Meant to Marry Me: Nashville Country Dreams Part 1 novel Chapter 23

Bree looked crestfallen, her eyes downcast, lost and out of place. Trent hated that he was the one who’d made her look that way. She was even more beautiful now than she had been the last time he’d seen her, that day at the convenience store when he’d insisted on stopping, despite his then-girlfriend’s objections. He’d seen Bree’s car, knew she was in town for Christy’s party, and wanted to see her even though he knew it wasn’t in his best interest.

He hadn’t regretted seeing her, only that she didn’t want to see him at the moment. Over the years, he’d come to realize he’d messed up. He should’ve tried harder to get ahold of her back in college, after he’d kissed her. He hadn’t gone far enough to try to track her down, and by the time he was face-to-face with her again, it was clear she hated him.

But then he’d heard that song and had to wonder if she’d written it for him. While it was entirely possible he had nothing to do with it, ever since he’d seen her singing it on a YouTube video, he couldn’t get her out of his mind.

It wasn’t fair that she was here and didn’t know what she was walking into, though. He wished there was something he could do to make her feel more comfortable. Lilly was so busy trying to get everything ready for the wedding, she wouldn’t have a lot of time to spend with Bree. Hank would go out of his way to spend time with her, Trent was sure, but other than that, she would likely feel like an outsider. He knew she wasn’t necessarily planning on going to all of the events Monica had scheduled for the week anyway, but now that she knew what she’d walked into, he’d be surprised if he saw her again before the wedding.

And he wanted to see her before the wedding. Even though it was stupid and made things more complicated. Not seeing Bree meant he didn’t have to face the fact that he still had feelings for her. Ignoring her altogether meant he’d be better able to focus on the woman he was marrying, the woman he loved.

He did love Monica, didn’t he?

“Are you okay, sweetie pooh?” she purred next to him.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He smiled at her, and she kissed his cheek. Monica was always overly affectionate in public. Other places, it was often a different story, and he’d gotten the impression more than once that her reason for being with him wasn’t all that it should be.

But she wanted to marry him. In fact, she’d arranged for him to propose. The whole situation was so odd. He was here, though, about to marry Monica, which meant he needed to find a way to pull his eyes away from Bree. It wasn’t as if she’d ever forgive him for what had happened anyway. That face she was making had to have more to do with her being caught off guard than upset that he was getting married. He’d have to find a way to keep her from feeling out of place--without causing Monica any distress. It was a sticky situation, one he’d gotten himself into, and he’d have to find a way to get out of it. One way or another.