Waiting for Love ((Waiting) Book 2) (28 page)

I’m so angry. I can’t wait for Rylee; I have to get out of here.

“If you’ll excuse me, I have an appointment I need to get to.” As I stand up and start walking toward the door, her voice follows me out.

“Cassidy, if you love him that much you’ll let him go. You don’t belong in this world.” And with the slightest whisper, I hear her say, “Trust me on that.”

Maybe Priscilla is right. Maybe I should love him enough to let him go. Zack is an attorney and works at Stafford Investments which has been run by the Stafford family for generations. They are definitely old money and it seems with old money comes higher standards. 

The longer I sit here and panic, the more I realize Priscilla
is
right. I’ve got to get out of here. My luggage is already in the limo waiting in the back parking lot. All I have to do is sneak out the back exit.

When I open the door in the back of the dressing room and glance down the hall, it’s deserted. I take that as a sign that this is what I’m
supposed
to be doing. Zack will hate me and I can’t stand the thought of that, but he deserves so much more than I can give him. Quickly, I scribble a note for him that simply says
‘I’m sorry’
and grab my purse, gather up my dress, and make a run for the exit. As I run, the tears are streaming down my cheeks all while my heart breaks into a million pieces.

Reginald, their driver, is leaning against the limo but when he sees me running toward him, he puts his phone away and opens the door. I jump in as quickly as I can and he kindly helps shove the rest of the dress into the car. This stupid, fluffy, hand-beaded, one of a kind, beautiful monstrosity. I can’t
wait
to get it off.

“Please take me to the airport,” I tell him between sobs as I pull my cell phone from my purse. There’s only one person I can text and I hate it, but I have no choice… I need her help.

Priscilla, I did what you asked. I’m on my way to the airport. Can you make sure the pilot is ready to go now?

Within seconds, I have a reply.

You foolish girl. I didn’t mean for you to leave him at the altar. What’s done is done. The pilots are already on standby. I’ll transfer money into your account immediately.

Oh, hell no.

NO! I don’t want your money. This was never about the money. This is about Zack getting what he deserves and so much more.

After the text goes through, I power off my phone and toss it into my purse. I won’t be turning it on again. At least not anytime soon; I can’t handle knowing his heart is breaking worse than mine.

The entire trip to the airport, I’m bawling my eyes out, knowing I’ve just made the biggest mistake of my life but it doesn’t matter now… Zack will
never
forgive me for leaving him at the altar.

You should have talked to him, Cassidy, and told him what happened.

When we get to the plane, Reginald takes my suitcases up for me. I need to change and can’t wait until I get to Hawaii to do it. Before he gets off the plane, he turns to me with an indecisive look on his face. Finally, he says what’s on his mind. 

“Ms. Cassidy, I’ve known Mrs. Stafford a very long time. I know she’s been trying to run you off for a while now. It goes without saying I could probably lose my job for talking to you, but I don’t care, I’m about to retire, anyway. After forty years of service, I think it’s time. And this is too important to keep quiet about.” He pauses and takes my hand in his. “Mr. Zack loves you and he’s loved you since he was a little boy. No one is going to change how he feels about you. And Mrs. Stafford… well, let’s just say she didn’t exactly come from the same social circle as Mr. Stafford did, either. She worked really hard to be as prissy as she is so she could feel like she fits in.”

He smiles at me and I relax a little, even though I’m still crying. “But I’ll tell you a secret. Mr. Stafford… he loves his missus with all of his heart, but he loved her a whole lot better when she was young and feisty like you. And without all her priss. Do you love Mr. Zack?”

I nod my head emphatically and he pats my hand. “Love has a way of coming back to you. Have faith this might not be the end. To forgive
is
to love,” Reginald says firmly as he exits the plane. I want to get in the air as soon as possible, so I shove myself into the seat and tug the seatbelt around the dress. After the plane is in the air and the pilot says I can take my seatbelt off, I have the onboard flight attendant unbutton the fifty or so buttons on the back of the dress for me.

As the dress falls to the floor, she immediately picks it up and takes it to the bedroom in the back of the plane. I’m assuming she’s trying to figure out how to hang it up but honestly, I’m too emotionally spent to even care. All I want to do is cry myself to sleep and pretend today never happened. After pulling on a pair of yoga pants and a sweater, I recline the chair and continue crying.

The enormity of what I’ve done hits me like a cold shower. I’m now living in a world where Zack and Cassidy are not a couple and that’s a world I don’t
ever
want to be a part of. Zachary Stafford owns my heart and always has.

I’ve just made the biggest mistake of my life.

To learn more about D. Kelly and her books please visit
http://www.dkellyauthor.com/

If you’d like to purchase Chasing Cassidy you can do so here:
http://bit.ly/chasingcassidykindle