Chapter 2: The Mayor’s Son and Other Secrets

In front of city hall, the mayor’s son was already waiting.

Noah leaned against the marble banister, sharp in a blue blazer and tie, sunglasses perched on his head. The morning sun painted gold lines across the courthouse steps, and a flock of sparrows scattered as I walked up. City hall rose behind him, all red brick and white trim—Ridgewood’s pride on display.

The mayor himself signed the marriage license right in front of us.

He pressed the pen into my hand, the mayor’s cologne—cheap aftershave and something sharp—lingering in the air. His handshake was hearty, his eyes full of the kind of certainty only small-town mayors ever seem to have. The ancient AC unit hummed overhead, and the scent of burnt coffee drifted from the clerk’s desk.

But with the mayor’s wife away at her church retreat, the official announcement would have to wait.

I watched him sigh and rub his temples, muttering about how nothing in Ridgewood was official until his wife said so. A trace of lavender perfume still hung in the entryway, a reminder she’d just left. Gossip would have to wait until Sunday, when the choir sang and everyone checked who sat next to whom.

As we stepped outside, Noah pulled me aside, eyes shining.

He gently caught my arm by the brass door, voice soft and hopeful. The city hall bell chimed, echoing through the nearly empty hall.

"Natalie, you finally said yes. You’re really going to marry me."

He looked almost giddy, a big grin on his face. Two clerks peeked over their folders, trying not to stare.

I shifted my purse and looked away, the pinch of unease in my chest growing sharper. My tongue felt like lead, but I made myself speak.

"So what’s the deal with you and Aubrey, anyway?"

He blinked, caught off guard like I’d just asked him if he’d seen a ghost. The name seemed to hit him sideways.

"Aubrey? Why would I need to give her any special status?"

His answer stung more than I wanted to admit. I stared down at my scuffed flats, a memory of Aubrey laughing with Derek flickering in my head.

Aubrey Avery—Derek Lang and the mayor’s son’s little friend from high school.

Her name felt like bonfires and wildflowers—everybody knew her, but nobody could pin her down. She was always on the edge of someone else’s story, climbing water towers, chasing after trouble. The kind of girl who made Ridgewood whisper.

Derek said Noah and Aubrey had a bond nothing could break. He didn’t care about her rough past—he’d fight for her, no matter what. Derek would do the same. Loyalty like that made this town tick, even if it left me out in the cold.

But I’m not Aubrey Avery.

I’m just the girl next door who loved Derek Lang for more than ten years. The fiancée he once promised to marry.

My memories with Derek stretched from lemonade stands to sunburned afternoons, all the way to secret glances that felt like promises. I used to think that meant something. Maybe it never did.

A sharp ache throbbed in my chest. I pressed my thumb into my palm, grounding myself in something real so I wouldn’t break down right there.

"If you really care about Aubrey, you should at least acknowledge her. Don’t leave her hanging on the outside."

My voice sounded older, tired, like it belonged to someone who’d already lost. I made myself meet his eyes, determined not to show how much it hurt.

Noah looked worried, hands hovering like he wanted to comfort me but didn’t dare.

"Natalie, did you get the wrong idea? Aubrey’s like a little sister. There’s nothing romantic there. Where’d you even hear that?"

The air felt frozen. I searched his face for a lie, but all I saw was confusion and maybe a little fear—a fear of losing a friend over a misunderstanding.

I gave him a small smile, more for myself than for him. Something inside me finally let go.

So that’s how it is. Just wishful thinking.

My heart beat dull and slow, the disappointment echoing with the distant clang of a train crossing on the edge of town. In Ridgewood, nothing ever turned out the way you planned.