Piper nodded, fresh tears running down her cheeks. “I do. I love you so much, Tag.”
He lifted her into his arms, spinning them both around. This time, he didn’t even notice the other people who stopped to watch them. All he saw was Piper.
“Marry me, Honey. Make me the happiest man on earth.” He stopped spinning and pulled out a small box from his pocket. He brought his mother’s engagement ring with him, hoping that Piper would give him another chance. She gave him that and so much more. He and Torren had a long conversation about their mom’s ring before he flew to New York. Torren convinced him that he wouldn’t be using the ring and that he wanted Tag to give it to Piper. He opened the box, and Piper’s eyes widened.
“Oh, Tag. It’s beautiful.” She covered her mouth with her trembling hands.
“It was my mom’s, and now I want you to have it. Marry me.” Tag took the ring out, not waiting for Piper’s answer. He slipped it onto her finger, and it seemed to fit perfectly.
“Are you sure? You want me, forever?” Piper admired the ring.
“I’ve never been surer of anything in my life, Honey. You are my forever, Piper.” She nodded, covering her face in her hands, sobbing. Tag laughed, trying to pull her hands away from her face. “Is that a yes, Honey?” he asked.
“Yes,” she shouted. Everyone who’d stopped to watch the proposal on the street cheered and clapped. They acquired quite an audience.
“Let’s go home, Pipe. We have a wedding to plan,” Piper said.
“No, Tag, we have a whole life to plan.” Tag couldn’t help his smile; he knew that his soon-to-be wife was right. He couldn’t imagine anything better than planning a life with the woman he loved by his side. That would be the greatest adventure of all.
Epilogue
Three Months Later
Piper looked around the cabin. She couldn’t find her mom’s sapphire ring—it was going to be her something blue, and she couldn’t walk down the aisle without it. She knew that just outside the cabin door, about twenty-five of her and Tag’s friends and family were waiting under a big white tent that they had set up earlier that morning. Everyone chipped in to help, making today truly special. She also knew that Tag was waiting at the front of that tent under a pergola that he had built for her. It was her wedding gift, something that they could use to pledge their lives to each other, but it would last for years as a symbol of their love. Her wedding gift to Tag was the launch of their High Adventure Company for troubled kids. He would run the adventure side of things while she finished college. She wanted to get her degree in business—it was time to make plans for a future that was about them both. She had a lot of living to catch up on after shutting her heart off from all the possibilities that life offered. She knew that with Tag by her side, she could make plans and not be afraid anymore.She found her mom’s ring under a kitchen towel, slipped it onto her finger, and turned to find Lorna standing in the doorway.
“You ready, Pipe?” Piper tried to hold her tears at bay; she was an emotional mess. She knew that today would be tough, facing her wedding without her parents. She didn’t know just how wonderful it would be, either. Lorna and Sunny made sure that she didn’t have to lift a finger on her special day. Sunny pushed through the doorway and past Lorna to grab Piper up into a bear hug.
“Careful, Sunny, you’ll mess her up,” Lorna scolded. Piper and Sunny burst into giggles, found their bouquets, and joined Lorna at the door.
“Geez, you would think that with a date as sexy as Jonathan Sawyer, Lorna would loosen up some. Maybe he can help relieve some of that tension you carry around.” Sunny bobbed her eyebrows at Lorna, causing another fit of giggles between her and Piper. Sunny always knew how to lighten the mood. Just moments ago, Piper wanted to burst into tears. Now, she couldn’t stop giggling. She needed to get herself together before she saw Tag; she wanted today to be perfect. Sunny nodded to the quartet to start the music and headed down the aisle. Lorna grabbed Piper’s hand, squeezed, and led her to the doorway. A warm summer breeze blew gently against her bare shoulders, giving her goosebumps. She looked out to find Tag staring back at her as if awestruck. She couldn’t help her smile at his expression. He always had a way of making her feel like she was the only woman in the whole room. She and Lorna stepped down from the cabin porch and onto the soft moss that lined the path to Tag. She wanted to run down the path to get to him faster. She wanted to scream her “I do’s” as she raced down the aisle. The minutes that ticked by felt like hours; she couldn’t wait to be Tag’s wife. She looked at the friends and family who came to celebrate her and Tag’s marriage and felt so much love. Shenever imagined that she could be this happy, this complete. Tag met her at the last few steps, took her hand from Lorna’s, and kissed her aunt’s cheek.
“Be good to each other,” Lorna whispered to them both, wiping a tear from her cheek. She turned to sit next to Sawyer in the front row.
“Hey, gorgeous.” Tag kissed Piper’s mouth, causing their friends to laugh. Torren slapped Tag on the back, bringing them both back to the here and now.
“I’m no expert, but I’m pretty sure that comes at the end of the ceremony, bro,” Torren teased.
“Yeah, yeah. I got a little carried away.” Tag looked Piper up and down again. “You look beautiful, Honey. I guess I jumped the gun.”
Piper sighed. “That’s okay, Tag. I’m a little anxious to be married to you, too.” Tag leaned in for another quick kiss.
Aaron cleared his throat. “Do you think we can get this show on the road? I’d like to get to the part where we drink and party.” Piper and Tag both laughed and took their places in front of the altar that he built. After they exchanged their vows, everyone erupted into clapping and cheers, throwing birdseed at the happy couple as they made their way back to the cabin. The party lasted long past sunset. Friends and family danced, ate, and drank into the night under the stars. It was everything that Piper could have ever dreamt of and more. Tag was sitting between Aaron and Torren, and they looked like they were up to no good. Piper stood with Sunny across the room and didn’t miss the scowl on Aaron’s face or the way he watched her friend. Torren and Tag were laughing and carrying on, apparently at Aaron’s expense. Since being home, she questioned Sunny about Aaron a few times. They were never in the same room anymore. If they saw each other, they usually passed without a word. Although Piper didn’t miss the way they watched each other.Sunny usually looked at Aaron like she wanted to strangle him. Aaron watched Sunny with a look that resembled the way Tag looked at her. She knew that something was up between the two of them, but she wasn’t quite sure what. Just before Piper went to New York, Sunny seemed to be seeing someone. After she and Tag returned to Colorado, Sunny barely spent time away from her bakery—she threw herself into her work. Piper wasn’t sure what she could do to help her friend. When she tried to bring up the subject, Sunny shot her down. She told Piper that she just wasn’t ready to talk about her mystery man. She confirmed that whatever happened between them was over, but that was about it. She wouldn’t even share who he was. Now, with the way Sunny and Aaron were acting around each other, Piper was sure she had her answer. She hoped that her best friend would come around and give her the dirty details. After all, turnabout was fair play. Sunny was the reason Piper was tricked into going out with Tag in the first place. Maybe her friend just needed a little push in the right direction, too. Like, right into Aaron’s arms. From the look on Aaron’s face, he wouldn’t mind having Sunny in his arms.
“You know, you should just go over there and ask him to dance. I’m sure that would be more effective than looking at him like you want to kill him.” Sunny turned to Piper, giving her the full effect of her disgust.
“How about you just worry about your man and let me worry about mine.” Sunny’s hands shot up to her mouth as if she were trying to retrieve her words. “Shit.” Piper laughed at her friend. “It’s okay, Sunny, I already figured it out. Was it the night of the freak snowstorm, back in April?” Sunny nodded her head, her hands still over her mouth.
“All right, then, why keep it all a secret? You’ve been seeing Aaron, so what?” Piper pulled Sunny’s hands from her mouth, holding them in her own hands. “Talk to me, Sunny.”
“I’m not keeping it a secret. There is nothing to talk about; it was just that one time. The night of the storm.” Both women looked back across the tent to where the three men sat. Aaron didn’t take his eyes from Sunny, looking her up and down like a wolf on the prowl, causing her to shiver. “He’s so intense,” she whispered. “He looks at me like that but wants nothing to do with me.” Sunny looked back at Piper, tears pooling in her eyes. “He won’t even talk to me, so I have no way of telling him about the—” Sunny stopped speaking, this time letting her hand fall to her stomach. Piper gasped. “Wait. You’re pregnant?” Piper tried to whisper, but she knew from the few heads that turned in her direction that she was unsuccessful.
“Shh, Pipe. I really would like to tell the father before you announce it to the rest of the town.” Piper chanced a look at Tag, who was watching her like a hawk. He could read her like an open book. She knew she wouldn’t be able to keep this secret from Tag.
“Fine, I won’t tell everyone in town, just Tag.” Sunny groaned and covered her face with both hands.
“Well, you might as well just walk over there and tell Aaron because those two tell each other everything.”
Piper laughed. “Not everything. Tag has been worried about Aaron these past few months. He was sure that something was up, but he had no idea that you two—well, you know.”
