Through The Grapevine: A BWWM Romance (9 page)

He took a deep breath and hoped beyond hope that he was making the right decision. "Okay." he said quietly. "We'll get married. We'll go forward with the wedding. I haven't called it off yet. You got here just in time."

She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "Oh Colby, you're the best! I love you so much! Thank you!" she kissed his mouth, "Thank you!" she kissed it again. "Thank you!" she kissed him hard then, driving her tongue between his lips and giving him a deeply passionate kiss.

Then she stood back from him and looked at him fully. "I have wedding plans to finish.  I'll see you later! I love you!"

"I love you too." Colby called after her as she bounded away from him, her blonde waves flying. The trouble was, he wasn't fully sure if he still meant it like he used to.

The day of the wedding came, and in the week that proceeded it, his life was a whirl of parties and dinners, showers and guests. He had heard from Tiffany that Shannon would be her maid of honor, and he had hoped to see Shannon amidst all the celebrations, but she was  absent from most of them and somehow, at the few functions where they were both present, she would vanish before he could get to her to talk to her.

He tried to call and she did not answer her phone. He knew then that something had happened when they had spent the night together that may have cost him her friendship, and the realization of that broke his heart.

The flowers were set all over everything, there were rows of white chairs lined up and filled with guests, there was a small orchestra near the end of the aisle and they were playing beautiful classical music to entertain the guests.

Colby had greeted most of their guests and was waiting with his best man at the end of the aisle. He couldn't get over Shannon's not speaking to him. He had thought it over and over and he knew in his heart that somehow he was responsible for it somehow. He wrestled with the agony of it and finally couldn't stand it any longer.

He didn't know when he would see her again after the wedding and he just had to clear things up. He strode down the aisle and into the house amid a flutter of people, slipping into the bridesmaid dressing room they had set up.

He closed the door softly behind him and turned around to see Shannon sitting on a chair before a mirror, fixing her perfect makeup. He began walking toward her and she turned to see him, and that was when he saw the pain and sadness in her eyes.

"Oh no... Shannon..." he said softly as he hurried toward her.

She tried to turn away from him but he pulled her to her feet and wrapped his arms around her.

"Don't cry, please don't cry. The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you. That was never my intention. You must know that." he pressed his cheek against the top of her head and she began to weep quietly.

He kissed her forehead and looked down into her beautiful face, and then he could not stop himself. The need for her blazed through every part of him, burning him as it went. He placed his hands on either side of her face and lifted her mouth to meet his.

At first she tried to turn away, but the moment that his lips touched hers, he could not let go of her. Though she had resisted his soft kisses which turned ardent when he began to kiss her, she fell to her emotions and senses and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tight and losing herself in his passionate kisses. His hands traveled over her burgundy satin bridesmaid dress, caressing her, touching her everywhere, as his kiss grew insistent. She did not push him away.

He groaned with need as he grew hard for her and in that moment, when he heard his own voice in longing, he suddenly let go of her, his eyes wide, his heart pounding.

"I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to... I... was just coming in because you haven't talked to me, you haven't been around me and I miss you so much. I thought that you were hurt or angry. I thought..." he tapered off when he saw the agony on her face.

"I am hurt and angry, but not at you! I'm angry with myself for letting myself get into this mess. I'm angry that I didn't listen to my common sense when it told me that trying to just be friends with you would be more than my heart could take. I'm angry with myself for not being the girl that you love, and for loving you as much as I do, because Colby, I love you with more than all of my heart.

I am always going to love you, but because you love someone else, I am never going to have you for myself, and that's a pain I will have to live with every day. That's why I am hurt and angry." She turned away from him and he stared at her in shock.

How could he have missed it? How could he have not noticed that she was completely in love with him? He could see it right then, as plain as day, and it saturated him with its wonder.

He reached for her, but she pushed his hand away. "Go! Go marry Tiffany. All of your guests are waiting, your family is waiting, your future is waiting. Go on, get out of here and go marry her, and when you see me sometimes, just ignore it if I look away from you, because I'm only trying to hold back all the love I have for you. Give me that courtesy. That's all I ask."

She turned and walked out of the room and he stood there staring after her, dumbfounded by what she had said. His father poked his head in the door a few minutes later.

"We're ready, son." 

Colby walked to the door and his father looked at him appraisingly. "Are you nervous?" he asked, clapping his hand on his son's shoulders.

Colby shook his head. "No. I'm not nervous."

To the contrary, his heart felt like it had exploded and he was reeling with the knowledge that Shannon had exposed all of her feelings to him and was completely in love with him. It had awoken his own feelings for her and with every step he took down the aisle toward the preacher waiting at the end of it, he felt like he was taking a step in the wrong direction.

He turned and stood beside his best man and his heart began to race and pound. His palms began to sweat, and all he could think was that he was about to make the biggest mistake of his life.

The music started and Shannon appeared at the end of the aisle. Her burgundy dress shone richly in the sun and she looked like a vision of beauty gliding toward him. His heart felt like it might beat right out of his chest as he watched her walking ever closer. He could not shake the desire to walk straight to her and kiss her, and tell her... tell her... he realized it then, as the wedding march began and Tiffany began her walk down the aisle toward him.

She was bedecked in white poufs and lace, with a giant arrangement of flowers in her hands, and the biggest grin across her face. She short stepped her way toward him, her father beaming and glowing with pride as he walked with her.

Colby felt as if he was going to throw up. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that he had fallen in love with Shannon, and he had no business whatsoever marrying Tiffany.

Their guests looked on them both with love and adoration, the music floated out over the air, and for all the world that was watching, it seemed the perfect moment at the perfect union of two beautiful people. Except that it wasn't.

Tiffany's father carefully placed her hand into Colby's and together they turned to face the preacher. His heart was racing, blood was rushing in his ears, and he felt like all of them were sitting on a bomb that was about to detonate.

The preacher spoke a bit and then turned to look at the large crowd of guests gathered in observation of the couple.

"If anyone knows why these this man and this woman should not be joined in holy matrimony, let him speak now or forever hold his peace."  pastor said loudly.

The words echoed and rang in Colby's ears. Forever hold his peace. Forever.

He glanced at the crowd and then looked up at the pastor.

"I object." He  stated it flatly.

The pastor looked down and blinked at him. "What was that?" he asked.

Tiffany looked up at him in surprise and gasped. "What?" she breathed.

Colby shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry, Tiffany, I can't marry you. I don't love you."

Tiffany threw her bouquet on the ground. "Well, I object too! I don't love you either! My dad was making me marry you because of all your money. I wanted to be with Ron!"

Shannon glared at her and shouted, "I object because you're a lying, cheating little slut!"

Tiffany's dad stood up out of his chair and yelled out, "I object to all of the objections! I paid for this damn wedding and I expect you two to get married!"

Colby's dad jumped up and pumped his fist in the air, "I object to anyone marrying my son for money! He deserves to be married for love!"

There was a brief moment of silence while everyone ingested the sudden change, and then chaos broke out all over the place. Colby's father and Tiffany's father were hollering and fighting with each other, the preacher was aghast and was asking anyone who would listen to him what was going on, several of the guests began to argue and Shannon stared at them both, as still as a statue.

Colby looked at Tiffany and at first, he was shocked and slightly hurt that she had said she was only marrying him for his money, but then he laughed, because he had stopped their speeding train just in time.

Tiffany bent over and picked up bouquet and whacked Colby with it. "You said you loved me! You lied to me! How could you do that? How could you lie to me?" She whacked him again and narrowed her eyes in anger at him. "What the hell were you marrying me for if you don't love me?" she demanded.

He smiled at her. "I did love you, or at least, I thought I did. I thought I loved you enough to marry you, and I was ready to spend the rest of my life with you, but then something funny happened... you ran off with your lover.  I made a desperate mad dash to go and win you back from him, and along the way, I fell in love with a good friend of mine.

I never saw it coming, and when I fell in love with her, I discovered that what I felt for you was nothing more than puppy love." He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm sorry about it all."

Tiffany's jaw dropped. "You fell in love with someone else while you were coming to get me? Who did you fall in love with?" she asked in irritation.

Colby looked over at Shannon who was staring at him with her mouth slightly open and wide, wide eyes.

"I fell in love with Shannon. I've never known anyone so beautiful, so thoughtful and sweet, so selfless and amazing, and so deeply loving. The best part is that she is a really true friend, too. It's like I got the best of both worlds." He left Tiffany as she shrieked and took a few steps to stand in front of Shannon who was absolutely stunned.

He smiled at her and reached for her hands. "I love you, Shannon. I was speeding down the wrong road and you saved me. You were there for me when I needed someone most and you gave more of yourself to me than any woman ever has. I love you and I want to be with you, always. Longer than always. Will you give me that, please?" he asked, bringing her hands to his lips, closing his eyes and kissing her fingers softly.

She gasped and he looked at her again. "Will you marry me?" he asked, falling to one knee as his bride stood and stared at them in horror.

Colby's dad and Tiffany's dad were still arguing and shouting insults to each other. Tiffany was on her cell phone calling Ron, and Shannon stood there with Colby at her feet, looking up at her with his heart in his hands.

She could not believe what had just happened. It was unthinkable to her and try as she might, there was no way for her to wrap her head around it, but luckily for her, her heart wrapped itself around the moment and held on tight.

She pulled Colby to his feet and reached her arms around his neck, as if in a surreal dream, and she stood up on her tiptoes, leaned her face up to his, closed her eyes and kissed him.

He was still a moment and then he kissed her in return, softly, sweetly, drinking her in and losing himself in her and in the moment.