Page 204 of Bridesmaid for Hire
“Why, is it going to be a long one?” I follow him through the dining room, to the sliding glass door. He pulls back the curtain and the door at the same time, revealing the back patio lit by candles. I pause and look at him. “Uh, dude, is Patricia planning something for you?”
“It’s for you,” Gary says.
I nervously laugh. “I love you, man, but I think this might be a bit much.”
“Jesus Christ,” he says just as a figure appears in front of the door.
It takes me a second, but when I realize it’s Maggie standing before me, I feel my heart sink all the way to the floor because, motherfucker, look at her.
She’s wearing a flowing green dress, and her hair tied up into a high ponytail, showing off her slender neck. Her lashes are coated in mascara, making her beautiful eyes pop, and her lips are glossy, begging me to kiss them. And to my surprise, she has a smile on her beautiful face.
“M-Maggie,” I say, stunned.
She holds her hand out to me and my entire body shakes as I let her take it. She pulls me out onto the deck, and Gary slides the door and curtain shut, offering us some privacy.
“What, uh…what are you doing here?” I ask.
Her hand falls to my chest and her head tilts as she looks up at me. “Your beard is long.”
“I forgot how to be a human and take care of myself.”
She chuckles. “Well, you smell nice.”
“I didn’t want to smell like a dog. Patricia doesn’t like it when I smell like a dog.”
Her smile grows even wider. “Well, thank goodness for Patricia.” Her fingers smooth over my chest and I swear on my life it feels like I’m having a heart attack. I never thought I’d see Maggie again, let alone have her touching me like this.
“Maggie.” I swallow. “I’m sorry,” I say before she can even start with whatever she has to say. “I fucked up, and I’m sorry. You deserve so much better than a man who throws around your ideas and offers them to other people. That was fucked up and I’m so, so sorry.”
“I know,” she says, rubbing my chest, her hand passing right over my heart. It’s beating so fast that I’m embarrassed she might be able to feel it.
“You know?” I ask.
She nods. “I know that you’re sorry and I’m sorry that I didn’t give you a chance to explain yourself.”
“Explain myself about what?” I ask. “I fucked up. There’s no explaining. There’s no excuse.”
She keeps rubbing my chest, her eyes softening. “You were drunk, Brody. You were pressured. I know everything that happened that night. Instead of jumping to conclusions, I should have asked, I should have talked to you. I didn’t give you that chance.”
“Would it have changed anything?” I ask.
“Maybe,” she says.
I slowly nod. “Well, either way, I messed up and I can’t put you at fault for the way you reacted. It was an honest and deserved reaction.”
“It wasn’t fair,” she says. “And it wasn’t right. And it’s made me miserable.” She moves in closer, now pressing both of her hands to my chest. I take a chance and rest my hands on her hips, expecting her to tell me to move away, but when she doesn’t, I feel the small victory. “I miss you, Brody. I miss laughing with you. I miss waking up next to you. I miss holding your hand. I miss having your arms wrapped around me, and I miss our conversations. I’ve felt so…lackluster since I left Bora-Bora. Nothing feels right, everything is out of sorts, and yesterday was the first time I actually felt like something was being put back into place.”
Fuck…she missed me.
Don’t cry, man, don’t fucking cry.
“What, uh, what was yesterday?”
“Hardy, Hudson, and Jude approached me. They told me all about this man who stepped up, who told them how amazing I was, how I deserved the world. And when they said it was you, it felt like a piece of my unfinished puzzle was put back into place. I realized that the reason I was so upset about how everything went down is because I finally had you…but then lost you. I got a brief taste and then it was taken away. I craved you, Brody, every last part of you. And I’m here, telling you that I want it back. I want you back. I want us back.”
“Fuck, really?” I ask, my hands now shaking against her hips.
“Yes.” She smiles brightly up at me. “Would you want that?”
