Chapter 17

"Sawyer, you're kidding right?" Piper said, pulling out of his arms and sitting up in bed. "You didn't just say that you want to get married this weekend, I did not just hear that."

"Why not?" he asked. "What's the point in waiting?"

"We can't put together a wedding in a few days. It's just not possible," she said. "I wouldn't even know where to begin."

"It was just a suggestion," he said, pulling her back into his arms. "We can wait as long as you want to, but I was thinking that if we got married, that would keep you safe if your father decides to try and get to you again, you'd be protected by the clan."

"That's a valid reason," she said with a sigh. "But this Saturday, Sawyer, I don't know……I've never planned a wedding before."

"If we keep it simple, it wouldn't be that hard, and we know lots of people who've just gotten married," he said, then hesitated. "But if you want a big fancy wedding, we can do that too, I just didn't think……"

"Oh, Sawyer, you know me better than that," she said. "The last thing I want is a big fancy wedding, but I do want something nice. I've always wanted to get married out in the south pasture under those big trees by the stream."

"Now, see, that doesn't seem so complicated," he said. "What else?"

She looked up at him, a blush on her cheeks, "I haven't thought about it that much," she said, then laughed. "Okay, maybe I have, but those were just daydreams."

He laughed, "Then it shouldn't be that hard," he said. "Tell you what, let's give my mom a call and tell her the good news. Once she's involved, things will happen quickly. You'd better decide who you want to ask to be your bridesmaids. It sounds like we're getting married on Saturday."

Piper didn't say anything for a second, then she threw herself on top of him, "I never thought all my dreams would come true," she said. "I love you, Sawyer."

"I love you too, Piper," he said, flipping her on her back. "And I'm going to show you just how much."

Sawyer looked around the table at his friends, a smile on his face as he listened to them planning his wedding, thinking about how much things had changed. "Aren't you even going to offer your opinion?" Derek asked, bringing his focus back to the present. "This is your wedding, after all."

"You all seem to be doing a good job without me," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "I was just sitting here thinking about how much things have changed in the last few years."

"Oh, no, he's getting emotional on us," Mitchell said, shaking his head. "It always happens the night before the wedding. I've seen it, what is it now, five times."

They all laughed, "I seem to recall you shedding a few tears of your own," Noah said. "Oh, wait, that was on your wedding day."

Mitchell gave him a dirty look, "Hey, I wasn't the only one, Jessie cried too," he said, looking over at his friend. "Twice, if I remember right."

"Hey, don't drag me into this," Jessie said. "The day I married Bonnie was one of the happiest days of my life. I'm not ashamed that I cried, twice."

"Sawyer is right, you all, things have changed a lot since the days we first started the single dad's club," Grant said. "Look at me, I never thought I'd fall in love again, and here I am, married with a new baby, and happier than I ever thought possible."

Grayson snorted, "What about me? Look at how my life has been turned upside down," he said. "First Ivy showed up in my life, then Quinn came along and shook things up even more, but I wouldn't change a thing. I wouldn't go back to the way things were for anything."

They all looked over at Jayce, "Why are you all looking at me?" he asked. "I've had my problems over the last year, too. Just because I didn't fall in love doesn't mean my life has been perfect."

"No one was saying that," Noah said. "We're all just wondering when it's going to happen to you."

"It's not, so you can just give it up," he said. "I've tried the love thing, remember? It was a total disaster both times, and I'm not going there again. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for all of you, but you're just all on a path I'm never taking again."

"Oh, no, looks who's tempting fate," Derek said, elbowing him in the ribs. "Don't you know that you should never say never."

Jayce gave them all a dirty look, "Can we just drop it," he said. "Don't we have a wedding to plan? Those tables and chairs aren't just going to materialize out of nowhere."

"Okay, you all, let's give Jayce a break," he said. "He's right, if we don't get this figured out, my mom is going to kill me."

"I've got the tables and chairs lined up," Jessie said. "We just need the tents and the runner for the aisle."

"I think I can get those from a guy I know over in Marshall," Grayson said. "I'm waiting for a call back from him now to let me know when we can pick them up."

"Well, then, that just leaves a crew to get it all set up," he said, a bit surprised. "I'm sure we can count on the clan for that. I'll make a few phone calls and see who is available."

"The rest of us will head out to pick up the tables and chairs, and we'll meet back at Sawyer's later this afternoon," Noah said. "We should be able to have everything set up for the rehearsal dinner tonight. I wonder how the women are doing on their list."

"I wouldn't worry, they were already making phone calls when I left," Sawyer said. "If I know my mother and Piper, they'll have everything wrapped up all nice and neat by the time I get back home."

***Piper***

Piper marked another item off her list, then sat staring at the page for a second, a little wave of disappointment washing over her. "All that's left on the list is my dress," she said, looking around the table. "I guess it's too late to make an emergency trip to the city to look for one, but I'm sure I can find something here in town that would work."

Tory looked over at her mom, who nodded her head, "Your mom and I have been giving that some thought, and I think we might have the perfect solution," she said, getting to her feet. "I'll be right back."

When she came back, she set a big white linen box down on the table in front of Piper, "Go on, open it," Tory said. "Then we'll talk."

She pulled the lid off the box and pulled back the tissue paper to reveal a beautiful cream-colored wedding dress. "Oh, it's beautiful," she said, looking over at Tory, afraid to touch it.

"I was married in that dress over thirty years ago. It brought me good luck," Tory said, reaching over and picking the dress up. "I hope it will bring you good luck too."

She gasped when she saw the fragile lace that was the only adornment on the creamy fabric, the simplicity of the lines speaking to her. Then she looked over at Tory, tears stinging her eyes. "Oh, Tory, that's such a generous offer, it's the dress I would have chosen," she said. "But are you sure?"

"I can't think of anyone I would want to wear it more than you," Tory said, then put her arm around her mother. "It may be a little big for you, but your mom is going to do the alterations. From what she says, she's pretty good with a needle and thread."

"You know how to sew?" she asked, a bit surprised. "I didn't know that."

"I picked it up a few years ago to keep busy," her mother said. "Your father didn't like me leaving the house, but I've been thinking this might be a way for me to make some money until that old bastard dies and I get my money back."

Piper looked over at her mother, a bit shocked, then started laughing, "Thank you both. This means so much to me," she said. "I'm lucky to have two amazing women who care so much about me."

"Come on, let's go try the dress on," her mother said. "I need to get right to work. I can already tell that I'm going to have to shorten it at least an inch, and make a little more room in the bust. Piper is a little better endowed than you are, Tory."

Seeing the excitement in her mother's eyes, Piper couldn't help but smile as she got to her feet, "I don't know if I should be insulted or not," she said. "But let's go see how the dress looks."

"Stop wiggling, I'm almost done," her mother said. "Only a few more buttons to go, and then you can turn around."

"Oh, Piper, you look so beautiful," Amy said from the chair across the room where she was nursing Chloe. "That dress is perfect for you, and your mother only made it better with the changes that she made."

"Well, if the aforementioned mother would ever let me turn around, I'd know if you're telling me the truth," she said, trying to turn her head, earning her a poke from her mom. "Okay, okay, I won't look."

Only a few seconds later, her mom put her hands on her shoulders, "Okay, you can turn around now," she said, gently twisting her around to face the mirror. "You're the most beautiful bride I've ever seen, both inside and out. I'm so proud that you're my daughter."

She stared at herself in the mirror, fighting the tears of happiness that stung her eyes, "I feel like a princess," she said. "Thank you both for this."

Tory walked over and gave her a hug, then pulled back and looked at her again, "Sawyer isn't going to know what hit him when he sees you," she said. "My son is a very lucky man, Piper."

"I'm the one who's lucky," she said, grinning at Tory. "But don't tell him I said that."

"Okay, everyone, it's time," Bridget said, rushing into the room. "We've got a packed house, so let's all smile really big."

"I don't think that will be a problem. I've been dreaming of this day for a long time," she said, taking a deep breath. "But I am a little nervous to face all of those people."

"Oh, no, we almost forgot your veil," her mother said, picking it up off the dressing table and slipping it onto her head, then pausing. "Something is still missing, and I think I know what it is."

Her mom reached into her pocket and pulled out a necklace, "This was your grandmother's," she said, fastening it around her neck. "It's nothing fancy, the stones aren't even real, but I want you to have it. My mother passed it on to me, and now it's yours."

She gave her mom a hug, "Thank you," she said. "It means a lot to me that you're here to share today with me."

"And I hope we have a lot more important days together after this one," her mom said, hugging her back. "Now, it's time for you to go marry the love of your life, like I should have done."

She looked at her mom, "What does that mean? You can't just say something like that and not tell me the whole story," she said. "That's not fair."

"That will just give you something to look forward to when you get back from your honeymoon," her mother said. "We have a lot to learn about each other, but I'm looking forward to it."

"Me too," she said. "I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, sweetheart," her mom said. "You're my little girl. More than anything, I want you to be happy."

"I am," she said. "Especially with you back in my life."

Sawyer's dad was waiting for her when she walked out of the house, "You look amazing. Sawyer is a very lucky man," he said, then held his arm out to her. "Are you ready?"

She linked her arm through her soon to be father-in-law's, "Yes, sir," she said, then looked down the aisle and saw Sawyer. Her stomach did flip flops, then her heart began to race, desire flooded her system just as she was filled with warmth, and she let out a little gasp.

A huge smile spread across Sawyer's face when he saw her, and his eyes filled with desire. Her head swam just a bit with the overpowering emotions that raced through her, but she managed to take a step forward, then another and another. When she stepped up next to Sawyer and their eyes met, she smiled up at him, tears already stinging her eyes, happier than she'd ever been in her life.