Happily Ever After by Jennifer Gracen (3)

Pierce started Friday morning with a run on the beach with Dane at his side. His brother was six years older than him but was as serious about staying in shape as he was. Since Dane had moved to Blue Harbor and Pierce had moved to Edgewater—only a few miles apart—they often met for morning runs by the Long Island Sound. Pierce no longer had to be as fit as when he was playing pro soccer but found he felt sluggish and off when he didn’t keep up some kind of fitness routine. Dane claimed the same. That, and his running joke: that he had “a sexually insatiable wife he needed to stay in shape for.” Julia always laughed as she smacked him for that, but Pierce noticed she hadn’t once denied it.

The brothers dropped to the sand after roughly six miles, panting and sweating. They gulped water and did cool-down stretches.

“Still can’t believe you’re getting married tomorrow,” Dane said with a grin.

“Me neither,” Pierce admitted. He glanced out at the ocean from behind his sunglasses, taking in the fantastic view. “Can I ask you something? I’ve always been curious.”

“Sure.” Dane adjusted his baseball cap to keep the sun out of his eyes.

“When you proposed to Julia . . . you were totally sure about it, right?”

“Without an ounce of doubt.” Dane peered at his brother. “Why, are you having doubts?”

“No. No, not at all,” Pierce assured him. “I was wondering why you eloped.”

“Aha.” Dane grinned. “Because once I proposed and she said yes, the thought of having to wait a year to throw a big wedding . . . it wasn’t what I wanted. She didn’t want a big wedding either. So, we wanted to be married, decided the other stuff wasn’t for us, and that was it.” He shrugged as he added, “Also, I’ve always had a bit of a problem with impulse control.”

Pierce laughed. “You and I share that trait.”

“We share more than a few, actually,” Dane remarked. “You and me . . . we were the serial daters.”

“I didn’t even date,” Pierce said quietly. “I slept around. Hit and ran.”

“And Abby changed all that.”

“Well . . . I was trying to change it just before I met her, but yeah, once I met her . . . I didn’t want anyone else. I knew she was it for me.” Pierce kicked at the sand in front of him. “I sound like a sap, don’t I?”

“Nope. Either that or I did too, because that’s exactly how I felt when I fell for Julia. No one compared.” Dane leaned in. “They still don’t. My wife is extraordinary.”

“I feel that way about Abby.”

“Good. You should. Means you’re doing the right thing.” Dane stared at his younger brother for a long beat. “You’re gonna do okay, you know.”

Pierce met his gaze. “I worry sometimes. I think about Mom and Dad and . . .”

“I know. I get it. I did too.” Dane nodded, then lightened his tone. “But if I can carry this marriage thing off with such panache, so will you. Abby is an amazing woman. She’s grounded and she keeps you grounded. You’re already involved with her family, who are a really decent, good group of people. Not only am I not worried about you, I’m thrilled for you.” Dane put a hand on his brother’s forearm and added kindly, “I hope with them—the McCords, I mean—you’re feeling the kind of extended family love and support you never had growing up.”

Pierce blinked in surprise. “Yeah, I didn’t, but I feel it now. Always had Tess, but now I have you and Charles too. And your wives and his kids. That all matters. A lot.”

Dane nodded. “Good. Good, I’m glad.”

“I know you’ve all been keeping Dad away from the wedding too.”

“Well, Chuckles gets most of the credit for that, really.”

“You and Tess helped. I know that. I’m trying to say I’m grateful.” Pierce rubbed the back of his neck as he thought. “I was thinking the other day how different my life is now from just two years ago. It’s a total one-eighty, you know?”

“Yeah,” Dane said. “Because you worked hard for it. That credit goes to you.”

“I guess. I just . . .” Pierce looked out at the water again. “I’ve just been very aware lately of . . . how lucky I am. I’m so damn grateful for Abby and the life we have. It’s, um . . . a little overwhelming sometimes.”

Dane nodded slowly, seeming to take that in. Then he murmured, “You deserve this good life, Pierce. You hear me?”

Pierce’s eyes flew back to his. He didn’t say anything.

“You deserve this happiness,” Dane said. “You deserve Abby, you deserve what you’ve built together, and you deserve peace. I thought you knew that by now.”

Pierce swallowed hard. His throat had thickened and his mouth had gone dry. “I don’t want to let her down,” he whispered.

“You won’t,” Dane assured him.

“I don’t want to suck at this,” Pierce said. “It’s too important.”

“You feel that strongly about it,” Dane said, “you won’t.”

Pierce licked his dry lips. “I hope so.”

“Look. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Marriage takes work. There are boring times. There are hard times. But it’ll also transform your life. Because . . .” Dane paused, searching for the right words. “Guys like us? Who thought we’d never settle down, like getting married was a fate worse than death? When we found the right women, it changed us for the better, right? We changed. We grew. We’ll keep evolving and growing. And we’re gonna fuck up sometimes because we’re human, and that’s okay. As long as we keep trying.” Dane snorted out a laugh as he added, “We’ve got the prime example of what we don’t want: Mom and Dad. So use that. Learn from their mistakes. Whatever they did, do the opposite.”

Pierce chuckled at that. “Good tip.”

“It’s true, though.” Dane took off his cap, scratched at his damp curls, then put it back on. “They were both selfish. Never put the other one first. Demanded everything and gave each other nothing. So when in doubt, I remember that. And I love Julia so much, it’s easy to want to give and listen and work at it, because she makes me want to. You have that with Abby, from what I’ve seen and what you’re telling me. She also happens to love you as much as you love her, also from what I’ve seen. So stop worrying.” Dane squeezed his shoulder in support. “You’re gonna be fine, bro. I know it.”

“Thanks.” Pierce nodded and exhaled. “I think . . . I think you were the one I needed to have this talk with.”

“I get that. Like I said, we have a lot in common.”

“Nah, you’re nicer than me,” Pierce joked. “Not as surly.”

“So true,” Dane joked back. “I’m also wiser, more stylish, better-looking, and infinitely more charming. Don’t forget all that.”

“Like you’d let me.” Pierce smiled wide. “But hey, you’re also older. Like so much older. You just turned thirty-nine . . . before we know it, you’ll be forty. Geezer.”

Dane grimaced. “All right, shut up, you. And get off my lawn.”

* * *

Abby floated back up to her room at one o’clock. She’d just come from the spa, where she’d enjoyed one of the best massages she’d ever had in her life. It had been a gift from Tess: massages for Abby, Fiona, and their mother. Tess was always so thoughtful and generous. Abby adored her.

After all, Tess was the one person who’d always watched over Pierce and made him feel like someone cared about him, from when they were small kids all the way through adulthood. Tess was the one family member Pierce trusted and counted on, back before he’d restored his relationships with his brothers. When Pierce’s soccer career tanked and he needed a safe haven to lie low while he licked his wounds, he’d gone to the one person and place in the world he felt secure: to Tess. If he hadn’t come back to Long Island to stay with his beloved sister, he and Abby would never have met. Tess and Abby both adored Pierce and had bonded over that. Needless to say, Tess held a special place in Abby’s heart.

Abby sat on the plush couch that faced the back wall, with its wide windows and magnificent views of the property and the beach and the ocean just beyond. As she sighed in contentment for the umpteenth time, she picked up her cell phone and texted a gushing thanks to Tess for the massage, then texted her fiancé. Hey there, handsome. Where are you?

Pierce’s text came back immediately. At the pool with Charles and the kids. Come on down!

Sounds good, she wrote, but no thanks.The massage left me boneless. I’m basking in the afterglow, melting into a puddle of happy goo in our suite. Might take a nap. You enjoy.

I’ll be up soon, he responded. Might want to take advantage of you in goo mode.

Stay if you’re having fun! she wrote back. Seriously, I might fall asleep.

Okay. Enjoy your afterglow. See you later. Love you.

Love you too. xo

Abby put down the phone to enjoy the view of the sea and sky for a few minutes. When her eyes grew heavy, she got up and went into the bedroom to burrow into the luxurious bed. As if on cue, there was a knock at the door.

She wasn’t expecting anyone, but anyone coming to see her was friendly, so she opened it without hesitation.

“Miss McCord?” said a hotel employee from behind a tremendous bouquet of colorful flowers.

“That’s me.”

“Then these are for you.”

“How nice! Come on in.”

Abby watched as the young man placed the bouquet on the glass table in the middle of the sitting area. She thanked him, closed the door behind him, then went to the flowers with an enchanted smile on her face. The flowers were beautiful, and she dipped her face down to smell them before plucking the small white card from its holder.

Abby was so shocked she dropped the card. Pierce’s father had sent these? He’d made no attempt to hide his distaste for her from the beginning. His words floated through her head as she recalled some of his choice phrases: “gold digger . . . blue collar . . . nothing special.” She’d disliked him for his disparaging comments about her, but they didn’t really matter. What she hated him for was the way he’d purposely tried to drive a wedge between her and Pierce simply because the man couldn’t stand to see his son happy. It’d almost worked too. But his attacks had only served to draw them closer together.

Pierce . . . oh God. Abby frowned hard. When he saw the flowers and the card, Pierce would not be happy. In fact, he might go ballistic.

Abby stared at them, thinking about what she should do. Do nothing and keep the flowers? Send them back? Get rid of them? She just wanted to keep Pierce happy. The wedding was only twenty-eight hours away now . . .

Her phone dinged with a text and she went to check it. It was from Tess saying, I’m so glad you loved it! That makes me happy. Mission accomplished!

Could you call me? Abby wrote back. I need to ask you something.

The phone rang in fifteen seconds. “What’s up?” Tess asked.

“Umm . . . I don’t want to sound like a drama queen,” Abby said, “or possibly be making a big deal out of something that isn’t a big deal. But . . . I just got a huge bouquet of flowers, here in the room. From your father.”

“Oh God,” Tess groaned. “Pierce will flip out.”

Abby exhaled. “That was my exact reaction. I feel better now. But what should I do? I don’t want to hide anything from him, but he was already upset yesterday by your mother’s call. I’m thinking if he sees this now . . .”

“I’ll be there in a few minutes,” Tess said. “I’ll take them back to my room. Done deal.”

Relief washed over Abby. “I’m not overreacting, then?”

“Nope. Pierce has a short fuse when it comes to our parents on a good day. Seeing those flowers today could make him blow up. He’s already a little high-strung because of the wedding.”

“I noticed,” Abby said. “I mean, the whole time he’s been so laid-back about everything. All the wedding planning, you know? Until we got here. Now . . . I thought I’d be the one who’d be tense with all the last-minute things, but he’s the one who’s tense.”

“It’s not about you, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Tess assured her. “It’s that he desperately wants everything to be perfect. For you. He wants to give you the wedding of your dreams . . . and his parents are reminders of his unhappy past. He doesn’t want that—or them—touching this weekend. He wants perfection. They remind him of how far from perfect he was before he found you. Does that make any sense?”

Abby sighed. “I suppose.”

“I’m so glad I texted when I did,” Tess said. “I’ll be there in two minutes.”

While Abby waited, she thought over what Tess had said. The rehearsal dinner was only a few hours away. Getting him alone might be difficult. But at some point, she needed to have a heart-to-heart talk with her soon-to-be husband.