Page 103 of Bridesmaid Undercover
“That wasn’t the case, Maple,” I say quietly. “I thought…hell, I thought we understood each other, that you saw I was trying to make my dad see me. You knew things were always so volatile. He…well, he promised me a good future with Hopper Industries, so I took it. I know that’s not a good reason, and I had every intention of keeping in touch with you, but you stopped talking to me.”
“Because I didn’t think I was worth your time,” she says.
“You were, Maple.” I push my hand through my hair.“I was just…fuck, I was trying to take advantage of an opportunity.”To either change my dad or to maybe change me.“Hindsight is twenty-twenty. I know that was a waste of time now.”
“Why was it a waste of time?” she asks, the tension easing up between us.
“Because he hasn’t changed a bit. He’s the same scheming asshole he’s always been, and no matter how much I want to believe he could be a different person, I’m just delusional. Some people will never change, and he’s one of them.”
She slowly nods. “Well, maybe it was for the best, because if we were still together, I’m not sure I would have gone to Peru, and that’s an experience I don’t think I could have lived without.”
“Yeah, maybe it was for the best,” I say and look her in the eyes. “I’m glad you had such a great experience in Peru. Maybe ifwe do that group hang with Timothy and Everly, you can tell me more about it.”
“Yeah, maybe,” she says offering me a smile, which makes me relax.
Good. See? Baby steps. That’s all this is…baby steps.
“You’ve been talking to her,”Polly says when she comes up to me, a signature cocktail in hand, looking beautiful in a white lace dress. Ken is across the room, talking to some family members, also dressed in all white, which makes me chuckle. If the bride can wear white, so can the groom.
“Kind of hard not to talk to the maid of honor when you’re throwing a joint bridal shower,” I say to her.
“But you’ve been talking to her a lot.”
“I wouldn’t say a lot,” I counter.
“More than I wanted you to talk to her,” Polly says.
“I’m assuming you still have a problem with me talking to her?”
“I don’t want you to hurt her,” Polly whispers.
“I wouldn’t,” I say.
“Are you sure? Because she seems to think that maybe something is going on between you and Everly.”
What the hell?
“No,” I say. “She asked me that as well. Nothing is going on between us. We’re just friends. I told Maple that today. Why would I try to pursue someone if I was talking to another woman?”
“Ah-ha,” Polly says. “I knew it, youarepersuing Maple.”
I roll my eyes. “Come on, Polly. Do you really think I can stand here and watch my ex come back into my life and not be interested?”
“Yes, it’s called self-control.”
“Let me ask you this,” I say. “How come you can have a second chance with Ken, but I can’t have a second chance with Maple? We were there when you and Ken broke up. It wasn’t pretty. So why am I the one put on blast?”
“Because Maple is different,” Polly says. “If she had the opportunity, she never would have come back here. She would have stayed in Peru. Don’t make her regret coming back.”
“So you’re acting selfishly then?” I ask, not really wanting to start a fight with her at her bridal shower, but she’s also the one who brought it up.
“I am,” she says with no shame. “And if I thought your intentions were pure, then maybe I wouldn’t be so tough on you.”
“What makes you think my intentions aren’t pure?”
She gives me the look that says “Come on.”
“When have you ever been serious about a relationship?” she asks.
