Page 4

Once I get back up to the house, I take my time as I grab the equipment I’ll need for shooting indoors and slip in the back door, wandering around the lavish house before following the sound of music. The party isn’t really in full swing yet since everyone is still waiting for the happy couple to show up but I lift my camera to my face and snap a few photos of the flower girl, the ring bearer, and their friends dancing to the pop song playing around the ballroom before scanning the crowd and getting a great shot of the groom’s grandma laughing at something the gentleman next to her said. Sighing, I glance over at the door, guilt eating away at me that I’m not out there doing my job with Eden before shoving the feeling down and gazing around the room again. I wouldn’t mind being able to sit down for a second either. Eden and I have been here, photographing everything since noon when the bride started getting ready and my feet are starting to ache.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. and Mrs. Stewart,” the DJ booms and everyone stands and cheers as the bride and groom walk into the room, hand in hand. I raise my camera and snap a couple of shots before feeling a nudge at my side.

“Feeling better?” Eden asks.

“Yeah. Get some good shots?”

She nods, surveying the crowd. “The sunset was incredible and those little lanterns you hung in the tree worked perfectly.”

“I can’t wait to see them,” I tell her with a smile. My stomach flips, the guilt eating away at me again. It’s really not fair to Eden that she has to take on the bulk of work sometimes because of my issues but I also don’t know what else I can do about it. She nudges me again and I glance over at her.

“I know what that look on your face means and you need to knock that shit off right now.”

I scowl as I turn away from her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Mmhmm. Wanna talk about it?”

“Not particularly,” I mutter.

“I thought maybe this wedding wouldn’t be so hard since you have James now.”

I flinch at the mention of my boyfriend… or ex-boyfriend now, technically. “I ended things with James.”

“Why?” She doesn’t sound all that surprised by my news and even I have to admit, I’m not even a little upset by the fact that we broke up so maybe she saw this coming before I did. I glance back at her.

“We didn’t want the same things.”

She arches a brow. “Which means what? That he wasn’t Wy…”

“Don’t finish that statement,” I warn her, shaking my head. There are some things I like about Eden knowing everything about my past and then there are things that I really hate like her calling me on my shit each and every time. “He didn’t want to have kids.”

“Oh,” she whispers. “Are you okay? With the breakup, I mean?”

I nod. “Yeah. Honestly, I’m not even upset about it. More relieved than anything else… I don’t know. I guess I only started dating again to try and move on with my life but I’m starting to wonder if it’s a lost cause.”

“You’re not a lost cause, Piper. Don’t talk about yourself like that.”

“I just mean… maybe I’m not meant to have all this,” I answer, motioning to the reception surrounding us. “Maybe I had my shot at love and a family and I screwed it all up.”

Wrapping her arm around my shoulders, she pulls me into a hug with a sigh. “People don’t just get one shot at love, babe. That I’m sure of and if you’re serious about wanting a family, you don’t need a man for that.”

“Uh, technically you do need a man. That’s like one of the two main ingredients.”

She laughs. “Don’t be a smart ass. You know what I meant. You could get a sperm donor and get inseminated or whatever.”

“Do it myself? Seriously?”

“Why not?” she answers with a shrug. “It’s two thousand nineteen and you are a strong, independent woman. If you want to have a baby, find a way to make it happen.”

Staring out at the newly married couple as they dance, I chew on my bottom lip and raise my camera to my eye to snap a couple photos as the thoughts bounce around in my mind. Could I really do it all myself? I mean, anytime I thought about the family I wanted to have, Wyatt was always a part of that picture and no matter how hard I tried, the image never changed. That’s probably why none of my other relationships worked out - not that there were all that many - but still, there is no room in my life and my heart for anyone else because Wyatt is always there. Having a baby, though… it has always been one of my greatest dreams.

“Just think about it, okay? Don’t sell yourself short because this is the kind of thing that you’ll come to regret if you don’t go for it.”

Pulling the camera away from my face, I meet her eyes and nod. “Okay. I’ll think about it.”

“That’s all I ask,” she answers, grinning at me and I snort out a laugh.

“It’s a pretty big ask. We’re talking about a baby here and me being a single mother.”

She shrugs. “Just imagine how happy you’ll be when you have that little baby in your arms.”

“Hold up. I thought I was just thinking about it and now I’m picturing my fictional future baby?”

Looping her arm through mine, she guides me to the corner of the ballroom where we can stay out of the way while we talk and snap candid photos. “Yes. Visualization is an essential part of destiny manifestation.”

“I said I’ll think about it, Edie. Don’t push your luck.”

“Okay, fine.” She laughs. “But in all seriousness, I don’t want you to think you’re doing this alone. If you decide to go down this road, you’ll have Lillian and me in your corner. Always.”

I nod, my chest aching at the thought of having a baby on my own. Not because I think I couldn’t do it or because I know it will be hard but because anytime I ever pictured my baby in the past, he always had Wyatt’s hazel eyes and I’m not sure if that is an image I can let go of.