Meant to Marry Me: Nashville Country Dreams Part 1 novel Chapter 21

A horrible ache started in the pit of her stomach and rapidly spiraled through her inner organs out through her extremities until Bree’s entire body seemed to be on fire from the inside out. “Wait--what?” Maybe she hadn’t heard Trent correctly. Maybe this was all a joke. Hank was known for being a prankster. “Excuse me?”

The fact that Trent’s blue eyes were focused on his shoes let her know she had heard him correctly, though. This wasn’t an awful dream. This was reality. He was marrying Monica Edge. “It’s me, Bree. I’m the groom.”

“You’re marrying Monica?” The words fell out of her mouth like rocks plopping into a lake and sinking directly to the bottom, the weight of them just as heavy and un-buoyant.

“I am. She’s… my fiancée.”

“Oh.” She ran a hand through her hair, and he could see the pain in her face. He wished he could take it back. He’d just assumed she knew, that Lilly or someone had told her. But, he shouldn’t have assumed anything. He should’ve called her himself and made sure she knew. “Wow.”

“I’m sorry, Bree. I should’ve made sure you knew.”

“No, no, don’t be silly. It’s fine. I mean… it’s a small world, that’s for sure. I didn’t even know you knew Lilly.”

“I knew Monica first. I knew her before Lilly transferred. When I broke up with Heather, Monica asked me out. We’ve been dating for a while. I guess… you and Lilly are close, right? I figured she had to have mentioned me.”

“She didn’t. But then… I never mentioned you to her. Not by name, anyway. Not specifically. Probably in passing. She probably didn’t realize that you were you. That the Trent I knew in high school was the same one that her sister was dating.”

He stepped back, and she looked into his eyes for one more moment, wondering where they’d gone wrong and reminding herself it didn’t matter now. It was too late. He belonged to someone else, and she’d just have to learn to let him go for good.

“You want to come inside, and I’ll introduce you to everyone? I know Lilly is excited to see you.”

“Sure,” Bree said, planting a fake smile on her face. “I’d love to.”

She followed him to the door, still taking deep breaths and trying to calm herself down. Soon, she’d come face to face with the woman who’d manage to do the thing she’d been praying to do for years--to make Trent her own. How would Bree look Monica in the eye and congratulate her for making Trent her fiancé when he was the one person in the world Bree could envision herself being with? It might just be the most difficult thing she’d ever do in her entire life--maybe impossible.