POV: Savannah
The final bell rang, and it was time to leave. I had to stop by the house and pick up Colin, meet Ryan there, and go back to Jen's house.
I pulled into our driveway and honked the horn. A few moments later, Colin came out of the house and walked to the driver side window.
"Get in"
"I'm gonna drive"
"Then why'd I even have to come get you? Where's your car?"
"My car is in the shop, I'm gonna drive yours"
"Fine," I agreed, opening the door, and hopping out of the Lincoln MKZ.
I walked around front to the passenger seat and climbed back inside.
"You got a haircut," I announced, closing the door and buckling my seatbelt.
"It was getting too long"
He looked into the rear view mirror and then over at me.
"Do you like it?"
"Yeah! You know I like your hair shorter Colin"
I reached over and brushed his soft dark back from his face. We exchanged smiles and I couldn't break away from his gaze. His face flushed and i knew it was the perfect moment for a kiss. The air grew thicker as we got lost in each other's eyes.
I pulled my arm away and broke eye contact, "So! Tiffany's Bridal! That's where Jen suggested we go..."
"Sounds good," Colin said, shifting gears and backing out of the driveway.
The car ride there was less awkward than I thought it was going to be. We chatted about our day and joked around a little. I asked him how his relationship with Helen was going and he said it was good. He asked about how things were going with Ryan and I told him about how Ryan planned to try and fix things with his wife, which didn't seem to sit well with Colin.
We pulled into the parking lot of Tiffany's Bridal Store and went inside. Ryan was already there and ready to greet us as we entered. He hugged us both and we discussed the wedding color scheme.
"So Reece's outfit will consist of a white button down polo with a pink tie, accompanied by a grey blazer, pants, and brown oxfords. I think Reece wants you guys to get the same general outfit, just with a pink bow tie with suspenders instead of a tie," I explained
"That works, what do you need to look for?"
"A pink dress, and I'll probably need to get it tailored before tomorrow... it just depends... did you get all that Colin?"
He had been texting the whole time and I couldn't tell if he was paying attention or not.
"Yeah, grey pants, brown oxfords, pink bow tie and suspende—"
Colin stopped mid sentence and I heard the bells on shop door ring, indicating someone walked in. I glanced over at Ryan whose mouth was wide open, and then turned around to see what was going on.
There was a pretty woman with dark hair, wearing black skinny jeans, loafers, and a white sweater, beaming smile and walking towards us.
"Hey!" Colin exclaimed, "Glad you could make it!"
"Totally, thanks for inviting me!"
He went in for a hug and she welcomed him with open arms. Ryan's face went from jaw dropping shock to a serious scowl.
"Why'd you invite her?" Ryan snapped
"Savannah told me about how you were trying to fix things together so I asked Reece if she could come to the wedding... I hope you don't mind, I thought it would help—"
"So you're Savannah?!" She said, stepping towards me, "I'm glad we finally met, I've heard so much about you"
"I'm guessing you're Melany?"
She smiled and we shook hands.
"I've heard a lot about you too"
I was immediately overtaken with jealousy and rage. I had no reason to not like her, other than by the things Ryan said which weren't always reliable, but I just couldn't get past the fact that for some reason I felt a sense of anger towards her.
"Where are Ella and Grace?"
"My mom is bringing them—"
"Your mom? Why is your mom in town? More importantly why does she have my daughter—"
"OUR daughter, and because she took her out for ice cream and a movie. Ryan if you really want to make this work—"
"I really don't, but I'm trying..."
She smiled weakly and changed the subject.
"So, I guess we should start looking around?"
I nodded and Melany walked towards the dresses, while Colin pushed Ryan towards the suits. I broke eye contact with Ryan who was staring me down, and followed behind Melany.
"I'm sure you heard a lot about me from Ryan, but whatever you heard—"
"I know, it probably wasn't true..."
We looked at all of the dresses and I gestured towards the one that looked most like what Jen recommended.
"What do you think about this one?"
"I like it," she smiled.
We went back to the register together and asked the worker at the front desk if she had he dress in both of our sizes and she said she'd check in the back.
"Savannah," she said abruptly, making me jump a little, "how do I fix things with him..."
"What?"
"I love Ryan... Ella and Grace definitely love Ryan, but I don't know how to get him to trust me again... to actually want to be with me—"
"Why are you asking me?" I interrupted, leaning on the checkout counter.
"Like I said... I heard a lot about you..."
She trailed off and I was left in suspense. Part of me wanted to know, but the other part of me didn't dare to ask. I battled with my conflicting emotions before deciding to speak again.
"What exactly did Ryan tell you?"
She leaned on the counter with her back to the register.
"Well, the first time he came back to tell me how he had been getting his life together, and how he planned to be a better father... One thing lead to another and we ended up having sex, but while we were making love, I'm guessing the only thing he was thinking about was you because that's whose name he called out..."
I opened my mouth to speak, but my words stumbled over one another.
"Melany, I– I'm so– so sorry... I can't imagine—"
"I couldn't either," she remarked, looking over at me, "but now that I'm here... I see the way he looks at you and I can tell how deep his feelings for you are... I know because that's the way he used to look at me... back before I broke his heart..."
"What exactly did you do to make him so angry at you?"
"It's a long story," she claimed, crossing her arms and looking over at Ryan and Colin who were headed our way to check out, "I just wish I knew how to—"
"He just wants someone to make him feel loved," I interrupted.
"Come again?"
"Ryan... all he wants– all he ever wanted– was someone to love him in the same way he loves them, and I can't be that for him... for many reasons. I think having you in his life would be amazing... just show him how much you really do care. I'm sure he'll come around at some point"