Page 114 of Welcome Home to Ivy Falls

‘Why are you always such a pain in the ass?’ she snapped.

He shoved up the sleeves of his white button-down, the ink of his tattoos gleaming in the fading afternoon sunlight. ‘And why can’t you follow simple instructions?’

She threw up her hands, growled ‘Pain in the ass’ again and stalked off.

His amused grin said he had enjoyed that encounter way too much. From what Torran had told me, he and Lauren had been bickering since they’d started working on a project for a new restaurant being restored near the edge of town. They were an open flame and gasoline, and I did not want to be around when they eventually ignited.

‘Causing trouble again?’ I said to Pete.

He pulled me in for a quick hug. ‘She makes it too easy.’

Beck had always said he wanted a brother, and he’d certainly gotten one in Pete, who was constantly looking out for him.

‘Keep a close watch on her and the crew. They have that look in their eyes like they’re gonna push the limits on what Torran and Beck said they wanted.’

‘I’m on it.’

‘There’s no doubt in my mind about that.’

He plucked his navy-blue suit coat off the back of a nearby chair. Ferris had already pinned on his boutonnière and it was flipped sideways. I straightened it out as he gave me a serious look.

‘You ready for this? A wedding? A niece or nephew?’

‘More than ready. Beck and Torran have been through so much crap, they deserve a fairy-tale ending.’

Once the pink rose and baby’s breath sat firmly on his lapel, he let loose a low breath. ‘You know they’re not the only ones who should have good things. Beck told me you met someone. How’s that going?’

‘He’s gone.’

The lines in his forehead bunched. ‘Need more than that, Pipe.’

‘He was filling in for the vacationing doctor here. When the job was done, he went back to doing humanitarian work in Senegal.’

‘That okay with you?’

‘Not really, but I’m trying to figure it out.’

He slung an arm around my shoulder and squeezed. The string quartet from Ivy Falls High warmed up as people began to fill the lawn.

‘Duty calls.’ He started to walk away and then spun back. ‘I hope you know you deserve to be happy. To have someone special.’

I put my hands on my hips and laughed at the brotherly intensity in his eyes. ‘Right back at you.’

‘All right,’ he huffed. ‘I had that one coming.’

He walked toward the chairs. Without skipping a beat, Barb and Susan appeared at his sides and he led them down the aisle. That was my cue to go and grab Beck.

As the seats filled up, the quartet played one of my favorite Vivaldi pieces. I kept a steady eye on Lauren and her crew. When I was sure they were behaving, I walked in the direction of the café.

Beck stood inside near the domed cases. His blue suit fit his wide shoulders perfectly, and somehow he’d managed to tame his wavy brown hair.

‘Do I look okay?’ he asked.

All I could manage was a nod.

He took a few strides toward me. ‘What’s wrong? Is it Tor? Is she throwing up again?’

‘You look so much like Dad.’ It was impossible to hide the tremor in my voice.