Her thoughts were interrupted by the minister. “You may now kiss the bride.” She smiled, realizing that both her best friend and her brother had found happiness for the rest of their lives.
Shortly after the ceremony was the reception, and with that came the dance of the wedding party. As Celine Dion’s “Because You Loved Me” began to play, Madeleine found herself in Nick’s arms, inching closer and closer to him. She was so close, she could smell his cologne, and it was incredibly tempting. To avoid doing anything stupid, she rested her head on his shoulder, not facing him.
“That could have been us,” Nick whispered accidentally.
“What?” Madeleine replied.
She hadn’t heard him. Thank God. “Nothing.”
“I miss this,” she admitted.
“What do you mean?”
“Brad and I never dance. He doesn’t like to dance. I haven’t danced with a guy, well, since you,” she explained.
He smiled. Maybe she still cared about him. “Where is Brad? I thought he was coming.”
“He was supposed to, but then he ended up having to work. He says hi, though.”
“Okay. Tell him I say hi back.”
“I will.”
Suddenly, they realized the song was over and Brian McKnight’s “Back At One” was playing. Somehow they hadn’t even noticed the transition. “I miss you, Mattie,” Nick confessed. “All I ever think about anymore is you and how I screwed things up. You could never even imagine the pain I feel from not being with you.”
“Nick, I’m happy now. Please don’t make me mess that up,” she replied. Tearing herself from his arms, she managed to hide her sadness and went to sit at a table with Howie.
“Hey, Mattie! It’s been a while since I’ve seen you,” he stated.
“Yeah, it has. How are you doing?”
“I’m pretty good. How are things going with Brad?”
“Really good. He was supposed to come this weekend, but he had to work.” She hesitated, but she had to know. “Howie, tell me the truth. Does Nick still think about me at all?”
“Oh, God, yeah. You’re the only thing on his mind, it seems. He never really did get over you.” Realizing that he seemed to be sticking up for Nick, he quickly added, “Not that I think you shouldn’t have broken up with him. He was a jerk. What about you? Do you ever think about him?”
“A little. Whenever I think of how happy I am with Brad, mainly, because I realize that I was a lot happier with Nick,” she said quietly. “I’ll never forget him.”
“Mattie, if you’re happier with Nick, maybe you should be with him. You should be with the one who really makes you happy,” he advised.
“I just don’t think I can trust him.”
“You’re obviously in love with him, and I think you’re a smart enough girl that you wouldn’t give your heart to someone who wasn’t worthy of your trust.”
“But I already did. I made the mistake of loving him before, and he turned against me.”
“I guess you’re right, but you have to think about it. Is it worth the risk of getting hurt to be happy?”
“I don’t know. I need to think about it.”