Always A Bride Read Free

Harvey had worn around his arm at their junior prom. She and Molly had always been rivals. Being from the one of the wealthiest families in town, it seemed Molly had everything. But all the money in the world couldn't buy Molly what she wanted most—popularity. So Molly tried way too hard to make people like her which just made things worse. Alex tried to always include Molly, who often didn’t appreciate the effort, but Alex just kept trying.
    Blue wasn’t the easiest page either. Pictures of blue flowers, blue tuxe dos, and blue bridesmaid dresses filled the page. The other pages included bridesmaid’s dresses of every style and color. Bouquets and floral arrangements were scattered throughout. There were pictures of Allison, Molly, and her other cheerleading friends she had planned for bridesmaids. There was Harvey, of course, because he was going to be the groom. Who else could he have been?
    Alex put the book aside and fought back her tears. She went downstairs to find her mother in the kitchen making tea.
    “ I thought you might need this,” her mom said, handing Alex a cup of hot tea.
    She lifted the cup and was soothed by the warmth of the steam and the sweet aroma of honey and lemon her mother had added. She inhaled deeply. “How’d you know, Mom? Never mind. You always know just what I need.”
    “ Sit down, honey. Tell me, what’s going on this time?”
    “ This time? Do I get this way every time I come home?”
    “ For the last year or so, yes. Of course, you don’t come home nearly often enough.”
    “ Maybe that’s part of the problem. I’m just homesick. This is the first time I’ve planned on staying here more than a day or two. I don’t even stay in my own apartment more than a week at a time. Mom, you know I'm always on the road. Between the bridal fairs and photo shoots there's just no time.”
    “ Whatever is wrong with you is more than being busy and homesick, Alex. What’s wrong? What happened?”
    “ I ran into Harvey and Molly at the bridal fair. Did you know they were engaged?”
    “ Oh. That explains it. I should have warned you. There didn’t seem to be a good time or the right way to tell you. It happened kind of suddenly. I didn’t even know they were dating.”
    “ You knew?” Alex asked, standing to pace around the kitchen.
    “ Well, yes. I see Harvey at the nursing home regularly. He’s one of the doctors who cares for your grandma.”
    “ Mom, you should have told me.” Alex sat back down across the table from her mother.
    Her mother held her hands. “Alex, I just didn’t know how you would take the news. You and Harvey were always so close. To be perfectly honest, I expected you to come back after you got this modeling stuff out of your system. I always thought you and Harvey would pick up where you left off. “
    “ I guess I expected the same thing. I took for granted that when I came home and was ready, Harvey would be here waiting. Now…” Alex’s voice broke with the overwhelming regret and sadness flooding over her. “It’s too late.”
    Unable to hold her tears back a moment longer, she laid her head on the table and cried. Since the moment she'd seen Harvey with Molly, she had fought the tears that stung her eyes and threatened to fall. She hadn't hurt so much since her dad died. She'd taken Harvey for granted. She had no one to blame but herself and that made her hurt even worse. She sobbed, dropping her head onto her folded arms. Hearts didn't truly break, but Alex’s chest ached and she tried to catch her breath.
    Alex’s mother stroked her hair. “Finish your tea, go get a hot bath and a good night’s sleep. You’ll feel much better in the morning.”
    Alex stood, hugged her mother and headed upstairs to follow her advice.

Chapter Two
     
    Harvey sat at his desk and thumbed through a medical magazine. Two appointments had already cancelled. It didn’t matter, though. The one walk-in appointment he was waiting on hadn’t shown up