Pierced by Love

by Laura L. Walker

  Pierce cleared his throat loudly. “Can we play too?”

  Three heads simultaneously swung around. Instant smiles soon followed. “Pierce!” Craig froze the game and came over and gave him a manly hug. Pierce held his breath for the duration. Craig had always been a little more touchy-feely than himself and Gage. Pierce’s breath rushed out when his brother pulled away. Marissa wasn’t far behind, offering one of her own. He gave her an obligatory hug as well.

  “So, little brother, the look on your face says it all. You’re stunned by Tamara,” Craig teased.

  “Yeah, Pierce. That’s priceless. Wish I had a camera,” Gage added.

  “Knock it off.” He glared at them. “I’m just a little surprised, okay? I’m sure you were too.”

  “Of course we were. That’s what makes it so funny.”

  Pierce failed to see any humor in the situation. “You could have given me a warning.”

  “And missed seeing the shock on your face? No way, man.” Gage put his controller down and turned to Craig. “Pierce brought a girlfriend. Noelle Johnson, I think.”

  “Actually, it’s Jensen,” Noelle corrected him politely.

  “And I told you that we’re just friends,” Pierce finished. Gage was really pushing his luck now. If he continued to show off in front of Noelle, Pierce would have to give him a piece of his mind.

  “Can you say ‘denial’?”

  Pierce clenched his jaw and stared menacingly at his younger brother. Gage apparently got the idea and held his hands up. “I’m kidding, all right?”

  Just then, Tamara entered with Noelle’s glass of lemonade. “Here you are, sugar. I added a sprig of mint fresh from my herb garden.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re very welcome, hon. Does anybody else want a glass of lemonade?” When there were no takers, she smiled and reminded them, “Dinner will be ready in about an hour. Hopefully your daddy will be home by then.”

  “Where is he?” Pierce asked.

  “He’s showing a house in Poway. He should be here shortly.”

  Meaning another three hours from now. It figures, Pierce thought. When would his dad ever realize that his family was more important than making money?

  Noelle offered to help Tamara in the kitchen but was refuted gently with a drawn-out “Oh no, honey. I can’t have my guest slaving her pretty little self away over a hot stove. I’ll be fine. You spend some quality time with that handsome young man out there. He’s to die for!”

  Noelle resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the woman’s exaggeration. Pierce was just Pierce, after all. She was getting tired of everyone trying to lump them together as a couple.

  Noelle wandered around the house out to the garden, admiring the variety of plants and shrubbery that were growing. She could see that Tamara had bought some starts of various herbs and transplanted them into an attractive area. From what she knew, Tamara had only lived in this house for just over a month, but she was making good progress. She had her work cut out for her with her stepsons, however. Noelle didn’t envy her the task.

  She was beginning to feel the effects of the last twenty-four hours. She sat on an iron-scrolled bench topped with green cushions to relax and breathe in the salty-sea air. Being in such a beautiful place during spring break was more than she had hoped for.

  Inevitably, Noelle’s thoughts turned back to her own problems. She regretted her nasty remarks to Melody just before she’d left on this trip. She could be hotheaded at times. This was one of the worst times to get her defenses up. She should be happy for Melody instead of jealous. She’d never dreamed that something like this would come between the two of them. Noelle had promised Pierce that she would make it right with Melody. She would at least try. She didn’t want to examine possible reasons for why his opinion mattered so much to her.

  Suddenly, Noelle’s cell phone buzzed in the pocket of her capris. Putting it to her ear, she answered, “Hello?”

  “Hello, sweetheart. How are you doing?”

  “Hi, Mom. I’m fine. How are you and Dad?”

  “We’re doing fine. Melody and I are fixing dinner, so I can’t talk long. I just wanted to find out if everything is okay with you.”

  Noelle stifled a sigh. “Sure thing. Life is good.” Most of the time. She knew that by giving a glib answer, she would ease her mother’s conscience.

  “Melody said something about you taking a short trip. Where are you going, Noelle?”

  This time Noelle did sigh, knowing that she could never lie to her mom. “Actually, I’m already here. I flew with a friend of mine to San Diego today. We’re staying at his parents’ house for a few days.”

  A pregnant pause followed. Her mother’s voice carried a note of disbelief when she repeated, “You flew on a plane to San Diego? Don’t you think that was a little presumptuous of you, dear?”

  “Pierce invited me.”

  “Noelle.” Brenda’s voice now conveyed outright censure. “You don’t go traipsing around the country with a man. Your father and I have taught you better than that.”

  “It isn’t like that, Mom. Pierce’s brothers are here as well. It’s a big house and we are very well chaperoned.”

  “Who is this friend of yours again?”

  “Our neighbor. One of the guys in the apartment complex. He’s really nice. I guess you could say that we’ve been hanging out lately.”

  Brenda groaned aloud. “Noelle Grace Jensen . . . the scrapes you get into. You know that we worry about you, don’t you?”

  “Mom, it’s okay, really,” Noelle hurried to assure her. “Listen, I’ll only be gone for a few days. I’m just enjoying a nice getaway and when I get back, I’ll be ready to face life again. Tell Melody that I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to get so mad.”

  “She’s right here. You can tell her yourself.”

  Noelle panicked. “Oh, no, that’s all right, Mom. You can just relay the message for me.”

  But it was too late. Noelle could hear her mother handing the phone to Melody along with a muffled response from her sister. A moment later, she heard, “Noelle? Is it true that you’re really in San Diego?”

  She swallowed around the lump in her throat. “Yes. Hey, Melody,” she said quickly, not wanting to get into another argument over it. “I just wanted to let you know that I’m sorry for all the mean things I said the other day. Sometimes my mouth moves a lot faster than my brain.”

  “Yeah, I know.” But Melody didn’t sound mad. “I’m sorry too. Though I still don’t think you made a good decision, I’ll try to keep my mouth shut from now on too. Deal?”

  “Deal.” Immediately, Noelle’s heart lightened. Maybe everything would be okay, after all.

  “Hey, Noelle,” Melody continued, “I’d like to ask you to be my bridesmaid.”

  “You would?” she asked with a sinking feeling. She wasn’t sure if she could handle that responsibility.

  “I know it will be hard for you, but I’d really appreciate it if you would do this for me. Remember when we were little and we’d daydream about our weddings? We agreed that we would be bridesmaids for each other.”

  Noelle had forgotten about that. But the promise made by a ten-year-old child didn’t hold the same weight as a promise made as an adult, did it? Besides, the situation now was quite a bit different than either of them could have imagined. And it was definitely un-fairytale-like! “I don’t know, Melody. I love you very much, but I don’t think I’m ready for that yet. Is there anyone else you can ask?”

  “I already asked my friend Lori, but I want you to be a part of my wedding. Because I love you too.”

  Was it possible to hear tears? Yet Noelle could almost swear that Melody was crying. Dang it! Now she was too.

  “I’ll think about it, okay?”

  “Okay. And just for the record, I hope that you have an enjoyable trip.”

  “Thanks. I’ll see you soon.”

  “All right. Bye.”

  “Bye,” she whispered
, staring at her phone after the connection was severed. Could she do it? Could she actually lay aside her jealousy and pettiness long enough to see her sister happily married? Mosiah 3:19 came to her mind: “ ‘For the natural man is an enemy to God . . .’ ”

  Pierce found Noelle sitting on the bench in the garden. She’d had the right idea in slipping away from the group. They were a bit overwhelming. Especially Tamara. The fact that she had done it without him noticing was a little disconcerting. He felt that he’d become more attuned to her lately.

  “Noelle?” He approached her carefully from behind. Something about the way her shoulders were hunched over put his senses on alert. “Are you all right?”

  She sniffed loudly and said in a muffled voice, “Fine.”

  No, she wasn’t. She was crying. He circled the bench and pulled her into his arms. The sobs came more intensely as she let go of whatever pain she’d been holding onto. Her body shook as he held her tighter, murmuring soft words of comfort. Pierce couldn’t believe how right it felt in this moment, holding her, breathing in the floral scent of her hair, and feeling the soft tresses with his fingertips.

  Finally her emotions were spent and Noelle took a deep, shuddering breath. He held her for a few more minutes—heck, he was beginning to think he could hold her like this forever—before she pulled away with a chagrined smile. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to come unglued like that.” Her voice was hoarse and her eyes were red.

  He spoke the first thought that came to his mind. “That’s all right. Even beautiful flowers need to be watered from time to time.”

  She laughed shakily. “How do you do it?”

  “Do what?”

  “How do you always know the right thing to say to me?”

  Her words surprised him. He was simply going by instinct, but maybe the Spirit had something to do with it. “I just want you to be happy. I don’t like seeing you so sad.”

  She gave him a grateful smile. “Thank you.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  In halting sentences, she told him about the conversation she’d had with her mother and sister. “The past month has been really stressful for me. I’m hoping that it will get easier now that we’ve called a truce. But as far as being Melody’s bridesmaid goes, I don’t know if I can do it. I’m not even sure if I’ll be able to sit through their temple sealing without making a scene.”

  “Take some time to pray about it.”

  She chuckled. “Pray about being a bridesmaid? Isn’t that kind of silly?”

  “This is an unusual circumstance.” He gazed at her intently. “The Lord understands how you feel, Noelle. Trust Him to give you the peace you need.”

  She was silent as she contemplated his advice. “I will,” she answered quietly.

  A few moments later, the soft purr of a Lexus could be heard pulling into the garage. Pierce’s father was home. “It’s time to meet my dad.”

  A look of apprehension crossed her face. “I need to fix my makeup first.”

  “You look great to me.”

  “Sure, with my red eyes and splotchy skin!”

  She had a point, but to Pierce, she looked fantastic. Real. And totally kissable. Yeah, it was definitely time to go inside before he did something stupid.

  “Let’s find Tamara. She’ll show you to your room.”

  Her relief was palpable. “All right. Thank you.”

  THIRTEEN

  DINNER IS SERVED,” Tamara announced. “If ya’ll will come into the dining room and find a seat, I’m sure we’ll have us a lovely meal.”

  Pierce wasn’t sure about that, but he kept his thoughts to himself. When his dad entered the room, Jared found his wife and gave her a loving kiss, which made Pierce feel like he’d been punched in the stomach. Then he greeted Craig and Marissa warmly while they were strapping Landon into a high chair and even lifted little Sophie high in the air, making her squeal in delight. Pierce’s mouth dropped open. Wow. He’d never seen his dad like this.

  Next, Jared Logan gave Gage an enthusiastic handshake before pulling him into a loose embrace. Okay, Pierce thought, this is weird.

  Finally, Jared turned to Pierce. He held his breath as he watched his dad’s grin fade to a mere semblance of a smile. Approaching Pierce cautiously, he said, “Hello, son.”

  Pierce forced a half-hearted smile to his face. “Hello, Dad.”

  An uncomfortable silence followed. A few seconds later, his dad tried again. “How are you?”

  That was a loaded question if he had ever heard one. Freaked out was what he was. Was this the same man who had raised him and his brothers? The one who always put off his boys’ requests to go outside and throw a football? Who’d told them to “be tough” and take life’s disappointments “like a man”? Who’d never helped him with his merit badges or Eagle project? Or who had merely uttered obligatory words of congratulations to him at his high school graduation before turning back to his work-related phone call? And who didn’t even invite him to his and Tamara’s wedding, let alone bother to tell him about his reactivation in the Church? Pierce couldn’t stomach it. “I’m all right,” he answered stoically.

  “I’m glad you came.”

  “Yeah, it’s good to be here,” he said sarcastically, letting him know in no uncertain terms that it wouldn’t have been his first choice for spending his spring break.

  He was getting worked up and he knew it. He just didn’t know how to stop these emotions that were now raging throughout his entire being. He sincerely hoped that he wouldn’t say something that he would regret.

  In that instant, a warm, soft hand encircled his wrist. Pierce looked down at the delicate fingers with the pale pink nails and lifted his head back up to meet Noelle’s gentle smile. She cocked her brows and widened her smile slightly as if to once again convey the message to be nice.

  He sighed in resignation and turned back to his dad. “Dad, this is my friend, Noelle Jensen.”

  His dad held out his hand for her to shake and smiled easily at her. “It’s nice to meet you, Noelle. Welcome to our home.”

  “It’s nice to meet you too. Thank you for inviting me.”

  “We’re glad that Pierce did. Now maybe he’ll behave himself while he’s here.”

  “Dad!” he growled.

  Jared Logan’s grin was unrepentant. “Sorry, son. You looked like you were spoiling for a fight. So I’ll start it first. Obviously, Tamara and I invited all of you here so that you could meet her. But there are other things we need to talk about and I hope to do that with each of you boys privately while you’re here. I realize that you’ve harbored some hard feelings toward me for the past few years after divorcing your mother. I can’t blame you for that.” He eyed Pierce intently. “All I can do is hope that you’ll come to a greater understanding that I really do love you and I want to make things right.” He turned to his other two sons. “So can I expect your cooperation in making this a pleasant time for everyone while you’re here?”

  Craig and Gage immediately agreed. Pierce was more reluctant. “Pierce?” It didn’t help that his dad was lifting that imperious brow of his, a gesture he’d perfected through the years to get what he wanted. “Do we have a deal?”

  “That depends on your willingness to cooperate too, Dad.” Pierce felt empowered just by saying the words.

  “I’m willing to hear you out, whatever you have to say,” his dad answered without hesitation.

  It was a bold statement. Jared Logan had always been bold in the business world. Taking chances had been the key to putting his investment company at the top. Taking that last chance with his employee had also caused his downfall.

  Pierce hated to admit it, but his dad was right. And he had effectively diffused a volatile situation with his offer. “Deal.” He shook his dad’s hand. He’d be taking him up on that offer soon.

  During dinner, Pierce watched as Noelle picked at her food, wondering if she was having as difficult a time getting the events of th
e past few minutes out of her mind as he was. Feeling mildly guilty for casting a pall over the room, Pierce picked at his chicken parmesan and scalloped potatoes too.

  Noelle’s arm brushed his as she reached for her water glass. He glanced down at her, noticing the sad smile that had formed on her lips. She held his gaze unwaveringly. In that moment, an unspoken pact formed between them. Her eyes said it all. All right, Pierce. You’ve been there for me through all my pain. Now I’m here for yours. In that moment, Pierce knew there were very few women who would willingly put themselves into a situation such as his. He’d been offered a rare gift.

  He smiled at her to let her know that the message had been heard.

  Dinner was over and everyone stood to take their plates to the kitchen when Tamara announced, “I would appreciate it if you boys would help me clear the table and load the dishwasher. You ladies just go on and relax for a few minutes. We won’t be long.” Good-natured protests from the guys were followed by good-natured teasing from the women. Tamara then turned to her husband and told him to go read his newspaper and put his feet up for a few minutes while she became better acquainted with her new stepsons. After complimenting Tamara on a delicious dinner, they all did as they were asked.

  Pierce and his brothers worked with Tamara in putting the leftovers away and loading the dishwasher. When they were nearly finished, Tamara leaned her elbows on the kitchen island and said, “All right, y’all. I wanted to talk to you about what happened in there.”

  Pierce bit back a groan. It was on the tip of his tongue to proclaim himself innocent when Tamara surprised him by saying, “Before you go your separate ways on Thursday, I want each of you to understand where your daddy is coming from on this. He’s told me about all those years when he was married to your mama. He acknowledges that he wasn’t a very attentive father and that he undoubtedly left some emotional scars. Is he right?”