Free Web NovelChapter 346: You Have Her Now
The groom’s room was hushed, tucked away from the bustle of the wedding preparations. Outside, the venue was alive with the sounds of arriving guests and rustling flowers and the distant strains of string music warming up. Inside, Gilbert Pemberton stood before a full-length mirror in his wedding suit, staring at his reflection as if it belonged to someone else.
He looked the part. The dark gray suit had been tailored to perfection, the tie was straight, the shoes were polished to a mirror shine. He looked like a man who was about to marry the woman he loved. He looked like a man who had everything under control.
His hands were shaking.
Arianne entered without knocking. She took one look at him—the rigid shoulders, the clenched jaw, the way he was gripping the edge of the table as if it were the only thing keeping him upright—and closed the door behind her.
"You look like you’re about to face a firing squad."
"I feel like I’m about to face a firing squad." Gilbert released the table and turned to her. "Is this normal? This can’t be normal. I’ve negotiated hostile takeovers. I’ve stared down investors who wanted to dismantle my company. I’ve sat through sixteen-hour board meetings without breaking a sweat. And now I’m standing in a room with a flower arrangement and I can’t feel my legs."
"It’s normal."
"It doesn’t feel normal. It feels like I’m dying."
"You’re not dying. You’re getting married." Arianne crossed the room and straightened his tie, which was already straight. The gesture was automatic, sisterly. "Congratulations, by the way. I should have said that first."
"Thank you. I think." He exhaled. "Is Audrey here?"
"She arrived twenty minutes ago. Sam is with her. Lily has already inspected her dress and declared it acceptable. Leo gave it a rating of five out of five on his tablet."
"Five out of five. That’s good."
"It’s the highest rating he’s ever given anything except chocolate cake."
Gilbert almost smiled. The expression flickered and faded.
"I don’t know why I’m this nervous. It’s Audrey. It’s always been Audrey. I’ve wanted to marry her for a long time. I should be—I should be happy. I am happy. I’m also terrified."
Arianne didn’t offer empty reassurance. She had never believed in telling people things would be fine when she couldn’t guarantee it. Instead, she said, "I don’t know how to assure you. But I trust you’ll treat her well this time. That’s what matters."
His expression steadied. "I will. I might be uncertain about a lot of things—the company, the future, whether I’m capable of being the husband she deserves. But I’m not uncertain about her. I’m willing to compromise on everything else. As long as it’s her."
"Good. That’s the right answer."
"It’s the only answer." He turned back to the mirror, studying his reflection as if searching for something he’d lost. "This day would have been perfect if Alex and Layla were here."
The words hung in the silent room. Outside, the string music swelled and faded. Children’s laughter echoed down the corridor—Kyle’s voice, Lily’s answering call, Leo’s tablet dinging in response to something.
"I think that too," Arianne said. "Whenever there’s an important family occasion. The anniversary. The twins’ birthday. Today. I think about what Alex would say. What Layla would do. How she’d probably be in the other room with Audrey right now, fixing her veil and telling her embarrassing stories about you." freewebnσvel.cѳm
"She would. She’d have at least five stories ready. She’d been saving them for years."
"Probably."
"I miss them." Gilbert’s voice was rough. "Every day. But especially today."
"I know." Arianne stood beside him, her reflection joining his in the mirror. "I don’t believe in supernatural things. You know that. But I’d like to think they’re with us. In some way. Even if it’s just in the memory of what they would have wanted for us."
Gilbert chuckled. It was a low sound, surprised out of him. "That’s almost sentimental. From you."
"Don’t tell anyone. I have a reputation."
"Your secret is safe." He looked at her in the mirror. "Can I ask you something? While we’re being honest with each other?"
"You can ask."
"Do you regret it? Marrying Franz the way you did. Not out of love—or not out of love you were ready to admit. Out of necessity. The board. The company. The circumstances that forced your hand. If you could go back, would you do it differently?"
Arianne considered the question. It deserved a real answer, not the polished deflection she gave to reporters and business partners. Gilbert was neither. He was her oldest friend, the man who had walked her down the aisle when she married his best friend’s brother, the man who had stood beside her through grief and betrayal and the slow, careful rebuilding of a life she hadn’t expected to have.
"I would probably have stayed single," she said. "If the circumstances hadn’t forced my hand. I wasn’t looking for marriage. I wasn’t looking for anyone. The old Arianne would have rejected Franz outright if he’d come to me directly—not because I didn’t like him. Because I believed my best friend’s brother should be off-limits. Even for me. Especially for me."
"You’re the only one who thought that." Gilbert shook his head. "Alex and I knew. We always knew. Franz adored you hopelessly. He never looked at another woman the way he looked at you. Not once. Not even when you were with Dominic. Not even when you were gone for five years. He just waited."
"I didn’t know what to feel about that. For a long time." Arianne’s voice was steady, but something beneath it was unguarded. "When I finally admitted to myself that I was aware of his feelings, I refused to acknowledge them. Not because I didn’t care. Because of Dominic."
Gilbert’s expression darkened at the name. "Dominic."
"He had a way of dealing with what he perceived as rivals. He would have caused trouble for Franz. His career was still fragile then—the early roles, the struggle to establish himself. Dominic could have destroyed him with a few phone calls. So I kept my distance. I told myself it was for Franz’s protection."
"And now?"
"Now Dominic is irrelevant." She met Gilbert’s eyes. "What changed my mind about Franz? I don’t know exactly. I’ve asked myself that question more times than I can count. I don’t know when it started or what changed. I only know that denying what I felt became futile. It stopped being something I could set aside. He felt right. Being with him felt right. Having him beside me felt like the only thing that made sense in a world that had stopped making sense a long time ago." She paused. "I wanted him selfishly. I still do. I want him as mine, and I stopped pretending otherwise."
Gilbert said nothing for a beat. Then he said, "Is that what it feels like? For you?"
"Yes. Is it the same for you? With Audrey?"
He didn’t hesitate. "I couldn’t think of anyone else being my wife. Even when we broke up. Even during those long, lonely years without her. I knew. I knew I couldn’t be without her. I knew I’d made the biggest mistake of my life by letting her go. And I knew—" He stopped. Swallowed. "I knew it was my foolishness that caused her pain. My pride. My stupidity. I hurt her, and I hurt myself in the process, and I spent years believing I’d lost the only woman I would ever love."
"You have her now."
"I have her now." He said it like a vow. "I’m going to spend the rest of my life making up for the time I lost. Every day. Every moment. She’ll never doubt that she’s loved. Not again."
"Good." Arianne reached up and adjusted his tie one more time, though it hadn’t moved. "Then stop worrying. You’ve already done the hard part. You found your way back to her. The rest is just ceremony."
"Just ceremony," he repeated. "You make it sound so simple."
"It is simple. You love her. She loves you. Everything else is details."
Gilbert looked at her for a long moment. "You’ve changed, you know. Since Franz. Since the twins. You’re not the same Arianne who used to tell me emotions were inefficiencies."
"I’m still that Arianne. I’ve just expanded my definition of efficiency."
He laughed. It was a real laugh this time, warm and unguarded. "Thank you. For being here. For everything."
"You walked me down the aisle. It seemed fair to return the favor."
The door burst open.
Lily stood in the doorway, resplendent in her flower girl dress—pale pink, with a satin sash and a skirt that belled out around her like a blossom. Petals filled the small basket hooked over her arm. Her hair had been brushed until it shone and pinned back with tiny pearl clips.
"The ceremony is starting," she announced. "Grandma Amanda said I should come get you. Uncle Gil, you have to go to the altar now. That’s where you stand. Aunt Audrey is already waiting, but you can’t see her yet because that’s bad luck. I checked."
Gilbert straightened. His face went pale, then resolved. "Right. The altar. I can do that."
"You can do that," Lily confirmed. "You just have to walk in a straight line and not fall over. Leo practiced for weeks and he only fell twice. But he was carrying a pillow, so it was harder."
"That’s very reassuring."
"I thought so." Lily looked at Arianne. "Mommy Aria, you should go to your seat. Uncle Franz is already there. He saved you a spot. He said to tell you he’s been practicing his ’supportive husband’ face, but I don’t know what that means."
"It means he’s being ridiculous."
"That’s what I thought." Lily grabbed Gilbert’s hand. "Come on, Uncle Gil. Aunt Audrey is waiting. She looks like a princess. You’re going to cry. It’s okay if you cry. Grown-up men cry at weddings. I told her you would, and she said she’d pretend not to notice."
"I’m not going to cry."
"You’re definitely going to cry. Leo drew a picture of you crying. It’s very accurate."
Gilbert looked at Arianne with something between desperation and laughter. "Your family’s daughter is terrifying."
"I know." Arianne patted his shoulder one final time. "Don’t worry anymore. You’ve got this."
He took a deep breath. Squared his shoulders. Then he gave the same nod he gave before walking into boardrooms and hostile negotiations and every battle he’d ever fought.
Then he let Lily lead him out the door, her small hand wrapped around his fingers, her flower girl basket swinging at her side. The string music swelled. The guests quieted. The ceremony was about to begin.
Arianne watched them go. Then she walked out of the groom’s room and into the chapel, where Franz was waiting with an empty seat beside him and a smile that was just for her.
