I stared at Colleen.
For a moment, that seemed to explain everything.
Adrian had an older brother, Julian.
Of course.
This must be his wedding.
Julian and I had always gotten along well.
He had been quieter than Adrian, but he was kind to me.
At holidays, he was usually the person helping me carry dishes into the kitchen while everyone else argued over football.
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.
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.
“Good. I don’t want anything going wrong today.”
I stumbled backward before either of them could see me.
My heart was pounding so hard that I could hear it.
Three months earlier, I’d stood at Adrian’s funeral believing I’d never hear his voice again.
Now he was alive.
His mother knew.
And they had both let me mourn him.
I turned and ran.
I barely made it to the restroom before the tears came.
I locked myself inside and cried until I could barely breathe.
My phone started ringing. It was my assistant.
“Meredith? The coordinator’s looking for you. They’re about to start.”
I looked at myself in the mirror.
My eyes were swollen.
My mascara was ruined.
“Meredith? Are you okay?”
“No.”
“Do you want me to take over?”
I thought about Adrian.
Alive. Smiling.
Getting ready for a wedding while I’d spent three months grieving him.
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
I wiped my face and picked up my florist badge.
