The Alternate Journey

Chapter 26

Stepping back into Bishop's London home was surreal. The last time she had been there, she had been coming apart in his arms, on his couch, in his spare room. She had been so much of a mess, she wasn't sure she could remember it all clearly now. Bishop followed in behind her, shutting the door and setting their bags aside and then he watched her. He watched her eyes flit towards the room she had stayed in, watched as her smile wavered.

"Well with any luck..." His voice was low as he stepped up behind her. "You won't be staying in that room on this trip."

Maddie turned laughter to him as she moved to kiss him. "No luck needed. I absolutely will not be staying in that room on this trip."

"You doing okay?" His arms moved around her, holding her close. He knew this must be odd for her, to be back—in London, in his home. It was weird enough for him to be there with her, after all this time and all that had happened. So he could only assume it was odd for her.

"I am," she nodded, her hands running up and down his back as she hugged him. "I mean, I think we'll need to purge this place of any bad memories..." She sent a crooked smile up to him. "But I'm up for it if you are." Her hands slid to smack his ass and he laughed.

"I am absolutely up for it," he tugged her tighter and bent his lips over hers.

As they moved into the house, into the evening, Bishop made dinner and every effort to clear her mind. And he succeeded. By the time she fell asleep in his arms, in his bed, Maddie was at peace and at ease and could barely remember the cause for the anxiety in the first place.

Until the next morning.

From the second she woke up, it all came rushing back to her; that flutter in her stomach that she had been fighting to tame. Even as he pulled her into the shower with him, even as they dressed—their playful banter there in spades—she tried to tamper down the nervousness. But it was nearly impossible. There was simply too much that was going to happen that day.

This would be the first time she had seen Harry since the night they ended nearly two years ago; the first time he and Bishop would be in the same space since they ended nearly a month before. This would be the first time she had seen Will and Kate and she didn't quite know exactly how to navigate it all. So she was nervous.

But Bishop was not—at least he didn't appear to be. Even as they readied to leave the house and step into the awaiting car outside he remained his normal, bright, wonderful self. He held her coat out for her as she slipped into the warm arms and turned to smile up at him.

"God you're beautiful," he met her eyes with such sweetness, such steadiness, that her nerves eased a bit and she relaxed there in front of him.

"Thank you," she smiled, tucking her hand into his arm. "You're not so bad yourself."

"I try," he winked and reached for the door. "How are you doing?" They were making their way down the walkway and he knew this was going to be at the very least an awkward day.

"Well," she took a deep breath and shrugged. "We're about to find out."

"Hmmm..." He smiled, stopping and standing aside as the driver opened the door for her. He caught her hand and held her there with him. "Thank you for coming with me. Really, Madeline. It means a lot."

"Hey..." She stepped back to him, back to his arms and into his space. "I'm happy to be going with you Bishop. Happy and incredibly proud."

"Ha..." His chuckle was muffled as he pressed his lips together; his eyes dancing. "You really know how to test me, you know that?"

"Sorry?" She smiled, her eyes searching his face.

"My self-control," his voice dropped low as they neared the others. "I desperately want to kiss you right now."

"Ah..." She grinned wider. "Just the reaction I was going for."

"I thought so," he nodded with another laugh and leaned into her; pressing lips to lips, pulling body to body. After a few soft, slow passes of his mouth over hers, he stepped back. "We should go."

"We should," Maddie nodded and with one last kiss to his cheek, she released her hold on him and stepped into the waiting car. Nerves or not, it was time to go.

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The second their car turned down the street to the church, Maddie felt her breath suck in and her hands reached across the backseat to him. Without judgment, he understood. He pulled her fingers into his and smiled over to her. His eyes scanned the block; noting security and valets for the day, seeking and finding the bank of paparazzi who turned up for anything that was guaranteed to produce a well-groomed picture of Harry.

He squeezed Maddie's hand in his, knowing that the second they stepped from the car and just one of those hunters with cameras figured it out, there would be photos snapped. Their car rolled to a stop and his door was pulled open. With a kiss to her hand and wink to bring her smile, Bishop stepped out and stood aside; offering his hand. She took it and stepped out with him; head high and smile wide. With her arm tucked through his, they began up the walk to the church and both of them could hear the audible gasp that moved through the watchers as they were figured out. Both of them could hear the snap of the cameras.

Without missing a beat, Maddie smiled up at him. And without pausing for a second, Bishop smiled back down at her. Their eyes met in understanding and a shared strength and her fingers tightened on his arm.

"Home-wrecker," she mumbled under her breath; stepping closer to his body.

"Title chaser," he mumbled back, falling more in love with her with every step they took. All of the bullshit, all of the speculation, all of the awkwardness that they were about to step into and she still had a sense of humor. He couldn't love her more if he tried.

As they rounded the final bend of the path, they drew further away from the public, from the paparazzi—but closer to where all of the tension truly lied. Bishop felt her pull closer as they both saw what waited for them at the top of the small hill; a group gathered waiting to enter the church full of faces they both knew.

"You going to be okay?" He asked.

"You'll stay with me?" She countered.

"Oh Madeline," he chuckled. "You couldn't lose me if you tried."

"Good to know," she smiled and sucked in a breath and stood tall as they came to a stop. His eyes shifted away from her; taking in his group of friends as they stepped up to them.

Kiki was the first to step forward; a genuine smile on her lips, affection in her eyes. "Bishop!" She moved to kiss his cheek, hugging him to her briefly before pulling back and turning to Maddie. "Maddie..." Even Kiki was surprised at the emotion that bubbled when she saw her. "It's really wonderful to see you again."

"Thank you," Maddie smiled wide as Kiki leaned in to hug her, to kiss her, to bring her into this awkward situation with the most support she could possibly offer. And just as Kiki stepped away, Sean stepped up and Maddie thought that she maybe just might cry; watching Bishop's friends line up to support him too. She knew it couldn't be easy for them, she knew it had to be all kinds of awkward, but there they were—being his friends too. Somewhere between hugging Leo and meeting his wife, Maddie caught the look on Bishop's face and her whole stomach bubbled.

He looked so proud to be there with her, to have her on his arm.

Just as she was getting ready to ask Leo how business had been going, how married life was, she noticed a shift in the group; something in their eyes changed and she could sense that something had altered. She glanced to Bishop who was looking just over her shoulder with a steady gaze but a flicker in his eyes that told her, something was off. He reached out to her then, his hand holding her arm as his eyes locked with hers. "Listen love," he leaned in to whisper to her. "Cassandra Whitworth is heading up that hill," he watched as she blinked and waited. "I can introduce you or I can get you the hell out of here. Tell me what you want and I'll do it."

Maddie smiled wider as she took a deep breath and her fingers moved over where his laid on her arm. A slight shrug, a light laugh as she patted his hand. "I think maybe you introduce me?"

"You got it," it nodded and leaned closer; his arm moving around her, his hand resting on her back. "You're amazing. Brilliant. Stunning." With every step that the young blonde girlfriend of a Prince took towards the group, Bishop was right there in her ear with assurances and love. Maddie raised her eyebrows to him, amused at the way he stood with her, the way he looked at her.

And then, with a breath, she turned her attention to Cassandra Whitworth as she approached them. This was standard for Harry; showing up separately than his date, sending her in with his friends instead. Maddie smiled as she remembered the times Bishop had been the one escorting her to events where she would later meet up with Harry. She chuckled to herself as she thought of the irony—of Bishop now escorting her to events on his own accord. And she wondered who it was who was doing that for Harry, now that Bishop was gone.

Maddie shouldn't have been surprised to see the young woman there. She really should have thought about it but in all honesty, she had spent so much time thinking about encountering Harry's friends and family and even Harry himself that she hadn't thought about this moment. And from the looks of things, Cassandra hadn't either. As she flashed a bright smile to the group of friends, her eyes scanned the group and anyone who was watching would have been able to see the very second she saw Maddie. Her steps paused on the path and her eyes flashed wide, her smile frozen in place. For a moment Maddie felt sorry for the young girl; she looked completely startled. And Maddie rightly assumed that it must be a hell of a shock to go to a wedding, intent on meeting up with your boyfriend's friends and running into his ex.

And just as things neared completely awkward, one of Maddie's questions were answered and Leo stepped forward. "Cassandra," his voice called her attention to him and she rebounded from her hiccup; quickly and with grace and Maddie couldn't help but think that that particular skill would be helpful in her future role next to Harry. And once again, her feet were moving towards the group.

"Sorry," her voice was breathy, clearly shaken by the surprise, and though she tried to avoid starring at Maddie, her eyes darted around in a way that spoke of nervousness and uncertainty. And Maddie felt a little bad for her as she moved into the circle and passed a smile around.

Bishop's arm tightened around her waist and he leaned to place a quick, chaste kiss just below her ear; whispering as he pulled away. "I'm so in love with you it makes my head spin..." And before she could reply, before she even had time for the blush to hit her cheeks, he turned to the group and released her; his voice speaking up as he moved to the newest member. "Cassandra."

"Bishop," she turned her sweet smile to him but everyone could see that the look in her eyes didn't necessarily match. Maddie guessed that she knew at least some of the story, at least some of the fight that had taken place. But she kept it together as she greeted him; hands on his arms, kisses to cheeks. "How have you been?"

"Incredibly well," he smiled in return before he shifted the conversation, shifted his attention; his charm flowing off his back as he tackled what had to be one of the more awkward moments in this group. "Listen. I know this is a little strange, but true to form, I'm just going to address it straight on and move past it, okay?"

"Okay..." She seemed weary and a little unsure but she allowed him to continue, allowed him to steer her.

"Okay," he was soft and gentle with her. "In that spirit, I wanted to introduce you to Maddie; Madeline Forrester," the way he beamed as he said her name was lost on no one.

Taking her cue, Maddie took a deep breath and extended her hand. "Hi. I'm Maddie. I'm Bishop's girlfriend." And damn if Bishop's grin didn't deepen when she spoke that with pride.

"Yes," Cassandra nodded, her breath sucking into her lungs; her eyes wild with uncertainty. "Yes, I know." She met Maddie's eyes for just a moment and then she pulled it together. "Sorry. I'm Cassandra Whitworth. I'm..."

"Harry's girlfriend?" Maddie supplied for her without issue; without pause.

"Yes." Cassandra's voice was just above a whisper and Maddie knew this was hard for her, she knew she was uncomfortable—though she didn't know why. If there was anyone who should feel out of place it should have been Maddie. But for some reason, it appeared that it was Cassandra who felt that way.

"Yes," Maddie nodded and let loose of her hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"You too," Cassandra offered in the casual way that one did.

"Good," Bishop smiled, his arm returning to Maddie, his eyes looking her over with love. "Now that we have that awkwardness out of the way..." He pulled her to his side. "Shall we head in? Find our seats?"

"Yes," Maddie turned a full smile to him. "It's good to see you all again," she smiled to the group who seemed to be breathing just a little easier.

"We'll see you at the reception?" Kiki asked, wanting to make sure they wouldn't cut out before she had a chance to catch up properly.

"Of course," Maddie nodded, eyes sweet to Kiki; thanking her for her kindness.

"You ready love?" Bishop nodded his head to the church and with a nod from Maddie, he lead her in that direction. Though the group of friends followed them in, he purposefully went for a different spot, another side, a separate pew. Tucking into a quiet corner of the small, intimate church, he let out a breath and pulled her hand to his lips. They sat in silence for minutes; taking in the moment, taking in their surroundings. They let it all settle; the people around them, the fact that they were together at a wedding and hours away from her departure time. They let it all sit and they held onto each other.

"Thank you," Maddie whispered to him as the music began to play softly.

"For what?" He whispered back, keeping her hand in his even as the attention turned to the aisle.

"For being so incredibly...you." Her voice choked on the emotion that came up instinctually and her fingers wrapped around his.

The music in the church grew in volume and she shifted in her seat, turning inwards and she felt two things as the wedding began.

Bishop's lips landing a kiss to the back of her bared neck.

And Harry's eyes from the front of the church; searching and finding. And growing cold.