Chasing Cassidy (3 page)

“I didn’t make Zack do anything. I agreed to this wedding because he wanted to make
you
happy. However, I expressly told him the only way I would do it is if he took care of the details and worked with you directly on it. Not because I don’t love him, but because I wanted him happy. Making you happy makes Zack happy. I don’t ever want to come between the two of you, so that was our compromise.”

Priscilla looks at me thoughtfully before speaking. This woman is so intimidating I just want to crawl into a hole. “Cassidy, sweetheart, this really isn’t personal but don’t you understand you’ve already come between us? If Zachary marries you, he will be singlehandedly bringing down the Stafford name that took generations to make as prestigious as it is.”

A single tear falls from my eye but I won’t allow any more to fall. I’m not going to let Priscilla Stafford bring me to my knees. And even if she does, I won’t let her know she did it. “Have you mentioned your concerns to Zack?” I ask her with a firm resolve and she sighs.

“Yes, I have, but not as directly as I have to you. I’ve alluded to the fact you two might not be the best fit for each other, but he disagrees.”

My heart leaps in my chest knowing she wasn’t able to guilt Zack into leaving me. “Mrs. Stafford, I’m not going anywhere. I love Zack. I know you’re trying to protect him, but the last person you need to protect him from is me. I might not be up to par socially, but you’ll never find anyone who loves Zack the way I do.”

I’m so angry. I can’t wait for Rylee; I have to get out of here.

“If you’ll excuse me, I have an appointment I need to get to.” As I stand up and start walking toward the door, her voice follows me out.

“Cassidy, if you love him that much you’ll let him go. You don’t belong in this world.” And with the slightest whisper, I hear her say, “Trust me on that.”

Maybe Priscilla is right. Maybe I should love him enough to let him go. Zack is an attorney and works at Stafford Investments which has been run by the Stafford family for generations. They are definitely old money and it seems with old money comes higher standards.

The longer I sit here and panic, the more I realize Priscilla
is
right. I’ve got to get out of here. My luggage is already in the limo waiting in the back parking lot. All I have to do is sneak out the back exit.

When I open the door in the back of the dressing room and glance down the hall, it’s deserted. I take that as a sign that this is what I’m
supposed
to be doing. Zack will hate me and I can’t stand the thought of that, but he deserves so much more than I can give him. Quickly, I scribble a note for him that simply says
‘I’m sorry’
and grab my purse, gather up my dress, and make a run for the exit. As I run, the tears are streaming down my cheeks all while my heart breaks into a million pieces.

Reginald, their driver, is leaning against the limo but when he sees me running toward him, he puts his phone away and opens the door. I jump in as quickly as I can and he kindly helps shove the rest of the dress into the car. This stupid, fluffy, hand-beaded, one of a kind, beautiful monstrosity. I can’t
wait
to get it off.

“Please take me to the airport,” I tell him between sobs as I pull my cell phone from my purse. There’s only one person I can text and I hate it, but I have no choice… I need her help.

Priscilla, I did what you asked. I’m on my way to the airport. Can you make sure the pilot is ready to go now?

Within seconds, I have a reply.

You foolish girl. I didn’t mean for you to leave him at the altar. What’s done is done. The pilots are already on standby. I’ll transfer money into your account immediately.

Oh, hell no.

NO! I don’t want your money. This was never about the money. This is about Zack getting what he deserves and so much more.

After the text goes through, I power off my phone and toss it into my purse. I won’t be turning it on again. At least not anytime soon; I can’t handle knowing his heart is breaking worse than mine.

The entire trip to the airport, I’m bawling my eyes out, knowing I’ve just made the biggest mistake of my life but it doesn’t matter now… Zack will
never
forgive me for leaving him at the altar.

You should have talked to him, Cassidy, and told him what happened.

When we get to the plane, Reginald takes my suitcases up for me. I need to change and can’t wait until I get to Hawaii to do it. Before he gets off the plane, he turns to me with an indecisive look on his face. Finally, he says what’s on his mind.

“Ms. Cassidy, I’ve known Mrs. Stafford a very long time. I know she’s been trying to run you off for a while now. It goes without saying I could probably lose my job for talking to you, but I don’t care. I’m about to retire, anyway. After forty years of service, I think it’s time. And this is too important to keep quiet about.” He pauses and takes my hand in his. “Mr. Zack loves you and he’s loved you since he was a little boy. No one is going to change how he feels about you. And Mrs. Stafford… well, let’s just say she didn’t exactly come from the same social circle as Mr. Stafford did, either. She worked really hard to be as prissy as she is so she could feel like she fits in.”

He smiles at me and I relax a little, even though I’m still crying. “But I’ll tell you a secret. Mr. Stafford… he loves his missus with all of his heart, but he loved her a whole lot better when she was young and feisty like you. And without all her priss. Do you love Mr. Zack?”

I nod my head emphatically and he pats my hand. “Love has a way of coming back to you. Have faith this might not be the end. To forgive
is
to love,” Reginald says firmly as he exits the plane. I want to get in the air as soon as possible, so I shove myself into the seat and tug the seatbelt around the dress. After the plane is in the air and the pilot says I can take my seatbelt off, I have the onboard flight attendant unbutton the fifty or so buttons on the back of the dress for me.

As the dress falls to the floor, she immediately picks it up and takes it to the bedroom in the back of the plane. I’m assuming she’s trying to figure out how to hang it up but honestly, I’m too emotionally spent to even care. All I want to do is cry myself to sleep and pretend today never happened. After pulling on a pair of yoga pants and a sweater, I recline the chair and continue crying.

The enormity of what I’ve done hits me like a cold shower. I’m now living in a world where Zack and Cassidy are not a couple and that’s a world I don’t
ever
want to be a part of. Zachary Stafford owns my heart and always has.

I’ve just made the biggest mistake of my life.

Today is going to be the happiest day of my life.
Of our lives.
After years of trying to build up Cassidy’s confidence enough to marry me, she finally agreed and today is our big day. I know this isn’t the wedding of her dreams by any means. Cassidy wanted this day to be about us and our love for each other, not about who can out-do who in the high class wedding department.

“Simplicity, Zack. Why can’t we have that?”

I let out a sigh as her words reverberate in my mind and try to wash away the nagging feeling biting into me every time I think about how we got roped into this wedding. My mom isn’t Cassidy’s biggest fan so I thought by capitulating to her requests, she would lighten up on Cassidy. I’m not so sure that worked.

Fuck, I know it didn’t work.

Cassidy has been off the past few weeks, but especially the past few days. Rylee admitted to me she left her alone with my mom a few days ago. Rylee
knows
she isn’t supposed to leave them alone together but as usual, Mother had something she needed Rylee to do for her. When I asked Cassidy about it, she said it was nothing she couldn’t handle.

That’s Cassidy, though—tough as nails. At least she is on the outside, but on the inside she’s as insecure as they come. I’m hoping once we’re married some of that insecurity will go away and she’ll truly realize my happiness begins and ends with her. We’ve known each other since we were little kids and my life is so much better because she’s in it.

The first time I laid eyes on Cassidy, she was being beat with a belt in the back of her dad’s car. I heard her screams before I actually saw her. We were only six years old and I’ll never forget the feeling that crawled across my skin as I listened to her cry. I didn’t understand what was going on but I knew it was wrong. Her dad reminded me of a fairy tale ogre—he was big and burly and there was no way I could have gotten him to stop.

When it was over, her mom took her inside the house and I waited. For what, I wasn’t sure, but when Rylee came to tell me it was time to go home, I didn’t want to leave. All I knew was I had to know she was going to be okay. The next day, I went back and sat across the street on the curb of my best friend, Nick’s, house. His family was on vacation so I was able to camp out in his yard and wait.

I was only there for a little while before Rylee came and found me. The upside and the downfall to being a twin is we always have a sixth sense when something good or bad is happening to the other. 

“Watcha doin’?” Rylee asks as she plops down on the grass next to me.

“Did you know there’s a little girl who lives there now?” I ask her, pointing across the street.

She crinkles her nose like our mom does. “In that yucky old Pope house?”

Her words make me angry; she sounds so snooty, just like my mom. “Rylee, that’s not nice,” I tell her firmly.

“But that’s what Mother always calls it, Zack,” she rationalizes.

“I know, but it’s mean,” I say honestly. “Besides, Dad says not to listen to Mother when she’s being snooty. He’s says it’s unbecoming. You don’t want to be unbecoming, do you?”

Rylee’s eyes grow wide and she shakes her head no. “Uh-uh. I want to be nice like Daddy,” she says with a smile.

“Why don’t you go knock on the door and see if she wants to play?” I ask her, hoping she’ll say yes.

She jumps up and wipes off the back of her pants. “Okay, I will. Wait here, she might not want to play if I have a boy with me.”

She’s got a point so I stay put. A few minutes pass and she comes skipping back over with the little girl smiling behind her. She looks a lot happier today than she did yesterday.

“This is my brother, Zack” she says, pointing to me and then she points behind me. “His friend Nick lives here but he’s on vacation so I have to play with him until he gets back. We’re twins, though, so we’re usually together, anyway.”

The little girl looks shyly at me. “I’m Cassidy and I’m six. How old are you guys?” she asks, looking at Rylee.

“We’re six, too,” Rylee says. “We go to St. Mary’s private school. Where do you go?” Rylee is always asking people questions but Cassidy doesn’t seem to mind.

“I’m supposed to start there, too, when summer is over. I’ll be in first grade.”

“Us, too,” Rylee tells her excitedly.

That was the beginning of our friendship, which was great timing because that was also the beginning of Cassidy’s beatings. I try and shake those negative thoughts from my head because Cassidy hasn’t been beaten in years and she won’t
ever
be again. I would give my life to make sure that never happens.

“Zack, man, are you nervous or what? You know it’s not too late to back out and go get some last minute pussy. You’ll never know what you’re missing if you don’t get a last minute bachelor fuck,” Nick says, completely serious as he walks in and gives me a quick hug. He can be so fucking annoying.

“Nick, I love you like a brother but enough is enough. I’m marrying Cassidy and she is going to be the last woman I
ever
make love to.”

He shakes his head and rolls his eyes.