Between The Vows

Chapter Twenty-Two

I was going as a guest to Chloe's wedding, she wouldn't have it any other way. We had become pretty good friends and she agreed to let me orchestrate the ceremonial stuff, but she was adamant that when I got to the reception, I was to relax and enjoy myself. She assured me that everything would take care of itself at the reception and that everything was set in place. The thought of her reassuring me about that gave me a little chuckle. But her gesture was sweet, and I tried to follow her orders, though I was determined to keep an eagle eye on things so that everything out go off without a hitch.

Normally when I am just working the wedding, I wear an understated, easy dress and ballerina flats and have my hair up somehow because it gets warm running around. Today, though, I decided to treat myself to a new dress. I didn't have a lot of dressy dresses because I was usually working weddings, not attending them. Quinn had hooked me up with a super sharp dress, it had just come in and she said it was "perfect" for me. It was a silk-wrap style dress, with spaghetti straps and a draped neckline, that fell several inches above my knee. The first thing I thought of when I tried it on was how much Liam would have loved it. My legs, so I am told, are one of my strongest suits, as they are quite long. So, I decided to play them up a little with a gorgeous pair of strappy nude heels. And the only piece of jewelry that I wore, other than the bracelet from Liam, was a delicate white gold necklace with a large round alexandrite stone. I loved the bare shoulders because I thought it really showed off my new hairdo, and I styled it with a relaxed curl.

When I walked into the reception, I had sort of a hopeful and dreadful feeling at the same time. Hoping that somehow Liam might show up and dreading the idea of having to see him if he did. I got a glass of champagne and mingled with some of the guests and tried to relax. Dinner was fabulous, and everything was served on time, that was a relief. After all the speeches and toasts were finished, Chloe and Jack took the dance floor and danced their first dance as husband and wife. Chloe just glowed, but of course I always seemed to think that about the brides. The bridal party had joined in and eventually other couples were making their way to the dance floor as well. I sat and talked to a few people that were seated at my table but found myself either looking at my watch or looking at the doorway. I didn't know why I kept looking over their necessarily, it was perfectly obvious that Liam hadn't come, I guess the hope that he might show up was stronger than I had even realized.

I had only had one phone conversation with him since he left, and that was when he called me on my birthday. It was a bittersweet conversation, because it was so great to hear his voice, but it was painful because of the strained nature of the conversation. He still hadn't committed to the big case that the firm wanted him to take. I found that a bit strange, as they were hard on his heels for weeks before he even left Bridgeport.

He also called me one night when it was very late, but I let it go to voicemail. His voicemail said the same things his text messages always said: "I miss you, Nora. I need to talk to you." And my reply was always the same, as hard as it was, I either ignored the text or I texted back, "Miss you too, don't think it's the best idea right now. Xo." But, Liam had called again last week, and I let it go to voicemail, so he followed up with a text: "Would you like to go to Jack and Chloe's wedding with me?" My heart skipped a beat when I read those words and the biggest part of me wanted to reply with an astounding, YES! But, in the end, I couldn't. I said that I would be working most of the wedding and didn't know how long I would be staying and left it at that. I wanted to ask him when he was coming in, where he was staying, and so on, but didn't because, well, it was just too painful to know those details and not be able to act on them.

I knew that I would never have been able to endure the heartbreak of saying goodbye to him all over again. I was resigned that he needed to try and detach from me so that he could make sense of his own life and figure out what he wanted to do with it. And, for myself, I knew that I wanted what I had over the summer; the easy friendship, the passion filled nights, and that rock that I could always count on. A part time relationship with Liam, with him either in Raleigh or San Francisco, didn't add up to what I now knew I wanted in my life. I may never find another Liam Eastwood, but I knew what was possible now, and I wasn't lowering my standards for anybody; it would be impossible to do so. Chloe had told me a few days ago after our texts that Liam wasn't sure if he was going to be able to make it, she just said that he might have a conflict. I couldn't blame him, really.