Hitched (Promise Harbor Wedding) - By Erin Nicholas Page 0,4

on the head. Like a puppy. “Sometimes it’s just easier to let someone else do it. I don’t mind.”

The dresses were god-awful. Allie had overheard Greta, Josh’s sister, refer to them as Gone With The Wind dresses, and she couldn’t disagree. Scarlett would have swooned at the sight of them, for sure. But Allie had been simply unable to look at another one after the fortieth. None were right. None felt good.

The song switched to another sappy love song, and Allie felt her eyes welling again. She really loved this song. She couldn’t remember what it was called, but she loved it.

Humming and swaying with her eyes closed again, Allie thought about the man she loved. She was going to walk down the aisle tomorrow and the man at the end of the aisle was strong and charming, intelligent, wonderful. He had dark hair, brown eyes. He also had a smile that made her heart melt and when he ran his hands down her back and grabbed her ass she…

Her eyes flew open. Dammit. She really had been thinking about Josh. Or trying. But her thoughts slipped so easily to Gavin.

Crap.

She looked around, spotted Crystal and stumbled toward her friend. “I need another drink.”

Crystal grinned. “Okay, let’s do a blow job.”

Allie started to clarify, but Crystal grabbed her hand and towed her to the bar. A moment later, a shot glass filled with a creamy brown mixture and topped with whipped cream appeared magically before her.

Whipped cream was a good sign.

Allie shot the drink back, sighing happily as the sweet liquid went down.

“You like a good blow job once in a while?” Matt asked with a wink.

“Of course,” she said, winking back. Or at least she thought she winked. She might have blinked at him instead. She giggled and Matt laughed.

“Josh is a lucky guy,” he said.

Yeah, Allie thought. Josh was a lucky guy. She was quite a catch.

She stumbled as she turned and started back for the dance floor.

“Whoa, babe.” Crystal caught her by both elbows. “You okay?”

“I’m great!” Allie announced. She was sure her words sounded slurred only because it was so loud in here. “I’m getting married tomorrow!”

Crystal laughed. “I heard that somewhere.”

“And he’s the best,” Allie insisted. She pivoted and grabbed a beer from the waitress as she passed.

“He is, definitely,” Crystal agreed.

Allie drank, then shuddered, then spread her arms wide. “Gavin is the only man I’ll ever want.”

Crystal froze, her eyes widening. She was still holding on to to one of Allie’s arms, which was fortunate because Allie felt a little off-balance.

“Al?” Crystal said, getting closer so she could lower her voice. “What did you just say?”

Allie frowned at her. “I said Josh is the best.”

“And then you said Gavin is the only man you’ll ever want.”

Allie shook her head. “No. That’s not funny.”

Crystal squeezed her arm. “I know. It’s really not funny. What are you talking about?”

Dammit. She should have never pulled that letter out last night. Allie closed her eyes and groaned. She’d been so pissed at him, so hurt. Her mom had died, it was absolutely the blackest time of her life and Gavin hadn’t even called. He certainly hadn’t showed up. He hadn’t done a damned thing.

Then two weeks after the funeral she got a letter. Handwritten. Seeing his writing again had made her almost crack. She’d been holding everything together just fine. She hadn’t cried, she hadn’t broken down, she hadn’t thrown anything, she hadn’t told anyone to just leave her the fuck alone and quit asking if she was all right. She’d been composed and calm, she’d gotten everything taken care of, she’d gotten everyone taken care of.

She’d been fine. Until that letter came.

She’d almost lost it.

Instead, she’d read it once, folded it up and stuck it in her bedside table under some old CDs and a box of stationary. Then she’d forgotten about it.

Except that wasn’t true. She’d pulled it out three times. She’d put it back without reading it twice. But last night she hadn’t been able to resist. She’d read it. Four times.

And now he was so on her mind that she was screwing everything up. Of course.

“I didn’t mean it,” she told Crystal, shaking her head.

Allie immediately regretted that. Her head swam and she grabbed Crystal to keep from tipping over. She should have worn flats tonight instead of the high-heeled boots.

“Allie, you just…you can’t be thinking about him,” Crystal said. “What about Josh?”

“It’s normal for people to think about their exes,” Allie told her,