Wish Upon a Wedding (23 page)

“Dad . . .” Avery felt moisture gather in his throat.

“I was jealous of your relationship with Easton and when you two went into business together it was . . . well”—he paused to clear this throat—“tough on me. See, I wanted to spend the time with you. All those weekends you and your buddies spent up at the cabin with Easton . . .” He shook his head.

“You should have joined us.”

“I was invited but I stubbornly refused and Easton finally stopped asking. My damned pride turned into depression and I sat in my La-Z-Boy watching sports when I wanted to be hanging out with you. I was grumpy and hard to live with. Your mama should have set my sorry ass straight but she never said a cross word, mostly because your grandma and grandpa fought all the time as you already know.”

“Yeah.” Avery nodded but let his father continue.

“We married young and had you kids right off the bat, not really having any real time for us, and then I started driving a truck and, well, we weren't as close as we should have been. Your mama pretty much did the parenting on her own.”

“Dad, you provided a nice life for us. I didn't appreciate your sacrifice, but I sure do now. Dad . . . I thought you didn't want to be around.”

“Hell no. Killed me every time I missed a ball game or birthday party,” he said gruffly. “I shoulda let you know that but being distant helped me cope, or at least I thought so at the time.”

“I'm sorry. I should have picked up on that.”

“Ah, Avery, you were just a kid. This wasn't your
fault. Look, I can't go back in time but I want to make up for what we lost. I don't want your relationship with Easton to change. In fact, he insisted that I should be the one to come get you.” He gave Avery a wry smile. “Were you thinking of calling him to come and get you?”

“Yeah,” Avery admitted.

“Well, like I said, I'm glad now that Easton filled in for me as a father figure. He's a good man. I wish that I had pushed my pride to the side because Easton and I could have been close, like brothers.”

“There's still time.”

“Damn straight. I love your mama. I'm gonna take her places and do things she likes instead of sitting in that damned chair watching nothing but sports. And I want to spend more time with Zoe, but especially you, Avery.”

“I'd like that, Dad. And I'm glad it was you who came to get me. I shouldn't have gone to begin with but I was caught in the middle.”

“You're like your mama and want to please everyone.” He chuckled. “Zoe's more like me in that she is a little bit stubborn.”

“Ya think?”

“It's good to want what you want and go after it but you have to give in sometimes, too.”

“Well, in Zoe's defense, she was trying to get what Ashley wanted.”

“See, you're like your mama that way too. Defending everyone. So tell me, are you in love with Sophia?”

“Yes, but she thinks I still have a thing for Ashley.”

“Well, just ignore that silliness.”

Avery chuckled. “Never thought of it that way.”

“Yeah, sometimes women come up with the damnedest, craziest stuff . . . so out there that you just have to turn a deaf ear to it until they forget all about it.”

“So it's that easy?”

“Sometimes. Just shut that nonsense about Ashley
down. Concentrate on telling Sophia how much you love her.”

“How'd you get so smart?”

“Years of bein' stupid. I got all those years of doin' things wrong out of the way so much so that I plan on gettin' it right from now on.”

Avery laughed. “Interesting way of thinking but makes a crazy kind of sense. And by the way, you're going really fast.”

“Gotta get you home in record time. Gonna use that big rig up there as my front door.” He looked at Avery and laughed.

“I like that.”

“Me speeding?”

“Not so much. But I like hearing you laugh with me.”

“Well, get ready for a whole lot more. We've got some making up to do. But first you have to make things right with that sweet girl of yours.”

“Hope it's not too late.”

“Hey, my new motto is that it's never too late to make things right.”

“You're right. Hey, Dad?”

“Yes, son.”

“I love you too.”

Don't Worry, Be Happy

S
ophia smiled until her cheeks hurt at the steady stream of people walking through the door of the salon. The weather had cooperated, warm but cheerfully breezy. Abundant sunshine spilling through the windows added sparkle to the silver and white decorations placed throughout the salon.

The turnout for the grand opening exceeded her expectations and within the first two hours they'd gone through their entire stash of goodie bags filled with products and wedding-related favors. At first Sophia had panicked but Carrie Ann pressed a cold flute of champagne into her hand and whispered for her to chill out and enjoy the success. Now that the open house was almost over she could breathe a sigh of relief.

“Cheers,” Carrie Ann said with a big smile.

Sophia clicked her glass to Carrie Ann's. “To White Lace and Promises,” she said but her smile faltered just enough for Carrie Ann to notice.

“Avery wants to be here,” Carrie Ann said, reading Sophia's mind.

“I know.” Sophia nodded. She'd regretted her request to separate but couldn't muster up the courage to call him. Plus, she didn't want to ruin his weekend by sounding needy, especially since she'd insisted that he should go. But damn, she missed Avery more than she thought possible.

“And my goodness, the boy sent that giant bouquet of roses, that edible fruit arrangement, and an entire cake that has already come in handy since we ran out of cookies and cupcakes in a blink of an eye. Even though I hated to give away that Italian cream cake that Reese Marino made. Everyone was raving about it. I'm thinking I'll have Easton take me to River Row Pizza afterward so I can get a slice.”

“It's my favorite.”

“Ah, that's why Avery sent it. He's a thoughtful boy, always looking out for others. And so sweet of your father to send the big bouquet of flowers too, Sophia.”

“He said that he wanted to be here but he had to fly to Paris for a business meeting.”

“Well, he's thinking of you so that's something.”

“He cares in his own way.” Sophia nodded but felt an unexpected urge to cry. She hid her wave of emotion by taking a healthy gulp of champagne and nearly coughed.

Carrie Ann looked at her with concern. “You need to take a break, sweetie? I can hold down the fort for a spell plus we're nearly finished. I think I'll actually start cleaning up a bit.”

“I should help.”

“No, Millie is doing a bang-up job greeting people and Haley and Callie are charming everyone who walks in. They can pitch in. Why don't you get off your feet for a little while?”

Sophia was about to refuse but her feet ached as much as her cheeks and so she nodded. “Thanks. I'll be in the laundry room if you need me.”

Carrie Ann reached for a bottle of champagne and handed it to her. “Take this with you and drink as needed.”

Sophia gave her a small grin. “Does it say that on the bottle?”

“No, it's my personal suggestion. This is my third glass and it's just what the doctor ordered.”

“Okay, Dr. Spencer, I'll be in the back if you need me.” Sophia chuckled as she walked away thinking that she was so lucky to have met Carrie Ann and she was abundantly glad she'd made the decision to move to Cricket Creek. Living in the same town as her family was such a blessing and, if today was any indication, White Lace and Promises was going to thrive even beyond her expectations. Her mother and Grace had come in early to help with the last-minute setup and had gushed over how lovely the salon looked, filling Sophia with pride. The fact that they'd all ended up in this quaint Kentucky town still blew her mind but she loved it here.

And she loved Avery.

Sophia sat down in a chair near the washer and dryer, toed off her heels, and propped her aching feet up on the seat of another chair. While sipping the champagne, she wondered if she'd messed things up by asking for the separation, and then chastised herself for allowing the worry gene to kick in. She raised the flute to her lips and realized that it was empty. “Hmmm . . .” She eyed the bottle of champagne thinking she shouldn't have another glass, but then again the open house was nearly over. “Oh one more won't hurt,” she said.

“That's always been my motto.”

Sophia looked up to find Avery standing in the doorway. He held up a flute of champagne in salute. His curly hair was tousled and dark stubble shaded his jaws. He wore a Kentucky Wildcats T-shirt, cargo shorts, and flip-flops making it seem as though he'd somehow morphed his way from the lake to her salon.

“You're here,” she said and blushed at her silly statement. “Unless you're a figment of my active imagination.”

“No, I'm real.”

“Makes sense because I wouldn't have imagined you in shorts and flip-flops.”

Avery chuckled. “Well, I would have been here late last night but my dad's old truck broke down in Tennessee.” He shook his head. “We had to spend the night at a creepy hotel that looked haunted and get the truck fixed this morning.” He pointed to his flip-flops. “I didn't have time to go home and change.”

“Oh, Avery, you didn't have to come back from the party!”

“Yes, I did.” He walked over, picked up the bottle of champagne, and filled her glass. “I wanted to be here all along and should never have gone away. Flowers and edible arrangements are no substitutes for being here. A bachelor party isn't a reason not to be here for your grand opening.”

“But you're the best man.”

He gave her a slight grin and shook his head. “I wasn't the best man. I was the miserable man.”

“Oh, Avery . . .” She felt emotion well up in her throat.

“All I could think about was you. I should never have left.”

“You needed the break to sort everything out.” Her heart thumped hard while she waited for his response.

“Everything is sorted out.” Avery took a step closer. “You come first in my life, Sophia. Not because you demand it, but because you deserve it. You're a beautiful person inside and out, and I'll be a lucky man if you'll have me back in your life.”

Sophia smiled and her heart filled with joy. “Of course I will.”

Avery sat down and tapped his glass to hers. “To no more
breaks
and no more
should nevers
.”

“I'll drink to that,” Sophia said and couldn't quite keep a tremor of emotion from her voice. After taking a sip she asked, “So you called your father to come and get you?”

Avery shook his head. “No, this is where the story gets kinda crazy. I was trying to put on a party face but Max finally took pity upon me and told me I should find a way to get back here to you.” He leaned over and gave her a lingering kiss. “And then out of nowhere my dad shows up and tells me to get my tail into the truck.”

“Wow . . .”

“Yeah, we had a great talk. When his eyes misted over, she took his hand. “But then the serpentine belt snapped and the truck broke down.” Avery shook his head. “Dad felt terrible. I felt so bad for him.”

“Aw . . .”

“Yeah well, now maybe he'll buy a new truck.”

“Think so?”

Avery chuckled. “No. Oh, Sophia, I'm sorry I missed the grand opening.”

“You're here now.” She smiled. “And I'm so glad.”

“I love you, Sophia. I wish I had told you sooner. I should never—”

Sophia leaned over and put a fingertip to his lips. “No more ‘should nevers', remember?”

He nodded.

“I love you too, Avery. With all my heart.” She put her glass on the table. “Now are you going to kiss me again or what?”

“Yes.” Avery put his glass down, stood up, and pulled her into his arms. “I want to kiss you today, tomorrow, and for the rest of my life.”

A Wish Come True

A
very stood with the wedding party at the steps of the gazebo and watched Zoe and Max exchange their vows. Zoe looked so radiant, happy, and absolutely beautiful. Avery was already having trouble keeping his emotions in check, hanging on by a thread, and then he made the mistake of seeking out his parents. They held hands, smiling, and then his father reached up and swiped at tears. Ah, damn . . . Avery swallowed hard and nearly lost it. He inhaled a deep breath and then glanced over and saw that Ashley was also crying. She caught his eye, and then mouthed, “I'm sorry.”

Avery's heart thudded. He swallowed the hot moisture in his throat, held her gaze briefly, and then nodded. He'd wished for so long that she hadn't broken his heart but, in truth, he'd wished for something that hadn't really existed between them. He knew that now because he'd found it with Sophia. Unconditional love. Avery had thought that love meant giving in when it simply meant giving.

Avery gazed over at Sophia who looked so pretty in
a soft pink off-the-shoulder dress. He thought back to when he'd first met her at Walking on Sunshine Bistro and she'd served him the rock-hard biscuit covered with the gravel gravy. He'd crunched through it just to keep the sweet smile on her face.

As if feeling his gaze upon her, Sophia looked at him and his heart filled with joy. She shyly mouthed
I love you
and he knew that his days of wishing and hoping were over. When he mouthed back,
Me too
, Sophia smiled and dabbed at the corners of her eyes. Avery felt a warm rush of happiness. While this may be his sister's wedding, in that moment Avery knew this was also the beginning of his future with Sophia and he would continue to do anything at all just to see her smile.

Sophia Gordon was the love of his life and he was one lucky man. She was and always would be his wish come true.