A Bride for Sam (A Red Maple Falls Christmas Wedding Novella)

by Theresa Paolo

  “Yes, that’s exactly what I was going for.”

  “It’s so good.” She pointed her fork at the cake while she swallowed the last bit. “I think this is the one.”

  “You have five more to taste.”

  Hadley wasn’t going to pass on the opportunity to taste cake, but she knew without a doubt that apple spice with caramel buttercream was her wedding cake.

  She mentally checked the last thing off on her wedding to-do list. She was officially done, and now she could sit back and enjoy the rest of the holiday season before walking down the aisle. She paused for a moment, wondering if everything fell into place too easily, but then she shoved the thought away and dove in to the rest of the cakes.

  Chapter 3

  Sam left the firehouse after a busy morning of spin outs and rescuing Mrs. Lowery’s cat from the top of her Christmas tree and headed to meet his groomsmen for his final fitting. They decided to forego the usual tuxedos and opted for light brown tweed suit jackets with matching vests over deep burgundy wine dress shirts to match the bridesmaid’s dresses. Sam, to be different, would be in a plaid mixed of burgundy, white, and brown.

  He pulled into the parking lot fifteen minutes later, in between Matt’s cruiser and Mason’s Bronco. Both men were leaning against the Bronco with their brother Cooper and Sam’s other groomsmen in front of them. Cooper’s hands were wildly going as he spoke, and Sam walked up behind him, smacking his back in greeting.

  Cooper turned, his face tan from having just come home from a two-week expedition in Cuba. Cooper was a travel blogger who made a name for himself through social media, quickly gaining a huge following after a monkey in Sri Lanka stole his camera right out of his hand and took a few pictures before Cooper managed to get it back. Since he was now a father of two and a bestselling author, his trips didn’t keep him away from home for extended periods of time. He finally had something or someone to come home to.

  “Look who finally decided to show up,” Cooper said, giving Sam’s hand a slap and pulling him in for a hug.

  “Am I late?” Sam asked.

  Matt shook his head as if it didn’t matter if he was or not. “I told these two knuckleheads you probably got caught up at the station.”

  “All I’m saying is a phone call would’ve been nice,” Mason joked, and Sam grabbed him around the neck as he walked toward the front door of the shop.

  Matt, Mason, and Cooper had always been like brothers, and now that he was marrying Hadley, they actually would be. Yet, it would change nothing. Sam had been a part of the Hayes family since he was just a boy and never once did he feel like he didn’t belong. Marrying Hadley just made it official.

  “How’s the brewery?” Sam asked Mason as he opened the door. Mason started out as a home brewer before following his dreams and opening the first and only brewery in Red Maple Falls. The place had been an instant success and with the help of Nick Davis, Mason’s sales had been on a steady rise.

  “It’s still standing.” Mason smirked as he walked into the shop. He had always been the smartass of the brothers. He was also the quietest of the group, so when he spoke everyone listened. Though with his dry wit, it was hard to tell if he was joking or not. Sam learned early on that nine times out of ten, the words that came out of Mason’s mouth were all in jest.

  Cooper followed Mason in then Matt held the door and motioned for Sam to go in ahead of him. Matt was in his tan police uniform and from the wrinkles in the middle, Sam could tell that Matt must have spent a majority of his day doing paperwork.

  Chase, his other groomsmen, was holding down the fort at the station and would be swinging by later for his final fitting.

  Ivy, the young twenty-something tuxedo shop owner, greeted them with a smile. Her black hair was pulled back from her light brown eyes in a tight bun. “Good afternoon, boys,” she said with an enthusiastic wave.

  All the guys nodded except for Sam who gave a proper hello.

  “You guys ready to get fitted?” She clapped her hands together, clearly more excited about the fitting than they were. Sam didn’t care what he wore as long as at the end of Christmas day he would be married to his soulmate, but Hadley fell in love with the rustic country theme and though he could care less, he wanted everything to be perfect for his bride-to-be.

  “This is perfect timing. I just received the shipment with your jackets. Haven’t even taken them out of the box yet. If you want to head over to the fitting area, I’ll meet you back there.”

  Ivy disappeared into a side room, and Cooper led the way for them to the fitting area. They each took a seat in the chairs lined against the wall.

  “Can we talk about the part of the wedding that really matters?” Cooper asked, and Sam turned his attention to him.

  “And what would that be?”

  “The bachelor party.”

  “No,” Sam said without hesitation. “I don’t want a bachelor party.”

  “You have to have a bachelor party,” Cooper insisted.

  “If he doesn’t want one, he doesn’t want one,” Matt said.

  “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  Sam crossed his arms over his chest and sank back into the chair. “What exactly did you have in mind?” If it was Cooper three years ago, Sam might’ve been worried, but after he met Sarah and became a father of two, Sam wasn’t as concerned.

  “Vegas, baby!”

  Sam laughed. “Not going to happen.”

  “Why not?”

  “I’m using all my time off for the wedding and the honeymoon.”

  “Not to mention I doubt Shay or Sarah would be particularly thrilled about us leaving them with the kids for a weekend in Vegas,” Matt added.

  “And I’m still shorthanded at the brewery. I couldn’t leave Cassie to run everything on her own.”

  “Why not? That girl of yours is Superwoman,” Cooper said.

  The edge of Mason’s mouth twitched. “Even Superwoman needs help sometimes.”

  “Fine. Vegas is out. It’s the middle of fucking winter so camping is out, too. That doesn’t leave us with many options.”

  “No, which is why I vote for no bachelor party.” Once upon a time Sam would have been all over the notion of a bachelor party—drinking beyond your limit, a stripper or three, letting loose and partying it up like there was no tomorrow. But that was back when Sam ran away from commitment, when all he cared about was one-night stands and waking up in the morning alone.

  Now he could give two shits about a stripper. The thought of a half-naked girl dancing around, rubbing up against him, did absolutely nothing for him. The only girl he wanted to see half-naked and dancing was Hadley.

  “As your groomsmen, I cannot allow that,” Cooper declared.

  “How about we go to Calhoun’s?” Mason offered.

  Cooper deflated in his chair. “We always go to Calhoun’s.”

  “Because they have a great beer selection and the best burgers in town.”

  “Calhoun’s sounds good to me,” Matt said.

  Sam nodded. “I’ll agree to that.”

  “Fine,” Cooper said. “Calhoun’s it is.”

  Just as they came to an agreement Ivy walked in looking a little distraught.

  “Everything okay, Ivy?”

  “I don’t know what happened,” she said. “I placed the order myself.”

  “What are you talking about?” Sam asked.

  She pulled her hand from behind her back and held up a hanger with a god awful bright orange polyester suit jacket that looked like it came right off the set of Dumb and Dumber.

  Sam pointed at the ugly jacket. “What the hell is that?”

  Ivy’s mouth opened then closed. She let out a loud sigh, shook her head, then inhaled and put on a huge fake smile. “Your suit.”

  “Very funny,” Sam said. “Did Mason put you up to this? Cooper?” Sam turned to the guys, but both of them held their hands up. Sam looked to his best friend as if Matt would assure him this was all a joke, but Matt just
stood there. Sam spun back to Ivy. “You’re kidding, right?”

  “I wish I was. I don’t know what happened. Like I said I placed the order myself. Let me get them on the phone and see if I can straighten this out.”

  “Please,” Sam said.

  “Yes, absolutely. I’ll go call them right now.”

  Sam slumped into the nearest chair and ran a hand over his face. The last thing he wanted to do was go home and tell Hadley that her fears were coming true. Damn Louise for putting that nonsense in her head to begin with. Just because everything had gone so easy up until this point did not mean everything was bound to fall apart. This was a minor bump in the road. Ivy would get on the phone and fix this. The new jackets would be shipped out and arrive within a day or two. No big deal.

  “I was kind of digging the orange,” Mason said.

  Cooper laughed. “You would.”

  Sam must’ve been looking panicked because Matt looked at him and said, “Ivy will have this all taken care of. Don’t sweat it.”

  All Sam could do was nod. A few minutes ago, he didn’t care about what he wore to marry Hadley, but that was before he was presented with being dressed up like a Cheez Doodle. He took a deep calming breath, knowing that it would all work itself out.

  A few minutes later, Ivy walked back into the room with a frown on her face.

  “Please tell me you got this taken care of,” Sam said.

  “I wish I could, but apparently they’re closed until the New Year.”

  “Does that mean we’re not getting fitted today?”

  “Shut up, Cooper,” Matt warned.

  “What’d I say?”

  Matt shook his head as Sam ran a hand through his hair, trying to come up with a plan. It’s what he did. When the impossible presented itself, he found a way around it. He just needed to think like he was in a fire, maneuvering around the various obstacles.

  “Is there anyone you can call? You must have a cell number or an email address.”

  “I have Karen’s cell.”

  “Good,” Sam said, feeling a tad bit more hopeful than before.

  “But…”

  Sam hated the word but nothing good ever followed that word. “But what?”

  “I already tried calling; it went straight to voicemail.”

  “Did you leave a message?”

  “I did.”

  “Good. Call me as soon as you hear something.”

  “I will. Definitely,” Ivy said, and though her words were filled with confidence, Sam was feeling anything but.

  Chapter 4

  Hadley finished up her day of work on the farm and headed into town, looking forward to when she could go home to a nice warm bath then cuddling up by the fire with Sam and Lady. In a short time, she and Sam would be lounging on the white sandy beaches of Hawaii, sipping Mai Tai’s and rubbing each other down with sun block. If she closed her eyes she could feel the warm sun on her skin and smell the sweet coconut scent of the sunscreen.

  She needed to stop by Kate’s and pick up the custom champagne flutes she’d made for her and Sam for their first toast as husband and wife.

  Serenity Glass Blowing Studios was right on Main Street in the heart of town. The studio was Kate’s dream come to life just like the brewery was for Mason. Both her siblings made goals for themselves and made them happen. It was admirable, and with Kate, Hadley had always admired her determination and dedication when she wanted to achieve something. She had learned a lot from her over the years and only hoped that Kate was as proud of her as she was of Kate.

  The small parking lot that the studio shared with The Chain and Spoke, the local bike shop owned by Kate’s husband, was made smaller by the mountain of snow in the far corner that seemed to be growing bigger each day.

  Both store fronts were lined in white twinkle lights while green garland wrapped around the streetlamp. A bike covered in lights sat outside Caleb’s store and a life-sized Grinch sat behind the handlebars.

  Hadley pulled her truck into an open spot then got out, patting her leg for Lady to follow. Lady lifted her head from the warmth of the seat and stared at Hadley with big, brown, disgruntled eyes before finally getting to her feet.

  “I know girl, it’s cold, but Auntie Kate will probably have a treat for you!”

  Lady jumped out of the truck, leading the way to the front door of the studio.

  “That’s what I thought,” Hadley said with a laugh as she shut her truck door and followed after her pooch.

  The sign was turned to closed, but Hadley ignored it and opened the door, letting Lady in first. Inside, the usual displays of Kate’s beautiful handblown glass creations were lined with fake white snow. Hand cut snowflakes hung from the ceiling with white ribbon.

  The decorations might not have looked as immaculate as Shay’s, but they were charming in a way that brought a smile to Hadley’s face.

  “Is that you, Hads?” Kate called from the back of the studio.

  “Yup!” Hadley called out as she made her way through the small retail space and toward the large studio where Kate created all her pieces and also taught classes.

  Silver Bells played softly over the speakers, and Hadley hummed along as she walked. Lady moved right to Kate’s desk, sniffing at the bottom drawer where she kept a box of treats for when Lady visited.

  Kate was in the middle of blowing a piece of glass, so Hadley offered a wave then followed Lady to the drawer where she retrieved a treat.

  “Do you want it?” Hadley asked, her voice rising at least three decibels. “Yes, you do. Yes, you do!” She tossed the treat to Lady who caught it like a champ and quickly devoured it. “Was that good?” Hadley bent down and scratched Lady behind the curls on her ears. The senior pup lifted her neck, loving the attention.

  Hadley continued to give Lady some loving as her eyes drifted over to Kate. There was something about watching Kate as she worked that made Hadley happy. She just loved how Kate could create a beautiful piece worthy of being in a museum and make it look so effortless.

  Kate took her mouth away from the rod and smiled at Hadley as she walked over to the kiln. “Sorry about that,” Kate said. “I got a few custom orders that came in this morning for a rush delivery—of course—so I’m just trying to get them done before I have another unexpected order come in.”

  “At least business is doing well,” Hadley said. “Do you think it has anything to do with the tutorials and pictures you’ve been posting online?”

  “Oh absolutely. This order I’m working on is from a girl in California who saw a picture of my work on Instagram.”

  “That’s awesome.”

  “Right? I told Caleb for Christmas I want a fancy camera so I can step up my game and make my pictures more professional.”

  “That’s a great idea for a gift. Is there anything else you want?”

  Kate stopped what she was doing and tilted her head, the messy bun on top of her head flopping to the side while her eyes narrowed. “No.”

  “What?” Hadley asked with a laugh.

  “We’re not doing gifts this year. It was your idea, so don’t go backtracking now.”

  “I know… It’s just weird not to be out Christmas shopping.”

  Christmas shopping was one of Hadley’s favorite things to do. While most of the year she hated shopping, at Christmas it was different. She got to go out and try to find the best gifts for the people she loved—a little token to show them that she knew exactly what they liked and that she loved them enough to know. This year, though, she didn’t want to burden anyone with the task of shopping when they were already doing so much with the wedding. So, at a Sunday night dinner in September—her grandmother started early—she told everyone to save their money and sanity.

  “Like you’d even have the time. You’re out going to dress fittings, tasting food and cake. By the way, Shay brought over a sample of what you decided, and my god, was that the best thing I ever tasted.”

  “Did she show you the design?�
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  “She did after almost twenty minutes of begging. She wanted it to be a surprise for everyone, but we all know how much I hate those.”

  “And? What did you think?”

  Kate put down what she was working on and walked toward Hadley. She took her hand and smiled. “I think it’s perfect and totally you and Sam.”

  “I thought so, too.”

  Hadley didn’t need her older sister’s approval, but hearing it filled Hadley’s heart with warmth. Kate stared at her with a dopey smile, and Hadley could feel heat spreading through her cheeks.

  “What?” she asked suddenly feeling self-conscious. Her hand flew to her mouth. “Do I have something in my teeth? My hair? Do I have hay in my hair again?” Hadley ran her fingers through the strands, searching for the culprit when Kate shook her head and bit her bottom lip. Hadley looked at her with curiosity. “What is it?”

  “You’re really getting married.”

  Hadley let her hand fall to her side. A huge smile formed on her face. “I am.”

  Tears welled in Kate’s eyes, and she laughed as she tried to wave the emotion away. “I’m just so happy for you. You deserve the best.”

  “Good thing I’m marrying the best.”

  “Well, I don’t know if I’d go that far. Took the moron long enough to catch on.”

  Hadley couldn’t help but laugh. “No kidding. I thought I’d be using my senior discount by the time he realized.”

  Sam had come into the Hayes family at only eight years old when Matt brought him home one day after school, and as the years passed, Hadley fell more and more in love with him. At first, the age difference kept Sam from noticing her, but as the years went on and they grew up, he was still blind to the undeniable connection they shared.

  Hadley wondered if she had never found the courage to admit her love to him if she’d even be having this conversation right now. Would she still be banished to the friend-zone, loving Sam from afar?

  Possibly, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that he finally opened up his eyes to what was right in front of him, and in a week, he would become her husband. Everything was falling perfectly into place.