Meant to Marry Me: Nashville Country Dreams Part 1 novel Chapter 53

Bree was relieved to hear that the pastor had locked her guitar back in the closet in the church where he’d kept it the night before. “Here you go, dear,” he said, unlocking the door and handing it to her. Then, he turned to Trent and said, “I’m sorry things didn’t turn out the way you’d expected, son.”

“Thank you,” Trent said, and Bree could tell he wasn’t sure what else to say. The pastor gave them a sympathetic smile and then waved, and Bree and Trent headed out.

The sounds of people talking and laughing came from the building next door, where the reception was supposed to be held. “What is that?” Bree asked, her stomach tightening. Was Monica in there having the reception without Trent?

“I’m not sure. Let’s go find out,” he said tugging her in that direction.

“But what if it’s Monica?”

“It’s not.”

“How do you know that?”

“I got a text from Hank earlier. She went back to the room, crying, as soon as I left, and he followed her.”

“Seriously? Is he picking her over you--again?”

Trent shrugged. “He thinks he loves her. I’m just glad she’s not alone. She deserved what happened, but I still feel bad about it.”

Bree leaned her head against his arm. One of the reasons she’d always loved him was because he was so tenderhearted. She should’ve realized it would be hard for him to walk away from Monica--even if she did completely deserve it.

Trent opened the door to the banquet hall and immediately started laughing. He held the door and ushered Bree inside, and she walked in to see his family and friends inside, eating the food, drinking the champagne, and having a great time. The band had stayed and was playing, and some people were dancing.

“Hey, there they are!” Christy shouted, bounding across the room, no shoes on, her arms wide open. She flung herself at Trent and Bree and wrapped them both in a hug. She smelled like she’d been drinking for a while, which made Bree wonder if maybe she’d been drinking before the wedding, but she was so happy to see her friend, she just hugged her back.

“So glad you’re here!” Abby said, coming over to hug them as well. “It seemed weird eating all of your food without you here, but then, we couldn’t just let it go bad either, could we?”

“No, I think it’s great that you’re here,” Trent said with a broad smile. “This is not exactly what I’d envisioned, but all of my favorite people are here, and I’m ready to party, too.”