Page 7 of I’d Be Honored

Maddie sighed, missing her other half. She owed her career to Caitlin, and Hollywood hadn’t felt the same since she left the West Coast. Maddie was genuinely happy that Caitlin had gotten the love of her life back, but it was making it harder to ignore that she still hadn’t found hers.

The thought of Caitlin roused Maddie from her daydream. She pulled herself from her room of memories and rushed into her bedroom. She needed to pack so she wouldn’t miss her flight to New York.

Before the day could fade, Maddie sank into her first-class pod. She gazed out the window as they took off, leaving behind a sunny afternoon, palm trees, and an ill-fated situationship.

——

After flying through the dark sky for five and a half hours, she landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport. A driver, holding a sign with “Crane” printed in bold letters, met her at baggage claim before whisking her away to Greenwich Village. Caitlin had insisted that Maddie stay in the guest suite of their brownstone, since she’d be in town for the next four months as they prepared for the wedding.

“Louise, you made it!” Caitlin shouted, her arms wide, as the driver unloaded her bags onto the curb.

“Thelma!” Maddie ran up the handful of steps and threw herself into her partner in crime’s embrace.

Gemma came to the door and greeted her next. Together, the three of them wheeled her oversized suitcases and carry-on into Maddie’s temporary new room.

Once she settled in, Caitlin poured three glasses of red wine, and the trio headed out onto the terrace.

“Mads, I really appreciate you coming all this way to help with the wedding. There’s just one last thing,” Caitlin started as she tucked herself next to Maddie on the couch.

Maddie eyed her with half-feigned suspicion. She had been waiting all day for this moment. She loved weddings.

“Will you be my maid of honor?” Caitlin asked, unable to contain her excitement any longer.

Maddie jumped up, wine sloshing over the rim of her glass and onto the concrete, barely missing her lap. She threw her arms around her best friend. “Hell yes!” She squeezed Caitlin tight before the three women clinked their glasses in celebration.

Following a few lengthy conversations detailing the brides’ plans for the upcoming months, Maddie hesitantly changed the topic. She had been dying to ask Caitlin about something she heard a few days ago. It still didn’t quite make sense.

“Cait, you know you’re my best friend, right?”

“Obviously, Mads. I did just ask you to stand beside me on my wedding day, so I hope you know the feeling is mutual.” Caitlin laughed lightly, sounding a little concerned.

“So, you would have told me if you were starting a new project without me, right?” Maddie glanced toward Gemma, who looked at Caitlin in confusion.

“Mads, what’s going on?” Caitlin leaned forward, knitting her eyebrows together and placing her glass gently on the table.

“I met Sandy at the Viper Room for drinks earlier this week, and she told me that the executives at Universal had pitched a third movie—Ticket to Cape Town.” Maddie paused, letting the words settle between them.

Gemma and Maddie’s eyes were both on Caitlin, waiting for her to fill in the blanks. This was huge news, but it was clear that Gemma hadn’t heard about it either.

Caitlin sighed. “They came to me with an offer, yeah. They wanted to turn the movies into a franchise. It would have locked me in for the next three movies, though, maybe more. I told them I wasn’t interested.”

“Are you insane?” Gemma and Maddie gasped in unison, and Caitlin winced.

“It was right after the Oscars, and I’d already gotten everything I wanted.” Caitlin offered a sheepish smile, turning to kiss Gemma on the cheek, whose mouth was still slightly open from the admission. “I would’ve had to be in Africa for at least four months, followed by the press tour, and then do it all over again in two more countries. I’d be gone for practically the next five years.”

Gemma’s focus was locked onto her fiancée. “Are you saying that you turned down an entire franchise for me?”

Maddie watched as Caitlin threaded her fingers through Gemma’s. “I left you behind to chase the spotlight once before, and it was the worst mistake of my life, Squish. I don’t plan on doing it again.”

“But, babe, a franchise role is a huge opportunity. You know I support your career. We’d make it work.”

“I know you do, and that’s why I plan on marrying you.” Caitlin smiled, pulling gently on Gemma’s hand until she was seated across her lap. “I just want to focus on us right now. I missed out on an entire decade with you, and I’d like to make up for lost time.”

Maddie averted her eyes, suddenly feeling like a third wheel. She felt a twinge of guilt for accusing Caitlin of hiding something so big from her. Maybe Caitlin really had grown, and maybe that meant it was Maddie’s turn now. She focused on topping off her glass of red wine in order to give them a moment of privacy.

“I love you, baby,” she heard Gemma whisper.

“I’m so deeply in love with you,” Caitlin breathed. “More than you’ll ever know.”