Wildflower Wedding (23 page)

There was no use fighting it. He loved her. And that truly was all that mattered.

Don't Stop Believin'

“H
EY, REESE, YOU'VE BEEN IN THIS PIZZA JOINT NONSTOP
all week long. Why don't you get out of here and go hang out with Gabby?”

Reese looked up from dusting three dozen cream puffs with confectioners' sugar. “I'm taking a break from seeing Gabby.”

Tony crossed his arms over his chest. “Taking a break?”

“Until I can get my shit together.”

“Until you get your shit together?”

Reese put the sugar shaker down. “Are you gonna repeat everything I say back to me?”

“Yeah, so you know how damned dumb it sounds.”

“How is getting my shit together dumb? Uncle Tony, I'm still dealing with my father coming back to Cricket Creek.”

Tony grabbed a cream puff. “I'm having trouble seeing how one relates to the other.”

Reese shot him a look. “You gotta be kiddin' me.”

Tony swallowed a bite of the cream puff. “Wow, these are amazing. No, I'm not kiddin' you.”

“Look, Gabby has it in her head that I should give this thing with my father a chance. He fucking
left
. And now we know why and it's not pretty.”

Tony set the cream puff down and licked his thumb. “Life often isn't pretty, Reese. We all have our crosses to bear, our baggage. It isn't the hand you were dealt but how you play it.”

“You got any more bullshit clichés to shovel my way?”

“Yeah, plenty. You wanna hear 'em?”

“No.”

Tony sighed. “Wow, you still do that scowl pretty damned well. Hey, go back to that dark, angry place you were ten years ago. Carry around the chip on your shoulder and see where it gets ya.” He angled his head toward the door. “In the meantime you're gonna lose the love of a wonderful young woman who makes you happy.”

Reese scrubbed a hand down his face.

“Look, let Tessa and Mike work out their problems, Reese. If they reconcile or get a divorce, it's their decision and you have to respect that. The way I see it, if they do make it, well, their love was unstoppable. Tessa is a strong, amazing woman. If anyone has the capacity to forgive, it's her.”

“I realize now just how strong Mom really is and has been all of my life.” Reese gave him a level look. “But I don't think I can forgive what my father did.”

Tony reached over and clamped a hand on his shoulder. “You don't have to do it right this minute . . . or
ever
if that's your decision. Just keep an open mind and look inside your heart.”

Reese nodded slowly.

“Do you love Gabby?”

“I do.”

“Then don't screw it up. Hey, you don't want her to date dipshit Drew, do ya?”

“Did you have to go there?”

Tony chuckled. “Sorry, but yeah. You gotta think about how it would feel if you saw her with someone else. Go on, picture it.”

“No!” Reese didn't want to have that image in his brain. “Yeah, but what if—”

“No what-ifs! Now go. Get outta here. Go grab your girl and take her dancing at Sully's or somethin'. Have some fun.”

Reese took his apron off and tossed it at Tony. “You'll clean up?”

“No problem. And don't show up here tomorrow or I'll kick your ass.”

“Ha, like you could do that.”

Tony put up his fists and jabbed the air. “Wanna go?” He pulled Reese in for a bear hug. “Man, I love you so damned much,” he said gruffly. “Rips my heart out to see you sad. You love Gabby and I can tell she feels the same way. Grab her and hold on tight. She's the real deal and they're hard to come by.” Tony swiped at his eyes. “Damned onions makin' my eyes water.”

Reese laughed. “Yeah, me too. I put a lot of onions in those cream puffs.”

Tony chuckled. “So that was the secret ingredient.”

“Yeah, don't tell.” Reese gave his uncle a high five and then headed up to his apartment to shower and change. After tugging on a blue polo and his favorite Lucky jeans, he headed out the door feeling better than he'd felt in days.

Reese took his time walking past the shops, pausing in front of From This Moment to gaze at the wedding dress in the window. He suddenly imagined Gabby in that dress standing in a field of wildflowers . . . and he suddenly knew what he wanted to do.

He hurried to Designs by Diamante but slapped his leg with he saw the closed sign on the window. Disappointed, Reese turned to leave, but someone opened the door.

“Hi, Reese, I thought that was you. I'm glad I caught you.”

“Bella, hey, what's up?”

“I've tried to call you couple of times this past week, but you didn't pick up.”

“Sorry. It's been a crazy week,” he explained, thinking that was the understatement of the year.

Bella angled her head toward the shop. “I'm here helping Mom. Come on inside. I've got something pretty cool to show you.”

Reese followed Bella into the jewelry shop. An older version of Bella walked out from behind the counter. She extended her hand. “Hi, you must be Reese. I'm Nicolina, Bella's mom.”

“Nice to meet you, Nicolina.”

“Thanks for bringing fantastic pizza and pasta to Cricket Creek.”

Reese chuckled. “Bella already thanked me.”

“It deserves another thank-you. We love Italian food. Can you imagine that? Your chicken piccata is divine. Just the right amount of lemon.”

“Thank you. We make everything from scratch.”

“It shows! Come on, follow me over to a display case.” She pointed. “I call the collection the Sweetest Thing. I was inspired by your request for the candy necklace and the sweet story behind it.”

“Wow,” Reese said while looking beneath the glass. “All of the jewelry looks like candy.” He looked up. “But it's real?”

Nicolina nodded. “Mostly made out of semiprecious stones to keep the price down, but yes, real. Calorie free!”

“Sweet, huh?” Bella asked, and laughed. “Sorry. Had to.”

Nicolina chuckled and raised her palms in the air. “After I made the candy necklace I couldn't stop making pieces that look like candy.”

“She became obsessed.” Bella rolled her eyes.

“It was just so much fun!” Nicolina picked up earrings that looked like purple gumdrops. “Isn't it adorable? The necklace that looks like gumballs are actually hand-dyed pearls. There's a candy corn bracelet perfect for Halloween.”

“Wow, that necklace looks just like rock candy.” Reese pointed and grinned.

“There are earrings to match,” Bella chimed in. She picked up a classic ring pop and slid it onto her finger. “This is my favorite. They've been selling like crazy.”

Nicolina nodded. “Not that some of this kind of jewelry hasn't already been done, but I've never tried it. It's just so whimsical and cute. And I have you to thank.”

“You're welcome.”

Nicolina arched a dark eyebrow. “And I have your candy necklace if you still want it.”

Reese nodded. “Absolutely!”

“That's what I was calling about,” Bella explained.

Nicolina reached behind the counter and then showed him a necklace that looked just like the candy version, but the pastel colors were a bit deeper in tint and glazed, picking up the light.

“Wow, it's really beautiful. Gabby is going to just love it.”

Nicolina beamed at him. “She is such a lovely girl. I've provided the jewelry for wedding parties, so we've met through Addison. Of course, as you know we all try to support each other here on Wedding Row. Is there anything else I can get you? Another charm for her bracelet, perhaps?”

“Mmmm, maybe. But I also had something else in mind.” Reese took a deep breath and then glanced over at the ring case.

Bella's eyes widened. “Reese?”

Reese gave her a grin. “I . . . I want to take a look at engagement rings.”

“I knew it!” Bella jumped and did a little jig. “Wonderful! This is so awesome! You two are such a supercute couple.”

Reese laughed and felt a surge of joy. He looked from Bella to Nicolina. “Any suggestions?”

Nicolina tapped a fingernail to her cheek. “Come on over to the engagement rings. There is a classic daisy diamond ring that I think you might like.”

“Really? There is such a thing?”

“Yes.” Nicolina nodded. “I have a really pretty one that has yellow sapphires for the petals and a cluster of diamonds in the center.” She picked it up and showed it to him.

Reese took the delicate ring and looked at it. He felt emotion gather in his throat and nodded. “I don't have to look at anything else. It's perfect. I'll take it.”

“I do think it suits Gabby.” Nicolina smiled at him warmly. “I'll even give you a nice discount to thank you for the candy jewelry inspiration.

“Do you know her ring size?”

Reese shook his head. “No.”

“Well, if this doesn't fit we can fix that. Just have her stop in.”

Reese grinned. “Assuming she says yes.”

“I don't think you have to worry about that,” Bella said. “But we'll cross our fingers for you.” She held up her hands to demonstrate.

Each step that Reese took toward Gabby's felt as if he were walking toward his future while leaving the past behind. Gabby had been right all along. He needed to find the strength to reconcile with his father and find true peace. And as Uncle Tony said, he didn't have to get there all at once. It would be a journey, a process, but one he needed to take.

Reese stopped in front of Flower Power for a minute, rehearsing his proposal in his head. Part of him wanted to hold off and plan a special dinner and do something memorable like putting the ring in the dessert or something, but he knew he wouldn't be able to wait.

Just as Reese started to turn toward the alley leading to Gabby's apartment, he heard some commotion behind him. He turned around to see several teenagers shouting at one another. Reese could smell a fight a mile away and so he started walking their way, hoping to diffuse things before it got out of hand.

“You guys need to knock it off,” Reese said sharply.

“Dude, mind your own business,” one of them shouted, and actually started coming toward him.

“I mean it,” Reese continued firmly. “You don't want me to call the cops.”

“How about I just shut you up?” the kid boasted, but before the kid could take a swing at Reese, one of the other teens sucker punched the kid in the face. A moment later all hell broke loose. Knowing someone could get seriously hurt, Reese dialed 911. “Hey, there's a bunch of kids fighting out on Wedding Row in front of Flower Power,” he said. “You'd better get here quick,” he managed to say before he backed away from the fray.

Knowing he shouldn't get in the position where he might have to defend himself against a minor, Reese stayed put, but when the fight between two of them started to get brutal, he placed his phone and package out of the line of fire and stepped forward. “Knock it off,” he shouted, but his words fell on deaf ears. Reese cringed when he heard the sound of a fist connecting with a nose. Not willing to witness anyone get seriously injured, he pulled on the shirt of the attacker and tugged hard.

With an enraged growl the kid turned and took a swing at Reese, connecting with his jaw. Pain exploded in his head and he tasted blood. Reese staggered sideways and hit the ground with a bone-jarring
thud
just as a police cruiser screeched to a halt in front of Flower Power. The teens scattered, but the officers managed to detain a few of them. Out of the corner of his eye Reese spotted Gabby coming around the corner of the building. When she saw the cruiser her eyes widened, and then she turned and spotted Reese.

“Ohmigod.” She hurried over and knelt down beside him. “Reese! You're bleeding. Are you okay?”

Reese touched his sore bottom lip with his tongue and cringed. “I'll live,” he tried to joke, but he watched her swallow hard and frown.

“You . . . you were in a fight? I'm sorry, but I called the police. . . . What . . . what were you thinking?”

Reese felt his heart start to thud. He scooted the package behind his back. “I was
breaking up
a fight,” he answered quietly. He chuckled without humor. “Really, Gabby? You think so little of me?”

She put her fingertips on her mouth. “No . . . I mean, it looked—”

“Save it,” he interrupted sadly. “I guess you'll always think that, now that my father is back in town, this is how I'm going to handle my anger.”

“No . . . Reese. I'm sorry. I was sleeping and—”

“Gabby . . .” Reese shook his head. “You're in your pajamas. The police are going to ask me for a statement. Go on back inside so you don't have to be a part of this.” He picked up his phone and showed her the call to 911. “Just so you believe me. I beat you to the call.”

“Of course I believe you.”

“Maybe, but I need for you to believe
in me
. There's a big difference.”

She reached over and cupped his chin. “Reese, I'm truly sorry. I made a mistake. Please come up and let me get some ice for your lip when you're finished down here, okay?”

Reese nodded, but his mood shifted, saddened. After giving his account to the police, he couldn't bring himself to go up and face Gabby. So she wouldn't worry he sent her a text message telling her he was heading home. When she responded that he should come up, he replied that he needed some time to sort things out.

For the past week his emotions had been on a roller-coaster ride and he decided he needed time to think. He knew one thing for sure. Well, he knew two things. He loved Gabby. But proposing to someone who didn't believe in him wasn't a good idea.

•   •   •

“Reese, what don't you understand about me kicking your ass if you showed up here? You deserve a day off to spend with Gabby.”