Changing Fate (Book 3) (Piper Anderson Series)

by Danielle Stewart

  “Nice,” Piper groaned. Her body felt stiff, but the pain medicine seemed to be doing its job. “How is Clarissa?”

  Betty was tucked beneath Clay’s arm, and no matter how much they all tried to pretend it wasn’t, it was weird. “We just got an update from them a few minutes ago. She’s awake and doing well. If it makes you feel better she woke up asking for a unicorn and some dog treats.”

  And in true Michael fashion, he couldn’t help himself. “Yeah, all you did was proposition your boyfriend in front of a room full of people and ask a nurse about her mustache.”

  Piper raised her hands to cover her face, but Bobby caught them first. “Oh stop it; it’s not a big deal. I won’t hold you to any of it until you’re completely healed. And at least one of the things you asked for requires a hammock and some kind of pulley system. I’ll need time to construct that.”

  “I hate you all. I want you to know that.” She clicked the button attached to her IV and initiated more pain medicine. “I’m going back to my happy place now, so beat it.”

  Betty moved toward the bed and leaned down for a kiss on her forehead. “I am so proud of you. Before you know it you’ll be back to all your old antics. Being crazy enough to make a preacher cuss. We’ll let you rest, but Clay and I will be by tomorrow with some food for you.”

  Michael and Jules agreed it was time to head out before Piper succumbed to the silliness of the medicine again.

  When Bobby and Piper were alone in the room she found herself staring at him. Maybe it was the warm, comforting buzz of the pain meds, or maybe it was just the peace she finally felt ready for.

  “I was hoping to talk to you before you got all wonky again.” Bobby pulled the chair up close to her bed and held her hand in his.

  “I’m not wonky,” she said, having to squint to see him. “Wonnn-keey.” She wrinkled her nose and giggled. “Is that a word? Did you make that up? Do you speak another language?”

  Bobby stood up and pulled the chain on the light behind her, dimming the room so she might be able to sleep. “You may not remember this tomorrow,” he whispered as he slipped the diamond onto her finger. “So I’ll leave you this as a reminder. We’ve been through a lot together, more than most. I wouldn’t give back a single day of it.”

  “I know I’m a problem,” Piper slurred as her mind tried to comprehend Bobby’s words.

  “I can’t wait to have you as my problem every day for the rest of my life.” He leaned down and kissed her.

  “Hey, you are so sexy,” she began, as she grabbed the collar of his shirt, “do you wanna . . . ?”

  “Okay, okay, don’t start that again. I’m not sure how I’m going to keep my hands off you while you recover. The last thing I need is you talking dirty to me again. Close your eyes and try to get some rest.”

  “Will you stay with me?” Piper mumbled, as her heavy eyes closed. She fought the urge to sleep until she heard his answer.

  “I’ll stay forever.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Piper hadn’t expected any surprise visitors. Everyone she knew, all the people who loved her, had been by already. So when the nurse came in and asked if she was up for company she felt her heart skip slightly. “Who is it?” she asked suspiciously. “I don’t want anyone coming in that looks like they could be trouble.” She thought back to her time in the city, all the ghosts of people she’d left behind here, could one of them have heard about her surgery?

  “He doesn’t look like trouble,” the nurse said through a breathy laugh. “I’ll show him in.” Piper reached for her cell phone and held it tightly in her hand. She felt the silliness of that act set in as Father Corbin walked in behind the nurse, his hat and a small bouquet of flowers in his hands.

  “I hope I’m not intruding. Your friend Julie gave me a call this morning to tell me where you were and how you were doing. I was very curious about how everything had turned out for you, but I wasn’t expecting this.” He gestured to her in the hospital bed.

  “It wasn’t exactly what I was thinking either when I got to New York. Thank you for coming to visit.” She took the flowers from Father Corbin’s hand and smelled them. “They’re beautiful.” Before leaving, the nurse pulled out a pitcher of water and dropped the flowers down into it.

  “I heard about the selfless thing you did for your sister. One wouldn’t imagine a person who’d been through as much as you would have the spirit to give so much. The world certainly hasn’t shown you as much generosity.”

  “You’d be surprised. In the last few months I’ve been given quite a bit. I’m not sure where I’d be if not for the people I’ve met.”

  “And what do you intend to do with that gift?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The girl I saw that day, being struck by her unstable father, doesn’t exist anymore. She’s grown, been fostered and cultivated into the person who sits before me. That transformation is astounding, but you credit it to those who saved you?”

  “Yes,” Piper replied simply. She wasn’t sure what direction he was going in, what he was trying to ask, but she knew the answer to that question was easy. She’d be nothing without them.

  “Then how do you intend to show others the way? That girl no longer exists, but there are many more like her. You’ve been spared, will you show others how to find the peace you have?”

  “I’m not sure I understand the question. I’m not a very religious person, so if there is an answer I’m supposed to have for you, something from the Bible, I don’t know it.”

  “You don’t have to be religious to be kind, to save people.”

  Piper gave that idea some thought. She’d started all this, her time in Edenville, believing she could save people from the bad in the world by destroying it. Now she realized the bad would always be there. She wasn’t really equipped to stop any of it. So maybe that wasn’t her purpose. Maybe she could give hope to those who, like her, had been broken. Perhaps she could be someone’s Betty, comforting away the pain. Or she could be like Michael, finding laughter in the face of darkness. Maybe she could be like Jules and show a loyalty the person had never known existed. There was a chance she could even be like Bobby, and teach someone what love felt like and show him or her, they were worth it.

  “I think I could help people,” Piper glowed with the realization that maybe she really could change the world after all. “There are people out in the world like me, like I used to be. How can I help them?” She begged with her eyes, hoping he’d have the answer.

  “How you do it is up to you, the important thi

  ng is that you realize you can.

  Epilogue

  Recovering from surgery was no picnic. If she hadn’t had the support of her friends she wasn’t sure she would have made it. There were long boring days and lonely nights in the hospital, physical therapy, and a laundry list of things she’d need to be careful not to do in the near future. But when she and Clarissa were wheeled out of the hospital to the waiting arms of everyone who loved them, she knew it was worth it.

  Now, driving back to Edenville, Piper felt a little different than she had anticipated. She’d found the answers she’d hoped for. And the people she’d been waiting for. As a matter of fact, they were all lined up like a caravan, trailing their way down the country. Piper and Bobby led the way in his truck, Bruno asleep between them, his head on her lap. The dog had become a staple at the Stoneybrook Home for Women, a mascot of sorts. But when it was time to leave, he hopped into the truck without a moment’s hesitation. He knew who his family was.

  Michael and a now clearly pregnant Jules were next in the line of vehicles. In the car behind them was Clay and Betty, who hadn’t decided what their future would look like. They weren’t sure yet where their home would be, but Clay was coming to Edenville to see how he liked it there. Maybe he’d open his own restaurant and spend the rest of his years with this beautiful woman by his side, cooking together. It was still a little strange to see Betty in the arms of a
man, but she deserved every wonderful moment of a new love.

  And finally, bringing up the rear, the entire Wheeler family was in an RV. Marty, Connie, Clarissa, Jennipher, and Eli were all coming to spend some time in Edenville. They were considering purchasing a vacation property so they could spend as much time together as possible. And of course they didn’t want to miss the wedding. Marty’s problems with Rueben seemed to be behind him. Agent Stanley had given a positive update about the operation that helped put away almost all of the key players in the organ ring.

  Michael had done what he could to plan the wedding on his trips back to Edenville to work. The commute was wearing him down and now that Piper and Clarissa were fully healed, he was eager to get everyone back together and stop living out of suitcases. They’d only have a week to plan the rest of the wedding, but Michael and Jules wanted to do it as soon as they could all get back to Edenville. It would be a quiet ceremony, something to celebrate not only their love, but also a way to enjoy the journey they had all been on.

  “Michael said when he was in Edenville last week Captain Baines was asking about me. He said it sounded like they were wondering if I was going to ask for my job back. Apparently they got a call from Agent Stanley suggesting I would be an excellent candidate for the FBI someday, and it would be great reflection on whatever department I was working for.” Bobby reached across the seats and laced his fingers with Piper’s.

  “And?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

  “Well I’ve gotten other offers so I’m still considering my options. Clay told me I’d make a great busboy and Jules asked if I was interested in being a nanny.”

  “You know you’re a cop. You always have been. And besides, I’m not ready to stop seeing you in that uniform. It’s half the reason I fell for you in the first place.”

  “In that case I better go see what I can do.” He raised her hand up to his lips and kissed it. “Have you thought more about going back to school?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

  “Yes, I think I’ve settled on being a social worker and child advocate. I hear it’s a tough job, lots of heartbreak, but I think I can make a difference.”

  “I don’t doubt that. I think it’s perfect.”

  Bobby kept glancing over at her, then up in the rearview mirror at the people all lined up behind them. “Can you believe this time next week we’ll be sitting at Michael and Jules’s wedding? And then in a few months they’ll be having a little girl?”

  Piper laughed. “I’m about to be maid of honor at my best friend’s wedding as she marries a man I adore. I have siblings, and Marty and Connie are more than I ever could have asked for. I’ve learned what it means to be fiercely loyal and to say things like that stinks so bad it could knock a buzzard off a gut wagon.”

  They both looked at each other and smiled. “I feel like I went from being absolutely alone to completely surrounded. And you,” she squeezed his hand and leaned into his shoulder, resting her head, “you have saved me, hurt me, taught me, and loved me. I’ve found everything I didn’t even know I was missing.” She looked down at the diamond on her hand, “And all I want to do is spend the rest of my life grateful for how much more I have because I met you in the diner that day.”

  Bobby unlaced his fingers from hers and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “The only thing you have less of since we met,” he paused, as she looked up at him puzzled, “is a liver.” She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I was trying to be deep and honest here.”

  “I know, and nothing brings me more joy than knowing you have your happy ending.”

  “Nope,” Piper smiled, looking behind her at the row of cars all headed for Edenville. “I finally have my happy beginning.”

  The End

  Would you like to read more about Piper Anderson and her friends?

  Hear about the weddings, births, and other life events through the eyes of everyone’s favorite mother hen, Betty. It will include photos, journal entries, recipes and more.

  Look for Betty’s Journal coming December 2013.

  Please enjoy an excerpt!

  Saturday April 14th

  When you hold your baby girl in your arms and you dream about her life, you don’t account for the mistakes she might make. You don’t assume that the road she takes might be winding, or that she might stray off of it completely. You don’t realize she might break your heart hundreds of times.

  But today when I saw my daughter, Julie, wed, I felt like I was finally watching her meet her destiny. That’s not to say her life from here on won’t have trials. But now she has a husband, a partner, to face them with.

  This day isn’t at all like I had envisioned it, but still I’m delighted. I didn’t think my child would be just about to deliver her own baby on her wedding day. I didn’t think her dress would have to be altered and then altered some more to account for her ever-growing belly. But she looks stunning all the same.

  I also had always imagined my husband Stan would lock arms with my daughter at the head of an aisle of a big catholic church and march her down to her groom. But none of that happened.

  No Church. Instead we were outside, but it was still a place of God. We all sat before an arch of linen and flowers in front of an old twisted oak. It was more beautiful than any church I’ve ever sat in. The man giving my daughter away was still a man I love.

  No Stan. Instead Bobby’s arm linked hers lovingly as they walked down towards us, and it was like life coming full circle. There was a time not so long ago I thought Bobby would be her groom. That he would be the one Stan would be handing her off to some day. But now I realize this is exactly how it was meant to happen. Bobby was put in our life for a reason and this was it. I can’t think of a better man in the world to escort my daughter to her future.

  I also never imagined the man she would marry would be considered an agnostic at best, though I’m learning God is not always found in the walls of a church or in the heart of a religious person. Sometimes it’s enough just to be able to watch someone grow, the blossoming of love in his heart, to know that he is a worthy man. Michael is kind to my daughter, patient, even when I cannot muster the serenity to put up with her. He is made for my daughter solely by the fact that he finds her stubbornness charming.

  And, finally, I never imagined the woman standing up with my daughter as her Maid of Honor would be a person so weathered by the world she almost didn’t survive. If you’da asked me, can someone come back from all she’d been through, I’da told you it wasn’t likely. I watch Piper looking over at Bobby, the man she loves, and it warms my heart.

  When Stan died I believed I would find a way to go on, to exist without him. But I didn’t truly believe I would find happiness, or at least not to the level I had when he was alive. These kids have all given me so much joy.

  I sat watching this wedding take place in front of me and then suddenly a hand slipped into mine. Clay, a highly acclaimed chef from New York City of all places, is the man who showed me I was capable of more than I ever imagined. He told me I had skill far behind just tipping a coffee pot into a mug every morning. That I had enthusiasm and brains in my head big enough run a kitchen, run a business. And that’s exactly what we plan to do.

  I am thoroughly exhausted now as Clay and I sit out on my porch swinging. I had two jobs at this wedding. One was to make sure I didn’t blubber so loudly during the ceremony that people couldn’t hear what was going on. I’m not sure I held up my end of the bargain there. The second job was to fill some bellies. I was in charge of the food, as always, and happily so. Feeding a hundred people would have been a bit of a daunting task if not for Clay who helped me so much. Jules wanted a traditional southern wedding with southern fare and southern fixin’s. She wasn’t looking for no dry baked chicken or over cooked slimy vegetables. I surprised her with Carolina style beef brisket, corn on the cob, baked beans, and some of her other favorites. I’m tucking the recipes in here, just in case one day she decides to learn to co
ok a decent meal. I know this is not food you’d normally eat while sitting in a formal gown, but hell, that’s what they make napkins for.

  As the sun set over the large white tent making up a reception area, I looked at my handiwork. Empty plates all around. I realize if God put me here on Earth for anything, it might very well be this. Making people so content that anything they might be worried over disappears for a little while.

  No, this isn’t how I imagined this day would be all those years ago when I rocked my daughter in my arms. It’s more exciting, more interesting, it’s more everything. And I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

  Looking for a sexy cowboy romance?

  From New Times and USA Today bestselling author, Ruth Cardello,

  comes Book One of the Texan Nights Series:

  Gentling the Cowboy

  Tony Carlton knows trouble when he sees it—especially when it comes in the form of a gorgeous, innocent and very naked blonde stranger dancing in his shower. When circumstances force his uninvited guest to spend the night, Tony decides there are some home invasions he could get used to.

  Sarah Dery is a frustrated writer who takes her twenty-fifth birthday as a wake-up call. She sets off for Texas thinking that a summer on a working ranch will finally inspire her. When one wrong turn leads her into the arms of a hot, broody cowboy, she discovers her spicy inner voice.

  But is it enough? He says he’s not capable of love. Can she gentle this cowboy?

  Chapter One

  No real adventure ever started by waiting patiently on a doorstep.