My Best Friend Saved Me, Then Stole My Fiancé And My Wedding Chapter 09

My Best Friend Saved Me, Then Stole My Fiancé And My Wedding Chapter 09

The next few days blurred together. Paperwork, onboarding, coordinating with every department.

I barely slept.

It took a full week to finish everything.

I held the last stack of signed paperwork against my chest. For the first time in weeks, I could breathe.

I was humming on the way home.

I rounded the corner, and a hand clamped around my arm.

I looked up. Reid. His eyes were hollowed out.

“Maren. I finally found you.”

I looked past him.

Graham and Clarissa.

I almost laughed.

“A little group getaway? Looks like you’re missing a passenger.”

Reid flinched at the edge in my voice.

“I’m sorry, Maren.”

“We believed Sloane. And we made you pay for it.”

I raised an eyebrow.

Reid Calloway, apologizing. That was a first.

He dropped his gaze.

“I’ve been looking for you since the day you left. I didn’t know what I had until you were gone.’

“I was wrong, Maren. Come home with me.”

“Say yes, and we’ll have the wedding the day we get back.”

Clarissa stepped forward, eyes already filling.

“Maren, you’ve always wanted me as your bridesmaid, right? I’m in. Look, I already bought the dress.”

She pulled up a photo on her phone.

Her, wearing the bridesmaid dress I’d custom-designed for her.

I’d asked her a hundred times. She always said no. Too much attention.

Graham jumped in

“On your wedding day, every roll of film I’ve got is yours. I’ll take as many pictures of you as you want.”

Graham hoarded vintage film like it was gold. He and the other three had taken hundreds of photos together.

Every time it was my turn, he was conveniently out.

Next time, he’d say. Next time never came.

And now he was offering it like it was nothing.

I went quiet. Reid took it as a yes.

He dropped to one knee and held out a ring.

Same design as the one Sloane had worn. Only the diamond was twice the size.

“Maren, marry me.”

“I swear I’ll spend the rest of my life making it right.”

I hadn’t even opened my mouth.

A hand shot past me and grabbed the ring.

The ring hit the grate of a storm drain and disappeared.

All three of them looked up. Wesley stood between us, his expression ice.

A group of my coworkers fanned out behind him.

Wesley said something to them. Low. Sharp.

Before I caught the words, two of my coworkers linked arms with me and steered me away.

They didn’t stop until Reid was out of sight.

I must have looked confused, because one of them spoke up right away.

“Wesley figured you might freeze up, so he told us to get you out of there. He’s handling the rest.”

Another one kept glancing at me, nervous.

The worry on their faces made me laugh.

“Why do you all look so scared?”

They relaxed the second I smiled.

“Honestly, we were worried you’d be mad at us for pulling you out of there.”

Someone else chimed in.

“But even if you were mad, we’d do it again Those people aren’t worth what you’ve built here.”

Something warm settled behind my ribs.

“Don’t worry. There’s a saying I like. You can’t heal in the exact same place that broke you.”

“I’m done with them. For good.”

“But is Wesley going to be okay out there by himself?”

They traded knowing looks.

One of them looped her arm through mine.

“Trust me, that guy can handle himself. Don’t waste your worry.”

“Come on, let’s go celebrate. We’ll drag Wesley along when he’s done.”

She winked at me. I didn’t catch the implication.

I let it go and smiled.

“Alright, tonight’s on me! Consider it my official goodbye to everything behind me.”

Everyone cheered.

The sunset painted the street in gold.

The past was behind me. And for the first time, the road ahead looked like mine.