My Chance (Chance #2) (16 page)

I went downstairs and watched Alex move effortlessly through the club. He spoke to a member of the cleaning staff, and then he moved to the bar where Tyler and Brett were. I was transported back to the first night I met Alex, and I thought about everything that had happened.

I walked up to them and heard Brett say, “I don’t get your old man. Doesn’t he realize how awesome she is and how great you guys are together?”

Alex shrugged. I needed to do something to bring him and his dad closer. I walked up to the guys, and Alex grabbed me around the waist.

“How’d it go with Brian?” he asked.

“Great! I start back next week.”

“That’s fantastic, baby. Are you ready to get out of here?”

“I am, but I had an idea. I wanted to know what you thought about it.” I swallowed hard. “How would you feel about having an engagement party here at the club?”

Alex beamed. “That’s a great idea. I’d love to announce that I’m marrying the most amazing woman.”

I laughed. “I’d love to announce to all the women that you’re off the market!”

Brett chimed in, “That may take more than an engagement.” He laughed and abruptly stopped when he saw the rest of us weren’t laughing. “What?”

“You’re such a douche.” Tyler threw a bar towel at him.

“How about if we have it two weeks from Sunday? Will that give you enough time to plan?” Alex asked.

“Sure, I’ll talk to Julie. She’ll help me.” I was excited. Even though the club would be closed, everyone would catch wind that we were engaged.

He pulled me into a hug. “Invite whoever you want. Just give me a number for the caterer. I’ll have Mike bartend.”

“Let me know who you want to be there.” I didn’t want to exclude anyone, but aside from Brett and Tyler, I didn’t know who he’d want to invite. “What about your dad?”

Alex rubbed the back of his neck and tilted his head. “No. I don’t want him here. I’ll invite him to the rehearsal dinner and wedding, but I don’t care if he comes to those either.”

I kissed him. “I’ll go call Julie and tell her. I suppose I should go gown shopping soon too.”

“Can I come?” He looked at me with puppy dog eyes.

“No, you can’t come.” I shoved his shoulder.

“I’d like to pay for everything. Do you think your parents would mind? I don’t want to offend them,” Alex asked.

“I can talk to them about it. We’ve had so much going on lately that it never dawned on me to talk to them. But I’d like to pay for some of it too.”

Brett interrupted us. “Hey, Aubrey, make sure Julie doesn’t get any ideas while you’re gown shopping.”

My heart sunk, and I had no idea what expression I had. What did that mean? He didn’t want to get married? I knew Julie did. I didn’t ask any questions because I didn’t want to know the response. Whatever the reply, I’d feel obligated to tell Julie. I walked away and sat at a nearby table to call Julie. She said she would come over after work to work on a guest list for the party.

Alex brought me to my place, and he headed back to the club. I didn’t know if I was going to tell Julie what Brett said, but if I did, I didn’t want her so close to his apartment or the club. Alex stopped at the grocery store on our way to my apartment, and then we went to the liquor store. I figured we might need to eat and drink.

I made a salad and some bruschetta. I wanted to change into something comfy, so I went in my room to pull out a pair of yoga pants and a sweatshirt. I looked in the drawer and felt relieved that I could pick out clothes all on my own. I opened the drawer in my nightstand to grab a hair tie and saw my journal and Alex’s good-bye note. I wanted to test myself, so I removed the notebook and crumpled up paper. I sat on my bed and stared at them. I remembered when that book was supposed to hold the key to my success as a writer, but it led to my demise as a girlfriend.

I took a deep breath and opened the book. Page by page, turn by turn, I read what I’d written about Alex. It did sound pretty horrible in the beginning. Then I read my last entry about how in love I was and how happy Alex made me. I closed the book and held it. I’d made it through without an episode, and I was proud of myself. The buzzer rang, startling me. I put the book down and went to let Julie in. After I buzzed her in, I opened the door and went into the kitchen to pour us some wine.

Julie bustled in, her body full of energy and her hands full of magazines. “Your maid of honor is reporting for duty.” Julie was all bubbly and practically singing when she spoke. She came into the kitchen, gave me a kiss, and threw her arms around me. “You’re getting married!”

I giggled at her excitement. “Yes, I am. Are you hungry?”

She grabbed a glass of wine and my hand and dragged me into my living room. “Ta da!” She pointed at my coffee table, which was covered in what appeared to be every bridal magazine published that month.

“Oh my God, Julie, did you buy out the store?”

“No, I stopped at every newsstand on the way here. I wanted to make sure you had all your options. Look at this one. The gowns featured here have been worn by celebrities. Aren’t they incredible?” Julie flipped through pages while explaining the different gown styles: princess, mermaid, A-line, and so on. She looked at me. “Do you know what style you like? I mean, you have a kick ass body, so I’d go with something straight, strapless, and hot. Alex will pop something when he sees you in something like that. That’s what I’m going to get when I get married. I’ve always wanted to be a princess, but I don’t know about all that fluff. Maybe I’ll get a gown that can be converted from poufy to short and sassy.”

I just stared at Julie as she rambled. I had no idea what I wanted. Most little girls dream about their wedding, but I didn’t think I’d ever find my prince, so I’d never daydreamed much about the specifics. I could tell that Julie, on the other hand, had thought about it in great detail. “How about we have dinner before we start checking off which ones I like?”

“Lead the way! Let’s eat. I can’t wait to get started!”

I went into the kitchen and poured another glass of wine for myself. Julie did as well. I took the salad out of the fridge and the bruschetta out of the oven. I carried the wine to the table, and Julie grabbed our plates. As we sat and ate, I still didn’t know what to do about what Brett’d said.

“Oh hell! I totally forgot, how did it go with Alex’s dad?” Julie asked.

I put a forkful of crisp lettuce in my mouth and looked at Julie. I just kept chewing.

“Uh oh, it didn’t go well? What’s his problem?”

I swallowed, took a sip of wine, and said, “Well, my future father-in-law had a lot to say. Let’s see, what should I start with? The part where Jack told us Mr. Pierce was upset because his beloved daughter Leah was exiled from the White Orchid, or the fact that Leah was expected to be Mrs. Alex Logan, or that Alex should have me sign a prenuptial agreement?” I took a bite of my bruschetta. I looked at Julie. “How’s that for a ‘welcome to the Logan family’?”

“Are you shitting me? What did Alex say?”

“To which part?”

“To all of it. Who does that? What an arrogant prick.”

“Well, Alex told his dad that if he wanted Leah to be a Logan, then he should marry her. Then he basically told him to stick the prenup up his ass.”

Julie took a big sip of wine. “Thank God. I’m telling you, if Brett asked me to sign anything like that, I’d tell him to go to hell.”

I looked at my salad and moved the pieces of lettuce and tomato around with my fork. That was twice that she’d mentioned a future with Brett.

“What’s wrong, Aubrey? I’m sure dealing with his dad isn’t easy, but Alex is all about making you happy. You don’t have anything to worry about.”

“It’s not that. How do I say this?”

“Okay, spill it. What the hell is going on?” Julie asked.

“Do you and Brett talk about getting married?”

“No, not really. I mean, we love each other, so it’s inevitable, right?” Julie looked at me, and her smile vanished. “What? What aren’t you telling me?”

I wiped my lips with my napkin and cleared my throat. “I think you should talk to him about it.”

She looked sad. “About getting married? Why?”

“When I was with the guys today, I said I was going to call you to help me plan the wedding and that you’d help me with gowns. Brett said…” I couldn’t do it. She was going to be crushed.

“And Brett said what?” Her voice was low and sad.

My eyes filled with tears. “Brett said to make sure you didn’t get any ideas.”

“He did?”

“Yeah. Jules, I’m really sorry. Maybe he was just kidding. I mean, Brett is the comedian of the bunch.” I had no clue what to do. My best friend was hurt, and I couldn’t help her.

“No, it’s fine. If he doesn’t want to marry me, that’s fine. But he won’t have me either. When it comes to Brett, I don’t want just a boyfriend. I want everything.”

Shit.
“Please don’t do anything without talking to him first.” I knew she was itching to grab her cell phone and tell him to go to hell.

“Oh, I
will
talk to him, don’t worry about that. Now let’s grab more wine and look at gowns for you.”

We went back to the couch. Julie didn’t miss a beat, but I felt horrible and didn’t know what to do.

Julie picked up a magazine. “Oh, look at this one. It’s beautiful, and it’s a Vera Wang. I think you would look gorgeous in a sheath style. It’s a perfect silhouette for you.”

“Isn’t Vera Wang expensive? I mean, it’s a stunning gown, but I don’t know.”

“Yes, Vera Wang is expensive, but I’m sure your parents or Alex would buy it for you. Just look at the intricate beading, and the chiffon is to die for. Did you guys pick a venue?”

“Yeah, we’re getting married in the small chapel next to Creekside Park, and the reception will be at Anthony’s.”

Julie stared at me.

“What?”

“You’re marrying one of New York’s most eligible bachelors, and you’re getting married in a chapel and having a small reception at a restaurant?”

“Yes. Since the guest list is small, Anthony is rearranging the restaurant to include enough tables and a small dance floor. It will be intimate. What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing, I guess. I’m just surprised. This is society news. If you’re going to do that, then you need to have a gorgeous gown.”

I shrugged. “Okay, we can go look at them and I’ll try them on, but if it’s too expensive, I’m not buying it.” I put my hand on the magazine Julie was tagging with little Post-it notes. “Are you okay?”

She closed the magazine, tossed it on the table, and flopped back on the couch.

“I’m sorry I told you what Brett said. I just wanted you to know. Maybe what he said doesn’t have anything to do with you. Maybe because he was married before, he doesn’t want a big wedding. I bet that’s it. He probably wants to get married but doesn’t want all the hoopla.”

“Yeah, maybe you’re right. I’m still going to ask him about it. I should go. It’s getting late.”

I looked at the clock and saw that it was almost ten. I walked her to the door. “You’re okay, right?”

“Yes, I’m fine.” Julie kissed my cheek and told me she was leaving the magazines for me.

I cleaned the dinner dishes and heard a knock on my door. I wiped my hands on a towel. I figured Julie had forgotten something, but when I opened the door, there was Alex. “I passed Julie on her way out,” he said. “She let me in. She didn’t look good, and when I asked her if she was okay, she said no.”

“What do you mean she didn’t look good? Wait, she said no?”

He walked into my apartment. “I think she was crying. I noticed her wiping her eyes when she saw me. Did you two have a fight or something?”

“She was crying? I knew she wasn’t okay. I should have made her stay here.” I was starting to get upset.

Alex kissed me. “What happened.”

“Brett happened, that’s what.”

He looked confused. “I just left Brett, and he seemed fine.”

I mumbled, “He won’t be fine for long.”

“He won’t be fine for long? Why?”

“Well… don’t get mad, okay?”

“Why would I get mad?”

As quickly as I could, I said, “Because I told Julie what Brett said about making sure Julie didn’t get any ideas about getting married.” I walked to the couch to hide behind a throw pillow.

He stared at me. Then his expression changed. “Oh my God, Aubrey, why would you tell her that? He could’ve been kidding.” He paced and looked really worried. “You know he was married before. Maybe he just isn’t ready.”

“She should know. I’d want to know.” I looked at him. “If you didn’t want me forever, I’d need to know.”

He scooped me up and carried me into the bedroom. “I do want you forever.” He stopped and stared at my bed. He set me down and went to the note lying next to my journal. He picked it up and read it. When he turned to me, he looked sad. “Why do you have this?”

“I went to get something today, and I found it. I didn’t look at it.”

“I’m throwing it away. It isn’t something I want for the scrapbook.”

“Okay, will you take my journal too? I don’t need it anymore.”

Alex sat on the bed and stared at the notebook. “This was your dream, wasn’t it? I ruined that for you.”