New Release! Check out this excerpt from WHERE YOU LEFT ME by Dani Bannister!

So, this is it. This is the place where you left me. Not very original, I have to say. I would have thought you’d come up with something less cliché than leaving me at the altar, but now that I’ve had a minute to think about it, everything about you was predictable. Ordinary. Nothing earth-shattering. Not even the sex. Yeah, that was all fake by the way.

Believe it or not, you leaving me standing here all alone is not the worst part about this messed-up day. It’s what you’re making me do now that’s pissing me off. Because of your spineless ass, I need to go out to that waiting crowd and face my parents. Hell, I have to face your parents and all your dipshit friends you made me invite. This should not be my job. You’re the one who couldn’t keep your hands to yourself. Because, of course, you were banging one of my bridesmaids. You couldn’t be more of a tool if you tried.

Then again, what does that make me in this story? No. I will not be the loser in this scenario. Screw that. Screw you. You saved me a lifetime of regret and bad dick. So, you know what? Thank you. Thank you for taking years of misery off my shoulders.

Pacing rings in the minister’s chambers next to the altar, my fingers stopped their assault on the phone’s keypad while I read over my response to Dwayne after his dramatic dash from the church moments earlier. Emma’s bouquet still lay on the floor where she’d dropped it to take his hand to run down the rose petal aisle together. To hell with the both of them.

Never reply in anger, I could almost hear my mother whispering in my ear. I took a deep breath and rolled my shoulders back. I put the phone down without sending the message but keeping the words for fine-tuning later.

Adjusting the bottom of my dress, I winced. The tug against the sticky tape holding my girls in place reminded me not to move quite so much. Stupid strapless dress. After a quick check, I determined they wouldn’t be escaping their cage anytime soon. I wished for the umpteenth time I had gone with the A-line dress I’d wanted instead of this strapless monster. I hated strapless anything. My boobs were too big for such a dress, but Dwayne’s mother, Dwayna, of all things, had insisted on it. She’d gone on and on about how strapless dresses were her little Dwayne’s favorite. Dwayna and Dwayne. That really should have alerted me right there that his family was nuts.

While there was a ridiculous amount of relief knowing I didn’t have to marry the guy, I found myself being angry as hell about missing out on the honeymoon. That was the only thing I’d been looking forward to. Not being his wife, but finally getting to go to The Bahamas.

That truth should have been a red flag, but when you lived in a hick town as I did, the choices weren’t many, so you took what you could get, and Dwayne was one of the few bachelors within a hundred-mile radius.

I figured I could learn to deal with his boring personality and his serial-killer eyes if we could occasionally get out of this dump. That had been one of Dwayne’s few perks. He had to travel a bit for his work. Even though it would be short trips where we’d likely only see the hotel, it didn’t matter. Anything to get me out of Erwin.

By leaving me, Dwyane was taking that great escape from this boring life away from me. I mean, sure, I could go on my honeymoon alone, but how depressing would that be? Going to the most romantic place on earth solo would be salt in an open wound. It wasn’t fair. Why did my life have to get turned upside down because of that dipshit?

Hell no. This was my wedding day. If he didn’t want to marry me, that was his loss. I wasn’t about to change my plans for him. I was going to get married and go on my honeymoon as scheduled. I just needed to find a groom. No problem.

After grabbing my bouquet of slightly bent flowers off the floor, I came out of the minister’s chambers where I had locked myself away. As soon as the door opened, my mom rushed over to me, her eyes red with worry. All attention turned my way, and a hush fell over the waiting family and friends as they shifted in the pews to watch what I’d do next. I’m sure they all expected a nervous breakdown.

Clearing my throat, I gave them all a pleasant smile.

“Be with you all in a second,” I assured them. “Mom, you can go back and sit with Dad now. I’ve got this.”

She looked up at me, ready to swoop in and try and save me from myself, but I held my hand up. “Please, Mom. Just sit. Trust me.”

Through tears, she shuffled her way back over to my dad, who seemed entirely confused about the whole thing. That made two of us, Pops.

Walking to my spot at the front, I addressed the waiting crowd.

“Sorry about that slight hiccup. We seem to be down one groom. Not to worry, though. You came here to see a wedding, and a wedding you shall see.” I glanced over to Dwayne’s wedding party. Of the four men he’d chosen, only one of them was unmarried. He was easily in his sixties, but hey, I was desperate.

“Carl, I know we don’t know each other well, but would you like to get hitched?”

There were a few uncomfortable laughs.

He cocked his head, clearly confused.

“I’m serious. Look, let’s get married. We’ll honeymoon in The Bahamas. What do ya say?”

He continued to blink his eyes like a broken stoplight. The man was in shock, clearly.

“Carl?” I asked again. Don’t leave me hanging, dude. “You up for a little fun in the sun?”

“Um… I’m gay.” There were a few audible gasps and one woman in the front crossed herself.

I sighed. “Ah. How about just sun, and no fun then?” His expression gave me my answer. “Okay. Fine.” I turned to face the pews. Surely someone here would be game for a little adventure. “So, it turns out Carl here is a bust. That means it’s someone’s lucky day. Who wants to get married?”