Island Love Songs: Seven Nights in Paradise / The Wedding Dance / Orchids and Bliss. Kayla Perrin

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      Richelle had been dabbing at her eyes during Roy’s thank-you speech to the wedding party, and now she pushed her chair back, uttered an “Excuse me” and headed in the direction of the restrooms.

      Melanie quickly got up from her own chair and followed her friend. By the time Richelle was shouldering the restroom door open, she was crying.

      “Hey,” Melanie said as she stepped into the bathroom behind her. “What is it, hon?”

      Richelle lifted a thick paper towel from a basket on the sink. She wiped at her eyes before speaking. “I just... Is this really happening? Am I really getting married?”

      Melanie walked toward her. “Yes, this is really happening. You’re marrying the man of your dreams. Don’t you worry about a thing, okay?”

      “I’m not making a mistake, am I?” Richelle asked.

      “A mistake?” Melanie gaped at her. Then she placed her hands on her shoulders. “No, honey. Of course you’re not making a mistake. Not at all. You and I both know that Roy is the one.”

      Richelle sniffled. “Everything happened so easily. I can’t help thinking that the other shoe is going to drop...and that I’m going to be devastated.”

      “No, no, no, no.” Melanie shook her head. “Don’t you go thinking like that. If there’s one thing I’m absolutely sure of, it’s that that man loves you. He’d do anything for you. Don’t start doubting your love.”

      Richelle blew her nose, then said, “But you did. You doubted Lawrence’s love for you.”

      Melanie exhaled sharply. “I know. And perhaps that doesn’t make me the best person to give you this pep talk now. But from the outside looking in, I can tell that Roy is the real deal.”

      “I told you the same thing about Lawrence,” Richelle said. “But you didn’t listen to me.”

      Melanie’s stomach twisted as she remembered how Richelle had tried to convince her to go through with her wedding, but she hadn’t been swayed. There had been a huge part of her that regretted not listening to her dear friend.

      “And now Lawrence is here, and I don’t know. Is it a good sign? A bad sign? Your wedding didn’t happen, and now the guy you were supposed to marry is here in Fiji. Maybe Roy’s going to stand me up and my marriage won’t happen, either.”

      As Richelle began to cry now, Melanie pulled her into an embrace. “Are you kidding me? Roy stand you up? There is zero chance of that happening. Lawrence being here isn’t a good sign or a bad sign where your wedding is concerned.” Melanie paused. “You said something about fate...and maybe you’re right.”

      Richelle eased back to look at Melanie, her eyes wide. “You really think so?”

      Again, Melanie felt her stomach tightening. She had run from Lawrence months ago, but seeing him again, she knew he was still in her heart. “I don’t know,” she said honestly. “I do know that I’ve been hoping to see him all day. Last night, you called me on my claim that I’d gotten closure, and you were right. I was lying. To myself, mostly. All I keep thinking about is how Lawrence was with that woman, and now I haven’t seen him all day.” She paused. Swallowed. She hadn’t wanted to burden Richelle with her thoughts, not on the eve of her wedding. “Maybe it’s too late for me and Lawrence, but you and Roy...that’s an entirely different story. He adores you. Absolutely. And in your heart, you know that. Seriously, sweetie, you have nothing to worry about.”

      Richelle dabbed at her eyes again, but the edges of her lips began to curl. “You’re sure?”

      “Of course I’m sure. And there’s one thing you ought to know by now, I wouldn’t lie to you.”

      Satisfied with that, Richelle nodded and finally smiled. “I do know that.” She breathed in deeply. “Okay. I can do this.”

      “Girl, you didn’t drag me on a plane—and heck, a seaplane—to not do it.”

      That elicited a chuckle from Richelle. “That’s for sure. Okay, I’m going to do this.”

      “You’re going to do this.”

      “And it’s gonna be great.”

      “It’s gonna be amazing. And you’re going to be happy forever. I’m absolutely certain of that.”

      Richelle threw her arms around Melanie’s neck. “Thanks, Mel. Thanks so much.”

      As Richelle eased back, Melanie couldn’t help thinking about the advice she’d just given her friend and wondering why she hadn’t been able to apply it to her own life.

      Instead, she had let Lawrence go.

      There was a sudden knock on the bathroom door, then Roy called out, “Everything okay in there?”

      “I’m fine,” Richelle said. She glanced at herself in the mirror, fluffed her hair and then went to the door. Melanie watched Roy pull Richelle into his arms the moment she went through the door.

      “I was worried,” Roy said.

      “I’m sorry, baby,” Richelle said. “I just needed a moment.”

      Roy glanced at Melanie as she exited the bathroom, too, and his gaze held hers a beat too long. Then he said to Richelle, “Don’t scare me like that again.”

      Melanie knew exactly what he feared. That like Melanie had done, Richelle was contemplating not walking down the aisle.

      “Everything’s fine,” Melanie told him, offering him a reassuring smile. Then she continued on, leaving the two of them alone.

      And not just for their sake, but because she needed to be alone with her thoughts of Lawrence.

      Melanie drew in a shaky breath as she remembered a few days earlier when she had first set eyes on him in Fiji. As her eyes had traveled up that magnificent body... Good Lord, what a shock! And while she had been absolutely stunned to see him—mortified, actually—her body had also been electrified. It had been as if she had touched a live wire.

      Even as she’d tried to get away from him, the one thing she hadn’t been able to escape was how utterly incredible he looked. One glimpse of him had been enough for her to realize just how much she had missed him.

      She had talked to Richelle about closure. She had told herself for nine months that she had dodged a bullet by not marrying Lawrence. But now, as she sauntered back into the restaurant, hugging her torso, all she felt was conflicted and uncertain.

      Melanie recognized herself in the Richelle who had been sobbing in the bathroom. The difference was, Richelle was going to go through with her wedding. She wasn’t running scared. She trusted her love for Roy.

      Why hadn’t Melanie been able to trust Lawrence’s love?

      She was far from convinced that she’d made the right decision. In fact, she couldn’t stop thinking that she’d made the biggest mistake ever when she’d let Lawrence go.

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