Page 4

Stevie

Today has gone perfectly so far.

The caterers arrived on time, we were able to plate the rest of last night’s wedding cake, and all that’s left is opening gifts. Then Ivan and Chey head home to get their luggage and leave for the airport. Once I help Harper oversee the clean-up, I can go home and chill.

At least, that’s the plan.

I’m still living with Ivan and Chey, and we wanted to time it so I would be at the house while they’re away, but I think I found a condo I’m considering putting an offer on.

Not today, though.

Today I’m going to make sure the rest of this brunch goes according to plan and Chey and Ivan leave without worrying about anything.

“Who’s ready to open presents?” Harper calls out.

Everyone hoots and whistles in response.

Ivan and Chey sit in the outdoor love seat under the overhang next to a mountain of gifts and I grab a pad and paper so I can write down who gave them what. Next to me, Ally is in charge of all the bows and ribbons, which she’ll be gluing onto a large paper plate. That’s today’s bouquet that Chey will toss before they leave. A silly little tradition, but Harper and I thought it would be fun.

Saylor caught the bouquet last night, which was a hoot because everyone’s been teasing her and Canyon about getting engaged. Today, Chey plans to maneuver things so that Rowan catches it, since she and Blake are getting married next week anyway. I’m just glad their wedding has nothing to do with me. They seem nice enough, but I barely know them, so I’m not invited, and it’s a relief. I think I’ve reached my wedding limit for the year.

“It’s so pretty .” The little voice beside me is a hushed whisper filled with awe.

I look down to see a little girl with dark eyes and dark hair and immediately know she’s Marty’s daughter.

“What’s pretty?” I ask as Chey holds up a set of hand-painted teacups that Saylor made for her.

“The cups.” She clasps her hands together. “I would drink from them every day!”

I smile and reach down to tousle her hair. “Maybe we can ask Miss Saylor to make a special one just for you.”

“Oh!” Her eyes light up.

I probably should have asked Saylor before mentioning it, but I know her well enough to know she’ll do it.

“What’s your name?” I ask the little girl. “We can go ask Saylor after Chey is done opening presents.”

“I’m Emma!”

“That’s a pretty name.”

She’s a beautiful little girl too, so much like Marty there’s no mistaking the resemblance. Something I’ll never experience. Having biological children.

And it still hurts.

I make a note in the margin of my pad about Saylor creating a special teacup for Emma.

“Thank you.” She pauses. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Stevie.”

“That’s a boy’s name!” Emma giggles.

“It’s short for Stephanie.”

“I like Stephanie.”

“Do you want to help me write down the presents?” I ask her. She nods and before I realize what’s happening, she’s climbed into my lap.

Something inside of me squeezes painfully.

I always wanted to be a mother. Not right away, but in a few years, when I was ready to start thinking about retirement. I’m twenty-seven, but before the incident with Damien, I’d been at the height of my success. Not quite as well-known as Chey, but successful and wealthy, never lacking work.

Then everything changed.

Now I’ll never have children of my own, and my heart breaks a little as Emma nestles into my side. She’s so sweet and warm, it makes me want to cry, knowing I’ll never have this with a child of my own.

“Stevie, did you get this one?” Chey’s voice is soft as she reaches out to touch my arm.

I realize she’s opened another gift, and I haven’t written anything down.

“Sorry, just enjoying snuggles,” I respond, quickly making a note of the beautiful tapestry one of her friends that I don’t know brought her from China.

“I can take her if she’s bothering you.”

Marty’s voice is unmistakable, but I force myself not to react.

“She’s fine,” I say, scooping up the latest bow and handing it to Ally.

I avoided him after last night’s…moment. I’m not sure what happened, but it was a little awkward after he just walked away, so I figured I’d spare us both the discomfort by staying away from him. I’ll admit to being disappointed, though, because I’d been hoping we would dance again.

“I’m gonna have a special teacup!” Emma tells her father.

I almost groan but everyone around us chuckles.

“Shh,” I whisper in her ear playfully. “That’s our little secret.”

Emma giggles and I make note of the next gift before handing Ally a huge pink and green bow. The paper plate she’s using is already full and we’re not even halfway done with presents.

“What do I do?” Ally whispers to me.

“Use the back and then just start gluing them on top of each other.”

“Okay.” She gives me a soft smile and then focuses on her task.

Ally is a sweet kid that I’ve gotten close to over the last four or five months. Canyon is her uncle, and her mother—his sister—died of a drug overdose about five or six months ago. It took a while for them to locate her mother’s estranged brother, but once they did, Ally came to live with him. It was around the same time he and Saylor began dating, and Ally was resistant to having a mother figure in her life.

She latched on to me, though.

I became the big sister she didn’t know she wanted, and we spend as much time as we can together. Luckily, she’s started to understand that Saylor isn’t the enemy and they’re slowly finding their footing as a little family.

Something I’ll never have unless someone drops a kid into my lap.

I look down at Emma and almost smile.

I have a sister but we’re not close. We had a falling out when my fiancé cheated on me with her and they got married. He dumped her, which made me feel vindicated, but our relationship was never the same. We’ve been working on rebuilding things after I almost died last year, but she’s in Toronto and I’m always traveling. I don’t feel the need to force the issue and neither does she.

“Ohhh…” Emma’s voice is filled with wonder at a gorgeous iridescent pink bow that’s almost as big as her head. “Can I have that one, Miss Chey?”

“You sure can!” Chey smiles at her and hands that particular bow to her instead of to me or Ally.

“Let me put it in your hair,” I whisper to Emma. She’s wearing a headband so it’s easy enough to wind some of the ribbon around it and then put it back on her head. It looks ridiculous but she’s pleased as punch.

“Daddy, look at me!” she calls out loudly.

Everyone laughs.

Marty comes over and tells her how pretty she looks, and Emma wanders off to show everyone her bow.

Finally, Ivan and Chey finish opening what felt like an endless amount of gifts, and I’m free to relax.

I’m looking around, wondering if I can get another mimosa, when one magically appears in my hand.

“Thank you.” I look up at Marty with a reserved smile. I’m not sure how to behave after last night’s…moment. “You read my mind.”

“I know you like champagne.”

“I do.” I note he has a bottle of water in his hand. “None for you?”

He shakes his head. “No. I’ve got the kids today, and I’m driving. Much safer for me to drink water. Especially after all the bourbon last night.”

I nod. “Yeah, it was a good time.”

Neither of us say anything for a moment.

Then we start talking at the same time.

“I wish we’d had a chance?—”

“I hope you’re not?—”

We both stop.

“Ladies first,” he says, smiling.

“I wish we’d had a chance to dance last night. I enjoyed it at Henrik and Autumn’s wedding.”

“Yeah, sorry about that.” He looks uncomfortable. “I had to leave early because of the kids. They were with a sitter but I’d never used her before so I was a little nervous.”

“How did it work out?”

“Good. She’s not available to be a full-time nanny, she’s a college student, but she’s interested in as much part-time work as I can give her while the kids are here since it’s summer.”

“Oh, that’s great.”

“Which leads me to my next question.”

I cock my head curiously.

“What’s up?”

“Would you like to be my date for Blake and Rowan’s wedding? I mean, just as friends but…”

I can’t help it—I laugh.

“What’s funny?” he asks, looking a little offended.

“I’m sorry.” I put my hand on his arm. “I’m not laughing at you. It’s just that I was just thinking that I’m so glad to be done with weddings for the summer since I don’t know Blake or Rowan.”

“Oh, that’s okay. I understand. I’m not really excited about going either but?—”

“Don’t be silly.” I squeeze his arm before I can stop myself. “You owe me a dance.”

His eyes darken a little. “Is that so?”

“Uh huh.”

I stare back.

I should be more careful with my emotions, but there’s no way I’m turning him down. For whatever reason, I’m drawn to him. I don’t know if I’m ready to date, like go out with a guy with romantic intentions, but I also feel safe around Marty. I can’t explain that because I have no reason for feeling that way—I just do.

“So…is that a yes?”

“If we’re going as friends, then yes. I’d love to be your date. For another wedding.”

“That neither of us wants to go to.”

“But there will be dancing.”

“And champagne.”

“Probably good food.”

“Good music.”

“Good company.”

We grin at each other.

“Why do we hate weddings again?”

“We don’t. We’re just in a grumpy phase of our lives.”

“You can say that again.” He smiles and I smile back.

I’m going out on a friendly date with Marty.

A baby step toward finding myself again and getting past my trauma.

My friends are probably going to have a lot to say about this, but that’s okay.

I’m kind of looking forward to having something to talk about other than my hunt for a new place to live—and weddings.