Pierced by Love

by Laura L. Walker

  Fifteen minutes later, a car pulled up to the house and hushed voices could be heard as Sarah Logan, wearing a long-sleeved dress, entered with a middle-aged man wearing a suit and tie. He had thick blondish-brown hair and brown eyes that regarded Pierce kindly. From what Pierce could tell, he was a big-boned man. Standing next to his petite mom, with her dark hair, they appeared somewhat incongruous.

  She hurried to Pierce and hugged him. “Hello, Pierce. How are you?”

  “Hi, Mom.” His mom was just about the only person on the planet besides Noelle whose hugs Pierce looked forward to.

  “I’m glad you made it. I want you to meet my friend, Eric Nielson. Eric, this is my son Pierce.”

  He shook the man’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Same here. Now I’ve met all three of you.”

  Sarah smiled at her son. “Eric and I attended an orchestra concert tonight at Gammage Auditorium. Gage gave us the tickets.”

  “He did?” Pierce was surprised by that tidbit, considering that Gage had been openly opposed to their mother dating Eric.

  She nodded. “I think it was his way of apologizing for the way he treated Eric in the beginning.” She smiled and looked back at Eric. “But they’ve been getting to know each other better.”

  Eric nodded. “Gage is a good kid once you get past the bad-boy image he portrays. He obviously cares about you, Sarah.”

  A shadow passed over her features. “He is a good son. I just wish that someone would help him find his way back into the Church.”

  “Give him time, Mom. He’s still dealing with stuff.” Looking Eric in the eyes, he added pointedly, “We all are.”

  She sighed. “You’re right. I suppose it will happen in the Lord’s timing. I know that you boys had a shock with your father getting married and me dating a new guy. How did it go in San Diego, by the way?”

  Pierce would have preferred to have this conversation one-on-one with her, so he chose his words carefully. “Tamara was definitely not what I expected.” He told them about her Southern roots, jovial personality, and not-so-petite figure. “Dad surprised me with his choice, to be quite honest.”

  Sarah gave him a knowing look. “It’s because he’s finally mature enough to realize what’s important.” She smiled toward Eric. “I can say that for myself now too, I hope.”

  Eric gave her an adoring look. Pierce’s jaw tightened. It was going to take some time to get used to seeing his mom with this man. “Sarah, you have done a remarkable job of pulling your family through the trials you’ve faced. Don’t be too hard on yourself that your marriage didn’t work out.”

  Sarah looked at Pierce regretfully. “I tried. But my sons had to come first. We needed a separation so that things could be put to rights again.”

  Eric said, “Well, it’s late and I should be heading home. It’s great to meet you, Pierce. Take care.” He walked up to Sarah and kissed her cheek. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  “Sounds great. Good night, Eric.”

  “Good night.” Pierce watched him go, wondering why his life had to be like a soap opera.

  “I expected you earlier, son. Is everything all right?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” Pierce hedged, knowing that it wasn’t completely true.

  Maybe it was her sixth sense kicking in, but his mom gave him the perfect opening by stating, “You didn’t like Eric. I could see it on your face.”

  “No, that’s not it. I’m just not used to seeing you with another guy.”

  “I’ve been dating off and on for the past four years. But I’ve never been in a relationship that was serious enough to introduce anyone to you and your brothers.”

  “So it is serious then?”

  His mom nodded thoughtfully. “I think so. Eric is pretty straightforward about things. I’ve met some men in the singles scene who have represented themselves falsely or talked about their divorces like they were of no consequence. Of course, every divorce happens for a reason. I’ve tried to be really careful and ferret out the truth from the men I’ve dated. Some of them were put off by that. But they were generally the ones who were hiding something important.”

  Pierce was impressed with his mom’s discernment. He’d worried about her getting stuck in another bad marriage.

  “Do you mind if I ask you a question, Mom?”

  “Go ahead.”

  He took a fortifying breath and began. “Dad told us some things about the time when we were little. Why didn’t you tell us about your miscarriages and strained relationship with him afterward?”

  Sarah swallowed, looking sadly into his eyes. “That was such a difficult time in our marriage. I did what I had to do to block out the pain.”

  “He said that you kept pressuring him to have another baby.”

  After a silent pause, she nodded. “It’s true. I didn’t know that last pregnancy would end so disastrously or that it would do irreparable damage to our marriage. I have to admit, Pierce, that when I saw your dad pulling away from us, I harassed him to the point where a permanent wedge came between us. I just wanted for him to come back to church and be the kind of dad you boys needed. But I made it worse by insisting. If there’s anything I’ve learned from this experience, it is to be more supportive to a husband by being humble enough to wait on the Lord for His perfect timing. Maybe if I hadn’t pushed your dad so much . . . but we can’t change it now.”

  Pierce agreed. “Dad knows that you were doing the best you could. He takes his share of the blame.”

  Sarah nodded in resignation. “I think that it’s time for all of us to move forward. We’ve suffered enough heartache in the past. We have a bright future before us. Aren’t we fortunate that the Lord gives us second chances?”

  Pierce loved his mom more in that moment than he ever had before. And while he didn’t quite feel ready to forgive his parents for the pain they’d caused, he was overcome with the feeling that eventually everything would be all right.

  Sarah changed the subject. “I heard that you brought a girl with you to San Diego.” She raised her eyebrows at him questioningly.

  “Her name is Noelle Jensen.” He proceeded to tell her about Noelle, omitting the drama that she and Melody were going through.

  “And is this the friend you’re visiting this weekend?”

  He mumbled, “I’m actually down here to meet her parents.”

  The complete astonishment and joy he saw on her face did nothing to allay Pierce’s worries. “Pierce,” she breathed. “Oh, Pierce. That’s wonderful. You’re dating a girl for real this time?”

  He tried not to take offense to that. Really. “Yes, Mom. It’s a little early, but . . . ,” he hesitated, “I think I’ve found the woman I want to marry.” There. He’d said it aloud. The roof hadn’t caved in. Everything would be fine.

  He hoped.

  TWENTY

  NOELLE, WAKE UP. We need to get going. We have a lot to do today.” Melody walked into Noelle’s bedroom after rapping lightly on the door. She sat on the edge of the bed, prompting Noelle to roll over, putting her back toward Melody.

  Noelle groaned. “Why do I need to go with you and Mom? Have you considered that it might not be very fun for me?”

  As soon as the words came out, Noelle bolted out of her bed and hugged Melody, hoping to erase the shocked look of hurt that she’d put on her sister’s face. “I’m sorry, Melody. My brain is still groggy.”

  “It’s okay,” she whispered. “Noelle, I thought we were over all of that.”

  “I’m trying, Melody,” she said, placating her. “Come on. Let’s get going. Do I smell bacon and eggs?”

  Noelle quickly showered and dressed in a pair of light brown slacks, a green peasant blouse, and high-heeled strappy sandals. She sat in the backseat of her mother’s BMW Gran Coupe, literally feeling like a third wheel while Melody rambled on about lace and bows, ribbon and sequins. Her monologue turned next to corsages and bouquets and the pros and cons of real flowers over silk.


  Noelle’s ears were ringing by the time they came to their first stop, the florist shop. After deliberating for an endless length of time, Melody and her mother decided on white roses accented by pink lilies with light blue- and brown-shaded ribbons woven through it. Noelle’s bouquet would be a miniature version of Melody’s. Noelle had learned that she, along with Melody’s grade-school friend, Lori, were the only bridesmaids, and therefore, Melody had chosen not to have a maid of honor.

  They made consecutive stops to the print shop to pick up Melody and Chase’s wedding invitations and to the caterer’s shop to confirm a few more details. Their last visit was to All In White Bridal Boutique. Sharon, who catered to temple-ready bridal fashions in the LDS community of Mesa, Arizona, met them serenely in the lobby. Melody introduced Noelle, explaining that they were here to have her dress fitted. When Sharon left to retrieve the gown, Noelle asked Melody why Lori wasn’t with them.

  “She came with me last time,” Melody explained. “Her dress is ready.”

  A few minutes later, Sharon entered the lobby again, motioning the trio back to the fitting rooms. She indicated a specific paneled partition with a knee-length cap-sleeved dress in a light blue color hanging next to it. Noelle’s eyes locked onto the dress and she fingered it, noting the softness of the chiffon and the bow on one side whose tails trailed and tapered becomingly to the mid-thigh length.

  “Do you like it, Noelle?”

  “It’s gorgeous,” she breathed.

  She took the dress past the panel and quickly changed into it, loving the way the color of it enhanced the blue of her eyes and made her skin glow. Obediently, she allowed Sharon’s assistant to pin the dress in the appropriate places, although her patience began to wear thin by the time she’d finished.

  “Melody, are we going to—”

  She stopped midsentence, not realizing till that moment that Melody had disappeared momentarily to try on her wedding dress. When Melody stepped forward to the mirror-paneled wall wearing the most beautiful gown Noelle had ever seen, her heart stopped beating. In traditional long-sleeved fashion, the rounded neckline and fitted bodice featured a beaded lace overlay while the slender skirt flared out gracefully to the floor. Catching Noelle’s gaze, Melody turned slowly, allowing Noelle to see the tiny buttons that ran the length of the gown and the flowers that detailed the back waistline. Melody looked wonderfully exquisite.

  Melody twisted her engagement ring nervously and asked, “What do you think, Noelle? Is it okay?”

  All of a sudden, the room felt too warm. The walls seemed to be closing in on Noelle while she tried to hear Melody’s words over the blood pounding in her ears. Her chest constricted painfully when her mind conjured the image of Chase with his sandy-blond hair and bright blue eyes standing in a white tuxedo next to Melody on the temple steps. The gown might be all right, but she wasn’t. Up to this point, Noelle had been telling herself that she could get through this and that she would stand by the people whom she loved while they vowed to love each other forever.

  Now, however, she knew that she’d been lying.

  Shameful tears came to her eyes. Turning around to shield them from Melody’s view, she came face-to-face with her mother, who looked at her in concern. “Noelle—sweetheart, are you all right?”

  Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she smiled tightly. “I’m not sure. I think I need to sit down.” Why was this happening right here, of all places? She’d thought she could handle this, but she couldn’t. There was no way to keep the tears at bay. Searching frantically for the restroom, she entered it and closed the door just before the dam broke loose. She tried to cry quietly and not damage the dress, if it were possible.

  A knock sounded at the door and Noelle heard her mother calling her name softly. Wiping her eyes futilely with her hands, she looked around for a tissue and spotted a box of them near the sink. Gratefully, she grabbed several and blew her nose. When she had regained a reasonable amount of control, she pulled her phone from her purse and dialed Pierce’s number.

  He answered on the second ring. “Hello?”

  “Pierce,” she croaked, hating the cragginess of her voice.

  “Noelle? Is that you?”

  “Yeah, it’s me.”

  “How’s the fitting going?”

  “I, um . . .” What should she say? “Pierce,” she tried again, “It’s not going very well. I need you to do me a favor. How far away are you?”

  “I’m in Mesa. I was spending some time with Gage, but I’m heading your direction now.”

  She sighed in relief. “Okay. Good. Can you come and get me?”

  “Where are you?” Now his voice carried a note of concern. “Are you all right?”

  Sniffling loudly, she answered, “No. I need your help. Can you please come and get me?”

  “Tell me where you are.”

  She told him the location of the bridal boutique, which thankfully was only a twenty-minute drive from where he was. “Hold on, Noelle. I’ll be right there.”

  “Thanks, Pierce. You’re a lifesaver,” she said shakily as she ended the call.

  She grabbed a fresh tissue from the box and opened the door, meeting her mother just beyond. Once again, Brenda Jensen’s brows were raised questioningly. “Noelle? Are you all right?”

  “I don’t feel well, Mom. I’m going to change out of this dress and wait up front for Pierce. He’s picking me up soon.”

  “But you agreed to go to lunch with us. Are you sure that you wouldn’t be fine if you simply rested for a few minutes?”

  With a tiny shake of her head, Noelle explained, “No, I really should go home, Mom. I’m sorry.” Her voice cracked.

  Her mother peered at her more closely. “Maybe you’re right. You look like you’re about to faint. What happened?”

  “I’d rather not talk about it right now. But please don’t rush Melody on my account. Go ahead and take her to lunch. I’ll be fine. Pierce will be here soon, then he’ll take me home.”

  “It’s a shame. Melody was looking forward to spending this time with you. She says you’ve been so busy this semester. She’s worried that you’ve continued to grow apart.” Her mother’s sharp gaze pricked Noelle’s conscience, but she couldn’t deal with it right now.

  “I haven’t meant for us to grow apart. I’ve just had a lot to deal with lately. Anyway, tell Melody that I’m sorry I messed everything up. I’ll try to make it up to her somehow.”

  “All right,” her mom said doubtfully. “Please call me if you need me to come home.”

  Noelle agreed and hurried in and out of the fitting room, handing the dress to Sharon. Then she made her way to the lobby to wait for Pierce.

  Noelle hadn’t said anything beyond a hello for the past ten minutes, unless Pierce counted the sniffles he heard while she had her face turned toward the window. Pierce looked at her in concern, wondering what had happened in the bridal shop. He knew that she’d been crying, judging from the way her voice cracked on the phone and the way she averted her eyes.

  The sudden realization that he was becoming familiar with this woman’s tears startled him. Not that he minded being there for her, but he was wondering whom these tears were being spilt for, her or Chase.

  He drove with no destination in mind, giving her the time she needed to compose herself. Heck, if he was being honest with himself, he’d admit that he needed time to rein in his heated emotions too. This situation with her sister and ex-boyfriend was enough to drive him over the edge. Just when Pierce thought that he was making some headway with Noelle, she suffered another setback. When was she going to get over this guy?

  His gut told him to stay calm even though his brain was screaming to have it out with her. Be patient with her, Logan, he told himself. She needs more time.

  “Feeling any better?”

  She nodded mutely. Pierce gritted his teeth in frustration. He pulled into the parking lot of an office complex and parked, waiting for her to say something. He
fought to keep his tone even. “Come on, Noelle. Tell me what’s going on. When we talked last night, you were fine. Now you’re stressing out.”

  After taking a shuddering breath, she finally turned to him. Her sorrow was so palpable; it tore him up seeing her this way. He gently lifted her chin and looked into her teary eyes. “I don’t know if there’s anything I can do to help, sweetheart. But please don’t shut me out.”

  “You’ll probably think I’m an idiot. And you’d be right.”

  Her self-incriminating tone erased all of his negative thoughts from a few minutes ago. “No, I won’t. Tell me what happened.”

  He waited again. Noelle buried her head in her hands; then she straightened her body and blurted, “I saw Melody in her wedding dress and it all came flooding back—the horror of being dumped and being jealous of my own sister and the futility of it. I didn’t handle it well at all.”

  “So you feel you made a scene in front of your mom and Melody?”

  She grimaced, shutting her eyelids tightly as if trying to shut out the memory. “Yes,” she cried. “I held it together long enough to call you, and then my mom kept pushing me to stay and keep my end of the agreement to spend this time with Melody. But I just couldn’t handle the stress, so I bailed.”

  Pierce didn’t know how to respond. He’d been right about her reason for being upset. Unfortunately, being right did nothing to appease him. “It’s been, what? Six weeks since you broke up?”

  “Mm-hmm.”

  “It isn’t easy to recover from a breakup. Give yourself some more time.”

  “But what about us?”

  That was the question he wanted to ask her. Instead, he reassured her. “I’m still here and I’ll stand by you for as long as you need me to.”

  She gave him a wobbly smile. “Thanks, Pierce. You’re awesome. I’m sorry I lost it. I knew it was going to be hard.”

  When her body convulsed again, Pierce thought she would resume the crying spell. But to his amazement, she took a deep breath and pulled herself together. He asked her, “Are you sure you can pull this off?”