out at Sunshine would be good for him, get him outside and doing something new. But when the months dragged into years and he sank further and further into his reclusive state, we worried. I tried to convince him to move on several times, but he was adamant that he needed to stay. That someone needed to take Nate’s place.
It was one more strike against the man standing next to me, close enough that his shoulder bumps into mine while he chats with Kel.
“You know, it used to make me so mad that Kel was stuck out at Sunshine becausesomeonewas off gallivanting through Europe,” I start. Kel and Nate shut up at my words, both looking at me with wide eyes. “You being gone made it easy for him to hide out there, away from the world.”
Nate opens his mouth, but I cut him off.
“It’s true, and you know it. But if he hadn’t stayed, he wouldn’t have met Maggie.” I smile, and I swear both men release abreath. A satisfied glow warms my heart that they were worried about what I was going to say. Just because I’m trying to be less angry doesn’t mean I’m going to let them get away with their shit.
“So even though I still think it wasn’t okay, I’m glad it worked out and led to Maggie joining the family.” I pause to fight the sudden lump in my throat. Swallowing hard, I pull Maggie back in for another hug. “I always wanted to trade him in for a big sister instead.”
Maggie laughs, sounding a little teary. “I’m so glad he was at Sunshine that day to grouch at me for wandering off into his vines. I can’t imagine my life without him. And I’m so happy to have you as a sister. With Ophie in South Carolina now and Daisy in Seattle, I need someone nearby for the occasional girls’ night.”
A girls’ night. Words that used to fill me with feelings of inadequacy. But not anymore.
The warm bubble in my chest only grows when she and Kel move off to greet someone behind us. My arms are dangling awkwardly at my side, brushing against Nate’s. There’s something heavy about what words I say next, like if I say the wrong thing, I’ll bring this pleasant evening crashing down around us.
I open my mouth to comment on something inane, when Nate grabs my upper arms, turning me to face him.
“I shouldn’t have left like I did. I shouldn’t have leftyouthe way I did.” His sad brown eyes are burning into mine, begging me to finally listen. “Sydney, I’m so sorry. You deserved so much better than a boy who was too angry to see past his own hurt. If I had been smart enough to realize that all I needed was the love of my life, I could have saved us so much heartbreak.”
The rest of the party swirls around us. I should care. One of the things I realized in talking to Lauren was how embarrassedI’ve been about making a spectacle every time Nate and I meet. That I didn’t want my whole family to hold their breath anytime we were in the same room, that it only made the whole situation worse.
But spectacle or not, the words I’ve waited seven years to hear ring through my mind.
If he’d said this the moment he came home, would I have been willing to listen? Am I willing to listen now?
I drop my gaze, concentrating on the pattern of his tie—art deco with hunter-green and navy scallops—and take a measured breath before stepping back so he releases me. “You’re right. I did deserve better. Thank you for the apology.” I don’t acknowledge the bit about being the love of his life. I’m not sure I’m ready to claim that. Yet.
“I know it was a long time coming.”
The chagrin in his tone makes me look up. He’s got one hand behind his neck, rubbing it in a way that reminds me of the boy whose mom would force him to apologize first whenever we got caught roughhousing. But unlike that boy, this man is looking at me like if I don’t accept his apology, he’s going to be devastated.
My hands find each other and twist together in front of me. Nate’s free hand twitches like he wants to reach for me. And I almost want him to.
He means it. For the first time in years, I feel the sincerity in his words. They sink into me like gentle rain in the spring.
Maybe the difference is me. Maybe the difference is him. Maybe it’s both.
“Does this mean we won’t need to seat you on opposite sides of the reception after all?” Jackie and my mom startle us both, appearing at our side and popping the bubble we’ve been in.
“What?” I ask, blinking away the moment. Nate looks as bewildered as I feel, staring down at our moms.
Jackie grabs my arm, tugging me away. “Never mind. Sorry, Nate, I have to steal your date. We have girl things to discuss.”
I’m dragged across the room by the pair of them, my mom pushing from behind while Jackie pulls. Jesus Christ, what was in their drinks? They’re relentless. “Is everything okay?” My question is ignored as they steer us past tables and into a short hallway near the restrooms.
Jackie drops my arm and turns around, arms crossed and studying me with a serious expression. “You’re coming to the hotel in the morning to get ready with all the other girls, right?”
What? “That’s what you dragged me all the way across the room to ask? Yes, I’m coming over.”
“And you won’t be late? You need to be there at nine a.m. sharp.” My mom pokes me from behind, her arms also crossed and expression serious.
