Chapter Two
Pierce knocked on the door of the guest cottage closest to the hotel. He could hear sounds on the other side of the door, his nephews’ voices, loud and wild. The door opened and his oldest brother stood there, looking slightly harried.
“Hey! Great to see you.” Charles affectionately clapped his shoulder and brought him inside. Pierce saw Thomas and Myles running around the front room, circling the leather sofa with Nerf guns and yelling as Ava sat with her head down over her tablet.
“Barely controlled chaos,” Pierce remarked.
“As usual,” Charles said. “I was about to take the boys to play outside, but I’m waiting for Tess to get here. I thought you were her.”
“She’s here?” Pierce asked, waving hi to Ava as she looked up at him and smiled.
“She should be,” Charles said. “She said she’d be here by noon because we were planning to be. She’s been great about helping Lisette with the baby. Comes over almost every day.”
Pierce nodded. Their sister was one of the kindest people he’d ever known. That Tess would take time out of her schedule to help with their newest niece, even though Charles had hired a new nanny and had a full household staff, didn’t surprise him one bit. “Well, you want me to get the boys out of here before they wreck the place?”
“That would be great, actually.” Charles sighed and pushed his hand through his dark, wavy hair, then adjusted his black-rimmed glasses. “Maybe you could just take them out front, onto the grass? And I’ll join you guys as soon as Tess gets here. I just don’t want to leave Lisette here alone with the baby in case she needs anything.”
As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. Charles practically raced to it.
“Oh, thank God,” he breathed, hugging his sister hello.
“That bad?” Tess asked with a laugh.
“The kids are stir-crazy,” Charles said. “And I didn’t want to leave Lisette alone.”
“I’m here, you’re free, ’bye now,” Tess singsonged. She swept back her long mane of dark curls as she walked in, then realized her younger brother was standing there. “Hey! It’s the groom!” She embraced Pierce tightly. “How are you holding up?”
“Truth?” Pierce asked. “I was fine until early this morning.” He saw both his siblings’ faces change to expressions of concern and rushed to add, “I’m okay now. Just . . . still a little edgy.” He briefly told them about the phone call from their mother.
“I’ll handle it,” Charles said firmly, immediately shifting into oldest brother protective mode. His eyes flashed with cool fury. “I don’t want you to think about anything but your wedding and Abby. You leave the family drama to me, all right?”
“And me,” Tess said. She put her hands on Pierce’s shoulders. “We’ve got this. Don’t waste another thought on her. Go be happy.”
“I will. But first, I’m going to help Charles with these rowdy kids.” Pierce leaned forward to scoop up little Myles into his arms as he ran by.
Myles laughed and wiggled. “Put me down, Uncle Pierce!”
“Nope. Outside, you rugrats!” Pierce joked. “Let’s go!” He shifted the seven-year-old over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and headed for the door. Charles opened it for him and they went outside.
“Come on, you,” Charles commanded his other son, and Thomas followed. He looked over to his daughter. “Ava? Want to come outside with us for a while?”
“No,” Ava said, not lifting her eyes from the tablet in her hands. “I’ll stay here with Aunt Tess and Lisette. And Charlotte.”
Charles grinned. Ava was over-the-moon in love with her new baby half sister, and he was grateful for that. “Okay, sweetie. But if you change your mind, I think we’re going down to the beach. Feel free to join us.”
“Mm-hmm.” Ava didn’t look up.
He chuckled, then looked to Tess, and the grin fell away. “So. Let’s talk for a minute about Mom.”
Tess hissed out a disdainful breath. “I’ll call her now.”
“No, I’ll do it when I get back. I’d do it this second, but the boys—”
“Stop. I’ll do it.” Tess moved closer and dropped her voice so Ava wouldn’t hear. “You’ve been running interference between Pierce and Dad for months. You had to listen to her squawking when she found out you got married and didn’t let her know until after it’d happened. Let me take this one. Share the burden.”
He held her gaze for a long beat, then sighed in acquiescence. “All right.” Charles patted her arm. “Family drama tag. You’re it.”
She snorted out a laugh. “It never ends, does it?”
“I thought we had it handled with my keeping Dad away from all this. But Mom? Goddammit. If she shows up here . . .” Charles drew a deep breath, as if to re-center himself. “No. She won’t. We’ll see to that.”
“That’s right. So go. It’s a gorgeous day out, this property is gorgeous, and we’re all here to have a nice time,” Tess said. “Go enjoy the kids, have fun. And keep Pierce’s mind off it too. That’s what you can do right now. You have your orders.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He gave a jaunty salute. “Lisette’s with the baby, last bedroom in the back, down the hall. They were trying to take a nap, but the boys were so loud, I don’t know if they actually fell asleep or not.”
A few minutes later, Tess tiptoed into the master bedroom at the back of the three-bedroom cottage. It was a lovely room, decorated in white, taupe, and sky blue, a beach motif. The king-size bed had gauzy white fabric draped over the four wooden posts. Lisette lay on her side toward the edge of the mattress, very still, within arm’s reach of the small white bassinet beside the bed. Tess was glad to see her sister-in-law was asleep. Like any new mom, Lisette hadn’t gotten much sleep since giving birth to Charlotte only three weeks before, even with the help of a new nanny, Charles, and Tess herself. She’d made a point of going there for a few hours almost every day.
Tess moved around the bed to the bassinet and peeked inside at Charlotte—also asleep. Her heart smiled. There was her tiny new niece, the precious, perfect sweet pea, cute as could be as she slept on her back. Tess watched the newborn’s chest move up and down, up and down, mesmerized. She had fallen head over heels in love with this baby. Charlotte was eight pounds of pure love and joy. It was all Tess could do not to pick her up and hold her, but she would never disturb her as she slept. She gazed down at her for another minute, then tiptoed toward the door.
But as she got there, as if on cue, Charlotte squeaked in her bassinet. Tess rushed back, hoping to get to the baby before she woke her mother.
Lisette stirred, her eyes opening halfway, weary and clouded.
“I’ve got her,” Tess whispered as she reached into the bassinet. She lifted Charlotte into her arms and held her close to her chest, cradling her. “Get some sleep; you need it. I’ve got her, it’s fine. Go back to sleep.”
“Thank you so much,” Lisette murmured, and her dark eyes slid closed.
Tess’s heart gave a little pang for her. Lisette usually woke up when Charlotte did, ready to care for her even if she was tired; if Lisette had given in that easily, she must’ve been truly exhausted.
Even though Charlotte was such a newborn, and Pierce and Abby had made it clear they understood if Lisette wasn’t up to coming to the wedding, Lisette had brushed that off. There was no way they’d miss it. And with the added benefit of the family being cozily ensconced in their own private cottage—away from germy strangers and not having to worry about the noise of a newborn at all hours—Lisette had insisted on the whole clan going for the long weekend. Tess admired her tenacity but sympathized with the truth of how drained she must be. Tess was more than happy to help them out however she could.
Charlotte squawked and fussed. Her tiny cries sounded like the mewling of a kitten, and Tess left the room holding her before Lisette woke up again. She walked into the next empty room—the one the boys were sharing—and rocked Charlotte gently as she shh-shh-shhed her. In a minute, the baby was fast asleep on her aunt, her little face pressed to the exposed skin at the base of Tess’s neck. Tess moved to sit on one of the two twin beds, leaning against the wall for back support as she held her precious niece close.
She ran her fingers ever so lightly over the baby’s dark hair, then her back, then up and over again. She inhaled her sweet baby smell and listened to the wondrous sound of her breathing. Holding Charlotte made Tess’s ovaries ache. She wanted this. She wanted a baby of her own so badly. The more time she spent with her new niece, the louder her biological clock seemed to tick. She was thirty-seven now, with no prospects for a loving partner, much less a baby daddy. The now familiar pangs of longing and sadness hit her heart and sank in their claws once again.
Maybe one day, hopefully much sooner than later, she’d meet someone. She used to yearn to find a wonderful man to fall in love with, have a family with . . . that hadn’t worked out. Nowadays, she merely longed for the family part. She’d always wanted kids. Was it in the cards for her? Time would tell.
Swallowing a sigh, she held Charlotte close and savored the feel of her.
* * *
On Thursday night, Pierce and Abby sat together as they watched some of their friends and family hang out. The resort had a separate cottage, right on the beach, equipped with a manned bar, a billiards table, flat-screen TVs and Xbox One games, and a karaoke machine. Pierce and Abby’s guests had all but taken over the whole resort; the rest of the guests would make it a complete occupation on Friday and Saturday.
Pierce’s brother Dane and his wife, Julia, had arrived about two hours before. Dane had commandeered the billiards table, taking on first his wife, then her son, Colin, and now Troy, Pierce’s best friend. He laughed as he heard their trash talk. Pierce had met Troy at fifteen, when he’d started a new private high school after being thrown out of an elite prep school. Pierce was all about making trouble back then, the very picture of a rebellious teen acting out against his father. Pierce and Troy, a whip-smart kid from a normal, middle-class family, were the two best soccer players in the school, even as sophomores. But instead of becoming fierce competitors, they’d become fast friends, a force to be reckoned with. When Pierce left for England right after high school graduation, he and Troy had stayed solid. After all, Pierce hadn’t had many true friends in his life—it was hard to find and trust kids who liked him for who he was, instead of what perks the Harrison name could bring. He wasn’t going to let that friendship fall by the wayside. He could be himself with Troy, and that was a gift. Now, Troy was his best man for his wedding; that way, he hadn’t had to choose between his two older brothers. They were his two groomsmen instead.
The wedding party was small, for which Pierce was grateful. Bigger wedding parties meant bigger potential for drama, and he had no patience for that. Abby’s maid of honor was her older sister, Fiona, and her two bridesmaids were her best friend, Allison, and Tess. Ava, Pierce’s niece, would be their flower girl, and Dylan, Abby’s nephew, would be the ring bearer. That was it. It was a close-knit family affair, which was what both Pierce and Abby had wanted. The closest thing to a drama queen in that mix was feisty Fiona, but she’d been nothing but supportive throughout the wedding planning. All had gone smoothly and well.
The only drama, Pierce mused as he reached for his beer, had come from his side. From his obnoxious parents. He knew Charles had basically put himself in front of their father like a stone pillar, blocking his attempts to get at Pierce or interfere in any way. Pierce was more grateful for that than he could express. But now, just when he’d been at ease knowing his father wouldn’t crash the rehearsal dinner or wedding, to get a call as he had from his mother that morning . . . man, had that pissed him off. He’d gone for a run on the beach, pounding the sand beneath his feet, not happy until he felt the burn in his muscles and his lungs. Why had she rattled him so hard? He wasn’t sure why. And more than that, he still hadn’t shaken it off completely.
“Hello?” Abby waved her hand in front of his face. “You didn’t hear a word I just said, did you?”
“No,” he admitted. “Sorry, zoned out there.” He slid an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “What’d you say?”
She leaned in closer and whispered in his ear, “Your best man keeps stealing glances at my maid of honor.”
He pulled back, his eyebrows lifting in surprise. “Seriously?”
“Totally.” Abby tried to suppress a grin and failed. “Your bestie’s hot for my sister. Should we do something about it?”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know . . . help them along?”
Pierce snorted out a laugh and sipped his beer. “No.” He watched Troy from across the room, playing pool with Dane. Fiona was sitting with Tess and Julia, talking and laughing. Pierce waited . . . waited . . . there it was. Sure enough, Troy discreetly darted a glance over at Fiona. Pierce knew that look. Shit, the guy was burning for her. Busted.
“I’ll be damned,” Pierce murmured, more amused than anything.
“You know,” Abby said, keeping her voice low, “if they hooked up, I’d be more than fine with it.”
“Oh yeah?” Pierce laughed. “I’m sure Troy will totally go for it now, knowing he has your approval.”
Abby pinched his thigh under the table, making Pierce yelp.
“Smart-ass,” she muttered with a chuckle. “But really. Think about it. They have a lot in common. They both grew up in Edgewater, even though they didn’t know each other because they went to different schools.”
Pierce sat back, sensing she had a list.
“They’ve both been divorced for a long time,” Abby continued, “so it’s not a rebound thing. He has a daughter, she has a son, close in age—so they both understand what it’s like to be a single parent. They’re both really nice. And they both probably really need a hot fling. So why not?”
Pierce gave her a long, bemused look. “You’ve been thinking about this, huh?”
“Well yeah, ever since I caught him checking her out last week. But it’s adorable.” Abby’s voice dropped to a whisper. “They’d be great together. We should work on this.”
“Ha! Um, no. The only thing I want to work on right now,” Pierce said, “is getting married.” He dropped a quick kiss on her lips. “Besides, Troy doesn’t need any help. If he wants her, and he wants to do something about it, he will. He’s a big boy.”
“I hope so,” Abby said. “Because now that I can picture them together, I really want it to happen.”
“Leave them alone, Abby.”
She huffed out a sigh. “Fiiiine. Excuse me for wanting to play matchmaker.”
Pierce chuckled and drew her in for another kiss. “You’re such a sap.”
“I am a sap,” she admitted. She looked into his eyes. “I’m happy, so I want everyone around me to be happy too.”
“A noble desire. But not realistic.”
“Why not?” Abby’s dark blue eyes sparked as she added, “You know what? My sister is fabulous; she really is. And she got a raw deal in the love department. I just want her to find someone who makes her happy, someone who loves and supports her.” She touched his scruffy cheek. “Like what I have with you.”
“Aww.” He was teasing, but his heart warmed from her words. “You’re gonna make me blush.”
“I mean it,” she said. “You think I’m being a Pollyanna.”
“Maybe a little. But I know you mean it. You have a huge, wonderful heart. And sometimes, when you say things like that, it’s easier for me to tease you because . . . it hits home.” He trailed the backs of his fingers along her soft cheek as she looked back at him. “You say things like that and it reminds me how lucky I am. How lucky we are. That we found each other and made it work. I look at us now, think of where we’re going together, and . . .” He swallowed hard. His throat had thickened with a sudden rush of emotion. “I’m so glad I make you happy. That means the world to me. You mean the world to me, Abby.” He stared at her, sifted through her golden hair with gentle fingers, and took her mouth in a deep kiss, hoping it conveyed what he felt.