Timing by Mary Calmes

Author:Mary Calmes [Calmes, Mary]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: m/m romance, contemporary
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Published: 2010-03-14T16:00:00+00:00

ONCE the crowd thinned out, I went upstairs with Charlotte and lay down on her bed. I listened to her talk about Ben and the wedding flowers and the appetizers and how much she hated vegans and why my idea of having a photo booth had been so inspired. She had wanted to have cute pictures of everyone, and now she was sure to have them. The photo booth would make two prints of every picture, one for the guest and one for Charlotte’s wedding album.

“How did you ever get so brilliant, Stef?”

It was a photo booth; I had not found the cure for the common cold. “Seriously, how tired are you?”

She groaned loudly and flung herself face-down on the bed.

“What’s wrong?”

There was a long, muttering explanation spoken into the pillow.

“Look at me, because I didn’t hear a word of that.”

She rolled her head to the side, her eyes fastened to mine. “I said that Ben wants to know about the worst day of my life.”

My stomach did a slow roll.

“What should I say?” she asked, her fingers feather-light across my jaw.

“What do you want to say?”

She took a shaky breath. “I want to tell him, but I’m just afraid that he’ll look at me different after. I should have told him a long time ago.”

Her face looked pained.

“Honey, do you––”

“Will you hold my hand?”

“What?”

“When I tell him”—she swallowed hard—“will you hold my hand?”

I took a quick breath. “Cut out my heart instead.”

Her sigh touched my face. “I already did that.”

Laying there, my face inches from hers, I watched her eyes fill, saw the tiny rosebud lips purse and the delicately arched brows tighten slightly.

“Ben’s downstairs.”

“He’s drunk.”

“Maybe that’s better.”

We sat up at the same time.

“It’s a lot to take in the night before your wedding,” I told her.

“And I should do what?” she asked me seriously. “Begin my life with him with this hanging over us?”

“What’s hangin’ over you?” I snapped at her. “If he never knows, who cares?”

“Easy for you to say.” Her sigh moved my hair. “You know already.”

I rolled my head back so I was looking at her.

“Sorry, that was a shitty thing to say.”

Only at that moment, staring into her eyes, did I realize how terrified she was. I grabbed her hands tightly, startling her, as evidenced by her gasp. “You know… whatever happens….”

She nodded quickly, the tears spilling over, trailing down her cheeks. The reassuring smile she gave me, trying to comfort me, was painful. “Go get him.”

I didn’t say anything; I just got up and went to the door.

“And Rand.”

My head swiveled back to her.

“I want Rand to know.”

“Why?”

“Because he should,” she said, her tone telling me that she was resigned to the idea.

Halfway down the stairs, I remembered to breathe.

Maybe it was my face, or the way I couldn’t bring myself to speak, but when Rand saw me, he got up from where he was sitting apart from the others. Instead of sharing space on the couch, he was alone in the wingback chair.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.