Page 692 of Hell Hath No Fury
His friend nodded, grim-faced. “That’s how much you hurt her. So tell me … can you live with that? Because if your answer is yes, you’re not in love with her, man.”
Foster’s gut wrenched. “I love her. And I’m an asshole.” He pushed out of his chair, his agitation visible. “You’re right. You’re so fucking right, part of me wants to punchyou. I’m a father now. I can’t keep making choices based on what’s bestformyfather. It has to be for what’s best for the people I love.” Frantic with dread at the thought of losing Ember forever, he shook his head. “What if I can’t win her back?”
Colt considered this, his demeanor toward Foster visibly softening. “Well … here’s some advice: With the Bonet sisters, actions speak louder than words. But actions accompanied by therightwords is your best shot at getting her back.”
CHAPTER NINE
Ember
On the plus side, the rehearsal dinner was a smallish affair. Compared to the two hundred–strong guest list for the wedding, there were only seventy-five people at the rehearsal dinner.
I couldn’t bear to think what this wedding cost Jade and Colt.
But I would … because it kept my mind off someone else.
Three weeks had passed since I’d caught Foster at lunch with his other woman.
His calls and texts had stopped around ten days later.
However, for whatever reason, he’d started calling me again this past week. I had a bunch of texts from him pleading to meet—“We need to talk”—but I was half convinced he was just horny. Moreover, I didn’t want my resolve to melt.
A guy who let me think I wasn’t good enough was not the right man for me.
End of story.
I missed G terribly. And my guilt was overwhelming. Truth is, I wanted to see her, but my sisters held me back, telling me I’d only make it worse for the little girl in the long run.
I missed her giggles and her smile.
And I really hated the idea that I made her feel as abandoned as her mom had.
Tears choked in my throat and burned in my eyes, and I dropped my gaze to the table to hide my emotions.
As maid of honor, I was seated up front at a U-shaped banquet table.
Only a few seats down from me, at Colt’s side, was Foster.
My skin hummed with awareness of him.
He hadn’t brought a date.
I mean, neither had I … but I’d worked myself up a lot about this rehearsal dinner because I was so sure Heather would accompany him.
Maybe she could only attend the actual wedding.
His parents were here. Colt had invited the Darwins out of respect.
I couldn’t even look at them. I blamed them, too, for making it so Foster felt he had to please them with his choice of girlfriend.
Though, I wondered if any parent would be happy about their son dating a woman eleven years older than him? Forlorn, I reached for my champagne glass and emptied it in one chug.
I could feel Jade’s eyes, but thankfully she couldn’t question me because Colt was in the middle of his thank-you speech.
My attention moved over the tables before us, sliding through the Darwins and past folks I recognized from the engagement party. Then on to the banquet table where my sisters sat with their partners. Moon, Linzi, and Jilly. Luna and her bored-looking husband Garret. And Celeste and the guy she’d been dating for the past month. He was a cute vet she’d met after accidentally running down a cat. Seriously, my sister’s life was an ongoing rom-com novel.
They looked good together, and she seemed to really like this one.
Who knew, maybe I’d have to buy a one-bedroom house on the beach. Grow old on my own, no kids, no pool, just a cat that someone would run over one day and use as an anecdote at her wedding to the vet she met through my damn cat!
