The Pick Page 22

  Much to Kylie’s surprise, Ally stepped down off the pedestal and walked right to the fitting room with her mom following closely behind. Didn’t she want more pictures of the dress? Kylie had taken at least a dozen different angles of her dress. But maybe Ally was okay with the few that her mom had already taken.

  When Ally and her mom finally emerged, the consultant handed them a card and directed them to the front desk where they could order the dress. Kylie joined them, but much to her surprise, Ally’s mom said, “Thank you for your help, but I don’t think we are quite ready to make a purchase today.”

  Kylie could tell that the consultant was a little disappointed, but gave them her card and didn’t pressure them into buying the dress. Kylie thought for sure that that Ally was going to buy that dress. What had happened? Maybe the dress had cost too much? Kylie hadn’t been paying close attention to prices when they were shopping. But Ally had seemed to be willing to try on any dress. Why would she have tried on a dress that she couldn’t afford?

  Ally’s mom suggested that they get some French toast from Kneaders. Kylie got in her car and followed Ally and Mrs. Parker, still puzzled as to why Ally had cried over the dress and then decided not to get it.

  Kylie wanted to ask Ally what had happened, but Mrs. Parker did a good job of keeping the topic off of the wedding dress shopping. She asked Kylie about David and their wedding plans. Ally seemed a little distant, but piped in every once in a while. Once they were all stuffed from unlimited Chunky Cinnamon French Toast, Ally’s mom excused herself since she had to be back for a church activity that afternoon.

  Kylie thought she was going to get her chance to ask Ally what was going on, but Ally started cleaning up and headed toward the garbage can before she could say anything.

  Once they were outside, Ally took off toward where they had parked at the far end of the parking lot. The other breakfast joint in the complex was crazy busy, so they had had to park quite a distance away from Kneaders. Kylie was practically running to keep up with Ally’s fast pace as she weaved in and out of cars.

  Kylie ran into Ally as she suddenly came to complete stop. Kylie was about to ask Ally why she had stopped when her car was still a couple rows away, until she saw what Ally saw. That was definitely Justin’s car. And inside was Justin definitely making out with some girl.

  Kylie’s frustration with Ally quickly turned into anger toward Justin. “I’m gonna kill him,” Kylie mumbled as she headed toward Justin’s car. But Ally quickly grabbed her arm and held her back.

  “Not here,” Ally said as she started pulling her back in the direction of Kylie’s car.

  Once they were finally in the car, Kylie asked, “Are you really just going to let him get away with this?”

  “Please, can we just go to cabin?” Ally said as she stared out the passenger side window.

  “Fine.” Kylie backed out of the parking spot and headed toward the cabin.

  Tyson knew that Ally and Kylie would be walking through the door any minute. He was a little anxious, since it was the first time seeing Ally since they had almost kissed. He kept reminding himself that he needed to make sure that he kept his distance, while also balancing being a co-host for the party.

  Tyson and David were putting the food in the fridge when Kylie came storming through the door.

  “I’m gonna kill him,” she exclaimed as she slammed the door behind her. “I knew there was something that I didn’t like about him. I can’t believe he did this. When he gets here tonight, he is going to get it.”

  “Whoa, Kylie. Honey, calm down,” David said as he pulled Kylie into a hug. “Who are you going kill exactly?”

  Kylie pulled away from David and started to pace around the room. “Justin. That’s who I’m going to kill.”

  “What did he do?” Tyson asked suddenly worried about Ally. “Wait, where’s Ally?”

  “She is still in the car. She wanted some time to herself. Which I don’t blame her. Justin is such a jerk. And Ally didn’t do anything about it.”

  “Wait. Back up. What happened?” David asked.

  “Ally and I were walking to the car after we were done eating at Kneaders and suddenly Ally just stopped walking. And there was Justin making out with some girl in his car,” Kylie explained as she continued to pace back and forth.

  “Is Ally okay?” Tyson asked. His heart went out to her. He knew what it was like to see your significant other kissing someone else.

  “I don’t know. She wouldn’t let me confront Justin in the parking lot and she just stared out the window the whole drive here and didn’t say a word. I don’t know what is going through her head. But I hope she says something to Justin about it. She can’t just let him go around cheating on her. And to be totally honest, I don’t think that this is the first time.”

  “She doesn’t deserve to be treated like that,” Tyson said wanting to go out to the car and make sure Ally was okay. But then he remembered that he needed to keep his distance.

  “No, she doesn’t. What bugs me the most is that Ally has done everything that Justin wanted her to. Everything. She lost weight, went to all of his parties and social events, did whatever he asked of her, and then he does this.” Kylie slumped down on the couch. “I just hope that he doesn’t get away with this. If Ally doesn’t do anything, I will.”

  David sat next to her. “I’m sure you won’t let him get away with it. But for now, you should probably give Ally a chance to talk to him first.”

  Kylie folded her arms. “Fine,” she grumbled as Ally walked in the door.

  Ally took a deep breath when she walked through the door. Kylie was upset, so she figured that David and Tyson probably already knew about what Kylie and Ally had witnessed in the parking lot. She knew what she needed to do. She just needed make sure that someone had her back.

  “Hey guys,” Ally said quietly noticing that Kylie still looked like she could kill someone with the fire burning in her eyes. “Kylie, can I talk to you for a minute?”

  “You want to talk to me?” Kylie asked surprised.

  Ally nodded her head. “David? Tyson? Do you think you could find the banner and hang it up above the fireplace?”

  “Of course,” David said as he pulled Kylie up from the couch.

  Kylie followed Ally to one of the bedrooms and shut the door behind her as they both sat down on the bed. Right as Ally sat down, the tears started. Kylie pulled her into a hug and let her cry for a minute.

  “I’m sorry, Al,” Kylie said with softened eyes.

  “I’m not,” Ally said.

  “What?”

  “Yes, it sucks that Justin cheated on me and I don’t know how long he has been doing this behind my back. But honestly, I feel so relieved. Today has been an answer to my prayers.”

  Kylie stared at her with wide eyes.

  Ally smiled through the tears. “Let me back up to a couple weeks ago.” Ally went on to tell her how she had really started to question her decision to marry Justin when Tyson told her that he still cared for her. Add in her late-night talk with Kylie and she knew that she needed to make sure that she made the right decision.

  As she spent time with Tyson planning Kylie and David’s engagement party, she realized how much she enjoyed spending time with him. Then she started to question if she really wanted to live without Tyson in her life. Ally knew that if she married Justin, he wouldn’t let her see Tyson. But she also knew that she had a dream life waiting for her, if she stayed with Justin. She didn’t know if she wanted to take the risk of breaking up with Justin, just to realize that Tyson and her couldn’t be more than just friends.

  “Then two nights ago, right before you and David came home, Tyson and I were dancing and everything felt so right. And when he leaned in to kiss me, I wanted him to. So, I leaned in too, but you and David came bursting through the door. In that moment, I realized that I couldn’t just kiss Tyson. I was engaged to someone else. I kept telling myself that I had just gotten caught up in the moment.
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br />   “I was starting to get frustrated, because I had been praying about it for weeks and I still didn’t know what to do. It is such a big decision and I didn’t want to make the wrong choice. Then this morning, when the consultant told me to picture my fiancé seeing my dress for the first time, it wasn’t Justin who turned around. It was Tyson.”

  “Serious?” Kylie asked.

  “Right then I knew I couldn’t marry Justin,” Ally smiled as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. “I knew the answer. I don’t know why it took me so long to realize it. I think I knew all along that I still have feelings for Tyson. And those feelings are so much stronger than anything I have ever felt with Justin. Then seeing Justin with that other girl. Well at least I can keep Tyson out of the equation when I break up with Justin. I can focus on the fact that he was cheating on me. Not that I’m breaking up with him because I have feelings for someone else.”

  “Wow, Ally. I had no idea that this is what was going through your head these past few weeks. When are you going to pull the plug with Justin?”

  “I was thinking tonight after the party. Honestly, I’m a little worried about how Justin will react. When he gets upset, it’s a little scary. I want to make sure that other people are around, just in case something happens.”

  “Look at what he did to Tyson years ago, when he didn’t get what he wanted.”

  “That’s what worries me.”

  “Well, I’ve got your back. But don’t you think that maybe we should tell David and Tyson. Because I’m not going to be able to do much when it comes to protecting you from Justin.”

  “You can tell David. But I really want to leave Tyson out of this.”

  Kylie nodded her head. “Make sense.”

  “Well shall we go get everything ready for the party?” Ally asked relieved that someone knew about her plan.

  “Sounds good to me.”

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  When the girls walked back into the kitchen, Tyson couldn’t believe how much Kylie’s attitude had changed. She was actually happy. Although Ally was a little quiet, she seemed to be taking this morning’s events quite well also. They must have a had a really good talk.

  Ally put David and Tyson to work hanging up more decorations, while Kylie and Ally put together the food. Ally focused on making sure everything was perfect. Which involved David and Tyson moving a banner three times. Even though Ally seemed to be doing okay on the outside, Tyson still worried about what was going on inside. He reminded himself that he needed to keep his distance. But it was okay to ask Ally if she was okay, right?

  "How are you holding up?" Tyson asked Ally as he helped her fill the punch and water.

  "I'll be better when the night is over," Ally responded as she walked to the freezer and pulled out the ice.

  "Let me take care of the ice."

  "Thanks," Ally said as she walked over to the table and started arranging the items on it.

  Why would Ally be better after tonight? Was she really that stressed out about the party? Well, the least Tyson could do was help her more so that she wasn't stressed.

  "Ally, Tyson, this looks great," Kylie said as they were finishing the final details. "Thank you."

  "You're welcome," Ally and Tyson both responded as the doorbell rang.

  "I'll get the door tonight," Tyson said to Ally as he walked to the door. For the next little while, there was a steady stream of guests arriving. Ally wasn't far behind Tyson in welcoming people as they arrived. She guided them to the kitchen and somehow ended back by the front door at the perfect time as each batch of guests arrived.

  The stream was dying down as Tyson opened the door to see Justin. He had forgotten that he would be here. It made sense. Ally was still engaged to him and Justin didn't know that he had been caught cheating on Ally. He wanted to give Justin a piece of his mind, but knew he couldn't. For now, he was just going to have to deal with it.

  "Hey, Justin. Ally's in the kitchen," Tyson said as he opened the door further and let Justin in.

  "What are you doing here?" Justin seemed surprised to see him.

  "Well David is my best friend and Kylie is my sister."

  “Kylie’s your sister?”

  “Always has been and always will be,” Tyson replied sarcastically, with a grin, realizing that Justin had no idea that Kylie was his sister.

  Ally walked in at that moment and Justin's face turned from a scowl to a smile. "Hey, babe," Justin said as he walked over and kissed Ally passionately.

  Tyson knew the display was to make him jealous, and it worked. It was like Tyson was watching the night that he was going to propose to Ally all over again. He felt like the air had been knocked out of him. How could Justin do this to Ally?

  He felt a little better when Ally seemed to pull away quickly keeping the kiss short and Justin followed her down the hallway to the kitchen. Why did she even let Justin kiss her? Tyson wanted to punch him for being a jerk. Didn’t Ally want to do the same?

  Soon the party was in full swing as everyone dished up their food. Some had found seats in the living room, while others mingled in the kitchen. A couple of David and Tyson’s mission companions had been able to make it and Tyson was having a great time catching up with them.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Ally trying to restock the sandwiches while balancing the to-go tray on the little space available on the table. He quickly excused himself and went over to help her.

  “Can I help you with that?”

  “Yes, thank you,” Ally responded as she let Tyson hold the tray while she placed the sandwiches on the nice serving platter.

  They were almost done when one of Kylie’s friends ran in asking if Ally knew where a rag was, because someone had spilled punch on the carpet.

  “I can finish this,” Tyson said to Ally as she quickly went to clean up the disaster. Tyson wondered why anyone served punch at parties. Without a doubt, someone always spilled some on the carpet. It would be easier just to stick with water.

  Tyson could tell Justin was near him before he heard him. “I heard about your concussion. Are you going to get to play again?”

  The last thing Tyson wanted to do was talk to him. Justin was the same jerk he had been when he was a younger. He hadn’t ever liked Justin and Tyson had this gut feeling that Justin still didn’t like him either. Tyson took a deep breath, he could do this. He could be civil. And he definitely didn’t want to ruin Kylie and David’s party.

  “Actually, I get to play next week.”

  “Well that’s good I guess…. You know, I’m actually kind of glad that I got hurt before I got to college, because now I get to spend a lot more time with Ally. If I had to go to practice, like you, I would only get to see her for a couple hours each day. But now I don’t have to worry about choosing between football or Ally.”

  Tyson wanted to tell Justin that if he was able to find time to make-out with other girls, he wasn’t spending enough time with Ally. But he held his tongue as he finished with the sandwiches and walked over to the garbage can. Tyson hadn’t ever felt like he had to choose between football or Ally. Sure, he wished that he could have spent more time with her, but she had supported him in his decisions and football was something that they both loved.

  “Do you ever wonder if that’s the reason why you and Ally didn’t work out?” Tyson clenched his fists. He had hoped that Justin wouldn’t follow him, but apparently, he wasn’t finished talked to Tyson yet.

  Everything inside of him wanted to give Justin a piece of his mind. No, football wasn’t the reason that he and Ally broke up, it was Justin’s fault. But Tyson knew he couldn’t cave in when he turned around to see a smirk on Justin’s face. Justin knew he was the reason. Tyson wasn’t going to let Justin get to him.

  Tyson tried his best to be casual, “Maybe.” Hopefully that answer would be enough for Justin to leave.

  “Isn’t it funny how all those years ago, you were the starting quarterback and then you broke your hand and I got
to be the quarterback from then on. Now here we are, Ally was yours and you let her go and now she’s mine,” Justin said saying the last part in a whisper that made Tyson wish they were on the football field so he could sack Justin nice and hard.

  When the carpet looked like nothing had happened, Ally headed back to the kitchen. She picked up her pace when she noticed that Justin was talking to Tyson and Tyson looked like he could lose his cool any second.

  "Hey boys," Ally said as soon as she reached them. She turned to Tyson, "Thanks for helping me with the sandwiches Ty."

  Tyson nodded his head. His eyes told her he wasn't going to be able to say anything without exploding. Maybe she should have broken up with Justin before the party. Then Tyson wouldn't have to be putting up with Justin's crap. And she wouldn't have to still act like Justin's fiancée. The kiss when Justin had arrived was not pleasant to say the least.

  But she didn’t have time to dwell on that. She had to get Justin away from Tyson, so she grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the living room.

  "I need your help." Ally searched the room for something, anything that she might need help with.

  She settled on having Justin help her move a table and a couple chairs to set up for the first game they would be playing. Once it seemed like everyone had finished eating, she had everyone take a seat in the living room.

  "Thank you all for coming to support Kylie and David," Ally said. "When they asked Tyson and I to be the best man and maid of honor, we promised that we would help them with whatever they needed to pull off their dream wedding. Apparently, we didn't realize what we had just signed ourselves up for."

  Ally went on to tell about how Kylie and David had surprised them by moving up the wedding date, while leaving out the fact that Tyson and Ally weren't getting along at the time. Everyone laughed as Ally told them about the detailed calendar that Kylie had given Tyson and Ally.