Page 13 of Promises We Meant to Keep (Love in Massachusetts #1)

thirteen

Kamryn pulled up outside of the country club and parked the vehicle. Elia was pressed into the passenger seat, bundled in a jacket since the temperatures had dropped so significantly in the last week. Kamryn hadn’t managed to keep her jacket on.

Her nerves were going haywire.

“There’s no reason to be nervous,” Elia said calmly from the seat next to her.

“You’re not about to lie to all of your friends.”

Elia chuckled lightly, a smile playing at her lips but not quite getting there fully. “We could not lie.”

Kamryn shook her head. “Nope. I’m not ready to admit my first lie to Lauren yet. Well, really to Rosie. Lauren would probably just call me an idiot and walk away.”

“Then let’s give them the show of a lifetime.”

“Are you secretly a theater kid and just never told me?” Kamryn laughed, but it helped settle the last bit of those nerves she hadn’t managed to calm before they’d left Windermere that morning. The drive had been pleasant and warm, but now that they were here, it was all rushing back to her.

“No.” Elia put her hand on the door. “So you’re going to have to carry the bulk of the lies.”

“Deal.” Not that it was really going to be that difficult. Kamryn was finding more and more that she enjoyed the time she spent with Elia, that they’d finally broken down some barrier between them that was holding them hostage. “Let’s go before I chicken out.”

“I won’t let you do that,” Elia said as she got out of the car.

Kamryn took one last steadying breath. She hated that this made her so nervous—not the bridal shower, but the fact that she had to watch Lauren and Rosie do whatever they were doing in their relationship. She didn’t want that jealousy to push her to do stupid things.

Finally out of the car, Kamryn grabbed her jacket from the back seat and slid it over her shoulders before snagging the small gift bag she’d put together for Andra. This was the family appropriate gift, something off her registry. Kamryn definitely saved the gift that was solely between friends for the bachelorette party and would sneak that to Andra when she could.

She shut the door and stepped away from the car, surprised to find Elia standing right next to her. Without hesitation, Elia slid her hand into Kamryn’s free one, lacing their fingers together like they had during the mock meet. Kamryn had to swallow the lump in her throat.

This felt so real.

So much realer than it should have.

“Ready?” Elia asked.

“No,” Kamryn answered. “But that doesn’t mean we’re not going in.”

She took the first step toward the large building and pulled Elia along with her. Kamryn led the way inside, finding which room they were supposed to go to and immediately setting the gift on the table that was waiting for them. She took Elia’s jacket and hung it up first before taking off hers. The nerves running through her body were insane. They were damn near close to taking over everything.

Elia turned on her sharply and snagged both of Kamryn’s hands. She looked into Kamryn’s eyes and gave a very sweet smile. “Feel free to touch me today if you want. I know that physical touch can help with nerves, and I don’t mind.”

“I… really?” Kamryn cocked her head in confusion.

“Yeah.” Elia leaned in closer, pressing their cheeks together and whispering, “Besides, it’ll make the fake seem more real to those distant observers.”

“You’re really into this, aren’t you?”

“I need a bit of excitement in my life.” The laugh rang through Kamryn’s ears and was exactly what she needed to hear. Elia wasn’t doing this out of some distorted obligation but because she really wanted to be here.

“Then let’s get to it.” Kamryn skimmed her hand down Elia’s arm from her shoulder to her elbow before she laced their fingers again. She’d just been given permission to not let go for as long as they were there, and she was absolutely going to take Elia up on that offer.

Andra immediately came over as soon as she saw them. She wrapped her arms around Kamryn’s shoulders in a big hug and then rolled her eyes. “Remind me to never get married again, or better yet, next time remind me to elope. I can’t do this with my mother again.”

Kamryn laughed. “I’ll try to remember to tell you that, but I’m pretty sure there won’t be a next time.”

“Oh, you never know.” Andra grinned as she stepped back. “And this is Elia?”

“Yes.” Elia extended her hand forward, taking Andra’s and shaking. “It’s good to meet you. Kam has talked a lot about you.”

“Has she? I hope not all good things. I know as many of her deep dark secrets as anyone else in our friend group.”

Kamryn nearly choked. There was one secret that Andra was completely unaware of. The only person in their group who knew was Greer, and fuck was Kamryn missing her right now.

Andra stepped in closer and lowered her voice. “Lauren and Rosie are over by the drinks, so I’d avoid that area of the party if you want to avoid them.”

“Thanks for the heads up,” Kamryn said, forcing her lips into a smile. “But with Elia, I’m not worried about them being here or what might result from that.”

It was a lie.

She was worried.

But she wanted it to be the truth, and if she said it enough times, then perhaps she could manifest her own calm, cool, and collected attitude that she desperately wanted to find. She could do this, and she wasn’t wrong that with Elia there with her, she had far more confidence that she was going to actually be able to do this.

Elia took one step up to Kamryn’s side and wrapped an arm around her back. “We’ll be fine, but thank you.”

“I heard about the festival drama,” Andra continued. “I hope Rosie wasn’t too bad. I really am not a fan of her, but I don’t feel like I can tell Lauren she’s not invited to the wedding.”

“I get it,” Kamryn said, nodding. “It’s between a rock and a hard place to find yourself.”

“Yeah.”

“Andra!” Her mother called from the back of the room.

Andra rolled her eyes and pointed over her shoulder. “Never again,” she muttered as she walked away.

“You know the way to make sure that you never have to do this again is to focus on only getting married once.” Elia’s comment was sharp, but it was the truth. Kamryn had thought the same thing many times before, because Andra and Garrett hadn’t always had the best relationship. There were things Kamryn really didn’t like about Garrett—how he talked to Andra sometimes, and about her when she wasn’t around.

“Yeah, that would be the ideal.” Kamryn pursed her lips and squared her shoulders. “But it’s not my marriage to meddle with, and I make it a point to try and not meddle with other people’s relationships.”

“I promise you it’s better not to meddle.” Elia squeezed Kamryn’s hand tightly. “I used to meddle with Abagail’s, and it wasn’t good for anyone. She’s a fling person, never has a serious relationship. I’m not sure she wants that, but when we were younger, I was always trying to get her into longer-term relationships. It’s much easier now that I stay out of her love life and she stays out of mine.”

“Good to know that you meddle,” Kamryn said with a bit of a laugh. “Is that why you’re here today?”

“Oh, that and so much more.” Elia looked deep into Kamryn’s eyes, as if saying something that Kamryn didn’t understand.

Maybe they hadn’t torn down the entirety of that block between them. What was Kamryn missing?

“Kam!” Rosie’s fake tones hit her ears, and Kamryn winced. So much for them being on the opposite side of the room.

Elia tightened her grasp on Kamryn’s hand in an instant, and the silent support wasn’t forgotten. Kamryn was so very thankful that Elia had agreed to come, especially since Greer couldn’t be here for this. Rolling her shoulders and readying herself, Kamryn turned around to face the music she’d really rather avoid.

“Rosie.” Kamryn nodded at her, searching immediately for Lauren. But she didn’t see her anywhere. “Where’s Lauren?”

She’d been pretty convinced that the two were attached at the hip and couldn’t be separated. Then again, she definitely planned on being attached to Elia today, if only for her own sanity and so she didn’t pull anything stupid like the last time she’d run into these two.

“Are you obsessed with her?”

“What?” Cold washed through Kamryn’s body instantly. That had been a bucket of ice water she hadn’t needed, that was for certain. “No, I just didn’t expect you to come over without her.”

Elia stayed right next to her, that silent beacon of support that Kamryn definitely needed right now.

“Why not? We’re friends.”

They definitely were not friends, nor would Kamryn ever consider being friends with Rosie. She repulsed Kamryn in so many ways but mostly by her attitude and behavior. It was like Rosie hit the mean girl stage as a freshman and never grew out of it. Until they’d met, Kamryn hadn’t been convinced people got stuck in stages like that. She was once again proven wrong.

“How are you two doing? I was really worried when we got together the last time. I thought you were going to break up with the way Elia was glaring at you.”

Was this woman seriously struggling with something? In all seriousness, did she have some sort of mental health disorder that caused her to act this way? Because Kamryn wasn’t sure she had ever met someone who talked or acted like this before.

“We’re doing well,” Elia stepped in, thankfully. Kamryn had no clue how to respond to that. “It was bit of a mix of PMS and being annoyed with someone you love. I’m sure you can understand what that’s like.”

“Oh, I do.” Rosie grinned, glancing at Kamryn before looking over her shoulder. “Sometimes Lauren makes me so mad. She told me I had to play nice today. What does that even mean? I’m always nice.”

Nope. Rosie was just living in her own little world of chaos and lies. That was exactly what was happening, and now Kamryn at least understood somewhat how she needed to handle this.

“Like she hates that I talk to you. I don’t understand why,” Rosie continued, pointing at Kamryn.

“Probably because she’s protective of me.” At least Kamryn hoped that was the case, that there was still some love lingering there between them, enough that they wouldn’t wish the worst on each other. “It’s impossible to shut off all feelings when there’s a twenty year relationship behind it.”

“Twenty-two,” Lauren interrupted, two drinks in her hand. She shoved one in Rosie’s direction, but her eyes were all for Kamryn.

The look was direct, and it stole Kamryn’s breath away. She remembered this look. Lauren had given it to her many times over the years, most often when they were broken up and Lauren was ready to get back together again.

But Kamryn couldn’t keep playing those games between them. Her body and heart might be telling her that Lauren was a safe person, that she could go back to what was familiar and be loved again, but her brain was raging against her.

She shifted her stance slightly, bumping her shoulder into Elia’s. Their fingers laced together tighter, and Kamryn turned, looking away from Lauren and directly into Elia’s cool blue eyes, her rounded, heart-shaped face, her hair that was perfectly coiffed and pulled back, the small gray hairs peeking out here and there.

Despite everything between them, all the complications and lack of history, Kamryn was safer staying right here than she was with Lauren. Kamryn had no doubt in her mind about that. And she needed to stay where it was safe. She needed to give up all those hopes and dreams she’d had with Lauren and let them go.

“You’re right, twenty-two years,” Kamryn corrected herself with a smile on her face. She lifted Elia’s hand wrapped in her own and pressed her lips to Elia’s skin. “Love like that doesn’t go away, it just changes over time, and it’s important to find someone who can understand that. Don’t you think?”

Elia nodded. “Yeah.” The response came out in a whisper, Elia’s voice barely reaching over the din of voices in the room. “It’s important to find people who accept all facets of who we are.”

“So very important.”

“Aww, look at them, Laur, they’re gushy!” Rosie clapped her hands together. “Maybe they won’t break up. We took bets, you know, after you left.”

“They took bets,” Lauren added, pointing at Rosie. “I stayed far away from it.”

“I appreciate that.” Kamryn faced them again, but she couldn’t stop the smile that had taken hold of her, the ease of being in the vicinity of Elia and continuing this ruse together. It almost didn’t feel quite like this was as fake as it should be.

But Kamryn shouldn’t fool herself.

Elia was way out of her league, and Kamryn was just getting out of a bad long-term relationship. Finding someone else to be with wasn’t anywhere on her priority list.

However, with Elia with her today, she knew that the bridal shower was going to be a breeze. She couldn’t wait for the bachelorette party or the wedding. It wouldn’t be bad at all. Kamryn dropped Elia’s hand and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, tugging Elia into her side a bit tighter.

“But we are taking bets on Andra and this wedding, right?” Rosie added.

“No,” Lauren and Kamryn said at the same time.

They had talked about Andra and her boyfriend many times over the years, and they’d both decided that this was something they needed to stay out of. They could support Andra through everything, but some choices and mistakes had to be hers.

Rosie looked disappointed by that response, and then suddenly suspicious. Kamryn wasn’t going to wade into that pool of insanity again.

“Elia, I’d like to introduce you to Kathryn.” Kamryn didn’t wait another minute before she dragged Elia away.

“Who’s Kathryn?”

“No one I care about.” Kamryn laced her fingers with Elia’s again. “Thank you.”

“Any time.”