Never a Bride: A Short Story Read Free

you. Only you. I wanted you to be happy, but you forgot about me.”
    She rubbed the bridge of her nose, the way she always did when she was upset.
    “I don’t expect you to forgive me. I can’t forgive me. I was ashamed to come home, so I stayed in Alaska. I never stopped loving you, Sheena. Not one second.”
    “Well.” She looked at him, her face cleared of all expression. “That is too bad. I don’t love you anymore. I’ve moved on.”
     

Chapter Two
     
     
    The door swung open so hard it bounced off the wall, and Sheena jumped in surprise. “Dinner is on in twenty minutes,” Lisa’s mom announced in a too-bright voice. “We need the kitchen. You two can finish your conversation by the bar. Nice and cozy. Quiet.”
    “I have nothing else to say.” Sheena kept her head held high, walking by Jared without touching him. How dare he apologize? Say that he loved her? Her heart, hardened with anger and accusations, challenged her head to turn over each word he’d said. Had she turned into a bridal terror?
    He’d wanted small, but once you invited one person, things snowballed. That person contacted another person, and next thing she knew, she’d had to rent a larger hall. But it was for love! She only planned on getting married once, so if things were lavish, why not? So what if she’d maxed her credit card on the ruched Vera Wang? She’d looked like a princess in it, not that Jared ever got to see.
    Guilt nibbled at her conscience as she wondered if she’d pushed him away - unintentionally, of course. Yes, she’d skipped a few weekends biking through the mountain trails but she’d made the majority. Maybe he’d gotten tired of talking frosting and cake towers. But damn it, he should have said something instead of waiting until the morning of their wedding.
    Lisa joined her at the bar. “Cranberry spritzer,” she ordered as Sheena selected a pinot grigio. “How’d it go?”
    “I hate him.”
    “Hate is a strong word,” Lisa observed.
    “It’s a strong emotion.” Sheena’s stomach rocked back and forth and she took a small sip of soothing wine. “How dare he accuse me of not listening? Of pushing him away?”
    Lisa put her hand on Sheena’s arm. “He didn’t. I’m sorry, honey, he said he wanted to talk, and I thought maybe he’d apologize. I just don’t want you to hurt anymore. I shouldn’t have told him you were in the kitchen.”
    “He did apologize. And I could see he was hurting.” Sheena’s lower lip quivered and she sucked it in. “He said he loved me. But if he did, why didn’t he reach out to me in some way?” Three months of silence.
    He’d said he was ashamed. She’d felt it, and knew he told the truth. They’d been so close at one point in their relationship that they hadn’t needed words. A touch, a look, a sigh had been enough. And then he’d chickened out. She drained her wine in anger.
    “Maybe he felt awful.” Lisa shrugged, taking the glass and asking the bartender for another. “I can’t imagine what I would do in your situation. I support you, okay? Stay with me and my mom tonight and we’ll make sure you don’t have to talk to him again.”
    Sheena’s skin felt prickly hot, like she’d gotten too much sun. “I can handle it. Like you said earlier, we’ll be around each other a lot. I need to learn to deal with it.”
    How would she breathe if he brought another woman into their circle? She’d seen red watching the waitress throw herself at his feet, the bitch. And Jared, despite her unfair accusations, probably hadn’t even realized it.
    “If it gets too much, I understand if you need to take a break. Duck out for a few minutes. But come back. Thank you, Sheena, for being here with me.”
    “It’s what you do, for love.” Sheena accepted the fresh glass, her cheeks hot with suppressed emotion. “You stick it out.”
    Lisa took a sip of her spritzer and wrinkled her nose. “Seltzer water tickles.”
    “I don’t know how you’re