Lakeside Love (A Mill Creek Crossing Romance) by Angelina Rose Page B

custom built arbor her cousin had hand carved for her long-awaited wedding to Max. She sucked in a sharp breath and let it out slowly, trying in vain to look calm, cool and collected. She wanted to maintain some semblance of respect and dignity, but she knew it would be hard. She felt like a first class failure who was jilted by the man who was supposed to love her for life.
     
    “Hello, everyone. I’m so sorry to have kept you all waiting,” she said trying to choke back her tears. If there was one thing Erica Dixon was, it was proud. She refused to reduce herself to tears for fear it would get back to Max. She didn’t want him to know he had affected her this way. “I am also sorry to tell you all there will not be a wedding today.”
     
    “What?” Evelyn Davies said standing up. Max’s mother had a look of shock mixed with horror on her face. Erica wanted to cry right then because she knew the shock of what her son had done was going to crush his sweet mother.
     
    “Max has chosen to be with another woman. A married woman named Rebecca who works in his office. He left me a note stating that he is going away for a couple of weeks with her and that our wedding is not going to happen. So, I’m afraid you have all come here for nothing… Please collect your gifts in the reception hall and know you have my gratitude for coming here today to celebrate what was supposed to be my most memorable day as a woman. And it was, but not in a good way…” her voice started to crack, so she turned to head back to the bridal room while Callie kept everyone at bay. As she pushed the doors open to the clubhouse, she could hear Callie fielding questions from guests.
     
    Walking into the bridal room, Erica fell to the floor in a puddle of emotions ranging from anger to sadness. Where would she go from here? Her sobs were guttural, and came from a place she didn’t recognize. How could she have missed the signs her fiance was cheating on her?
     
    “Sweetie, your Daddy’s here,” she heard the kind voice of her father as he pushed the door open and pulled her up from the floor. She had always been a Daddy’s girl, and she needed him now more than ever.
     
    “Oh, Daddy…” she sobbed as she let her emotions out in a flood. She secretly wondered if a person could cry themselves to death, because she felt like she could. “I just don’t understand this.”
     
    “Honey, I wish I understood it. I thought Max was a good man, but I was wrong too. There’s no way you could have known what a rotten scumbag he is,” he said. The anger of her father was apparent in his tone. Erica heard the click of the door as Evelyn appeared in the doorway.
     
    “Erica? Can I talk to you?” she asked softly. Erica nodded to her father who stood slowly and told her he would be right outside.
     
    “You tell that bastard of a son he’d better not ever contact my daughter again. You hear me?” her father said as he passed Evelyn. She looked down at the floor as he walked out.
     
    Evelyn walked inside and shut the door behind her as she sat down on the small loveseat against the wall. “I don’t know what to say.” Evelyn was a demure woman, full of Southern class. Her embarrassment over what her beloved son had done was obvious.
     
    “There’s nothing you can say, Evelyn. Nothing is going to make this better, unfortunately,” Erica said before blowing her nose.
     
    “I am so angry with Max. I cannot believe he did this to you… to everyone. All of these people showed up… the money spent…” she said looking around the room as if she was tallying up some imaginary budget in her mind.
     
    “This isn’t about money or people’s schedules, Evelyn! This is about the rest of my life. I thought I was spending my life with your son. I was making plans for houses and babies and grand babies. My whole world has changed because he chose to screw some slut!” Erica didn’t know why she was unleashing her anger on Evelyn. For