Her cheeks felt heated as a result of Trudy’s sharp rebuke. Ever since she was a small child, she’d hated being the object of her mother’s wrath. Braden deserved every ounce of her scorn. Her mother needed to realize that she wasn’t being unreasonable.
“Mama, I do mean it,” she said, her lips quivering. “He lied to me. Ever since Daddy’s accident, Braden has been withholding the truth from all of us!”
Trudy gasped. “Whatever do you mean?”
Tears welled in her eyes. Just when she thought there were no more tears to shed, more materialized. Her pain felt almost unbearable. “That day on the mountain, Braden and Daddy had a big argument. Daddy was angry with him about some rumors he’d heard about Braden being reckless on the trails.”
Trudy frowned. “That doesn’t sound like Braden at all. He’s always been so responsible. And caring.”
“Well, it’s true. They had a terrible argument. As a result, Daddy was upset. He went out on the trails after their fight, which Braden conveniently left out of his narrative. He took credit for doing CPR and trying to save Daddy’s life, but the truth is he’s responsible for what happened.”
“I don’t think you can put this on Braden,” her mother said with a shake of her head. “I’ve known him all of your life. There’s no way I’ll ever believe he was so ugly to Jack that it led to the crash.” She reached out and squeezed Piper’s hand.
“It’s all his fault!” Piper said, shaking her head.
Trudy’s gaze hardened. “How do you figure that?”
Piper frowned at her mother. “Didn’t you hear me? Daddy called Braden out about driving irresponsibly, and instead of just apologizing, Braden fought back and it led to a heated argument. Daddy wasn’t in the right frame of mind to go snowmobiling, which led to the accident. You know how much he took things to heart. It probably broke his spirit.”
“Oh, my darling. It’s not that simple.” Trudy sat down in a chair, shoulders slumped. “Have you been looking all this time to blame someone? If that’s true, you’re going to have to start with me.”
Piper sat down across from her mother. “What are you talking about? You’re not at fault for anything.”
Trudy folded her hands in front of her and heaved a tremendous sigh. “The morning of the accident your father and I had a spat. I didn’t want him to go snowmobiling because there were a hundred little things to fix around the inn. The water heater was acting up, and one of the dining room table legs was wobbly. Not to mention a bunch of other stuff that seems so unimportant now. It struck me as selfish of him to go joy riding while the place was falling apart around us. I told him he was being childish, and he stormed off.” She blinked back tears. “You have no idea how much I wish I’d been kinder and gentler that day. Over the past four years, I’ve had to live with the fact that the love story we shared wasn’t on full display on the last day of his life.”
“Oh, Mama. I’m so sorry! You and Daddy loved each other so much.”
“We did,” Trudy acknowledged, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. “When I lost Hank’s father, it felt like my heart shriveled up into nothing. I promised myself I’d never love again. Then one day, Jack came barreling into my life with his magnetic smile and wide open heart. I fell faster than a ton of logs down an icy hill.” She began to chuckle. “No matter what we last said to each other, our life together was a testament to the love we shared.”
Piper let out a sob and jumped up from her seat, wrapping her arms tightly around her mother. “Of course it is. I’ve always known how fortunate I was to grow up witnessing your love story. You’ve truly shown me what love between a couple looks like. Neither one of you was perfect, but you loved one another wholly and completely.”
Piper kissed her mother’s cheek. “That will always outshine a little squabble. You lived in love every day.”
“There’s something else,” Trudy admitted. “I probably should have mentioned it at the time, but we were all so grief stricken I couldn’t even think straight. His doctor suspected Jack might have had a heart attack that day. He’d been dealing with a lot of fluctuations in his blood pressure over the past few years.”
Piper felt as if someone had ripped blinders off her. She’d known about her father’s high blood pressure, but a medical condition had never been linked to the accident. Now, according to her mother, it was possible he’d suffered a heart attack.
She ran a shaky hand over her face. What had she done in blaming Braden? She’d hurt him badly with her baseless accusations. She’d been mean-hearted and cruel.
“Mama. I said terrible things to him about causing Daddy’s death. How can I ever face him again? I told him never to come around the diner and that I was done with him.”
Trudy made a tutting sound. “Where there’s love there is understanding. Compassion. Redemption. You and Braden have been joined at the hip since you were little. I may be completely off base here, but I suspect your feelings for him have blossomed into something else. Am I right?”
Her heart sank. So far she’d been keeping her feelings for Braden under wraps. Coming to terms with these budding sentiments hadn’t been easy. “I-is it that obvious?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
“Probably not to most folks.” Trudy reached out and tweaked Piper’s nose. “But I know you inside and out, my darling. You’re a lot like Jack. You wear your heart on your sleeve.”
Piper let out a groan. “I don’t know what to do. I need to apologize and tell him how wrong I was to blame him.”
“I think that’s a great start,” her mother said, nodding. “And perhaps there are a few other things you should tell him while you’re at it.” Trudy wiggled her eyebrows. “Pour your heart out to him. Don’t let a single thing remain unsaid.”
She bit her lip. “I—I don’t know if I’m brave enough to do all of that. I think we’ve both been feeling this pull in each other’s direction, but it’s complicated due to our long-standing friendship.” Piper swallowed past the fear clogging her throat. “Ever since he took off from Owl Creek, I’ve been afraid of losing him.”
“The only sure way of losing him is if you don’t clear the air. Words left unspoken tend to lead to missed opportunities.”
Her mother’s words hit their mark. She was right. If only Braden had told her the truth four years ago instead of staying silent out of fear and guilt. Piper didn’t want to make the same mistake. She refused to allow another day to go by without letting Braden know what he meant to her and how she forgave him for withholding the truth about the accident. “You’re right. I have to try and fix things. No matter what, he’ll always be my best friend.” And perhaps if she was truly fortunate, something infinitely more tender.
Piper glanced at her watch. She had a few hours before the Pie in the Sky launch party was set to take place. The truth was it wouldn’t really be a celebration without the one person who had made all of this possible with his vision and heart. It made her sick to her stomach that she’d judged him so harshly. Judge not lest ye be judged. She wasn’t a perfect person, and she’d made a lot of mistakes. She’d pushed him away out of her own hurt and pain. Grief was such a long process, and she was still wading knee-deep in the loss.
Losing Braden in addition to her dad would be way more than she could bear.
Chapter Thirteen
It didn’t take Piper long to track Braden down. She’d stopped at the chocolate factory where Beulah had told her where to find him—at his favorite spot at the Gray Owl mountains. It explained why he hadn’t been picking up any of her calls. Cell phone reception outside of town wasn’t always reliable. She had made one stop before getting on the road. It had been important to pick something up at Trudy’s inn. As she drove nearby the area where Otis lived, she couldn’t help but think of her father and the accident. This area was so pristine and beautiful, yet she’d stayed away from it due to all of the painful
memories related to her father’s death.
Four years was a long time to stay away from a place she truly loved. As of right now she was no longer going to avoid this precious land. All of her life her parents had taught her to cherish her Alaskan heritage and to embrace all it had to offer.
Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of Braden. He was standing with a snowboard in his hand, cheeks reddened from the cold, body poised for action. This was Braden at his core. Her Braden. An adventurer. An outdoorsman. It was who he was, in addition to being an incredibly loyal friend and the man she loved beyond measure. She could only hope he felt a fraction of what she held in her heart for him. Come what may, she would soon find out.
Now that she was within a few feet of him she didn’t know what to say. Her words were stuck in her throat. If she said what was weighing on her heart, there would be no turning back. It was so hard to be vulnerable without knowing if she would be accepted or rejected.
“Braden!” She called out to him, drawing his attention away from his next run. He whirled around at the sound of her voice.
“Piper. What are you doing here?” A look of confusion was stamped on his face. “You’re the last person I expected to see.”
“I’d almost forgotten how beautiful it is up here,” she said, her eyes darting all around her. The very air she was breathing seemed different. Cleaner. Purer. It felt like a completely different world from in town.
“It is, but I know you didn’t trek all the way here to tell me that.” He was looking at her warily as if expecting her to unload on him again. Frankly, she couldn’t really blame him. Her words had been brutal.
“Do you remember that time you put the bullfrog in my lunch box when we were in second grade?” she asked.
Braden shifted from one foot to the other. “How could I forget? You didn’t talk to me for a solid week. You really made me sweat it out.”
“And then you came over to my house and told me how sorry you were. You gave me a box and inside was your favorite set of Lego pieces. I knew right then and there how remorseful you truly were.”
Braden scoffed. He placed his palm on his chest. “It was a painful sacrifice for the best friend I’ve ever had.” His voice lowered. “Or ever will have.”
She ducked her head for a moment to compose herself. It was important to get through this without allowing emotion to completely take over. Piper stepped closer toward him, swallowing up the distance between them. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a box. Time had been of the essence so she hadn’t been able to put a pretty ribbon on it. It was no-frills. “Braden, I’m so sorry for all the terrible things I said to you. It’s no excuse, but I think I’ve been looking to blame someone or something for what happened to my dad. It took my mom to point it out to me.”
Piper held out the gift box to him. Braden dropped his snowboard and took a few steps toward her so that they were standing within inches of each other. He took it, then lightly shook it. “Do you want me to open it now? Or is this a wait until Christmas morning type of thing?”
“Now, please,” she answered. The sound of her heart thumping wildly inside her chest echoed in her ears. She’d never felt such an odd sensation as this one. She wanted to throw herself in Braden’s arms and run away at the same time. So much was riding on his reaction to her gift.
She watched as Braden opened the box and pulled out the stuffed red heart. It had a few years of wear and tear on it, but it was one of the most treasured items she owned. Her grandmother had given it to her many years ago, and as Braden well knew, it was a priceless keepsake.
Braden swung his gaze up and locked eyes with her. “Are you giving this to me?”
“Yes,” she said with a nod. “I’m not only giving you something that’s precious to me, but I’m giving you my heart—the one that’s beating so fast right now in my chest.”
“Please don’t tell me you mean just as a friend.” He appeared to be holding his breath waiting for her answer.
Piper let out a shaky laugh. “You’ll always be my best friend, but my feelings for you go well beyond that. I’m in love with you, Braden North.”
Braden reached out and clasped her mittened hand in his. “Say it again, Piper. I want to make sure I’m not imagining things.”
“I love you,” she said, feeling breathless as she said the words once again. It was a freeing sensation to acknowledge the love she held in her heart for Braden.
“I love you back,” he said, letting out a deeply held breath. “I think I’ve loved you for most of my life, but I didn’t even realize it until recently. All I know is that my life is better with you in it.”
“I’m glad you feel that way even though I was so tough on you the other day.” She wrinkled her nose. “I’m really ashamed for lashing out at you in that manner.”
He ran his hand across her cheek. “I should have told you the truth right from the beginning. I was just so afraid of losing you it messed with my head. I’ve been racked with guilt ever since the accident.”
“I don’t blame you and I forgive you for not telling me the truth. There are so many things that may have contributed to the crash. I wish you’d been honest with me about it a long time ago. That way we could have worked through it together. You’ll never lose me. You’re imprinted on my heart, Braden.” Her throat felt tight, but at this moment it was a result of overwhelming happiness.
“Like you’re etched on mine,” he answered, his face lit up like Christmas morning.
Piper stood on her tippy toes and pressed a tender kiss on Braden’s lips. Joy washed over her as he kissed her back enthusiastically. As they broke apart, they stared into each other’s eyes without speaking, both content to savor the special moment. She no longer had to worry about anything standing in the way of their relationship. Everything had come to light, and they were no longer in the shadows.
“I’ve been reminded lately about not living with a spirit of fear, but of power and love,” he said, breaking the silence. “That’s how I want to live my life.”
“Me too. I’m so incredibly blessed to be surrounded by love.”
She took a deep breath. “I loved my dad so much and I still miss him like crazy, especially during the holidays. He made everything so special for all of us.”
Braden ran his hand over the top of her head, down past her curly mane. “He loved you, Piper. And he was so incredibly proud of you. Your family was everything to him.”
“I know he’d be tickled about the pies and the milkshakes. It really helps to think of him with a big smile on his face and giving me a huge thumbs-up.”
“I can see it. And what I told you was true. Jack was joyful before he died. I saw him whipping around the trails as if he was flying on a cloud.” Braden grinned. Piper could tell he was now remembering that day with more nuances than simply through a lens of guilt. They had both turned a corner, which would allow them to move forward with their lives. Together.
“There’s so much to be thankful for this Christmas. I’m really blessed to have you in my life, and things are steadily improving at the diner. I don’t think that I even dared to dream everything would come together like this.”
“Some things are just meant to be.” Braden dipped his head down and kissed her temple.
“Speaking of gratitude, we really need to get back to the Snowy Owl. The pie launch is in less than an hour. The rest of the team is holding down the fort for us.”
“Us? Does that mean you want me to tag along?”
“Braden! There wouldn’t be a pie launch without you. You came up with the idea of selling pies in the first place.” She looked up at him. “I’d feel honored if you’d stand by my side as we officially launch Pie in the Sky to Owl Creek.”
“I’d love to stand by your side. It seems fitting since I’m going to invest in Pie in the Sky.”
Piper’s jaw d
ropped. “Wh-what? Are you serious?”
Braden dipped his head down and kissed her. “I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life. I’m not employed at the moment, so I’d be honored to become your silent partner in the pie business. I believe in you.”
“I believe in us,” she whispered, gazing up at him with pure happiness and joy. They were getting the happy ending she hadn’t even thought was possible. Their friendship had turned into a love she knew would last a lifetime.
Epilogue
One year later
It was a beautiful December morning in Owl Creek, Piper realized as she walked hand in hand with Braden along the wooded trail, Rudy trailing closely behind. The temperature had plummeted overnight to a chilly 20 degrees Fahrenheit, but Piper couldn’t have felt any happier. Spending time with Braden always gave her joy.
“I still feel a little bit guilty taking the afternoon off from the diner,” Piper confessed. A storm had been forecast for later that day, as evidenced by the cloudy sky and the snow swirling from the sky. They still had a few hours before it hit Owl Creek full force, and they were making the most of the great Alaskan outdoors.
“Are you kidding me? After all the hard work you’ve put in to turn things around at the Snowy Owl, you deserve a little fun.” He squeezed her hand. “Have I told you lately how proud of you I am?”
Piper looked over at him and grinned. “You have, but I’ll never get tired of hearing it. If it wasn’t for you, I’m not sure I ever would have gotten Pie in the Sky off the ground. I’d still be struggling to find a way out of a very dicey financial situation.”
“It was all you, Piper. You’re the one who makes the most delicious pies in all of Alaska.” He let out a chuckle. “Maybe even in the entire United States.”
She reached out and swept her mittened hand across his cheek. “You believed in me, Braden, and I’ll never forget it. Because of you I managed to save the diner from financial ruin.”
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