Holly's Wishes

by Karen Pokras

  Holly’s Wishes

  By Karen Pokras

  Book Two: Whispered Wishes Series

  Holly’s Wishes

  Book Two: Whispered Wishes Series

  © 2014 by Karen Pokras

  All Rights Reserved

  Published by Grand Daisy Press

  Digital Edition

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, please go to www.karenpokras.com.

  Disclaimer: The characters in this novel are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual individuals is purely coincidental.

  Digital Edition, License Notes This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  For more information, please visit

  http://www.karenpokras.com

  Edited by Melissa Ringsted of There For You Editing

  Cover by Najla Qamber Designs

  Models: Courtney Boyett and Willis Totten

  Model Photographer: Casey Boyett

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  End Notes

  Other Books by Karen Pokras

  About Karen Pokras

  5 Years Later

  Chapter 1

  “I still don’t get why she chose you to be the maid of honor,” Tessa whined, adjusting the straps of her lavender silk gown for the hundredth time.

  “We’ve already been over this,” Holly replied, twisting around in front of the mirror to pin up a strand of long blonde hair that had already escaped the hairdresser’s elaborate up-do. “It’s an age thing. I’m only two years younger than Ava. You’re six years younger. Don’t take this the wrong way, but she still thinks of you as a little kid.”

  “But I’m twenty-one,” she reminded her older sister. “I’m hardly a child. I’m practically the same age Ava and Max were when they met and got engaged.”

  “I remember it well,” Holly said, smiling.

  Ava met Max during their senior year of college. To say their relationship started off awkward was an understatement. He had been a nude model in her art class, who, oddly enough, wound up being her statistics tutor. They’d been like oil and water at first, but they shared a bond that kept pulling them together. They fell in love and were engaged within a matter of weeks. Holly couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. She was happy for them, of course, but jealous nonetheless.

  “Being a bridesmaid is a huge honor. You shouldn’t be complaining. You still get to stand up there with us in your glamorous gown.”

  Tessa twirled in the mirror. “Well, I do look good, there’s no arguing there.”

  Holly rolled her eyes. “Anyway, choosing the wedding party wasn’t my decision. It was Ava’s. I had nothing to do with it.” Picking up the can of hairspray, she added enough of the sticky goo to her head to ensure no other strays would escape, before moving on to makeup. Why bother hiring professionals if she was just going to have to touch everything up herself?

  “In that case, I’m officially putting in my application to be your maid of honor. You’re going to be next, you know. It seems like you and Jared have been together forever.” Tessa took a seat at the vanity next to her sister and rummaged through the makeup pile to find the eye shadow that matched her dress. She added extra color to her already perfectly done eyes before moving on to lips.

  Holly nodded. It did seem like she and Jared had been together forever. In reality, it had been three years. She’d first noticed him back when they were still in college and living in the same dorm. The attraction had been instant—at least for her. Despite the fact that they were and would always be complete opposites, she’d fallen hard. Normally, she stuck to nice guys, the type of guys her parents would expect her to date. Not that Jared wasn’t nice—he just had a bit of a wild side that Holly found fascinating. No, that wasn’t the right word … sexy, that’s what it was. When it came down to it, he was sexy, and she’d never dated anyone like that before.

  For months, she tried pretty much everything to catch his attention, but he hadn’t noticed her. Not at first. Not for a long time, actually. He was too busy partying to be bothered with a dean’s list girl, which probably explained why he eventually dropped out of school. Holly had been bummed at first, but went back to dating the kind of guys she could proudly bring home—nice, college educated, boring guys.

  The following year, she walked into a friend’s party and recognized him immediately. She offered him a drink and struck up a conversation. Within six months, they moved in together. They’d been playing house ever since. Despite countless hints that it might be time to take their relationship to the next level, she was still waiting on a marriage proposal.

  “Duly noted,” Holly said, although, in the event that she and Jared ever did get married, she couldn’t imagine anyone but Ava as her matron of honor. Poor Tessa. It couldn’t be easy being the youngest sister.

  The door to the bridesmaids’ room slowly creaked open.

  “There she is!” Holly exclaimed, turning in her chair to face the youngest member of the bridal party. “The prettiest flower girl I’ve ever seen.” She opened her arms to scoop Jenna up and hold her close.

  “Aunt Holly! You’re smooshing my dress,” Jenna complained, wiggling her tiny body free. “Watch me …”

  The little girl put her basket of flower petals down and spun around in circles, squealing in delight as the skirt of her dress flared out like a ballerina’s tutu.

  “Just beautiful,” Holly proclaimed, clapping her hands in delight. “The most beautiful three-year-old there ever was.”

  “Almost four,” Jenna stated in a very serious tone.

  “Yes, of course you are,” Ava said, as she entered the room. “My daughter loves to remind everyone her birthday is soon.”

  Holly barely recognized her older sister in her wedding gown. She couldn’t help but stare. Ava was glowing. The old cliché that a bride looks like a princess really was true. She looked as if she’d stepped out of a Disney movie, and other than the birth of her daughter, she’d never appeared happier.

  She was finally getting the big white wedding she and Max had decided to put off for a few years. There’d always seemed to be something standing in the way. Not that the birth o
f Jenna was just a something, but Ava’s pregnancy had been unexpected and difficult. At the same time, they had school to finish and careers to get off the ground. Now that their lives were a bit more stable, they’d decided it was time to have the wedding of their dreams. Well, Ava’s dreams really. Max seemed content with the marriage certificate the Justice of the Peace issued them almost five years ago, shortly after they’d moved to California and learned they had a baby on the way.

  “Oh …” Holly sighed, standing up to take her sister’s hands, “you’re absolutely stunning.”

  “Breathtaking,” Tessa added, breaking into the circle. It had been a long time since the three of them had been together like this.

  “Stop it, now,” Ava said, her cheeks turning pink, “both of you. You’re going to make me cry. I’ve waited way too long for this day to have my makeup ruined five minutes before I’m about to walk down the aisle.”

  While Holly dabbed Ava’s eyes with the edge of a tissue, Tessa retied the bow on Jenna’s lavender dress, a miniature version of the ones she and Holly wore. Each of the women picked up their flowers and stood together before the mirror … three sisters, bonded by blood, the best of friends.

  “Hey, I want to see, too,” Jenna said, squeezing between Ava and Holly.

  A sea of lavender surrounded Ava’s white satin and silk gown, matching the bouquet of lilacs and daisies each of them carried. The Haines ladies were a sight to behold today.

  A knock on the door interrupted the moment.

  “Yes?” Holly called out.

  “They’re ready for you now,” the voice on the other side said.

  Chapter 2

  Ava’s ceremony had everything Holly had always dreamed of for herself. Well, the most important thing anyway—the adoring groom waiting at the altar, unable to take his eyes off his bride from the moment she walked into the room. Not that she was in love with Max. She had Jared. She knew Jared loved her, but did he adore her? It seemed as if they’d hit a wall recently … or maybe that wall had always been there, and she’d chosen not to see it. Either way, she hoped a marriage certificate would be just the thing they needed to break through and forge ahead into a blissfully happy future.

  It felt like everyone around Holly was getting married lately. Of course, she was twenty-five now, and she and her friends were at that age. She’d thought maybe once Jared’s friends started marrying, he might decide he wanted to as well, but he appeared more than content in his current single state. Her mom had warned her against moving in with him for that very reason. Why did she always have to be right?

  With the ceremony now over and the reception in full swing, she watched as her boyfriend stood at the bar ordering a drink. Was this his third or his fourth? She’d lost count.

  “Who’s that talking to Jared?” Tessa asked, coming up behind her.

  “That’s Carly, one of Ava’s friends from college. I didn’t know they were still friends. I thought Ava told me they’d lost touch after she moved out west. I guess they reconnected.”

  “Interesting outfit,” Tessa noted, eyeing the barely there dress with disdain.

  Holly nodded. “She looks like she belongs on a corner.”

  “Well, she certainly doesn’t look like she came from church. Whoever was sitting behind her sure got an eyeful every time she knelt, that’s for sure.”

  They bowed their heads and giggled, trying not to draw any attention their way.

  “How does she know Jared?” Tessa asked once she calmed herself down.

  “She doesn’t.” Holly turned her attention back to her boyfriend, watching as he flirted shamelessly with her. “They’ve never met before today,” she said, sighing.

  “Oh, forget about them. He’s being annoying … and harmless. Besides, this is an awesome party, isn’t it? Hey, I love this song. Come on, let’s dance!” Without giving her a chance to respond, Tessa pulled her out onto the center of the floor.

  Holly could always count on her younger sister to lighten the mood. It was as if she could sense what she was feeling. Maybe it was a sister thing. Whatever it was, dancing with Tessa did cheer her up. This was Ava’s wedding. It wasn’t the time or the place for being irritated. She would deal with Jared and his inappropriate behavior later.

  “Ooh, I almost forgot—I’ll be back in a minute,” Holly said, breaking away during the second song. She hurried up on stage to whisper in the ear of the lead singer of the band and returned to Tessa, smiling, as she waited for the music to end.

  Moments later, the singer announced, “May I have everyone’s attention please? The Maid of Honor would like to toast the happy couple.”

  He waited for Holly to grab her champagne before handing over the microphone. The wait staff quickly made their rounds, refilling everyone’s glasses. Ava and Max took their drinks and sat down at the head table.

  Looking at her sister and brother-in-law, Holly started, “Ava, Max … this is kind of a strange toast for me to make. Not strange as in weird, but strange as in different. I’ve never made a wedding toast before to a couple who weren’t actually newlyweds.” She scanned the room before asking, “I’m allowed to say that, right? It wasn’t a big secret that the two of you have already been married for almost five years?”

  The two of them nodded as the room burst out laughing.

  “Phew, that would have been really uncomfortable for all of us if I’d let that little secret out,” Holly continued. “But, since we’re all good, as I was saying, normally in these kinds of speeches, the sister of the bride welcomes the groom into her family. However, Max, you’ve been a part of our family for a while. I’m thrilled we haven’t scared you away.” Pausing, she waited while everyone’s chuckles ended. “I’ll never forget the day we met. You sat at our family’s kitchen table in front of all of us—Mom, Dad, Tessa, and myself—while Ava slept on the couch. You know she broke the cardinal rule, don’t you? She left the boyfriend alone with the family on the first meeting. That was a big no-no.”

  Max laughed along with Ava and everyone else.

  “Luckily, you handled yourself like a champ,” she continued. “You even managed to convince Mom and Dad to allow my sister to move across the country with you after only knowing her a few weeks. That, my friend, was a bold move … very impressive. Of course, I don’t think they expected you to knock her up after a couple of months, but we won’t discuss that. Oops.”

  She blew Ava a kiss, who stuck her tongue out in return. Jenna may have been unplanned, but she was one of the most adored members of the family. She was also currently fast asleep in a side room with a babysitter; otherwise, Holly never would have brought up the subject so crudely.

  “Ava, when you first called me to tell me about Max, you didn’t exactly sound head over heels. In fact, it was sort of the opposite. I’m not going to go into the specifics of how you first met. I’m not sure it’s appropriate to give Dad a heart attack at your wedding, or embarrass you further in front of your guests.” With a wink, she mouthed the words, “Tell you later, Dad.” Holly glanced back over to Ava and Max. “However, I will say that when you two did come to your senses … you fell hard and fast. In fact, I can honestly say, I’ve never witnessed a love quite like the one between the two of you before.” She peeked toward the bar where Jared was talking to yet another scantily clad woman and made a mental note to talk to Ava about her friends’ clothing choices. “Now, five years later, that love is as strong as ever, and I couldn’t be happier for the two of you. Ava, Max, I wish you both a lifetime of love and happiness. Max, welcome to the family … again.”

  Raising her glass, Holly took a sip of her champagne, and handed the microphone back to the singer. As she walked over to hug her sister and brother-in-law, she spotted someone at the edge of the room. Could it be?

  Chapter 3

  Holly strained her eyes trying to figure out if it was really him. She couldn’t be a hundred percent sure. She hadn’t seen him since high school. It certainly looked like him,
but if it was, what was he doing here? She knew he wasn’t one of Ava’s friends. At least she didn’t think he was. Unless … did they go to college together? She supposed it was possible. Or maybe Max knew him, but Max wasn’t even from Forest Hills. His family lived almost four hours away.

  Oh hell, Holly. If you don’t go over there you’ll never know. She took small sips of her drink as she gathered the courage to approach him. He was sitting alone, typing on his phone.

  “Hol.” Jared grabbed her arm as she’d started to walk toward the mystery man. Swinging her around, he nearly spilled champagne all over her gown. “Come dance with me, baby. We never dance anymore, and you look so hot tonight.” He dragged her toward the band.

  “You’re drunk,” she replied matter-of-factly, tugging back. The last thing she wanted to do was make a fool of herself in front of this crowd with her sloshed boyfriend.

  “I’m only a little buzzed. Have some fun with your old man.” He was stronger and determined, and she reluctantly let him pull her onto the dance floor.

  She glanced over to where he was sitting, but his chair was now empty. Shoot. She tried to back up as Jared flung himself around in a series of embarrassing moves resembling something out of a seventies disco flick. Before she could get out of the way, he grabbed her wrist, yanking her into Saturday Night Hell. His attempt at twirling her around resulted in him knocking her into several other couples, while he went sliding up onto the stage, knocking the singer into the keyboard player.

  “Sorry,” she mumbled, twisting around, mortified. She was grateful to feel someone else grab her other hand.

  “You don’t mind if I steal your lovely girlfriend away for a few minutes do you?” Ava asked as Jared rolled back down to the floor, her tone and expression completely innocent.

  “Huh?” he questioned, straightening up and seemingly disoriented. “Uh … no. I’ll go get another drink.”