Just Wanted You To Know

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

“I can’t believe Sam and Griff got hitched in Vegas. Again.”

Declan Callahan accepted the beer offered by his foster brother, Mick Routledge, before turning his attention back to the dance floor. The second “first dance” of the wedding reception had just started. “With the sparks they were throwing off at the bachelor-bachelorette weekend a few weeks ago, I’m not surprised. And hey, at least we don’t have to sit on the secret of their first marriage anymore.”

When that little detail had emerged among the brothers during Kendrick’s bachelor party, Griff had sworn them all to secrecy. All he would say was that he’d screwed things up with Samantha Ferguson the first time they’d impulsively married at twenty-two, and he wanted to make it right. Apparently, the events involving the wedding party that had thrown them back together again—and whatever adventures they’d gone on after—had done the trick. Their newly hitched status had been revealed a little earlier, when Griff refused to come down for the garter toss, and both Kendrick and Erin—the actual bride and groom—had insisted this reception be a celebration for all of them. Hence the second “first dance.”

“They look happy.”

The wistful tone in Mick’s voice had Declan looking back at his brother. “They do. You feeling the single this weekend?”

“Aren’t you?” Mick countered.

“I mean, yeah, but I was feeling the pinch long before this wedding.” It was a discomfort so familiar, he seldom noticed it anymore.

“When was the last time you had a date?”

Declan huffed a laugh. “That was a couple of presidents back.”

Mick’s eyes widened. “Seriously? Dude. Years?”

A little self-conscious, he jerked his shoulders in a shrug and tipped back his beer. “It’s not like I’ve got a hell of a lot of time or bandwidth to even think about dating. Single parenting is not for the faint of heart.” And after the number his ex-wife had done on him, his ability to trust wasn’t exactly undamaged.

“Fair enough. But look around. All four of our sisters are married with kids. Griff and Kendrick are both married. Hell, even Kyle finally got his head out of his ass and fixed things with Abbey, and she looks so pregnant, I’m half afraid she’s gonna go into labor right here. Doesn’t all that make you feel like you’re getting left behind?”

Could you be left behind when you were the one who’d done the leaving in the first place?

Declan couldn’t stop his gaze from seeking out Abbey Whittaker. Well, Keenan now. He’d been keeping tabs on her location since he saw her in the church for the wedding earlier, mostly so he could steer clear. Not that he didn’t like Abbey. It was more out of fear of the questions she’d inevitably ask—the ones he didn’t have good answers to—and the tongue lashing she’d been sitting on for twelve years. He one hundred percent deserved that dressing down for how he’d handled things with her cousin Livia all those years ago, but that didn’t mean he’d deliberately invite the opportunity.

Ignoring his brother’s question, he subtly shifted the conversation. “The family is growing. You know nothing in the world would’ve made Joan happier.”

“True that. God, I miss that woman.” Mick held up his longneck for a toast.

“We all do.”

Joan Reynolds had been a force of nature. A foster parent for more than twenty years, she’d managed to build a massive extended family with unshakable ties that had lasted beyond her unexpected death in a car accident a few years before. As a single dad, Declan wanted his daughter to be surrounded by the love of that big family. And he wanted the comfort of knowing people he trusted were nearby and had his back. It was why he was finally coming home.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Abbey and Kyle migrating in their direction. A low-level panic had his gut clutching. Time to vacate the premises.

“I’m gonna go track down my spawn to make sure she isn’t getting into any trouble. Catch you later, bro.”

He bumped Mick’s fist and set off for the perimeter of the reception. People were everywhere. Music and conversation filled the cavernous space of the Eden’s Ridge Artisan Guild and Education Center. The brainchild of his sister Maggie, and her husband Porter—yet another of his foster siblings—the Guild was home to far more than a maker’s space and the artisan market showcasing craftspeople from around the region. This part of the building, which had been converted from an old lumber mill that Joan’s great-great somebody or other had built, was frequently used for events, like tonight’s wedding reception or the weekly Jam Nights where local musicians gathered during the cold months. There was more classroom space upstairs and workshops on the floor below. He hoped like hell Scarlett hadn’t gotten into any of those. She was curious as a magpie, a trait which could get her into all kinds of trouble. But at least it was less trouble than she’d likely get into on her own at the Harvest Festival carnival they were missing because of the wedding.

He didn’t have to go far. He spotted his daughter shoulder to shoulder with his sister Athena’s boys, Dylan and Jesse, stalking the cake table. If she had more than one piece, what was the harm? A bit of a bellyache? It wouldn’t hurt her to learn her own limits there.

Satisfied she was safe, Declan wove his way through the crowd and found an open spot at one of the tables at the periphery of the room. Shrugging out of his tux jacket, he finally popped his tie, shoving it into a pocket and unbuttoning his cuffs and collar. They were well done with proper pictures. He deserved the chance to actually relax. He was contemplating a second beer when Maggie dropped into the next chair.

“You’re not going to be able to avoid her forever once you actually start your job as manager of this place.”

“Avoid who?” But he knew, even as she arched one blonde brow and fixed him with that I-see-through-your-bullshit stare she’d mastered as a corporate attorney in Los Angeles.

“Abbey.”

Yeah, that was something he hadn’t really thought about when she’d offered him the position a couple of weeks ago. In the grand scheme of things, it didn’t matter because the job was perfect, allowing him to come home and keeping the business in the family, as Maggie wanted.

Knowing better than to continue pretending ignorance, he dropped the act. “Yeah. I know.”

“Might as well bite the bullet.”

“Not yet. Not here, anyway.”

She leaned forward. “Do you really think it’s gonna be that bad?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. I figure she’s going to interrogate me about everything that happened twelve years ago, and she’s not anywhere near as gentle and sweet as her cousin. I know she was pissed how I handled things. Or didn’t.”

“Sure she was. But she got educated.”

Of course, someone in the family would have told her. Abbey was friends with all his sisters, married now to one of his brothers. He was an i***t not to have thought of that before. Declan wondered if she’d ever told Livia what had happened. Why he’d effectively ghosted her.

The memory of it made him cringe and automatically reach to loosen the collar that was already loose. That whole situation was one of his greatest shames. He’d been thinking about it, thinking about her, almost nonstop since he’d come home for the bachelor-bachelorette weekend, because the last time he’d spent any significant time in Eden’s Ridge was that summer when they’d been together. When the world had been nothing but a big ocean of possibilities. Before Bridget and the bomb that changed the course of his entire life.

Realizing Maggie was still staring at him expectantly, he cleared his throat. “I’ll work my way up to it. But not tonight. Tonight is all about celebrating.”

And if his sister’s gaze called him a chicken s**t, well, he was good at pretending not to see things.

* * *

At the familiar scents of grease and cooking meat, Livia Applewhite felt a few layers of stress melt away. After the day she’d had, she needed this girls’ night out with her two best friends. And definitely a slice of Mama Pearl’s famous coconut cream pie. Maybe before dinner. Spotting Autumn and Riley in a corner booth in the back, Livia made her way across the black and white checkerboard tile floor of Dinner Belles Diner, offering nods and waves to other patrons she knew along the way.

Autumn shoved a glass in her direction as she slid onto the seat. “You look like you can use this.”

“You are a goddess.” Livia took a long pull on the Diet Coke and sighed as the sharp fizz hit her system. “I don’t know why I thought this was the year to curb my habit.”

“Because you vowed you wanted to use my wedding as an excuse to get healthier,” Riley pointed out.

“Seemed like a good idea at the time.” And, okay, she did generally have more energy now, between cutting back on her Diet Coke habit and doing yoga daily with her sister-in-law, Tara. But some days, she just needed a fix. “Have y’all ordered?”

“Nope. We were waiting for you.” Autumn grabbed a menu. “I say we get some grease- or carb-laden appetizer to start, while you share whatever Mitzi did that put that look on your face.”

“That obvious?”

“Please. I may have been gone from the library for a while now, but I haven’t forgotten her Reign of Terror.”

The three of them placed their orders, and over a large basket of onion rings Livia vented about her boss to the one person who could fully appreciate her irritation.

“I’ve put up with having more work simply because I’m the institutional memory. I’ve tolerated all her favoritism toward Tricia, even though you and I both know she got your old job as head librarian entirely through nepotism by being Mitzi’s niece. And mostly it’s been… fine. But today she crossed a line.”

“Like changing out the breakroom coffee creamer for laxatives kind of crossing a line, or steal her keys and hide a partly open can of tuna under the seat of her car kind of crossing a line?”

Livia and Autumn both turned to stare at Riley.

“What?”

“Since when did you develop such a finely tuned sense of revenge?” Autumn asked.

Her grin widened. “Never, actually. I’m thinking of the pranks Liam and his brothers pulled when we were kids. Cruz, in particular, was a real hellion. After the stories you two have shared about Mitzi, it seemed some more radical tactics might be necessary. What did she do?”

“She basically threw down in public and refused to allow me to read the book I’d chosen for story time. As if a book about two male penguins adopting a baby of their own to make a nontraditional family in a zoo was some kind of sacrilege. I am the children’s librarian! It’s my choice what books to showcase. And it’s my right to expand the minds of my audience with stories that reflect the broader world in an age-appropriate manner.”

Autumn groaned. “Mitzi and her censorship. It’s such bullshit.”

“It is. And maybe it would be one thing if patrons had complained. But they haven’t. In fact, we’ve had requests. But because it doesn’t fit in her narrow window of what she considers acceptable, she’s trying to say no. She actually told me I had to get her approval before reading anything off her official list of ‘acceptable’ titles.”

“Betting there’s nothing on that list published in the last twenty years.” Autumn dipped an onion ring into her vanilla shake.

Livia paused, one brow raised. “Did you just… eat vanilla shake on your onion ring?”

Riley gasped. “Are you pregnant again?”

Autumn laughed. “No. Judd and I haven’t finished recovering from the sleep deprivation of Ellie’s first year yet. It’s just one of my pregnancy cravings that never went away. Try it. It’s delicious. Like an elevated version of french fries and a Frosty.”

Livia wrinkled her nose in disgust. “I’m gonna go with no.”

She stuck another one in her mouth and made mmm noises. “Don’t know what you’re missing. Anyway, that all seriously sucks, and I’m sorry my leaving left you without an ally in this.”

“It’s not like Mitzi gave you a choice when she fired you. But I won’t lie and say I don’t miss having you around. There are some days I wish she’d just get it over with and can me, too. Except I don’t have a secret career as an indie author to fall back on like you did, and I have no idea what I’d do instead. I just feel… stuck. You know? I am definitely not where I thought I’d be at this point in my life.”

They paused as Mama Pearl, the heart, soul, and opinionated owner of Dinner Belles, came by to deliver their meals.

“Well, child, it’s never too late to reinvent yourself. You don’t like where you are? Change something.”

Livia knew Mama Pearl was right. But that was a lot easier said than done. She wasn’t a woman to strike out on her own without some kind of plan.

“You know what would help that self-contemplation? A piece of your coconut cream pie.”

The old woman’s teeth flashed white. “Ain’t nothin’ my pie can’t make better. I’ll bring it along shortly.”

“Are you really thinking about some kind of major change?” Riley prodded.

“I don’t know. Maybe? I’ve just reached a point where I know I can’t keep doing what I’m doing. I’m not happy at work.” She wasn’t happy in her personal life either, but saying so in front of the two of them felt a little too much like sour grapes. Not for one moment did she begrudge Autumn for her marriage to Judd, or Riley for finding the love of her life in Liam Montgomery. They both deserved all the happiness in the world. Livia just wished she’d found a piece of that herself.

Over the course of the meal, conversation shifted to wedding talk.

“I’m so glad we were finally able to set a date. It took forever to find one where both Cruz and Jack could get leave to come home for the wedding. After all this waiting, now it’s a bunch of go go go! The end of January can’t get here soon enough.”

“Aren’t Liam’s brothers still single?” Autumn asked.

“As far as we know.”

When they both turned speculating gazes in her direction, Livia pointed at each of them. “No. Whatever you two are thinking, just no. Do not try to match make me with his brothers. I don’t have the temperament to be a military wife or girlfriend.”

Autumn’s grin held a wicked edge. “Doesn’t mean you couldn’t have some fun for the duration of their leave.”

“Says the steamy romance writer.”

Livia preferred not to think about how long it had been since she’d had that variety of fun. Not that she objected to s*x. She just wasn’t great at short-term entanglements. For better or worse, she needed that emotional connection. And hot as Jack and Cruz Montgomery might be—and she had no doubt they’d improved since high school—there’d just never been that connection with either of them.

“Maybe you’ll find someone more to your liking in Tennessee,” Riley teased.

“I’m going to Eden’s Ridge to visit Abbey, not to find some kind of booty call.”

“More’s the pity. You could do with having your world rocked.”

Livia fixed Autumn with a flat stare. “In all seriousness, I need to figure out my life. Namely, what the hell I want to do with it. I’m hoping that getting out of town, away from the job, away from the farm, away from all of my normal, will help give me some perspective.”

Autumn lifted her glass. “To perspective.”

The three of them toasted.

After their checks were paid, they walked out together.

Riley’s hug was extra tight. “I’m gonna miss you.”

“I’ll be home in two weeks.”

She stepped back. “I don’t know. It just feels like more, somehow.”

Livia rolled her eyes. “It’s a vacation. That’s it. A long overdue one. Seriously. Just two weeks. I certainly can’t leave my brother alone for the first season at the tree farm without Mom and Dad.”

She hugged Autumn and stepped back. “Hi to your menfolk and kisses to the munchkin from Aunt Livia. I’ve gotta get on home. I have an early start and a long drive tomorrow.”

With one last wave to her friends, she crossed to the town green, headed for where she’d left her car a couple of blocks down. The route took her by the fountain for which Wishful was named. According to local legend—and widely advertised by their city planner, Norah Crawford—wishes made in the fountain, fed from nearby Hope Springs, came true. Just last week, Livia had given in during a fit of ennui and wished for a love that would last a lifetime. As she strode past the burbling fountain, she nearly stopped again, wondering if making the same wish more than once would increase the odds. A small treasure trove of coins glimmered beneath the water’s surface. How many of them had gone unanswered?

Most, she was willing to bet. Maybe they were silly wishes. Impractical wishes. Irrational wishes. Selfish wishes. What was the likelihood that such things actually worked? Truly, it was a foolish thing to give your life over to the whim of wishes. There were countless fictional accounts out there, cautionary tales to be careful what you wished for. She had no idea how a wish for love could backfire, but God knew, if there was a way, no doubt, she’d find it.

No. Better to be the author of her own life, whatever that looked like, than to waste another coin. She just hoped this trip gave her some answers.

Leaving the gurgling fountain in her wake, she headed for her car.