Meant to Marry Me: Nashville Country Dreams Part 1 novel Chapter 53

Bree was relieved to hear that the pastor had locked her guitar back in the closet in the church where he’d kept it the night before. “Here you go, dear,” he said, unlocking the door and handing it to her. Then, he turned to Trent and said, “I’m sorry things didn’t turn out the way you’d expected, son.”

“Thank you,” Trent said, and Bree could tell he wasn’t sure what else to say. The pastor gave them a sympathetic smile and then waved, and Bree and Trent headed out.

The sounds of people talking and laughing came from the building next door, where the reception was supposed to be held. “What is that?” Bree asked, her stomach tightening. Was Monica in there having the reception without Trent?

“I’m not sure. Let’s go find out,” he said tugging her in that direction.

“But what if it’s Monica?”

“It’s not.”

“How do you know that?”

“I got a text from Hank earlier. She went back to the room, crying, as soon as I left, and he followed her.”

“Seriously? Is he picking her over you--again?”

Trent shrugged. “He thinks he loves her. I’m just glad she’s not alone. She deserved what happened, but I still feel bad about it.”

Bree leaned her head against his arm. One of the reasons she’d always loved him was because he was so tenderhearted. She should’ve realized it would be hard for him to walk away from Monica--even if she did completely deserve it.

Trent opened the door to the banquet hall and immediately started laughing. He held the door and ushered Bree inside, and she walked in to see his family and friends inside, eating the food, drinking the champagne, and having a great time. The band had stayed and was playing, and some people were dancing.

“Hey, there they are!” Christy shouted, bounding across the room, no shoes on, her arms wide open. She flung herself at Trent and Bree and wrapped them both in a hug. She smelled like she’d been drinking for a while, which made Bree wonder if maybe she’d been drinking before the wedding, but she was so happy to see her friend, she just hugged her back.

“So glad you’re here!” Abby said, coming over to hug them as well. “It seemed weird eating all of your food without you here, but then, we couldn’t just let it go bad either, could we?”

“No, I think it’s great that you’re here,” Trent said with a broad smile. “This is not exactly what I’d envisioned, but all of my favorite people are here, and I’m ready to party, too.”

“Yes!” Christy said, pumping her fist, and Bree started laughing. It was a side of Trent she rarely saw, but when he took her guitar, set it against the wall, and pulled her out onto the dance floor, she gladly went.

The song was a dance hit from the 1970s, and Trent’s dance skills were better than she remembered from their high school days. “You’ve been practicing,” she said as he moved her around the dance floor.

“Oh, well, I’ve had months of dance lessons just for this event,” he replied, the disgust obvious in his voice.

“Are you serious?” she asked, trying not to laugh.

“Yes. Apparently, my previous dancing skills left much to be desired.”

“Well, you’re a champ now,” Bree assured him, smiling as he twirled her around.

“Thanks. It helps when my partner is enjoying herself instead of counting the steps.”

Bree opened her mouth to ask if it was true that Monica really did that but then closed it. If it was true, she probably didn’t want to know.

A slow song started playing, and Trent pulled her close. Bree closed her eyes and rested her head on his chest. Being in his arms had been a dream for so long, now that she was there, it was almost impossible to believe it was real. He smelled so good, and she could feel his muscles through the fabric of his shirt. His heart was beating in her ear, and it was racing almost as quickly as hers.

It didn’t seem appropriate for them to show too much affection at the moment. The last thing she wanted was for people to start speculating as to whether or not Trent and Bree had been together before he’d called off the wedding.

With his mouth right next to her ear, Trent whispered, “I know this is all sudden, Bree, but I want you to know, I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make sure we can be together now. We can take our time, figure it all out, whatever you need.”

She leaned up and looked him in the eyes, and a smile took over her face. “Thanks, Trent. I know we can make it work.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead, and she leaned back into him, never wanting to let him go.

“Hey, Trent!” someone shouted as the song ended. Bree looked up to see it was one of his cousins, a guy she’d met earlier, but she couldn’t remember his name. “Can we cut the cake?”

“You bet,” he replied. “Just leave the top tier, okay?”

“You got it man!”

Bree raised an eyebrow, but she didn’t ask what he wanted the top saved for. Since the band was still playing slow music, she rested her head back on his shoulder and tried to memorize every detail of this moment. She had a feeling, in years to come, she’d look back on this night and smile, no matter what was going on in her life. It was definitely one of the best nights of her life.