Chapter 28

Twenty-Eight

Abby

I t was Sylvia and Dan’s wedding day. The bride wanted to get married in the little church on the circle in Annapolis and hold the reception across the street in the Maryland Inn’s ballroom. It was one of our signature packages. We’d done it a few times before, so everything should have run smoothly.

But Lily had to switch out the flowers when one of her refrigerators died overnight. Then Lily’s delivery van, which was older than all of us, died en route. I had some time before I needed to be in the bridal suite taking pictures, so I volunteered to pick up Lily.

It was the start of our spring wedding season, but it felt like things weren’t running as smoothly as the fall and winter months.

I found Lily on the side of the road next to her blue VW van. It was her grandmother’s and had sentimental value to her. As a delivery van, it wasn’t reliable. Lily needed to find another solution, but none of us had the heart to tell her she needed a new one.

I pulled behind her vehicle and got out to stand next to her on the side of the highway. Cars and trucks whizzed by at a high rate of speed, ruffling Lily’s maxi dress. Her blonde wavy hair was braided and hung over one shoulder.

“Are you okay?” I asked when I approached her.

Lily smiled. “Yeah, it’s Berta that’s not doing so hot.”

I couldn’t help the twitch of my lips at her grandmother’s name for the van. “I can see that. You have someone coming to tow it?”

Lily held up her phone. “I called a garage. They said they’d be here soon.”

I shivered when a tractor trailer roared by. “Are you sure it’s safe to stand out here?”

Before Lily could answer, the loud rumble of a truck caught our attention. The red tow truck pulled past her powder blue VW van, then backed up until it was parked directly in front of it.

The door with white lettering with the words Harbor Garage Service & Repair opened, and a man hopped out, striding toward us. “You called for a tow?”

The man’s voice was gruff, his jaw tight as he approached. His black company T-shirt was stretched taut across his chest and biceps. His worn jeans clung to his massive thighs, and his work boots ate up the distance between us

Lily tipped her head to the side, her voice calm and steady. “That’s right.”

Anyone else in this situation would be irritated with their van breaking down on the side of the road, especially when she had a delivery to make. But Lily tended to take things in stride.

The man lowered his voice slightly as he stood, legs braced wide. “You shouldn’t be standing out here. It’s not safe.”

I glanced from the man to Lily, who seemed to have lost the ability to speak.

I decided to interject, “If you could tow her van to your shop, I can take Lily to the wedding.”

“You’re on your way to a wedding?” The man’s gaze slowly perused Lily from her blue eyes to her pink toenails, seemingly taking in every detail.

Lily’s pale skin flushed. “We were until Berta broke down.”

The man startled at the name.

But Lily continued as if she hadn’t noticed. “We need to unload the flowers.”

“Who’s Berta?”

Lily blinked. “My van.”

“You named your van?”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “She deserves a name like anyone else.”

“It’s a van. Not to mention, it’s broken down on the side of the road.”

“I love that van. So if you could just hook it up to your truck and take it with you, I’d appreciate it.” Lily’s voice shook slightly.

The man was getting to her.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” the man mumbled as he stalked toward the rear doors of the van.

He paused and looked over at us. “Well, what are you waiting for?”

Lily snapped to attention. She opened the doors and grabbed a box out of the back. The man grabbed two. I rushed to open the trunk of my car.

We worked quickly and efficiently. No one speaking. When the van was empty, Lily closed the doors. “Can you let me know what the cost of repairs will be before you do them?”

The man raised a brow, his tone incredulous. “You want me to fix it?”

Lily blinked up at him, confusion evident in her voice. “Well, yeah. I called you, didn’t I?”

“Honestly? I thought you wanted me to dispose of it.”

Lily’s hand flew to her chest. “It’s an antique.”

“It’s something all right.” He grabbed a card from his wallet and held it out to Lily. The embossed lettering declared him Jake. “And you’re using it to deliver flowers?”

“It’s usually reliable,” she said defensively as she took his card.

I barely contained my snort. It broke down more often than it ran.

“Your friend doesn’t seem to think so,” he said.

And I immediately regretted my outburst. Lily was my friend. I needed to support her.

“Listen.” Lily glanced at the card. “Jake. I need this van. It means something to me. Just because it’s old doesn’t mean we just throw it out.”

“So, it’s worth keeping?” Jake asked as he considered her.

Lily nodded. “It is to me.”

“Yet you’re not sure if you can afford the repairs. Wouldn’t it be easier to get something newer and more reliable for your business?”

Lily placed her hands on her hips. “I didn’t ask for a lecture on safety or car repairs. I just asked you to tow the van and call me when you know what’s wrong with it.”

“I’ve got your number.”

When Lily just stood there, Jake gestured toward my SUV. “Get in.”

“Fine,” Lily said and headed toward my car.

“Thank you for coming so quickly,” I said. I was initially worried it would be hours for the tow. I figured I’d get Lily and the flowers to the reception and worry about the van later, but I knew Lily wouldn’t leave it.

“No problem.”

“Please take care of Lily’s van. She loves that thing.”

“I can’t imagine why.” He turned away and started to hitch the tow truck to the front of the van.

I got into the driver’s side of my SUV, eager to get to the venue with the flowers.

“What was his deal?” Lily asked as we pulled away, her eyes on his ass as he was bent over the hitch.

“I don’t think he likes your van.”

Lily sighed. “But it’s so cute.”

“Just like you.” Lily’s style could only be described as bohemian. She loved maxi dresses and skirts, tank tops, cross-body purses, and flats. Her hair was braided more often than she let it loose. And she was a free spirit. She loved flowers and nature. She loved her grandmother more than anyone, and the van had been hers. Lily had opened Petals with the money she received from her grandma’s inheritance. She’d moved into her home too.

“I don’t know what everyone has against Berta.”

“I think it’s her constant breaking down on the side of the road that people don’t like.”

Lily settled deeper into the seat. “He didn’t have to be so mean about it.”

“I think he was more worried about us standing on the side of the road than anything else. He’s probably wondering if this is a common occurrence for you.”

Lily huffed. “Why would he care?”

“He seemed like a nice guy under all that gruff.” My sense was there was a mutual attraction between them.

“I don’t know about that.” Lily’s lips pressed into a thin line.

“I’m just happy we’re not going to be late.” I had time to help her unload the flowers at the reception hall and get back to the wedding in time to take the requisite pictures of the bridal party preparing for the wedding.

“Thanks for picking me up,” Lily said when we pulled up to the loading entrance to the Maryland Inn.

“Any time.” I would do anything for the women. My friends and business partners. We’d become close.

When I arrived at the church, Gia was pacing outside the side door. “Is everything okay?”

“We lost another bride.”

The first time Gia said that, my heart jumped in my throat, but I’d quickly learned that meant we’d lost a client to a competitor. “She wanted something different?”

“Tina and Chris signed a contract with Chesapeake Resort,” Gia spat.

They were a larger account. She didn’t want our wedding packages, but a personal wedding planner. “I thought she was close to signing?”

“So did I, but I guess I was wrong. That Silas Sharpe always seems to know when to swoop in and pick off one of our brides.”

“You make him sound like a vulture,” I said, amused.

She gave me a look. “Something’s going on.”

“She never asked about the resort.” But anyone could have mentioned it to her, her mother, a friend, and she changed her mind. It happened.

“I don’t like it.”

“Well, there’s nothing we can do about it now. We should focus on Sylvia and Dan’s day.”

Gia sucked in a breath, carefully arranging her face. “You’re right. I’ll deal with Silas later.”

“He’s friends with one of your brothers, right?” Gia had four older brothers.

Gia nodded tightly.

“Maybe you could talk to him, then. Just get a feel for how he does business.”

She smiled, her face had smoothed out, and she was back to her usual professional self, but I could see her brain working overtime at my suggestion. “That’s not a bad idea.”

It wasn’t the first time a bride had changed her mind before signing the contract. The issue was either money, or they changed their mind about their preferred venue. If they wanted to have a wedding at Chesapeake Resort, I wasn’t sure we could do much to stop it. But Gia wouldn’t let it go.

She wanted to be the premier wedding planner business in the area, and she hated that Silas seemed to have figured out a way to undermine her.

Gia’s phone buzzed with an incoming text. “Sylvia just arrived. Let’s welcome her.”

We pushed away the issues with Silas and his resort, focusing on making Sylvia and Dan’s day one to remember.

At the reception, my feet ached as usual, but I felt good like I often did after a long day at work. We’d pulled off another wedding. Sylvia and Dan were happy with their ceremony and reception. They’d thanked us profusely for making their day beautiful.

I checked my phone for any updates on Hunter, but my phone had been uncharacteristically silent all night. Nick and I still lived separately, but on nights I worked, Hunter and I stayed at his house. Hunter had his own room there, and I usually slept in the guest room with Nick visiting me and leaving before the boys woke up.

The arrangement wouldn’t last forever because my stomach had popped just a little. We had one more appointment with the doctor before the end of my first trimester, after which we planned to tell the boys and our families.

When I looked up from the phone, my gaze snagged on a man leaning against the back wall of the reception. He wore a dark suit, and his gaze was fixed on me. My breath hitched. What was Nick doing there in a suit?

I moved toward him like there was an invisible string drawing me toward him. When I reached him, I asked, “Nick?”

My mind was a jumble of questions—where were the boys? Who was watching them? What was he doing there?

Nick smiled. “Relax. Ben and Brooke have the boys for the night.”

I tipped my head to the side, still standing a foot away from him. “But what are you doing here?”

Nick’s expression darkened, and he looked so much like the man I met at Savannah and Ethan’s wedding. “The last time I saw you like this, we weren’t looking for anything beyond an escape.”

I waited, not wanting to interrupt him.

He reached out to hold my hand. “This time, I want so much more. Will you come with me?”

I looked around for Gia. “Let me see—”

“Gia told me I could steal you away.”

I turned back to him as he guided me down the hallway to the rear of the inn. “Oh yeah? And for what purpose?”

“I have a lot of plans for us. A night alone.”

My heart picked up because that wasn’t something we experienced often. “That sounds enticing.”

“But first, I wanted to show you something.”

We walked, our hands interlaced, until we reached one of the historic houses nearby. A guard unlocked the gate, and we went into the rear of the property, where the gardens were. During the day, tourists could walk through the gift shop, the museum, the house, and the gardens.

“I reserved the gardens.”

The gardens had been transformed with twinkly lights. “This is amazing.”

“Gia helped.”

It certainly had her signature ability to make everything sweet and intimate. We stood on the patio, taking everything in. There was a gazebo wrapped in greenery and lights, a small walking bridge over a stream, and numerous walking paths lit with candles. “This is beautiful.”

It wasn’t our anniversary, though, so I wasn’t sure why he’d gone through the trouble of first reminding me of the night we’d met and then this.

“You want to tour the grounds?” he asked, his voice was lighter as if he couldn’t wait to show me everything.

“I’d love to.” I loved that he’d planned the evening for us.

We walked the path, noting the extra touches that Gia added to make the gardens even more romantic. We took our time, holding hands, and Nick occasionally kissing me softly, but otherwise, we were quiet as we took in the beautiful surroundings. We ended up at the gazebo. Inside it was filled with candles of varying heights. They even hung from the roof, producing a beautiful glow inside. The greenery wrapped around it and created a sense of privacy even though we were the only ones in the gardens.

There was a blanket and pillows on the ground. Nick tugged me so that I sat next to him. “Since the night we met, I knew there was something special about you. I didn’t know then that one night would become so much more.”

“You asked me to stay that night.”

“I wasn’t ready for you to walk out of my life because I think I sensed, even then, that you were my future.”

I sucked in a breath as my heart twinged from his sweet words. I held up our intertwined hands so that my ring shone brightly in the candlelight.

“Just because we’re engaged or pregnant, or any of these other huge life events, doesn’t mean I won’t make time to remind you just how we met or the love I have for you.”

My heart stuttered on his words.

“I’ll never stop showing you what you mean to me,” he said.

“Thank you for tonight and everything you’ve given me.”

He kissed me, then pulled back slightly to open a box sitting nearby, revealing chocolate-covered strawberries.

“Those look yummy.”

He held one to my lips and waited for me to bite into it.

“It’s delicious. Thank you.”

His eyes were fixated on my lips as I chewed and swallowed, then he kissed me. “You taste like chocolate and strawberry.”

We kissed for a while, and then Nick poured us two glasses of sparkling water. We ate the rest of the strawberries, drank our water, and kissed. We paused briefly to talk about our future, how we’d tell the boys about our news, and the plans for adding a third child to our family.

We eventually moved our blanket to the grassy area, so we could lie back and look at the stars. “I can’t remember when I’ve had a good a night as this one.”

“Me neither.” He lifted our joined hands to kiss the back of mine.

I smiled at him. “Thank you for planning this.”

“Expect more nights like this.”

“I’m all for you spoiling me.”

He lifted himself up on one elbow, leaning over me, a smile playing on his lips. “I love spoiling you.”

Then he kissed me until my lips were swollen. Once we were done, we cleaned up and headed to the hotel where we’d spent our first night together. Inside were more strawberries and sparkling water. There were also rose petals strewn over the white comforter. It was perfect. I loved that he’d planned something for no reason, other than to create a romantic night for us. It reminded me how special I was to him. And I knew he’d plan more nights like it. That he’d never stop making me feel his love.