Meant to Marry Me: Nashville Country Dreams Part 1 novel Chapter 38

Trent was already there when Bree arrived at the meeting location. She took her time walking over, not because she was puzzled about what she was going to say but because she was studying him. The sun was almost directly overhead. It picked up the golden highlights in his hair and reflected them like a halo around his head. His skin was more bronze now than it had ever been in all the years she’d known him, probably from so much beach time. His eyes were the color of the sea, and the way he worried his hand against his set jaw, he looked so handsome she could hardly handle looking at him, but she also couldn’t pull away.

How could she lose him forever? He’d never truly been hers, but for all of these years, she’d always assumed, somewhere, in the back of her mind, they’d figure out a way to be together. Now, he was getting married tomorrow to someone who not only didn’t deserve him, she didn’t deserve anyone--unless there was someone in this world as evil and self-absorbed as she was, and that was hard to imagine.

Trent saw Bree coming and raised a hand to her. She tried to smile and wave back, but her emotions were about to choke her up, and she didn’t have the heart to be too friendly. She sat down next to him, her hand merely inches from his, and stared out at the ocean.

It reminded her of a time when they were younger, when they’d gone to the movies with a bunch of friends. That wasn’t the memorable part--they did that all the time--but they had sat next to each other that night. It was a scary movie, and every time a jump scare caused the audience to leap in their seats, her hand inched closer to Trent’s until she was actually holding his hand in hers. There wasn’t necessarily anything romantic about the death grip she had on his fingers, but it was still holding his hand, and she wished she could reach over and take it now.

Eventually, she set those thoughts aside and got on with it. “Thanks for coming to meet me. It must've been hard for you to get away.”

“It wasn’t easy, but it's all right. What’s wrong, Bree? Your tone before was worrisome. Monica said that she didn’t see you at the brunch.”

“I overheard her talking to Hannah and Clarice in the bathroom. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I heard her nevertheless.” She dropped her head and focused on her lap.

“What… was she saying?”

With a deep breath, Bree shrugged and said, “She was making fun of me.” She glanced at him, and his eyebrows were arched as he tried to process what she was saying. “Normally, I wouldn’t care, but she was being particularly ugly about it. I thought, when I took this job, that I was going to be singing for a fan, but Trent… Monica’s not a fan of anyone but herself.”

He held her gaze for a second and then focused on the ocean. “I won’t ask you to repeat what she said. I’m sorry, Bree. She can be like that sometimes.” He swallowed hard. “A lot of times. You don’t deserve that.”

“You don’t deserve that.” Bree emphasized the “you” so he’d get what she was implying. “I don’t understand, Trent. Unless you’ve changed a lot in the last few years, and I don't think you have, what the hell are you doing with her?”

“It’s really hard for me to explain, Bree.”

“Try me. I’ve got time.” She knew she was being demanding when it wasn’t her place to be so. It wasn’t her business.

He ran a hand through his hair and said, “I… wanted someone who wouldn’t remind me of you. And for the most part, she doesn’t. But… she does have her good points. I know you’re having trouble seeing them, but most of the time, it’s easier to see them than it is at the moment.”

“Why did you want someone who didn’t remind you of me?” Her voice was soft and there was hesitancy in her tone.

“Because… by the time I met her, I thought you and I would never be together, and I was tired of thinking about you. So… I went out with her when she asked. I let her call me her boyfriend. And I already explained how we got engaged.”

“All of that because we didn’t connect after… the cabin?” She wanted to say “the kiss” but saying it might be too much. She might lean over and press her lips to his right now, and whether she liked it or not, he was still engaged.

“Not exactly, Bree. I couldn’t tell what was happening between us. All I knew was that I’d been in love with you for as long as I could remember, and it hurt too much to continue to pretend I didn’t love you. So I tried to find someone else I could love, someone who wasn’t into music or sweet natured and kind. Someone who didn’t go out of her way to make sure everyone else in the room was taken care of.”