Chapter 92

“You're getting married?” I blurted out loudly, causing her cheeks to flush deeper.

Samantha averted her gaze as though she was embarrassed. I stopped walking, gently grabbing her by the arm until we were facing each other.

“Yes,” she replied in a barely audible whisper.

Tears stung my eyes as I looked at the dazzling twinkle in her eyes, a sign that she was deeply in love. I'd never seen her look this radiant before, and in that moment, I knew she had found the one meant for her.

“What's wrong?” she asked with a frown. “Why are you suddenly crying?”

“Silly… I'm crying because I'm so happy for you. You've been working hard for your family as the sole breadwinner, giving everything you have to make them happy. It's now your time to be happy and build a family of your own.”

My best friend wiped a teardrop from her cheek. “I never thought I would find someone I’d want to spend the rest of my life with. He just came along when I least expected it.”

“I thought you’d end up becoming a spinster,” I teased her.

“I’m glad I didn't.” She chuckled

Sam and I found a perfect location at the restaurant to continue our chat—the terrace.

“Who's the lucky man?” I finally asked the question that had been itching at me for a while.

“You know him.” she answered with a soft smile on her lips.

I pondered over every man I knew who I thought could potentially be the object of my best friend's affection. Several candidates crossed my mind, but none of them seemed to be a suitable match for Sam. They were either already married or simply didn’t possess the qualities that would capture her heart.

I ran out of potential candidates and decided to give up on my search.“Okay, I give up. Who is this mystery man?”

“Well…” Samantha trailed off, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “It's Grey.”

My eyes widened. “Grey Cameron?”

“Yes,” she answered, her cheeks flooding with color.

“Oh my god!” I gasped, pleasantly surprised. I never imagined him and Samantha being interested in each other, but looking at the situation now, they suited each other perfectly.

“We've been seeing each other for two years, and he finally popped the question.”

I couldn't help but feel happy for them.

“Grey is an amazing guy, Sam. There's no doubt in my mind that he'll treat you right and make you happy.” Leaning in closer, I asked, “When will we have the wedding?”

“Grey and I both agree that it will be next month.”

“I wish you both all the happiness in the world, Sam. You deserve it,” I said, wrapping her in a tight hug.

“Thank you, Liz.”

Finally our order arrived.

My mouth watered. Unable to resist the aromatic scent wafting in the air, along with the tempting display of food, Sam and I began to eat.

Out of nowhere, Sam asked, "When do you plan on settling down?" The question caught me off guard, causing me to almost choke on my food. After taking a sip of water to clear my throat, I turned to my best friend and asked, "Why the sudden interest?”

"I always thought I'd be the one to get married late, or maybe never get married at all," Sam admitted. “Now that I'm about to get married, I worry that you'll be single forever.”

“Don't worry about me. I have a lot of suitors,” I told her with a playful wink.

“You're correct about that. However, it's obvious you don't pay attention to any of them. You've turned down a hundred and fifty proposals without giving anyone a chance. It makes me wonder what you're waiting for."

I chewed my food thoroughly before responding. "I appreciate your concern, but I'm not in a rush to settle down. I believe that things will happen when they're meant to happen. And for now, I'm just enjoying my singlehood, focusing on myself, and taking good care of my daughter."

"Just don't close yourself off completely. You never know when the right person might come along,” she advised me.

"I'm open to the idea of settling down eventually, but for now, I'm content with where I am in life."

"Tell me, is it just that you haven't found 'the one,' or is it that 'one' heart hasn’t really left your heart?" she inquired.

"I don't understand what you're getting at," I lied, doing my best to steer the conversation away from the topic of my ex-husband.

"You don't have to hide it from me, Liz. I can see the emotions in your eyes when he's around and the way your eyes light up when his name is mentioned. Maybe it's time to confront those feelings and truly move on."

I felt a lump form in my throat as I tried to suppress the flood of emotions threatening to spill over.

Sam was right. I had been holding onto the memories of him for far too long, letting them hinder my ability to fully open up to someone new.

"I… I'm not in love with him," I insisted. However, the words that escaped my mouth felt more like a desperate attempt to convince myself of my own denial.

"Fine, if that's what you're sticking to, I won't pressure you to tell me the truth," she said with a sigh.

Sam finally smiled again. "Will you do me the honor of being my maid of honor?"

"Of course, how could I possibly say no to my best friend?"

“Thank you, Liz….”

A staff member entered the room. We ordered some desert.

“I would like to order Crème Brûlée.” I turned to Sam. “What would you like to order for dessert?”

“Chocolate Lava Cake,” she replied.

“Would you like to order some drinks to complement your dessert?” asked the staff. “We have Riesling, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Moscato, Cabernet, and Syrah. They are all great choices.”

"I'll have a glass of Merlot," I said, deciding to indulge a little to celebrate my best friend's upcoming wedding.

"I'll have a glass of Moscato, please," Sam added with a smile.

The staff member nodded, taking note of our orders before excusing herself to retrieve our desserts and drinks.

We didn’t wait long, and soon our order arrived. Sam and I continued to discuss her wedding plans as we dug into our desserts.