“I’m sure you do a great job.”
Her smile returns, but this time, it’s softer. “Listen, honey. You make that man complete. When you’re not around, he can barely hear your name without walking out of the room. It’s as if it hurts him too much not having you there that he can’t sit still.”
Really?My mouth falls agape as her words strike my chest.
“I’ve worked for the Adlers for most of Hart’s life,” she says. “And I’ve hoped and prayed for this day for the better part of it. So, this wedding? It’s the answer to my prayers, and I know his mother is watching down from heaven with a smile on her face.”
Tears pool in the corners of my eyes as I stare into her green irises. Would she, though?
Hartley’s mom was one of the strongest and sweetest women I’ve ever known. She was funny and warm, generous with her time—her love—and I think she’d actually hate me for possibly breaking her son’s heart this way.
And I can’t blame her, really.
I struggle past the ache in my chest to focus on Cathy.
“Just remember one thing,” she says. “Love comes in all shapes and sizes. But when you find the one that fits your heart, you hold on to it for dear life. Because once it’s taken away, you can’t always get it back.”
“Now let’s have some fun!” Lolly says from across the room. “Let’s gather around this chair and have our bride sit here so we can all watch her open her gifts.”
I pull Cathy into a quick hug, fighting back the tears, as she presses a kiss against my temple.
“A quick warning,” she whispers in my ear. “You’re going to need an extra drink before you open Lolly’s. I don’t even know where she found something so dirty.”
My cheeks flame as I pull away, laughing in both amusement and fear. “You’re kidding?”
“Mine first,” Lolly says. “It has snaps. My husband loved being able to?—”
“Come on, Lolly,” Markie says, holding a hand out in front of her. “Stop. Please.”
I stand in the corner of the room and take in the women who gathered today to celebrate me. They didn’t give an excuse or send a gift instead. They showed up. For me. And for Hartley.
For …us.
For the first time in a long time, maybe ever, being a part of something doesn’t feel threatening. Staying in Sugar Creek, at least for a while, doesn’t feel terrifying. It kind of feels like … home.
I pull out my phone and type out a quick text.
Me: Wish you were here.
Then I put the device back in my pocket and rejoin the party, silently terrified that what I’m about to open from Lolly is something I’ll forever wish I could unsee.
CHAPTER
SEVENTEEN
Hartley
“I can’t believe you drove all the way down here for this,” I say to my brother as he comes into the room.
He hangs up a garment bag on a hook by the window and then faces me. “Put a little respect on my name, for fuck’s sake. You’re getting married. Of course, I’d be here.”
“Sorry.”
“You better be. You might be bigger than me, but I can still kick your ass,” he says, winking before turning back to his bag.
Astrid, Gianna, and Drake showed up on the ranch yesterday afternoon while I was in Nashville running an important errand. Gray arrived last night after rugby practice, and we all sat around a small fire with Brooks and Audrey until well after midnight.
As we shot the shit and laughed about nothing and everything, I couldn’t stop imagining what it will feel like the next time we’re all together—and my wife is there with me.
