Page 99 of You Fall First

Heat rises in my cheeks, and my nose starts to sting. Am I seriously about to cry right now? That would be so supremely stupid. Today isn’t about me.

“I’ve gotta go to the bathroom,” I blurt. Yet another thing Noah didn’t need to know. But I can’t help it. I’m desperate to escape this onslaught of feelings. “Just pee,” I yelp.

Then I flee.

No wonder Oliver fell in love with someone else while I was his girlfriend. I’ll bet the elegant Amelia never clarifies whether she’s going number one or number two.

Why am I like this? Clearly I can’t trust myself around Noah again. Not until I get a grip.

I burst into the ladies’ room to find Sayla hunched over the sink. She snatches a paper towel from the dispenser to swipe at her mouth.

“Hey. Hi!” she chirps. “Need to pee?”

A wave of gratitude sweeps over me that I’m not the only blurter of awkward things in the family. “As a matter of fact, I do.”

I’m about to step into a stall when I notice her face. Sayla’s skin matches the mint green of our dresses. Beads of sweat dot her forehead.

“Are you all right?”

“Please don’t tell anyone,” she whimpers. “Promise?”

“Of course.” I blink. “Tell anyone what?”

She swallows and brings a hand up to her mouth.

“I’m pregnant,” she chokes.

Then she throws up on my shoes.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Noah

First things first, I figured Jo would be dehydrated, what with all the crying and the peeing going on, so I grabbed a couple of sparkling waters from the bar. Then I found the table assigned to the bridal party and their significant others. Mostly spouses in this case.

No caterers in sight.

Excuse me.

Chef.

When Jo returns from the ladies’ room, I wave her down. I don’t want her to have to search for me. She does that enough already with Dutton. She spots me, fluffs her skirt out over her shoes, and walks toward the table with her shoulders squared.

“I took the liberty,” I say, handing her the sparkling water. “With lemon. The bartender gave me two slices.”

“Thank you,” she murmurs. She accepts the drink, but quickly averts her gaze, like she’s intentionally avoiding eye contact. Or maybe the new cologne I’m trying out is bad. I go in for a stealth sniff while she’s not looking and catch a quick glimpse behind me.

Ah.

There it is.

There he is.

Oliver has made an appearance after all. He’s on the opposite side of the hall, overseeing the buffet prep. If he ends up manning the head station, there’s no way we’ll be able to avoid him. No wonder Jo looks a little sick.

There’s a blonde beside him, brushing up awfully close. Must be her, unless Oliver has made cozying up to multiple women at the same time a second career.

The blonde reaches out to brush a crumb off his jacket and straighten his collar. The moment is intimate. Plus she’s got a big diamond on her finger. Yep. Gotta be Amelia.