I won’t lie — it hurt a little that he hadn’t invited me.
But after Adrian’s death, I’d barely spoken to his family.
Maybe they thought a wedding would be too painful for me.
Maybe Julian had decided that seeing him stand at an altar would remind me too much of everything I’d lost.
I tried not to take it personally.
Then I noticed the corsage on her wrist.
I’d made it myself that morning.
It was for the groom’s mother.
Colleen glanced at me, then quickly followed the coordinator away.
I watched her leave.
Something still felt wrong.
I told myself that explained her strange behavior.
Maybe she’d simply felt awkward seeing me here.
Maybe she thought I would be upset.
Maybe she felt guilty that Julian was getting married only three months after Adrian’s funeral.
I forced myself back to work.
There were arrangements to finish. Candles had to be placed. The ceremony flowers needed one final check.
A few minutes later, I spotted her near the groom’s room.
This time, I almost walked away.
Of course she was there. Her son was getting married.
Still, something about the way she moved bothered me.
She looked around before slipping inside.
Then I heard Colleen’s voice.
“You need to hurry. The ceremony starts in 20 minutes.”
A man answered.
I stopped.
That wasn’t Julian’s voice.
Something about it made my whole body go cold.
I had heard that voice half asleep in the morning.
I had heard it whisper beside me in movie theaters.
I had heard it arguing about cake.
But that was impossible.
I moved closer to the door.
Through the narrow opening, I could see Colleen.
Then the man stepped into view.
My hand flew to my mouth.
Adrian.
Alive.
And he was wearing the same suit he’d bought for our wedding.
I couldn’t move.
For one terrible second, my mind rejected what my eyes were showing me.
“Does everything look okay?” he asked.
Colleen adjusted his tie.
“You look perfect.”
Adrian smiled.
