Page 53 of All This Time (Blossom Peak #1)

Laney

Here Comes the…

Tori is pacing across the bridal suite, casting glances at herself in the mirror, and I’m watching her from the corner, wondering what the hell is going on.

It’s the afternoon of the wedding and we are less than an hour from the ceremony.

Tori was glued to her phone all morning, but as soon as she put on her dress, her face lit up.

The mermaid-style gown with a sweetheart neckline fits her like a glove, and she decided on a cathedral veil, which makes her entire ensemble look regal.

Even though the woman pacing before me isn’t my favorite person in the world, I still love the magic of weddings—the dress, the flowers, the promises of forever.

But is it possible I might get a second chance at my own forever? With Fletcher?

Her phone rings again, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I take a step closer to her, placing my hand on her shoulder. “Are you sure I can’t get you anything, Tori? It’s my job as your maid of honor, you know…”

“No, I’m okay. It’s just nerves, and when I’m feeling anxious, it’s better that I keep moving.” Her smile looks forced.

“Okay, if you’re sure…”

Her phone rings in her hand for the fifth time since we’ve been in this room.

“It is your parents?” She said they were running late earlier, so I’m wondering if she’s just nervous about that, but doesn’t want to admit it.

“No.” Her eyes widen as she looks at the screen in the palm of her hand. “Oh my God.”

I take a step closer to her. “What?”

She suddenly pulls her phone to her chest. “It’s… I uh… I’m going to go outside and get some fresh air.”

Without a backwards glance, she leaves the bridal suite.

Dilynne pokes her head in a few seconds later. “Where is the Wicked Bride of the West going?” Sliding through the crack in the door entirely now, she walks toward me in her black satin dress that highlights her amazing body that she usually covers up.

“I don’t know, but she’s acting really strange. She’s been glued to her phone all morning, but something popped up on her screen and then suddenly, she said she needed to go outside.”

“Do you think she’s getting cold feet?” Dilynne asks. “Because if that bitch walks out on Elliot, I’ll make it my personal mission to ensure she never sees daylight again.”

My brows instantly draw together. “That was a bit…”

“Murdery?” Dilynne finishes for me. “Well, that’s how she makes me feel. And even though this is Elliot we’re talking about, no one deserves to be left at the altar.”

“I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

Dilynne steps up to the window on the far wall, peering outside into a small alcove behind the building we are in on the back of the property. “Motherfucker.”

“What?”

Waving me over, she points in the direction she’s looking. “If she’s fine, then why is she outside kissing some random guy?”

My mouth falls open as I watch the scene unfold in front of me, like a car crash you can’t turn away from. “Oh my God. Who is that?”

Dilynne lifts her phone and snaps a picture of the two of them—Tori pressed up against the building, lip-locked with some mystery guy. “I don’t fucking care, but now we have evidence. We have to tell Elliot.”

“We can’t—” I start, but my best friend cuts me off.

“We can’t let him marry her if she’s cheating on him!” Dilynne practically shouts. But when we turn back to the window, Tori and the man are gone. “Where the fuck did she go?”

We run outside to look, but there’s no sign of them. You’d think it wouldn’t be hard to spot a woman in a white dress and veil, but she’s vanished.

Trying to keep my anxiety in check, my eyes scour the winery, watching employees drift from room to room as Dilynne and I walk through the property.

The courtyard is ready for the ceremony.

White chairs are set up in rows facing an arch covered in pink roses, a white silk runner is staked into the grass to serve as the aisle, and guests have already begun to arrive.

I just wish I knew if the bride plans to reappear.

“What are you two doing out here?” Henley comes up next to me, adjusting his coat.

Dilynne and I share a look before I lower my voice. “Well, we have a little problem.”

“What kind of problem?” he asks. I motion for him to follow us back to the bridal suite. Once the door is shut, I release a breath.

Dilynne’s jaw is clenched as she says, “Tori fucking left with some guy.”

Henley’s eyes widen. “What? Are you sure?”

“I mean—” I start, prepared to give Tori the benefit of the doubt, but Dilynne stops me from looking like an optimistic idiot.

“Yes. We saw her outside kissing some guy, and then the two of them took off,” Dilynne confidently overrides my attempt at playing devil’s advocate.

“Did you try texting her?” Henley asks me.

“Yes. The last message I sent to her wasn’t even read.”

“Motherfucker.” He rubs the back of his neck. “We have to tell Elliot.”

At that moment, my phone dings with a text.

Fletcher: Elliot is so happy, I think he might cry.

“Oh God.”

“What?” Dilynne glances down at my phone. “Shit.”

Henley reads the text as well. “Let Fletcher know while we try to figure out something.”

“Figure out what?” Dilynne asks her brother. “The bride is fucking gone. There’s nothing to figure out. There’s no wedding without a groom and a bride.”

Me: Well… Tori left.

Fletcher: What? Why?

Me: I don’t know, but she was with some guy outside, and then they disappeared. You need to stay with him and keep him distracted until we figure out what’s happening.

There’s a knock on the door, and Rhonan steps in. “Hey. What’s going on? Anabell wanted me to check on everyone to make sure we can start on time.”

Dilynne pounds her fist into her other palm. “Tori fucking walked out on the wedding. I swear, if I ever see her again, she’s gonna wish a house had fallen on her instead of my fist falling on her face.”

I place my hand on her shoulder. “What if we’re missing something?”

She turns to me, exasperated. “What could we possibly be missing? She was kissing that guy, Laney. That doesn’t exactly bode well for the whole marriage thing.”

Rhonan places his hands on his hips. “Jesus Christ. Has anyone told Elliot?”

My heart sinks even further in my chest. “I don’t want to go there yet. I feel like we’re missing something.” I turn to my brother. “Did you ever run that background check?”

“No.”

“How long would it take?”

“Not very long. Why?”

“Maybe there’s something in there that will help us figure out where she’d go? Or at least, who this guy is?”

Dilynne shrugs. “It’s not going to change anything. She’s the scum of the earth as far as I’m concerned.” Growling, she says, “God, I knew I was right about her.”

“Okay.” Rhonan fixes his cufflinks. “I’ll see what I can find.”

“Thank you. And Henley? Please go check their house.”

Henley shakes his head. “I don’t think she’s there.”

Dilynne snaps her fingers in front of his face. “We don’t care what you think. Just go!”

Henley snaps his fingers in front of his sister’s face. “No need for the fucking attitude.”

“You started it!”

“Did not!”

“Did too!”

I shove them away from each other. “For the love of God, can you two not fight just this one day, please? I can’t deal with your childish behavior on top of everything else.”

Dilynne snaps her fingers at Henley again. “You heard the woman. Now go.”

“Jesus Christ,” Henley mutters as he walks out of the room. Dilynne and I follow him into the hall.

Dilynne turns to me. “Elliot doesn’t deserve this.”

“I agree. But it’s gonna be okay, right?”

“How can you say that?”

Shrugging, I reply, “It’s just the right thing to say in a time like this.”

Ellis runs up to us, her tiny dress shoes clicking on the tile beneath her. Her white princess dress bounces with each step. “Auntie Laney! Is it time for me to throw the flowers yet?”

I carefully kneel down so I’m on her level, careful not to split the seam of my dress as I do. “Not yet, sweetie.”

“When is it going to be time?”

“Soon.”

“Ugh. Weddings are boring,” she whines.

“You won’t feel that way when you’re older and you understand what an open bar is,” Dilynne interjects. When she notices my glare, she reaches for Ellis’s hand. “Hey. Let’s go outside and practice throwing the flowers, okay? That way you’re ready when it’s time.”

“Yes!” Ellis shouts. “I can be like Elsa, but with flowers.”

Even though my niece is completely oblivious to what’s going on around her, I’m grateful for her small ray of sunshine to break through what is potentially going to be a thunderstorm of a day if we don’t find the bride.

And truthfully? Practicing might be the only flower-throwing Ellis gets to do today.

Trying to remain positive, I head toward the event space to keep up appearances, making sure that the place cards are in the proper place, centerpieces are, well, centered, and greeting guests as they arrive, putting on the best smile I can muster.

I tell the photographers that the bride is running behind due to a wardrobe malfunction, trying to buy us some time.

Thirty minutes before the wedding is supposed to start, Henley returns to the winery. “Laney…”

I pull him into the bridal suite so we can speak candidly. “Anything?”

“No. Nothing.”

I bury my face in my hands. “Oh my God. She’s really gone, isn’t she?”

Henley’s phone starts ringing. “Hello? Yeah, we’re in the bridal suite.” He hangs up quickly. “Rhonan just got back.”

A few seconds later, Rhonan barges through the door, slamming it behind him. “I knew she was hiding something.”

I place a hand to my chest, bracing myself for what he’s about to say. “What did you find out?”

Dilynne enters the room a few seconds later. “Did the traitorous witch turn up?”

“Jesus Christ,” Henley mutters. “No, but Rhonan was just about to tell us what Tori has been hiding.”

Fletcher steps inside the room, shutting the door behind him. I want to spiral as a hundred feelings slam into me at once, but seeing Fletcher with his thick hair combed back and his body molded to his black tux actually helps me stay calm.