Chapter 3After Eight Years, I Said Yes to Another

"Jenna, sweetheart, what on earth is going on with you two?"

Tedd's mother called me right as I was standing in the bridal boutique, trying on my second dress.

Her voice sounded a little hoarse.

"Tedd told me it was no big deal. When I pressed him, he claimed you two were just giving each other the silent treatment. But he moved back into his bachelor pad a week ago. Jenna, I am not taking sides, but please just tell me what happened."

"Mrs. Rawlings, it really is not a big deal. Please do not stress yourself out over it."

"If it is not a big deal, why did he move out? Did you have a massive blowout?"

I stared at my reflection in the floor to ceiling mirror. The delicate silk straps rested perfectly above my collarbones. The boutique's warm, golden lighting made everything look flawless.

"Mrs. Rawlings, the weather is getting cold. Please make sure you rest and stay warm. I will come visit you soon."

She fell silent for a few seconds.

"Jenna, are you trying to force his hand?"

My fingers froze against the silk fabric.

"I have no idea what you mean."

"Tedd has always been like this since he was a little boy. The harder you push him, the harder he pulls away. Just soften up a little. Reach out to him first and talk it out. You know he acts tough but has a soft heart."

Acts tough but has a soft heart.

For eight years, everyone used that exact phrase to excuse him. He remembered anniversaries, he showed me off online, he called me his wife, he threw elaborate birthday parties.

Everyone always told me I had won the absolute lottery with him.

But the girl who won the lottery had waited eight years and still couldn't get a wedding ring.

"I understand, Mrs. Rawlings."

I hung up the phone. Brian popped her head out from behind the velvet curtain.

"Was that his mom?"

I nodded.

"What did she say? Let me guess. Told you to apologize first because he is just 'stubborn but sweet'?"

"How did you know."

"Because that is exactly what she told you after your last fight. And the fight before that. The man messes up, but the woman has to stroke his ego to fix it. Classic."

Brian stepped out and helped me smooth the long, sweeping train of the dress.

"Ignore her. Dress number two is stunning. Do you want me to take a picture for the aesthetic?"

Before I could answer, my phone buzzed again.

Noah. Tedd's oldest frat brother.

"Hey, can we grab dinner tonight? Just me and you. I really want to talk."

I knew exactly why he was calling.

I said yes.

We met at an upscale sushi lounge. Noah sat across from me, ordering a carafe of hot sake, barely touching his spicy tuna roll.

"Look, do not be too hard on Tedd. He is genuinely stressed out of his mind. Closing this funding round is killing him."

I picked up a piece of sashimi with my chopsticks.

"Right."

"And about the marriage thing. It is not that he does not want to do it. You know his personality. He hates being backed into a corner. If you just give him a little more time..."

"Noah, when you met your wife, how long did it take you to propose?"

He blinked, caught completely off guard.

"Three months, I guess. We signed the papers at six months."

"Did you feel like you needed more time?"

"I... well, my situation was different."

"How was it different?"

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

I picked up the sake carafe and refilled his tiny ceramic cup.

"Do not stress yourself out trying to lie to me. Tedd sent you, didn't he?"

Noah rubbed the back of his neck, refusing to deny it.

"What were his exact words?"

Noah hesitated for two agonizing seconds.

"He said... he told me to talk some sense into you. He said you have been acting completely irrational lately."

Irrational.

I let out a soft laugh.

"What else did he say?"

"He said if push comes to shove, he will just marry you by the end of the year. He told me to tell you to stop making such a fuss."

Marry me by the end of the year.

Stop making a fuss.

That was Tedd's grand compromise. He genuinely believed he was falling on his sword, making the ultimate sacrifice by throwing out a vague end of year timeline.

But the way he said it. The way he used Noah as a messenger boy. The fact that he was too arrogant to even dial my number himself. It all pointed to the exact same truth.

He didn't want to marry me. He just wanted me to sit down and be quiet.

"Noah, do me a favor. Tell him I said thank you."

"Wait, so does that mean you are..."

"It means you need to drink that sake for me. I am cutting out alcohol."

He stopped with the cup halfway to his mouth.

"Jenna, who the hell are you actually marrying?"

"You will find out soon enough."