several times as Holly started her walk up the aisle. And when Pete’s eyes misted over, Dan reached inside his pocket and took out a pristine white handkerchief. When he handed it over, an emotional laugh fluttered across the room, making the vibe suddenly very warm and personal.
He looked to the back of the room and saw Adele standing there, a satisfied smile on her face.
He gave her a brief nod before turning back to the ceremony.
And yet, as the people he cared about said their I dos, as he handed over the wedding band and signed the register, he couldn’t stop a hole from opening in his chest. This should have been them. It would have been them, if it had been his choice. And maybe it was better this way. Maybe she’d known something he didn’t, and they wouldn’t have lasted. Not getting married had to be better than going through with it and divorcing later.
But for the first time in several years, he came face-to-face with the fact that he’d never gotten over her. And now he wasn’t sure if he ever would.
* * *
Relief was the only emotion Adele felt right now.
She had twenty-five whole minutes during the ceremony to sit down at the back of the room, out of sight, and sip her tea, which was miraculously still hot. One of the waitresses for the cocktail hour had noticed her sniffling and had brought her a fresh cup, a very thoughtful gesture and one of the reasons Adele loved having events at the Fiori Cascade. Luca, Mariella and their team did a fabulous job.
But once she got through her mental checklist for the ceremony, making sure nothing needed the smallest tweak, she found her mind wandering to Dan.
His help and concern today had been utterly unexpected, but he had backed off instead of pressing the issue like he had last night. Of course, he’d made it plain he was doing it for Pete, and not for her. Still, he didn’t have to. And then that moment when he’d put his hand on her arm...there’d been something. Something that was impossible to ignore, even though she knew she should.
But again...she’d never stopped caring about him. So maybe she should stop thinking and just give herself a break. It was natural for feelings to crop up, wasn’t it?
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