He Always Said Yes, But Never Heard Me Until I Left Chapter 03

I didn’t wait for Reid any longer.

I’d finished handing over my responsibilities to every department. All that remained was his approval.

I left the paperwork with HR, emailed the digital copies to the company, packed up my things, and left.

That afternoon, I went to the wedding venue.

The coordinator tried to talk me out of canceling, but I reassured her. “Your plans are wonderful. The wedding just isn’t happening.”

I signed the cancellation paperwork and handed back my booking confirmation.

After leaving the venue, I called a leasing agent and scheduled an apartment viewing for the following morning.

Reid didn’t come home that night.

I packed the last of my clothes and double-checked the address of the apartment before going to bed.

The doorbell rang at seven the next morning.

I assumed it was the housekeeper. Instead, I opened the door to several women carrying makeup cases.

Behind them stood Paige, holding a wedding dress.

“Congratulations!”

I blocked the doorway. “What are you doing here?”

She held up her phone.

On the screen was a wedding announcement sent to our family and friends.

The wedding was scheduled for today.

I stared at it, then called the venue coordinator.

She sounded delighted. “Mr. Callahan came by personally yesterday. He told us not to cancel anything, saying you were just upset with him for not giving you enough attention.”

“He moved the wedding up to today and made it very clear that everything had to go ahead, no matter what.”

My grip tightened around the phone.

“I signed a cancellation form, not a request to change the date.”

“But Mr. Callahan said you’d already discussed it. The guests are starting to arrive…”

Paige reached over and pressed her hand against my phone.

“Mr. Callahan pushed back all his meetings today and put this together overnight. You can’t seriously still say he doesn’t care about you.”

I pushed her hand away and called Reid directly.

He answered almost immediately, though I could hear people in the background repeatedly calling for Mr. Callahan.

“What’s going on with the wedding?”

“I meant to tell you, but it slipped my mind. Consider it a surprise. Do you like it?”

“I know you’re tired of waiting. We’re finally getting married today, baby. Now go get your hair and makeup done. I’ll be right there.”

I took a deep breath. “I’m not throwing a tantrum. I really am breaking up with you.”

“Hold on.”

He turned to answer someone else’s question.

I called his name twice, but he never responded.

Meanwhile, Paige had the women lay out the wedding dress.

I stepped back. “I’m not wearing that.”

She checked the time, and her smile faded.

“Then go downstairs and tell Mr. Callahan yourself. Both families and all your friends have been invited. If something goes wrong, someone’s going to have to take responsibility.”

A car horn sounded outside.

I grabbed my phone and headed for the door, but Paige blocked my way.

“You’re going down like that? The whole wedding party is waiting downstairs.”

She had one of the makeup artists call Reid.

Less than two minutes later, he came upstairs.

He still had his earbuds in, and he hadn’t even finished tying his tie.

The moment he saw me in my pajamas, he frowned.

Then he took my hand and tried to pull me into his arms.

“I know I’ve been too busy lately, and you’ve had to put up with a lot. But everyone’s watching today. Just do this for me, okay?”

I tried to pull away, but he forced me onto the vanity stool and leaned down to kiss my forehead.

“Get ready first. Once we get to the hotel, we can talk about anything you want. I promise I’ll listen.”

Without waiting for an answer, he pointed to his earbuds and went out onto the balcony.

Paige stood beside the mirror, issuing instructions one after another.

Reid glanced at us through the glass.

Paige gestured that we were almost ready, and he turned his attention back to his work, apparently satisfied.

By the time they practically dragged me downstairs, Reid was already sitting in the waiting car.

Paige opened the door first and slid into the seat beside him.

“I need to go over the ceremony schedule with Mr. Callahan. You can get in from the other side.”

A bridesmaid helped me around the car.

Through the window, I could see Reid studying the schedule Paige had handed him. Every time she pointed something out, he nodded.

I’d barely reached the door when the car started moving.

The bridesmaid hurriedly slapped the window.

“Wait! The bride isn’t in the car!”

The driver didn’t stop.

The other cars pulled out behind it, with more horns sounding from the street.

I stood there, still holding my bouquet. The car had pulled away before I could even get in.

Someone near the entrance to the apartment complex called out, “Wait, why isn’t the bride going?”

Flustered, the bridesmaid started making phone calls, explaining over and over that they’d driven off without the bride.

It took more than ten minutes for the car to turn around and come back.

Reid finally removed one earbud and rolled down the window.

“Why didn’t you get in?”

I looked at the woman sitting beside him.

Paige was still in her seat, clutching the ceremony schedule. She turned toward me impatiently.

“Hurry up. If we waste any more time, we’ll be late for the ceremony.”

Reid held out his hand to me.

“Just get in. Paige and I have an international meeting to get to, so we need to get through the wedding first.”

I stared at his outstretched hand and clenched my teeth.

“Reid, are you done playing games?”