The Wedding Date

What If I Can't?

"Dianne!"

"Jesus Christ, what did you do?"

"Dot, come back!"

Dianne ignored the shouts from her friends and family and instead focused on putting one foot in front of the other as she stumbled through the wedding reception with her head down, eyes watering. She felt trapped...trapped at the wedding, trapped with her family, and trapped in her own thoughts.

Will cheated on me.

It was her worst fear come true. She hadn't been good enough. He'd found someone better. If she couldn't be enough for Will, how the hell would she be good enough for anyone else...good enough for Joe?

Joe.

Joe had known. She wasn't sure how long he'd known, but his guilty expression when she'd looked up at him, gave away more than he realized. He'd known, and he hadn't told her. She wasn't sure why that hurt the worst out of all the betrayals she'd suffered, but somehow it did.

Elbowing her way out of the crowd, she grabbed a full bottle of wine sitting on the edge of the bar and stalked toward the rows of grape vines in the surrounding vineyard. She was pretty sure the wedding guests were not allowed back here, but she was too distraught to think straight. The straight buzz to her head after taking three large gulps of red wine didn't help.

"Dianne!" a faint voice behind her made her narrow her eyes as she continued to walk straight into the vineyard, ignoring the way the vines nipped at her dress. She didn't want to talk to anyone right now.

"Dianne, wait...please," the voice got louder and she couldn't help but freeze in place, the British accent now clearer the further she got away from the party. Joe's footsteps grew in volume as he jogged toward her.

Feeling an inexplainable sense of rage, she whirled around, bottle waving frantically in the air as she nearly growled out, "What?!"

Joe froze, a few strides away, the tone of her voice clearly taking him by surprise.

"What do you want, Joe?" Dianne rasped out, her throat suddenly feeling tight with emotion. "I...I don't know what you want me to say right now."

"You don't have to say anything," he murmured after a beat, taking a hesitant step closer. "You just have to listen."

"I don't want to," she shot back stubbornly, taking another swig of the wine.

Ignoring the way his lips twitched up at her childish tone, she averted her gaze down at the ground. He couldn't charm his way out of this situation, just like he'd charmed his way into her life. Into her family. Into her heart.

"I just found out last night," Joe spoke again, his voice quiet but full of intensity. "I promise you, I was going to tell you."

Dianne pursed her lips, his explanation not good enough for her.

"You had plenty of chances," she replied coldly, thinking about how she'd kissed him goodbye on the beach the night before. And this morning.

"I know," Joe sighed, running a hand through his now unruly hair. "I didn't want to ruin Penny and Leo's wedding--"

Dianne let out a loud, bitter laugh. The wine clearly catching up with her, and Penny and Leo weren't on her list of favorite people at the moment.

"I heard them talking in the bathroom at the beach," Joe continued, "It's been eating them up inside--"

Dianne interjected swiftly, "Eating THEM up inside?"

Joe quickly closed his mouth, wincing.

"I'm sure they were really suffering the last two years," Dianne barreled on, "Really torn up about Penny's cousin being cheated on by Leo's best friend. So upset, they couldn't even manage to tell me. Yeah, I'm sure it's been eating them up inside, Joe."