49
ALLIE
The Wedding Day, 9:45 P.M.
When Allie’s text beeped, it was Emma saying she’d be there in three minutes.
“Dutch, you have to go. Emma’s going to be here any second.”
When he had offered to see her back to her room, she gladly accepted. She knew there wouldn’t be time for sex, but she wanted him there. Of course, once they got into her room, their clothes came off in a rush for a quickie. They’d both needed a release.
She quickly tossed on her long silk nightgown to Dutch’s delight.
“You expect me to leave you now?” he said and drew her in closer as he sat under her sheets.
She’d forgotten that she wasn’t actually going to bed. To bed, with this beautiful man. “Bad idea. I can’t walk through the hallway in this,” she said as she pulled it off over her head.
His blue eyes took in her nakedness as she tugged on yoga pants and a T-shirt to his dismay. She ran a brush through her hair quickly and found her sneakers.
“I have to go meet the guys in the bar,” he said, standing, and it was her turn to take in his body.
It was like looking at a carved marble statue from Italy—she knew he’d been raised on sports and discipline and karate, and he volunteered as a big brother and played hoops with the guys, but he was sculpted more than she’d even realized the night before. She saw every muscle as he bent over to pull on his boxers and pants, and as he buttoned his shirt, she envisioned ripping it open and kissing his chest.
“Hey. What are you doing tomorrow night?” His head whipped up, leaving a wayward platinum curl near his icy blue eye. “When we land? Did you want to grab a drink?”
Yes.
“I can’t,” she said solemnly. “I’m having Ahmed take me straight to Connecticut to see my father. He’s not doing so well.”
“Oh. Shit. I’m sorry, Allie.”
She shrugged, even though the thought of losing him killed her inside. It wasn’t that Dutch didn’t know, or even that she wouldn’t confide in him—she just didn’t want to, yet. There was a line—relationship on one side, caring for her father on the other. Allie didn’t think they could coexist.
“I’ve been preparing for the last few months, but his nurse Val called today and—” her voice cracked, and she stopped talking.
Dutch approached her, his arms open, and she fell into them. They didn’t say anything else. In fact, they lost track of time, and before they knew it there was a knock on the door.
“Shit. It’s Emma. I have to go,” she said, and held her finger to her lips. “You can let yourself out. I’ll see you tomorrow morning. I don’t even know if the brunch is still happening, but I assume we’d all go together anyway. I’ll text you once I know more.”
He nodded. She didn’t kiss him again but reapplied her lip gloss before she slipped out the door.
“Hey,” she said to Emma and jiggled the handle behind her to make sure it was locked.
Emma was clean and fresh and ironed and dewy, yet she looked downright defeated. Allie was sure she’d had it out with Ethan again. What a terrible weekend it had turned into. Allie never thought she’d be rooting for Emma and Ethan to make it, but she wouldn’t let Trevor win. Even though he’d already lost.
Although curious, she never asked Emma what she was hiding—what secrets Trevor had on her. If Emma wanted to tell her, she would. It was hard to picture her having any sort of sordid past—she was practically a nun. Then again, looks were deceiving. Allie wouldn’t voluntarily offer up her side hustle, even if she did see it fading into a past life, puddling with the rest of the terrible things she’d done. All she wanted was to move forward. Possibly with Dutch. If that was what he wanted.
“Everything okay?” Allie asked instead.
Emma smiled and nodded. “I just want to go home.”
“Me too.”
“Anything else from Val?”
“No. I talked to my dad earlier though. I’m going out there tomorrow night, as soon as we get in.”
“That’s a good idea.” Emma paused and drew in a deep breath. “You know if you ever need anything—”
“I know. Thanks.”
When they knocked on Fiona’s door, her mother answered. She had also changed out of her wedding attire and into a long nightshirt, a pink one with “Live, Laugh, Love” on the front. It was likely Fiona’s. Allie wondered how she felt about the saying now.
“Hi girls. Come in,” she whispered as she moved aside. “Try to be quiet. She’s sleeping. I gave her a Xanax. I didn’t know what else to do.” She craned her neck over to the hallway where the bedroom was located, and the door was shut. “I canceled my flight home. I’m going to stay here until we settle this. Then—then I think she might come home. She has no place being down here in Miami. She never did.”
“We didn’t think so either,” Emma said.
Allie had to remember that it was business as usual. However, she didn’t need to sit with Fiona’s mother all night when there was something else she’d rather be doing. She raised her arms over her head in a yoga stretch and yawned.
“What a day. Since Fiona is passed out, I think I’m going to do the same in my own bed. Should we assume the brunch is canceled?”
Susan looked at her watch. “That’s okay. My nieces are coming here soon, once they put the younger kids to bed with some of the older cousins watching them. My brother-in-law might come back in a bit too. And brunch is already paid for, so you might as well eat something before you get on the plane.”
“Thanks Mrs. Hawthorne,” Allie said as she stood, then looked at Emma. “I bet Ethan is waiting for you.”
“Yeah. I should get going too,” she said.
“Thanks girls.” Susan gave both of them a hug and ushered them to the door. “Try to get some sleep.” The heavy door snapped closed behind them.
In the hallway, Allie exhaled. “Thank God,” she whispered. “I just want to go back to my room.”
“Yeah. Me too,” Emma said, and pulled out her phone, presumably texting Ethan. They walked in silence to the elevator when Emma’s phone pinged. “Ethan said they’re all wiped out too. They’re finishing their drinks and then going to bed.”
Allie certainly hoped so. She quickly texted Dutch that she was going back to her room, and he was welcome to join. She just wanted to wake up, with or without Dutch, and have it be the day that they all went home.