Harlequin Heartwarming April 2018 Box Set

by Amy Vastine

  Piper wanted to trust him. She wanted to believe he would never regret what they were about to do.

  “Trust me, Piper. I say we get married tomorrow no matter who says they object.”

  “I trust you. But maybe we should ask the pastor to take that question out of the script,” she suggested.

  Hopefully they’d all gotten their objections out of the way. They would find out tomorrow, because this wedding was still on.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  “IS THERE A reason that Jason Green told me he’s sorry to hear about our mother’s Alzheimer’s?” Faith asked as she poured herself a cup of coffee the next morning.

  “I have no idea,” Sawyer replied.

  “He said that Bud Maddox told him that you said Mom lost her mind.”

  Sawyer smacked his forehead. He hadn’t realized how what he’d said could have been so misconstrued. Sometimes the town’s gossip train went off the rails.

  “I did not tell Bud that she had Alzheimer’s. She told people the whole town was invited to the wedding and I told Bud to let people know that wasn’t true. Maybe when I heard what she did, I offhandedly said something about her being crazy. I didn’t mean it literally.”

  “It’s not funny to joke about stuff like that, Sawyer.”

  “Well, you know what else isn’t funny? When your mother walks back into your life after abandoning you twenty years ago and thinks she can mess it up because she knows best.”

  “She’s worried about you repeating mistakes she made. She doesn’t know you.”

  “If the worst mistake I can make is being a father to my son and being present while he’s growing up, I think I can live with that.”

  He was so done explaining why it was important for him to do this. He had overcome his distrust of Piper, and that had been the only thing holding him back. If she could stand by him, he should be able to commit to her.

  Faith sat down at the kitchen table with him. “It did hurt my feelings to know that she regretted getting married because they were pregnant with me. She made me feel like I ruined her life or something.”

  “Don’t feel bad. She was quick to take her life back even though she had a great guy who loved her. She also missed out on knowing two pretty interesting people. I mean, I’m always interesting and you’re occasionally interesting.”

  Faith slapped his arm. “How did I not know Mom was pregnant with me before they got married?”

  “I guess we never paid attention to when they got married—especially after they were divorced.” Sawyer had tried to forget everything about Gretchen once he’d realized she was gone for good.

  “Are you really sure about getting married today?” Faith placed a gentle hand on his arm. “I know everyone has been working overtime to get you to reconsider, but I just don’t want you to do something because someone told you not to.”

  “I’m sure.”

  “You love her?”

  “I’m falling in love with her. I know that for sure.”

  Faith winced. “That’s not the same thing. You know that, right?”

  “I’m doing the right thing. I’m not like Gretchen. I am not going to desert my family. I’m like Dad. I want to be like Dad. Strong, reliable, loyal.”

  “You don’t have to get married to be like Dad. You can be all those things and date Piper a little longer.”

  Sawyer shook his head. “She doesn’t want to date. She doesn’t want to play house. She wants a husband. I’m not going to lose her because I’m afraid to say what I feel might be love. I’m going to give her what she wants and trust that I’ll be able to say I’m madly in love with her in the very near future.”

  “I’m going to pray that’s what happens,” Faith said, touching his cheek. “I love you.”

  “I like you most of the time,” he said with a straight face.

  Faith narrowed her eyes and pinched his leg under the table.

  “Ow, ow, ow! Okay, I love you. I love you! You’re the best sister ever.”

  “That’s better.” She stopped her torture. “I am going to finish my coffee and jump in the shower so I can help Piper get ready for her big day.”

  At least he’d gotten one person on board with him about this wedding. His sister’s opinion mattered more than anyone’s. With her support, this day might have a chance.

  As Sawyer passed through the front room to head upstairs, he noticed Dean was on the phone, pacing around the front porch. Sawyer went out to see if there was a problem.

  “Mom, I’m fairly certain that Gretchen does not have any memory issues.”

  Sawyer’s head dropped. What had he done? This was not going to help keep the wedding day drama-free.

  “Did you do this?” Dean mouthed, shaking an angry finger at him.

  Sawyer put his hands up. “Not intentionally.”

  Dean wasn’t convinced. “Mom, it’s sweet of you, but please do not drop off any pamphlets about living with memory loss at Harriet’s. It will not be well received.”

  If Gretchen found out that Sawyer had started the rumor, intentionally or not, there was no saying what she would do to get back at him. She had already proved her intentions were to disrupt this wedding. “I told you that only family is invited to the wedding. You’re lucky you’re my family or you and Dad wouldn’t have gotten in. Please tell the Woodwards and the Butterfields that it is not true that the whole town is invited.”

  Great. Not only did people have misinformation about Gretchen, but they still thought they were invited. Sawyer was going to have to turn people away.

  “Tell her there’s security,” Sawyer said.

  Dean waved him off. “Mom, there are security guards here who will be making sure only invited guests get in. Piper is a very famous person. We have paparazzi camped outside the farm and media vans showing up two at a time. It’s going to be crazy enough without the entire town showing up. I don’t know who said that, but they were very wrong.”

  “Tell her to go into town and spread the word,” Sawyer suggested. Maybe someone could set the record straight. Bud had failed him.

  Dean gave him a look that clearly meant he should be quiet.

  “Okay, I’ll see you this afternoon. I’m sure Mrs. Hackney will be very disappointed that she can’t get in and you can. Try not to gloat too much.” Dean hung up and raised his hands like he was about to strangle Sawyer.

  “You are lucky you’re the one getting married today, because I would erase you from the invite list for spreading rumors like that.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to spread any rumors. I was trying to squash the one about the whole town being invited. Gretchen did that. She was the one attempting to cause mass chaos.”

  “Well, she might succeed. If everyone in town thinks they’re invited and actually shows up, we’re going to have our hands full. I might need to get some people to direct traffic farther up the road and help us turn everyone around.”

  “I can make some calls. Let’s not worry about who shows up. Let’s be super excited for me. I know you can’t wait until your two favorite Grace Note artists tie the knot.”

  Dean’s expression was solemn. “I’m going to speak as your brother-in-law and your friend, not as your record executive. I hope you know what you’re doing, because Piper is a really good person and she is in love with you. Don’t mess this up.”

  Sawyer’s chest tightened. The weight of Dean’s words was not lost on him. “I won’t.”

  “And for goodness’ sake, comb your hair.”

  Sawyer patted down his bed head. “You’re just jealous I’m going to be the best-looking guy at my wedding and yours.”

  Dean laughed on his way inside. “Dream on, little brother. Dream on.”

  * * *

  PIPER HAD GONE to bed the night before with an uneasy feeling in her gut. It had no
thing to do with the baby and everything to do with the baby’s daddy.

  “Knock, knock,” Faith said, coming aboard the bus. “Do you want to use my room to get ready? There’s a lot more space in there.”

  “Thanks. That would be helpful.” Piper took her dress off the hook. “Have you seen my parents this morning?”

  They’d stayed in the Airstream out back that Dean had bought for Boone to live in last summer. Matthew had stayed on the bus with Piper.

  “I stopped by to see if they needed anything, and your mom said they were all good. I made sure they had plenty of coffee and your dad’s favorite cereal.”

  Faith was one of those people who thought of everything. She had a big heart that was programmed to give and give. “You are so kind. Thank you for hosting all of us again.”

  “You’re family now. Or at least you will be in a few hours, right?” Faith gave her a smile and a wink.

  Family. Piper was about to be Sawyer’s wife. She would be gaining a sister. She didn’t know what it was like to have a sister. She assumed it was like having a built-in best friend. She didn’t know if Faith would want to be friends, but she hoped she did.

  “How’s Sawyer?”

  “He’s good. Ready to get this thing rolling.”

  “I really do love your brother. I know that not everyone believes me because of the business part of things getting in the way and seeming like the priority, but—”

  “Piper,” Faith stopped her. “I believe you. You don’t have to convince me.”

  “I don’t think he loves me.” The words tumbled out of her mouth.

  Faith’s eyes went wide. “I—”

  Piper dropped her head into her hands. “I didn’t mean to say that. I’m so embarrassed.”

  “Don’t be embarrassed. It must be weighing heavy on your mind.”

  Heavy on her heart was more like it.

  “I think you were right yesterday when you said he cares about me. I truly believe that. But he’s never said he loves me, and whenever someone brings up the word, he gets this look on his face like someone suggested he enlist in the army or something.”

  “That’s a pretty good analogy, actually. Sawyer has had issues with love ever since our mom left. He saw what heartache did to our dad, and he sort of built a wall around his heart so that would never happen to him.”

  Piper could see that. It was easy to be with Sawyer on the surface, but the deeper they went, the more guarded he became.

  “He’s let me in more and more.”

  “Absolutely,” Faith agreed. “But calling his feelings love kind of is like joining the army to him. He could go in and be victorious or he could come home missing a limb, or worse, in a body bag.”

  “I’m not going to kill him.”

  Faith chuckled. “I didn’t mean that literally. He doesn’t want to be hurt.”

  “I don’t want to be hurt, either. I don’t want to marry him, then find out a few years from now that he regrets making the commitment. Or hear him say he got caught up in the moment and we should only be friends. I don’t know that I could handle hearing he’s finally realized he’s never going to be in love with me.”

  Faith frowned. “I wish I knew what to say to make you feel more certain.”

  “I don’t think there’s anything you can say,” Piper replied. It wasn’t Faith who needed to reassure her. There was only one person who could convince her they weren’t headed toward heartbreak.

  “I do have a little surprise for you that I hope makes today more like how you imagined,” Faith said. “Come in the house with me.”

  Faith had an enormous bedroom with a four-poster bed and a chaise lounge in the corner. The windows along the back wall of the house looked out at their acres of land. She also had a full-length, freestanding antique mirror.

  “I thought about what you said when you were trying on dresses, and you seemed disappointed about not having a dress with a train.” Faith disappeared into her walk-in closet. “I know this very sweet lady in town who is probably the most talented seamstress in all of Tennessee. She took two dresses my friend Josie’s daughter found on consignment and used parts of both to make a completely new prom dress. It was stunning and one of a kind.”

  She came out holding a dress bag. “It’s tradition to give the bride something old, something new and something blue. I don’t know what your mom has planned, but I have the new and old all wrapped up in one.”

  Faith unzipped the bag and revealed a tulle train complete with beading on the waistband and along the bottom. Piper brought her hand to her mouth. She had no words for this kindness.

  “If you don’t like the way it looks with the dress, you don’t have to wear it. She put it together in a day with tulle she had from something else, and even though she’s very good, I would totally understand if you didn’t want to wear it.”

  “It’s gorgeous. Of course I want to wear it.” The tears in Piper’s eyes began to cloud her vision.

  This was what it was like to have a sister, to be cared for by a sibling instead of always being the one taking care. Piper swallowed down the giant lump in her throat.

  “You two aren’t getting started without us, are you?” Piper’s mother was at the door with Piper’s hair and makeup stylist, Trina.

  “We’ve been waiting for you,” Piper said, overcome with emotion.

  * * *

  WITH HAIR AND makeup on point, Piper was feeling a bit more confident about how things might go. Her 1930s Hollywood– inspired finger-wave hairstyle was flawless. She looked like she’d stepped off the pages of Glamour. Looking good was an excellent remedy to feeling lousy.

  “That train is off the hook,” Trina said as Piper posed in front of Faith’s mirror.

  She almost looked how she’d pictured she would on her wedding day. Minus the bulging belly.

  Faith and Trina went to get some snacks for the pregnant bride who needed something to eat every hour, it seemed. Ruby might be worried about her weight gain at the next appointment.

  Her mom helped her fluff the train. “We didn’t really talk about everything that came up yesterday,” Piper said, treading lightly. She knew her mom was disappointed, but her support meant everything. If she had truly lost that, this day wouldn’t feel right. “I hope you can forgive me for not being honest about what was happening.”

  “You lied. Your father lied. Your father told you to lie to me. I’m not happy about it, but I understand he was feeling a bit desperate.”

  “I wanted to tell you so many times, but I know you have your hands full with Matty, and the last thing you needed was my drama.”

  Claudia put her hands on her daughter’s shoulders. “Piper, sweetheart, I will never be too busy or too overwhelmed to be there for you. You matter to me as much as your brother.”

  “I know that. I just didn’t want to burden you.”

  She slid her hands down Piper’s arms and held both her hands. “You are not a burden. I’m sorry if I ever made you feel that way. Your father has you so focused on your image, he forgets to encourage you to have feelings. You are allowed to be mad, sad, hurt, frustrated, happy, whatever. And it doesn’t matter what the press thinks or if the fans will like it or not. You have a right to be human, and that means sometimes you mess up.”

  Piper was overwhelmed by the comfort her mother’s words brought her. For so long, she felt like she had to bury any of the negative emotions she felt. To be given permission to feel was so freeing.

  “I don’t want to mess up so much that it hurts you. I also didn’t want to be a source of embarrassment. I feel like Dad has felt that way this whole time.”

  “That you’re an embarrassment? Oh, Piper. Never in a million years. There is no one in this world that he is more proud of than you.”

  “I got pregnant before I got married.”

 
; “You aren’t the first woman to do so and you won’t be the last.”

  “I’m getting married before I’m sure the groom is even in love with me.”

  Claudia frowned and gave her hands a squeeze. “That has me a bit more concerned. I noticed he wouldn’t say the word love yesterday.”

  “Everyone noticed.” The lump was back in her throat.

  A tear ran down her mom’s cheek. “I love you more than you will ever know. It breaks my heart that in this moment before your father walks you down the aisle, you don’t know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the man waiting at the other end is going to love you with the kind of fierceness you deserve.”

  “I think he could.”

  Claudia caught the tears running down Piper’s face. “I think he should.”

  Faith and Trina returned with two trays of delicious-looking finger foods. Faith had made mini muffins and quiches, and full-size peanut butter cookies.

  “Sawyer told me peanut butter cookies were your favorite,” Faith said, offering her one.

  “You are so kind.” The tears wouldn’t stop.

  “You can’t get her all emotional. It’s messing with her makeup,” Trina said, setting her tray on the nightstand. “I can fix this.”

  Piper let Trina clean things up on her face, but she needed to do some cleaning on the inside. “Faith, can you tell Sawyer I need to talk to him before the ceremony?”

  “You can’t see the groom before the wedding. It’s bad luck,” Trina said as she reapplied some mascara.

  Piper was more worried about the bad luck that would ensue if she didn’t talk to him.

  “I’ll let him know,” Faith promised. “We can blindfold him or something if we have to. We’ll make it work, Piper. Don’t worry.”

  Don’t worry. Easier said than done.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  “TWENTY CARS DEEP. That’s how many people are waiting out on Route 12 thinking they are coming to the wedding of the century.” Dean had just hung up with Lily, who was helping turn people around before they got to Highway 5.