To Have, To Hold, and To Leave: A Bryce Hall FanFiction «completed»

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"Let's go then," Bryce said, never moving his hands from around my waist. 
"I, uh, I have to tell Cade. I have to go see him or something," I stammered. 
He shook his head. "Write him a letter or something. We'll leave it for him at the church. We can go visit my mom in Maryland for a little bit. We'll let this all blow over, and then, as soon as this all blows over, we can come back," Bryce whispered. 
Tears filled my eyes, and I couldn't tell what had brought them on. "Okay. Okay. We can do that. The school doesn't start for the kids for a few months. We, uh, we can do that, yeah."

I sat down at the kitchen table, pulling out a piece of paper and a pen. The emotion that my relationship with Cade held was nothing compared to the love that I felt for Bryce, especially at this exact moment. 
The tears cascaded down my cheeks softly, and I didn't look up from the paper until a tear smudged the ink. 
I chuckled softly, wiping my face with the palms of my hands. "Kate, you've got to pull it together. This is everything that you could've ever wanted."

Bryce came into the kitchen, kissing me gently on the top of the head. "The kids played at Josh and Nessa's house while I packed some bags for all of them. Do you need anything?" 
I shook my head. "Nope. My bag is in the back of my car. I'm, uh, I'm ready to go. I'm ready to give him this."

Bryce went next door to get the kids, and I assumed that he made up some sort of lie as to why he needed them to keep the kids. He had agreed that we wouldn't be telling anyone else until after tomorrow. 
It was kind of awful that I was going to let all of our family and friends show up to the church tomorrow for the ceremony, knowing damn well that I wasn't going to be there, but I knew that I needed to do this. It was finally time for me to really do something for me, and this was it. Running away with Bryce was it.

I sat in the front seat of Bryce's car, waiting patiently as he loaded the kids in. "Little change of plans, you guys. We are going to go see Grandma in Maryland," Bryce said, buckling Everleigh's car seat in. 
"What's Mom doing here?" Isaiah asked. He was a smart kid, and with any luck, he would figure it out sooner rather than later.
"We're going to Maryland, okay? Stop asking so many questions all the damn time," Bryce snapped. I shot him a look, and he apologized. "Sorry, kiddo. I'm just a little bit stressed. Let's just get to the airport, okay?" 

The car grew silent as Bryce drove. We parked in front of the church, and I looked over at him. "You can do this," he whispered. 
I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. When I got into the church, I recognized a member of the worship team. "Hey, Rhonda. Can you, uh, can you point me in the direction of where Cade will be getting ready tomorrow? I have something to leave for him."
She nodded, leading me down the hallway. "He'll be right here tomorrow. Congratulations again."
I held the envelope in my hands, and my hands shook as I put it down on a side table. "I'm sorry, Cade. I should've done better. I'm sorry that I didn't do better," I whispered, closing the door softly behind me.

I thanked Rhonda as I headed back outside, getting back in the car. "Let's just go, please."
We were silent again, and I found myself calming down as we pulled into the airport. 
"Now, you're absolutely sure?" Bryce asked. 
I nodded. "As sure as I'll ever be. Let's go before I change my mind."

I looked at my family as we sat, waiting to board the plane. "Thank you, Kate," Bryce whispered to me, patting my knee. 
"What are you thanking me for?" I asked, confused. 
"For giving me another chance. I certainly didn't deserve it, and I appreciate that you are giving it to me regardless. I promise that I won't hurt you ever again," he whispered again. 
I felt at home. Everything about this situation was perfect. Almost three years ago, I would've never imagined that I would be getting back together with Bryce. I certainly never imagined that I would be leaving my fiance to do it.

"You don't think that any reporters saw us, do you?" I leaned over to ask Bryce. 
He shook his head. "Nope. I didn't see anyone. You're just freaking out. Calm down. Why don't you go and call my mom? You can tell her that we're on the way, okay?" 
As if talking to my ex-mother-in-law was supposed to calm me down. Sure, Lisa still loved me, and I still loved her, but I really didn't feel like talking to her about canceling my wedding to someone else after Bryce and I had finalized our divorce. Truthfully, I didn't know why I did that either.

I called her, and she answered after the first ring. "Hey, Kate. Is everything okay?" 
"Yeah, of course. I, um, well, we, God, I don't know how I'm supposed to say this," I chuckled. 
"Oh, just tell me," she laughed. 
"We're coming to visit you!" I burst out, chuckling again, but this time nervously. 
She sounded confused. "What? Why? Isn't your wedding tomorrow?" 
"It's a long story," I sighed. "Just, if anyone calls you, don't tell them that you know where I am, okay? Our plane is getting ready to board now, so we'll see you in a few hours. Love you, Lisa."
"I, uh, I love you, too, Kate. Are you going to explain when you get here?" 
Bryce was motioning for me to come back over to them. "Yeah, I'll tell you more when I get there. Bye, Lisa."