Settling Scores (Piper Anderson Series)

by Danielle Stewart

  He stopped and the crowd passed by him but he didn’t make a move to come back toward her so she went to him. She wanted to wrap her arms around him but she held back, his body language suggesting such a gesture wouldn’t be welcomed.

  “I have a lot to say to you, but I can’t tell if you want to hear it,” she said quietly as the last few wedding guests fell out of earshot.

  “I’m glad you came today. It’s good for your parents, it’s good for your brother. But I don’t think it’s great for us. So I think I might just head out. This is your family, you should be here, but I don’t need to be.”

  “No,” she said with an urgency that changed the look on his face for just a split second. “Please don’t leave. I have news, big news. Good news. And I need you to hear it.”

  “I think you’ve confused my compassion for weakness Willow. Maybe that was my mistake. Know that I’m kind to everyone, but I’m not weak. I’m not a doormat.”

  “I know that. I’m weak. I’ve been stupid and weak but something happened in the city and it changed me. I feel like it changed everything. I want another chance. Just don’t leave yet. Please. I have so much to say to you.”

  “Fine,” Josh shrugged, “but now isn’t really the time for us to sit here and argue it out. Whatever you have to say, I don’t want to hear it now.” He turned on his heels and she watched as his footprints in the sand left a trail behind him. She fought the urge to cry, remembering that she’d hurt him and it was perfectly fair for him to be upset.

  Her mom stepped to her side, coming from who knows where to rub her hand in a comforting circle on her back. “It’s okay Willow. He’ll come around.”

  Willow nodded and smiled as they headed toward the water to join everyone. She hadn’t been hopeful that her first attempt at an apology would work. She was prepared to say a hundred I’m sorrys if that’s what it took. Josh was worth it.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Piper could feel the champagne going straight to her head and she hoped that it wouldn’t dull the memory of this utterly perfect day. A day she never believed she’d have a chance to experience in her lifetime. She’d had her first dance with her husband. She’d had her dance with her father. She’d grown her family exponentially just by allowing herself to be loved. Something so many people rob themselves of. Something so many people convince themselves they don’t deserve.

  As Jules stood to give her toast, she handed Frankie to Betty and raised her glass.

  “Piper, you are a weirdo,” Jules started, and everyone laughed. “You take the path less traveled. You don’t stop until the job is done. You challenge us all to do the same. I’ve known Bobby a very long time and though he’s always been a good guy, you’ve helped him be a great man. I know as I sit here today that I’m witnessing the start of a great love. Michael and I are so blessed to have you in our lives. Frankie is so blessed to have you both as godparents. You are truly my sister, Piper. I hope our lives are calm from this point forward. We’ve all earned that. But if they aren’t I can’t think of any other people I’d like to be with when things get crazy.” She raised her glass and everyone did the same as they toasted the bride and groom.

  Michael stood next and raised his glass ready to toast Bobby. “In the eloquent words of my dear wife, Bobby you are also a weirdo,” And the group erupted in laughter again. “Which makes you perfect for each other. I think being in love when times are good is easy. But fighting for love, teaching each other how to be the best version of yourself, that’s the truest form of love. You and Piper have that in spades. A little over a year ago I was just kind of floating through life. Working, hanging out, really with no purpose at all. And it seems like I closed my eyes and woke up here. Surrounded by friends and family. Like it fell from the sky and I’m the luckiest guy in the world. You’re a big part of that. You’re my best friend. We’ve had to put up with these girls and their crazy adventures, and I know I couldn’t have done that without you.” Michael raised his glass a little higher. “To Piper and Bobby.”

  Piper hadn’t been much for tears over the years but this was a day she’d decided it was pointless to fight it. She’d sprung for the expensive waterproof mascara and allowed herself to just feel all the feelings that came to her. As Michael made his way back to the table, Piper pulled him in for a hug and whispered in his ear. “Who knows where I’d be if you hadn’t carried me out of that bar that night. I was so in over my head that I went and let someone slip something in my drink. Thank God you were there.”

  “Saving your ass is one of my favorite hobbies,” he bragged, kissing her cheek affectionately.

  “Thank goodness.”

  The older generation of guests moved into the house for coffee and to sit and chat, while everyone else gathered around the fire. Piper on Bobby’s lap, she now changed out of her wedding dress, his tie long since removed. The baby had gone inside with Betty leaving Michael and Jules to relax, both sipping on a drink and looking like they’d been waiting for it all day. Jedda and Crystal were standing, laughing at some quiet joke that made everyone turn and take note of how much more frequently Jedda’s laugh could be heard lately.

  “Do you mind if I say something,” Willow asked, looking uncomfortable as every eye turned toward her.

  “Of course not,” Bobby said, shoving her forward slightly.

  “I don’t know if this is even the right moment or not. I’m terrible at these things. This is your day and I don’t want to take away from it at all. But I asked Betty and her advice was to think about what you two would want. And from what I know about you two, you understand that happy endings are hard to find and you have to fight for them. So I have some good news, and rather than pulling the person aside and telling them one on one, I want to tell them right here while we’re all together. Is that okay?” she asked looking at Bobby and Piper like she might throw up.

  Piper grinned widely, still so happy to see Willow here that she almost didn’t care what the girl did. “I have no clue what you’re getting at Willow but if you have any kind of good news, we want to hear. Today really isn’t just about Bobby and me because it’s taken the support of so many people to get us here. We’d be nowhere without that. Please, whatever it is, we want to hear it.”

  “Okay,” Willow started, her hands shaking like leaves in the wind. “I was an ass to you and I’m really sorry,” Piper waived her off and Willow got herself back on track. “But that’s not what I want to tell you. This is actually for Crystal.”

  “What?” Crystal asked, nearly spilling her drink at the sound of her name. She and Jedda were standing by the recently lit fire dug into the sand and now both had a look of fear on their faces.

  “I went back to the apartment that Jedda and I were born in I couldn’t go in. I tried a few times but I never made it past the door. The last time I was there, I was standing outside and I saw someone familiar. A guy who hung out there for like ever and seeing him brought back a memory for me. I remember a girl with him, the girl in the picture you showed me Crystal. Your sister.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Willow paused on the words and braced herself against the wave of emotion that came over Crystal’s face. It was like nothing she’d ever seen before. It could only be described as disbelief veiled over a small flicker of hope.

  “Are you sure?” Bobby asked, switching from groom to cop in a matter of seconds.

  “I’m positive. The man’s name is Lucian,” Willow explained with a smile that did nothing to calm Crystal’s conflicted face. Clearly too afraid to be happy, and too shocked to be still, she jumped closer to Willow and Jedda was a step behind her.

  “I remember him,” Jedda said, closing his eyes, looking like he was conjuring up the memory. “A scrawny guy with a limp right?”

  “If you can identify him we’ll go in the morning Crystal,” Bobby assured her as she stumbled forward, bracing herself on Jedda’s arm. “I’ll call Denny, we’ll get the guy in for an interrogation. He may kno
w something pertinent.”

  “He does,” Willow informed them with a dancing joy in her eyes. “Denny’s already brought him in for questioning.”

  “And?” Crystal cried her eyes overflowing with tears as she drove her fingernails into Jedda’s arm.

  “He told us what happened. Your sister had started hanging out there over the summer. I guess she wasn’t getting along with your parents.”

  “They were strict, but they’re good people.” Crystal said, and Willow instantly felt guilty if Crystal felt her words were an acquisition.

  “They are, I’m sure. I didn’t mean to say it was their fault. I just wanted you to know what Lucian had to say. Your sister started dating a guy, Cy Relter. She got pregnant. Cy wanted her to get rid of the baby and she was too afraid to tell your parents. But she didn’t know what to do. She took the money that Cy gave her and instead of getting it taken care of, she went to Lucian for help. He got her a new identity. He helped her get out of the city. He’s no hero, but he’s greedy and that’s why he helped her. He gave us the name of her new identity and Denny was able to track her down. She’s alive.” Willow said in a voice that didn’t sound like her own. It was light and full of elation. Happy news was so much easier to deliver than anything else.

  “She is?” Crystal asked, folding in over herself and sobbing into Jedda’s arms. “She’s alive?”

  “I spoke to her myself,” Willow said, moving toward Crystal and taking her hand, wanting to ground them both in this moment. “She can’t wait to see you.”

  “Where has she been, why hasn’t she come home? My parents, they’ve refused to sell their house because they didn’t want to be gone if she ever came home?” Crystal begged, a frantic confusion on her face.

  “We talked a lot about that, and I could really relate to her. You start off one way, feeling scared and embarrassed and then it just seems like too much time has passed to ever make it right again. You convince yourself everyone is better off without you. It just gets away from you.”

  “Where is she? Is she okay?” Crystal asked, her mind clearly buzzing with the unknown.

  “She’s in Ohio and she sounded like she was doing really well. She has a family, two older kids in their teens and a toddler. She’s married.”

  “Kids? This doesn’t make any sense. She should have called or come home.” A look of anger spread across Crystal’s face and Willow had prepared herself for this. Who wouldn’t be hurt if they spent so much of their life looking for their missing sister? Grieving. Mourning. Working tirelessly to find her. After all, it’s what really brought Crystal to Edenville, though in the end her love for Jedda is what kept her.

  “But she’s alive,” Josh interjected, stepping to Willow’s side, but not close enough for her to feel him against her. “Willow and I spent time in the city, listening to how these things normally turn out. The statistics would crush you. She’s alive Crystal and that’s all that matters.”

  Those were the words Willow would have used if Josh hadn’t stepped in to say them. But she was glad he had, it meant when she looked like she might falter he still wanted to be next to her. “She’s waiting for your call.” Willow handed over her cell phone as she queued up the number.

  Crystal snatched the phone away as if it were a treasure that might disappear if she blinked. She looked at Jedda as though she needed to be assured she wasn’t dreaming. “Right now? I don’t want to leave the wedding.”

  “You better,” Piper called pointing her finger toward the ocean. “Right now. Go, call her.”

  Jedda smiled down into Crystal’s face as he put his arm around her. He led her shaking legs down toward the serine water and everyone grinned widely as they watched them go.

  “A happy ending,” Josh murmured in a hushed voice only for Willow to hear. The lightness in his tone was a small blessing. It made her hope he’d listen to her apology. Even if he didn’t want to accept it, at least he’d hear it.

  “Can you believe it?” she asked, turning slightly toward him but not brave enough to face him full on.

  “You went back to the apartment again?” he asked, seeming reluctant but unable to keep himself from asking.

  “Yes. I went out to California thinking maybe that would be a good place to lose myself. Marcario,” Willow swallowed hard realizing this would be the first time she’d have to utter the words. “He was killed. He left me a note telling me that he knew exactly who I was, and to stop trying to be any different. His words, and yours, they were enough to bring me back there. I planned to go into the apartment and just face it. Then Tony told me what you did. How hard you worked. You did that even though you thought there was no future for us. You did it when it had no benefit for you. Without knowing if I’d ever be back there. That’s when I knew I was crazy to push you away.”

  “I’m sorry to hear about your friend. It must have been hard finding that out.” Josh consoled as he reached his hand up, but dropped it before they could touch. “So you already looked through the stuff from your parents’ house? Did you go in the apartment?” he asked changing the subject.

  “No,” Willow hung her head as a knot of regret tightened inside of her. When she was standing in front of the apartment, it felt like an insurmountable task, but when she left it, she always kicked herself for not going in. “I have the boxes in my trunk. I’m going to have Jedda go through everything with me. I think it will be better if we do it together. I didn’t go in the apartment either. I couldn’t.”

  “It’s better that you didn’t go alone. You made the right choice.”

  “So I’m one for a hundred on that. Maybe a thousand. I was hoping some time, if you do decide to forgive me, you’ll come back with me. That we could try to go in there together.”

  “Whether you and I have a future together or not, I’d still go with you if that’s what you wanted.”

  “Thanks,” Willow said as a small pain pierced her heart. She didn’t want to think of a scenario where they didn’t have a future. She didn’t want to believe that could be an option. “I talked to my parents too. They were surprisingly great about everything. I think I might be getting back on track.”

  “I’m glad,” Josh said with a snap in his voice, but his face showed regret for it almost immediately. “I really am glad Willow. It’s what I wanted for you.”

  “And for us?”

  “The magical thing would be for us to walk down by the water and pretend we hadn’t said all the things we had. Tonight would be the storybook way to fix it all. But unfortunately, I’m too logical for all that. I wasn’t blessed with that streak of imagination. None of this is going to be resolved here tonight. I don’t trust you not to run again.”

  “That’s fair,” Willow resigned as she nervously wrung her hands. “You waited for me. I’ll wait for you, and if you never trust me again, I’ll understand.”

  “Willow,” Michael walked up and broke the moment between her and Josh. He quickly read the situation and looked apologetic as he continued. “Oh, sorry. I just wanted to tell you I’m really proud of you. But I’ll come back.” His cheeks were rosy from the indulgence of a few too many drinks and he stumbled back slightly, Josh catching his arm.

  “No, you stay Michael I’m going to go grab another drink. Can I get you one?”

  “No more for me.” He grinned and spun back toward Willow. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt there. Bad timing.”

  “There really wasn’t anything else to say, so maybe your timing was perfect. I really blew it with him.”

  “You are a pain in the ass,” Michael joked as he nudged her with his elbow. “But your one of us now, so you’re in the company of professional pains in the ass. It’ll work out.”

  “I’m not sure I deserve him.”

  “I know everything about all of these people,” Michael whispered, pointing out to the group of laughing friends who were enjoying the warmth of the fire and the sand between their toes. “They come to me for everything. I bail them ou
t, I give them advice, I save them. But you know what, they don’t know much about me, or at least me before coming to Edenville. If they did, they’d say you and I had a lot in common.”

  “I doubt that.” Willow snickered, and then let her face fall serious as she saw the look of remembering in Michael’s eyes. “Or maybe we do, what do I know? I’m starting to realize everyone has a story. Some people just don’t like to tell theirs.”

  “Forget I said anything. I just wanted you to know, I think what you did for Crystal is an amazing thing. You’re giving her back a piece of her family she’s been missing all these years. You changed lives. Doesn’t that feel good?”

  “Amazing. I don’t think I’ve ever expected anything like it in my life.”

  “It’s almost curative for the soul. Almost. That’s why I don’t bring up my own past. I don’t need to. You do enough things like you did for Crystal, and those memories start taking up more room in your mind than any of the bad ones. You conjure them up when your eyes are closed and you’re about to fall asleep at night. That look on Crystal’s face when you told her. It will stick with you more than any of the other things.”

  “That would be nice,” Willow said, hanging her head and kicking at a shell beneath her sandal.

  “I screwed things up once with Jules, you know. She took off for the city and I didn’t go after her. I thought the adult thing to do was to give her some space, but turns out being an adult is overrated. Don’t think like a grown up, that’s when we all start getting into trouble, when we over think it.”

  “Really? Because I was thinking that maybe I should just let him go for a while. Space isn’t a good idea?”

  “I don’t think it is. Even when people say it’s what they want, I’m not sure it’s a good idea. I’m not talking about tackling him tonight and forcing him to forgive you. But I don’t think that letting him go completely is a good idea either. Now,” Michael shifted on his feet, “I am drunk so maybe you should filter this advice a bit. Apparently, after you have kids you can’t hold your alcohol quite as well. Maybe ask someone else. Hey Piper,” Michael yelled, flagging his friend over.