Friday Night Brides (18 page)

For the next ten minutes Ella rambled on about everything that was going on with the girls.

“O-kay,” Dylan said slowly. “So you’re upset because your friends are…?”

How could she even explain it? It barely made any sense to her! “Do you think we’re boring?” she finally blurted out.

Dylan’s eyes went wide. “What? No. Why?”

Ella shrugged. “Everyone is out doing something right now. Something exciting and we’re just here—sitting at home and having dinner. We’re young, Dylan, and we live like we’re old! We don’t really do anything anymore.”

“We’ve been busy planning a wedding, El,” he reminded her. “We agreed to cut back on going out and doing stuff so we could put the money toward that.” He paused and studied her. “What is going on with you?” He rose to his feet. “Honestly, it seems like lately you’re just not happy.”

Ella got up and faced him, but couldn’t make herself speak.

“Ella, we’ve been together for too long for you to keep stuff from me. How can I help you if you won’t talk to me?” he asked sadly.

The next thing she knew she was wrapped up in Dylan’s arms because she had burst into tears. She had no idea how long she cried, but Dylan never let her go. He would kiss the top of her head, whisper how he was there for her and how everything was going to be all right. When she finally felt like she could compose herself, Ella raised her head and looked at him.

“I’m sorry.”

For the first time ever, Dylan looked worried.

“I don’t know why all of a sudden these things are bothering me. I look at everyone around us and see the things they’re doing or hear about how they’re feeling and…and it all seems foreign to me. It’s like I’m some sort of weirdo.”

“Ella…”

“And then I look around here and we have a cute house. It has nice furniture. I wear cute clothes…and it’s all so damn boring that I want to scream!” She jumped up and began to pace. “When did we become these people, Dylan? When did we just morph into this couple who’s steady and staid and… boring?”

Without a word, Dylan walked into their master bathroom and washed his hands and face. Then he changed his clothes out of the ones he’d worn to work all day. When he was finally done, he leaned against his dresser and faced Ella. “You know what? I don’t see us that way and I find it offensive that you do.” His voice was completely calm but his expression bordered on fierce.

“Dylan…”

He held up a hand. “You had your say; now I’m having mine,” he said firmly. “You want to know how I see us? I see us as people who work hard and are planning for our future. While everyone else is running around—or sleeping around—we’re committed to each other. We’re not pissing away our money at bars and clubs. We’re making sure we’re putting money into savings for retirement and college funds for our kids. We don’t live beyond our means and we decorated within our budget because we know this is our starter home and someday we’ll upgrade.”

“I know, but…”

“You’re looking around and thinking ‘look at all we’re missing’ and acting like it’s a bad thing. I’m looking at all the same people and thinking about it all with relief! You know what, El? I bet if you asked any of them, they’d all rather be us! We’ve got our shit together! And you know what? They’re right! There’s security in that that people want!”

“Dylan…”

“If you asked a majority of the people we know what they’d rather have—the crazy bullshit of running around trying to find someone to spend their lives with or having their soul mate—they’d choose soul mate! If you asked those same people if they’d rather be out trolling bars and clubs on the weekend or being totally themselves at home with someone they love, they’d choose staying home!”

Shame washed over her.

He was right.

But before she could utter a word, Dylan spoke up. “I don’t know what it is you’re looking for,” he said, his voice back to being calm and level. “If you’re looking to go out clubbing or being immersed in drama, I can’t give that to you. It’s not who I am. I used to feel confident in what I was giving you and in what we had. Clearly I was wrong.”

He walked over and sat on the bed and put his shoes back on and Ella wasn’t sure what to do or say to him. When he stood, he looked at her sadly.

“So go,” he said quietly. “Go and figure out what it is you want, Ella. I won’t stand in your way. All I’ve ever wanted is for you to be happy. If I’m not able to do that—or be that—for you, then I’m willing to step aside.”

Her tears came back in earnest but she couldn’t form a single word. Dylan was moving around the room and putting clothes in a duffel bag.

“I’ll be at my folks’ place if you need me,” he said solemnly.

“Dylan,” she finally forced out. “Don’t! Please!” Reaching out, she grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving the room. “That’s not what I want!”

He smiled sadly at her and reached up with his free hand and caressed her cheek. “The thing is, El…I don’t think you really know what you want right now. And I don’t want to stay here feeling like I’m the reason you’re not happy.”

“It’s not like that!” she cried frantically. “That wasn’t what I was saying!”

Leaning in, Dylan placed a gentle kiss on the tip of her nose. “You may not think that’s what you’re saying, but it is.”

And for the first time in all their years together Dylan walked out and Ella had no idea if he was ever going to come back.

When she heard the front door close, she ran down the stairs after him. But she was too late. By the time she was out on the front porch, Dylan’s truck was already pulling out of the driveway.

Ella didn’t know what to do. He was her rock, her center of gravity, her…everything! What had she done? Turning quickly, she went back into the house and turned off the oven and began a frantic search for her own shoes and car keys. Her vision was completely hampered by the tears she couldn’t seem to stop.

She made it out to her car and even had herself buckled in when she finally stopped. There was no way she could drive like this. No way to get herself even out of the driveway without crashing. And that just made her cry even harder.

If it were any other time or any other situation, Ella knew she could pick up the phone and call one of the girls or even her mother, but this time she was on her own. Why? Because how could she explain to them how she’d essentially ruined the greatest relationship of her life over…what?

Nothing.

Everyone had jitters before their wedding. Everyone had doubts. Why couldn’t she look at her life and realize that she was the lucky one and not everyone else?

And how was she going to convince Dylan that she was so sorry?

Eight

“I don’t understand. Why wouldn’t she call us?” Hailey asked, grabbing the bag of takeout from her car.

Becca shrugged. “This is bad, right? Like…really bad.”

Angie nodded. “I’ve been calling her all afternoon and she’s not answering her phone.”

“Maybe she just wants to be alone,” Becca said sadly. “Maybe we shouldn’t be here.”

The three of them stood in Ella’s driveway, each holding their own contribution to the evening—Hailey had the Chinese takeout, Becca had brownies and Angie had the wine. It was a tradition they had started as soon as they were of drinking age—when one of them was in crisis mode, the other three would rally around them with the necessities.

Food.

Chocolate.

Wine.

It was the first time they had to do it for Ella.

“I have to admit,” Hailey said as they walked toward the front door, “I’m not sure how to handle this.”

“What do you mean?”

She stopped. “Ella’s ever the optimist. She’s everyone’s cheerleader. In all our lives, have you ever known her to have a crisis?” Hailey asked.

“There was the whole thing with her mom a few weeks ago,” Angie stated.

“Yeah but…she kept it bottled up and then when it came to a head it wasn’t anything big. She sort of said her piece and moved on. Ella’s quiet and normally nothing keeps her down.” Hailey looked at Becca. “You were the one who saw Dylan. How did he look?”

“I almost wanted to cry for him,” she said quietly. “He looked so sad, so broken…I’m telling you it was heartbreaking.”

“You roomed with her Friday night,” Hailey said, turning to Angie. “Did she say anything to you?”

Angie quickly filled them in on her conversation with Ella and then shrugged. “It’s the same stuff she’s been saying for a while now. I didn’t get the vibe that she was going to pull the plug on her and Dylan though.”

“I’m stumped,” Hailey said with a sigh.

“Yeah well, maybe we need to actually go inside and talk to her so we won’t be stumped,” Becca said with a hint of irritation. Then she reached into her pocket and pulled out her keys. “If she won’t answer the phone, chances are she’s not going to answer the door. Unless either of you have a problem with it, if she doesn’t let us in after five minutes, I’m using my emergency key.”

Angie chuckled and walked up to the front door and knocked. Hard. “Um…yeah. Because suddenly we’re all about having manners. Give me a break.”

It soon became obvious that Ella wasn’t going to open the door so Becca moved forward with her key and opened the door. The house was dark and if it wasn’t for the fact that Ella’s car was in the driveway, they would have questioned if she was even home. Hailey quickly put the food down in the kitchen and opened some windows. There were pots and pans on the stove and the entire place smelled of rotting food.

Wordlessly, they each moved about the downstairs opening more windows and turning on lights. Then, together, they walked up the stairs. The master bedroom door was open and one small bedside lamp was on. There was a collective sigh of relief when they saw Ella’s small form curled up under the blankets.

“I hate to wake her,” Becca whispered.

“Maybe we should clean up downstairs first and then wake her up,” Hailey suggested quietly.

“Screw that,” Angie said, full-volume. “The pity party ends now! Clearly something’s wrong and letting her wallow any longer isn’t really helping anyone.” With that, she walked over to the bed and shook Ella’s shoulder. Hard.

“Wh…what?” Ella said groggily.

“Get up,” Angie snapped. “Now.”

Rubbing her eyes, Ella rolled onto her back before slowly sitting up. Her short hair was sticking out in every direction and her eyes were red. “What are you guys doing here? How did you get in?” Then her eyes went wide. “Dylan? Did Dylan let you in? Is he back?” She went to climb from the bed but Angie’s hand on her shoulder stopped her.

“Dylan’s not here, El. Becca used her key to get us in. We’ve been calling you all day,” Angie said, her voice softening.

And then Ella’s eyes filled with tears. “Oh.”

“Ella, sweetie,” Hailey said, immediately coming to sit beside her on the bed. “Why didn’t you call us and tell us what was going on?”

With a shrug, Ella hung her head as the tears began to fall. “I’m so ashamed,” she said, her voice so low they barely heard her.

“Why?” Hailey asked softly, wrapping an arm around Ella and hugging her close.

“I handled everything so poorly. I hurt him,” she said, looking up at the three of them. “That wasn’t my intention. Ever. Dylan’s the most kind-hearted person in the world and I hurt him.” She paused and just let the tears come. “I’m so busy looking at what everyone else is doing and what they have that I completely missed how great everything I have is.”

“You were freaking out,” Angie said carefully, sitting on the edge of the bed. “You’re allowed to freak out once in a while. That still doesn’t explain why you wouldn’t call us.”

“I…I didn’t want you to know. I didn’t want anyone to know.”

Becca crouched next to the bed. “Ella, in all the years we’ve known each other, have we ever judged one another?”

Ella shook her head.

“You’ve had to sit back and watch the three of us make bad decisions, huge mistakes and just be flat-out stupid. Did you ever judge us for them?” Becca asked.

Again Ella shook her head.

“Then why would you think it would be any different here and now?” Hailey asked. “Ella, honey…we’re always going to be here for you no matter what. We may not understand exactly what you’re going through, but we can still be here to listen and support you. You do that for us all the damn time. It’s about time we get to do it for you.”

“Really?” Ella asked weakly. “You’re…you’re not mad at me?”

They all laughed. “Why on earth would we be mad at you?” Becca asked.

“Because…I’m the reason Dylan left.”

“Yeah well,” Angie began, “that one certainly gets filed under ‘not your smartest move,’ but like Hailey just said, we’re here for you.”

A small smile played at Ella’s lips. “You guys are the best.”

“And we brought food too,” Becca said. “Are you hungry?”

Her smile faded. “I don’t deserve to eat.”

Angie rolled her eyes as she jumped up and tugged Ella from the bed. “Enough!” She spun Ella and pushed her in the direction of the bathroom. “You do deserve to eat. You need to eat. And you’re going to eat.”

“But…”

“But you need to shower first. So go and we’ll take care of everything. Be downstairs in fifteen minutes or I’m coming to get you!” Angie said forcefully.

Ella stood in the doorway and gave them all another weak smile. “What would I do without you guys?”

“Good thing you’ll never have to find out,” Hailey said, coming to her feet. “Now go and shower and we’ll meet you downstairs.”

They all waited until they heard the shower turn on and then walked down the stairs.

And groaned.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m kind of afraid to take the lids off of any of those pots,” Becca said.

“Maybe we can just buy her some new pots,” Angie suggested.

“Look, it’s not going to be pretty,” Hailey said firmly, “but if we all sit here and remember how many times Ella’s been the one to hold our heads after we drank too much or made us homemade chicken soup when we were sick…”

“She did my laundry when I had the flu last year,” Becca said.

“She watched Trampus for me and took him to the vet when he got sick and I was out of town,” Angie added.

Then they all sighed.

“So basically we’re not getting out of it,” Angie stated. Taking a deep breath, she walked into the kitchen and said, “Let’s do this.”

****

Twenty minutes later Ella came down the stairs. She literally hadn’t been down there since she came in from her car four days ago.

Since Dylan left.

Taking a steadying breath, she walked into the kitchen where she heard the girls talking. Hailey was reheating the takeout and putting it all out on the table, Becca was drying dishes and putting them away and Angie was uncorking the wine. The sight of her friends was enough to bring on a fresh wave of tears.

“I was getting ready to come up and get you,” Angie said, pouring the wine.

Quickly wiping her eyes, Ella moved further into the room. “Yeah, I…uh…I needed a few extra minutes.”

“Hungry?” Hailey asked, smiling. The entire table was set and the kitchen looked—and smelled—clean.

With a nod, Ella sat where Hailey motioned her to and then waited for the girls to all sit down. For a few minutes, it was all about serving the food and eating. When they started talking, much to Ella’s surprise, it wasn’t about her.

“So Sean’s coming to the barbecue this weekend,” Angie said casually.

“He’s coming back to town again?” Hailey asked, brows furrowed. “Good thing he’s his own boss.”

“Actually…” Angie began, “he never left.”

“What?” they all cried in unison.

She nodded. “Yeah…um…we went to dinner Saturday night and had a great dinner and stayed up all night talking. And…”

“Right,” Becca teased. “Talking. Good one.”

“It’s true!” Angie cried and then laughed. “I’m not gonna lie to you; I was a little disappointed at first. I mean…I had totally prepared for him to spend the night.”

“Clean sheets?” Hailey asked and Angie nodded.

“Shaved your legs?” Becca asked and Angie nodded.

“Sexy underwear?” Ella asked and Angie nodded.

“I even put out some of those scented candles that I figured I’d run in and light when we got back, but after dinner we walked around downtown, listened to a jazz trio that was playing and just…talked.” She took a sip of her wine. “Then we got back to my place and I thought ‘Okay, this is it’ and Sean came in and sat on the couch and made no attempt to touch me.”

“Wow,” Hailey said and held up her wine glass. “Impressive.”

“I know!” Angie agreed. “Honestly, I didn’t know what to do with myself at first. He just kept talking and asking me questions about my job and my family and…you guys…and once I stopped obsessing over the fact that we weren’t ripping each other’s clothes off, I found that I kind of really liked talking with him.”

“Good for you!” Becca said enthusiastically. “Seriously, that’s awesome!”

“It is,” Angie said.

“So how did he end up staying for so long?” Ella asked, thankful for all of the food in front of her. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until she came and sat down.

“When the sun came up Sunday morning, we were both exhausted. I was almost delirious as I climbed into bed.” She paused and took a bite of her dumpling. “I asked Sean to join me and he told me no. He decided to sleep on the couch because he was too tired to go back to his hotel.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Hailey interrupted. “He had a hotel room? Even though he knew you guys were going out?”

Angie nodded. “I know, how adorable is that?”

“I was going to say crazy but…whatever,” Hailey murmured.

“Anyway, he slept on the couch and I went to bed and we got up around two in the afternoon and I made us lunch and afterwards, Sean went back to his hotel.”

“Seriously?” Becca asked. “He was still holding out?”

Angie nodded again. “I know! We made plans to do dinner and a movie and he asked if I would meet him at the theater.”

Ella held up her hand. “Wait…why? Why wouldn’t he just come and pick you up? It was a date, right?”

“The theater was close to his hotel so I just thought…you know…we’d do the dinner and after the movie we’d go back to his room.”

“And did you?” Hailey asked, pushing her plate aside.

“Nope. He walked me to my car and kissed me goodnight. On the cheek.”

“Shut up!” Becca cried.

“No way!” Ella said at the same time.

“Yup. The sneaky bastard was making me crazy! I drove home talking to myself the entire time about what the hell was going on! I mean Sean and I had sex like bunnies from the get-go so I couldn’t figure out why all of a sudden he was pulling back—especially when he’d been doing nothing but telling me how much he wanted a real relationship with me.” Angie took another sip of her wine. “It didn’t hit me until the next day that he was doing all of this to show me he’s interested in more than just sex with me. It’s kind of sweet if you think about it.”

“Or incredibly frustrating,” Becca said, taking another spoonful of shrimp with lobster sauce.

“A-ny-way…” Angie went on, “I decided to play along and see how things went. I mean…once I figured out what he was doing, I was able to relax a bit.”

“And?” Hailey prompted.

“The next night we met up after work—he took me to dinner, we talked about my day and he told me about this project he and his brother are submitting a proposal on…yada, yada, yada…and he walked me out to my car and kissed me goodnight.”

“On the cheek again?” Ella asked.

Angie nodded. “But then I turned my head and kissed the hell out of him.” She burst out laughing. “I’m talking I kissed him until he was weak in the knees!”

“Then what? Did you go back to his hotel?” Becca asked, a wide grin on her face.

Angie shook her head. “Nope. Once he was steady on his feet, I wished him a good night and drove home.”

“No!” they all yelled.

She nodded. “True story. And the whole way home I sang at the top of my lungs to every song on the radio—even that new Adele song that’s so depressing—and just felt so damn giddy!”

“Even during the sad song?” Ella asked, miffed. “How is that even possible?”

“It just was,” Angie said as she scooped up the last egg roll. “So I got home and texted him—like I always do so he knows I got home safely—and was feeling all kinds of proud of myself for being the one to leave him speechless. It was a good feeling.” She took a bite of her egg roll and noticed everyone was just staring at her. “What?”

“That’s it?” Hailey asked. “That’s the whole story?”

Angie grinned—the kind of grin only seen maybe on the Grinch. It was slow and just slightly evil. “Actually…no. That’s not the whole story.”

Ella felt herself holding her breath. When Angie simply continued to munch on her food, Ella finally snapped. “Oh for the love of it! You cannot just end the story there! Out with it!”