Page 49 of Welcome Home to Ivy Falls (Ivy Falls #3)

‘Understood. No crying,’ he said on an uneven breath. ‘How about we go and get my best friend married instead?’

Pete pushed open the door. Beck held up his arm to escort me, and together we walked out to face all of Ivy Falls.

With a fading orange sun setting behind the clock tower, Miss Cheri performed a song from Puccini’s Tosca while Torran made her way down the aisle.

Under the giant magnolia, much like the one they’d lost in their own backyard, Beck waited for her.

Once she reached where Mr Wright stood, my brother took her hand and there was a collective sigh from the crowd.

The night music of crickets filled the air as Beck and Torran said their vows. Old Mrs V leaned into Silvio. Manny held on to Lou’s hand and beamed at Tessa and her girls, who stood a few feet from the couple.

In the row behind me, Barb and Susan pressed their hands against the tears staining their cheeks. Maisey reached into her pockets more than once and handed them tissues. Even Mr Wright, who was officiating, had a few moments where he had to pause and gulp down his emotions.

On a small white table near the gazebo sat a lit candle. Next to it were pictures of Torran’s mom and my parents. A simple way the couple wanted to honor those who couldn’t be present.

As a gentle wind danced through the trees, and the town fountain gurgled in the background, Torran and Beck promised to love and trust one another.

To be by each other’s side, whether their path was easy or difficult.

They shared a kiss that made everyone clap and cheer.

Lauren, and even the crew, dabbed at their eyes and enjoyed the ceremony without a single camera in hand.

After the couple walked down the aisle under a shower of pink and white rose petals, the party really began.

Folks who had their own smokers served up the best barbecue the town had ever seen.

Thankfully, electricity had been restored to the town early that morning, allowing Barb and Susan to make a small wedding cake and a donut tower for Torran.

Quiet dinner music morphed into classic rock and there wasn’t a single space left on the dance floor. I wasn’t sure how’d we done it, but despite the storm of the decade hitting Ivy Falls, we’d managed to get two important people married the way they should be.

The band moved into an old Randy Travis song, and my mind went to the night of ‘Music in the Square’. How I’d never expected Ford’s touch to shake something loose inside me.

I’d been thinking about the conversation I’d had with Torran and Tessa during the tornado. How miscommunication was born out of people’s fear of getting hurt. Torran’s comment about not knowing being worse than the truth sat like a rock in my stomach.

During the months I’d been in rehab, my therapist asked me to examine the reasons why I’d turned to pills and alcohol.

Why I needed to block my feelings from the world.

It all came down to risk and trust. Risk in the sense that I was willing to live my life in a way that embraced both joy and pain.

That I understood not every day was going to be balloons and rainbows.

But it also wouldn’t feel like I was floating on a dark, windswept sea with waves constantly threatening to drown me.

It was a balance I had to be willing to accept.

When I’d stepped into Ford’s arms that night on the roof, kissed the beautiful hollow at his throat, I was facing the exact risk that had terrified me for too many years.

That being vulnerable would expose me to the possibility of loss and grief again, but I knew that if I wanted connection, I had to be open with the people I cared about.

For years I’d had the same nightmare over and over.

I was standing in a sterile hallway, my nose assaulted with the scent of antiseptic and death.

People moved around me, but when I spoke no one reacted.

I raced down hallways, through empty corridors, screaming for the one person who would see me – Beck.

But with every door I opened, all I found was an empty bed.

Dr Catherine told me it was the trauma from the accident.

How for the hours when no one told me about Beck’s condition, I was convinced I was all alone in the world.

Since Ford walked into my life, I’d not had the nightmare a single time. He’d become the safe space I’d been searching for my entire life.

Couples continued to sway on the dance floor.

At times I could still feel the gentle press of Ford’s fingers against my hipbones.

How when he kissed me it was if he was placing an oath against my skin.

I needed him to be a part of my life, and as soon as things calmed down, I’d call him and say what was in my heart.

The possible rejection would hurt, but at least I’d know where I stood with him.

Face. Forgive. Forward.

The mantra had never meant more to me than it did now.

‘Miss Piper!’ Dex waved to me. He wore a black dress shirt and a purple tie. He pushed away from the table where he was sitting and made a confident strut toward me.

‘What’s going on, Dex?’

‘This is my first wedding. It’s pretty cool.’

‘And the music?’

‘Ugh. Would it kill the band to play something from this decade?’

‘They take requests. You should tell them what you want to hear.’

‘Maybe.’ He kicked the tip of his dress shoe at the grass. ‘Speaking of requests, I listened to your advice. Signed up to audition for Grease . When you try out you have to sing and dance to a selected song. Any chance you could come over to the gazebo? Let me show you the routine I have planned?’

The party was in full swing and I was finally released from Hearth and Home duty.

‘Lead the way.’

Soft candlelight flickered on the tables set up on the grass.

The moon was putting on a show tonight, a golden orb dancing against a black velvet sky.

It was hard to believe that only a few days ago the lawn had been littered with uprooted trees, jagged branches and more than a few crumpled shingles from nearby roofs.

We walked up the first two steps of the gazebo until Dex came to a stiff halt.

‘You’ve been a real good friend, Miss Piper.

I know I didn’t make those first days of practice easy for you, especially with the whole gummy bear incident.

Thank you for never giving up on me. I’m really sorry I’ve had to lie to you. ’

‘Lie?’

He tipped his chin up to the gazebo. ‘Don’t be too surprised. I think he’d do anything for you.’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘Go up the stairs and see.’

He jumped off the steps and dashed across the grass to where his mom was sitting. They shared a few words until he pulled her out onto the dance floor, her smile lighting up the night.

I climbed the steps and a breath caught in my chest. Ford stood in the corner, a black suit hugging the outline of his frame. Those twenty-five-hundred-dollar shoes were on his feet, and his dark hair was combed back from his face. As usual, his glasses sat perfectly on the bridge of his nose.

‘Hi,’ he said, taking a few steps toward me.

‘What are you doing here?’ I babbled. ‘You’re supposed to be thousands of miles away!’

‘Gray came to visit me in Senegal. He told me about the tornado. I called and couldn’t get through. I apologized to my boss, bought the first ticket I could find, and flew back.’

‘The cell tower was damaged in the tornado. You could have waited. Tried to call again. That’s a long trip.’

He stepped in closer and put his hands on my cheeks. ‘See, that’s the problem. When it comes to you, I can’t wait.’

‘Ford, what is going on?’

‘That night on the rooftop you made me make a promise, which I convinced myself I could keep. But the more time I spent with you, the harder it was to stay away. To not feel anything for you. What I should have said in the hallway before I left was that I love you, Piper. Coming to this town, finding you, it was all unexpected. For so long I’ve thought my life only had room for one thing: my career.

You’ve shown me that I need much more. I want this to work between us. How do we make that happen?’

I pulled back and walked to the edge of the gazebo. My breaths came in choking spurts. Tears burned the corners of my eyes. Ford was behind me a heartbeat later. The intoxicating heat of him wrapped around me like a warm hug.

‘I know you’re scared. That you’ve been through so much, but I’d rather break my own thumbs than hurt you. I swear that as long as you’re with me you’ll be loved tous les jours de ma vie .’

Even with his uneven breath speaking French, I couldn’t move.

‘I’m sorry. Was this wrong to do?’

‘No, but you have to understand that I never thought I’d get here.

To a place where I felt happy. Believed I deserved to have a good life.

I’ve made so many mistakes and shitty choices.

When you’ve plunged to the darkest depths, it’s hard to believe you’ll ever see the light again.

’ I turned and found those beautiful blue eyes.

‘Spending time with you has felt like the biggest gift I’ve been handed in this life, and I don’t want to give it back. ’

He put his hands on my waist, staring at me with a devotion that took my breath away. ‘I’ll be done in late March. We can talk and text in the meantime. When I’m finished, I’ll come back and we’ll plan what’s next.’

‘Don’t you want to continue to serve on the Humanity of the Seas ? It’s your passion.’

He pressed a gentle kiss to my lips. We’d only been apart a few weeks, but I’d forgotten the tenderness in his touch. How all he had to do was skim a finger across my skin and my entire body went electric. ‘Oh, I have a new passion now.’

‘Ford…’ I grabbed the lapels of his suit. ‘What is your plan?’

‘Dr Sheridan and I have talked. When I get back, I’m going to work at the clinic during the week. On the weekends, I’ll serve as a volunteer physician at one of the community shelters in Nashville.’

‘And you’ll be happy with that?’

He tucked a finger under my chin. ‘Yes, because I know this is where I belong. In Ivy Falls with you, as long as you’ll have me, Bird.’

I slung my arms around his neck. ‘Yes, that’s what I want, because I love you too.’ I pressed another kiss to his beautiful lips. ‘Just so you know, I had a plan too.’

There was that sweet grin of his I adored. ‘Were you also concocting a grand gesture? Maybe flying across the world so you could see this sexy face again?’

‘No, I’m a normal person. I was going to make a phone call.’

He threw back his head and laughed. ‘My plan was much better.’

I kissed him again and mumbled ‘I agree’ against his smile.