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Beneath the table, Piper squeezes my hand three times.
I exhale.
She’s here.
I can get through this meal.
Through anything.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-SIX
PIPER
“Inow pronounce you husband and wife!”
The crowd claps and cheers as Drew dips Harper in a dramatic sweep.
They’re both laughing when they finally separate to face the celebrating onlookers, Harper’s cheeks pink and Drew grinning proudly. I watch as he whispers something to Harper that has her shaking her head, then scan the sea of faces until I find the one I’m looking for.
Kyle is easy to spot, smack in the middle of the bride’s side and exclusively surrounded by women. His gaze is focused on me though as I grip the arm of one of Drew’s hockey teammates and follow the newlyweds down the aisle.
Harper decided to have her wedding in Washington, which she confided to me felt like more of a fresh start than the lake where her sister had gotten married.
“I’m sick of living in the past,” she told me. “Time for a new beginning.”
It feels like I’m in the middle of one of those too.
It’s been eight months since I packed up my tiny bedroom and moved to Texas with no job and no plan.
Serena and Lauren were able to find a new roommate easily, so I didn’t feel too badly about leaving them. And Serena will also be moving out soon. We’re going to her wedding next month.
And my family accepted my departure better than I had expected. Wells and Norah’s move had helped pave the way. I think my mom is finally accepting that us moving apart isn’t a bad thing. That physical distance is different from the emotional kind. Alex has already come to visit the ranch once, and my dad and Seth are planning a trip too.
Once we’re all at the end of the aisle, the neat couplings fall apart. Mia hugs me as we watch Drew and Harper share another kiss before he gets pulled away by his buddies.
“I’m so happy for her.” Mia sniffs.
“Me too. Is this giving you wedding fever?”
Mia has yet to set a date for her wedding because all the New York venues she’s interested in are booked up about five years in advance. She’s determined to have a high-society affair. I’m pretty sure it means she’s seen too many television dramas set in the city. Last we talked, her top choice was a swanky hotel on the Upper East Side.
“Me? How about you?”
I glance at Kyle, who’s patiently talking with a couple of Harper’s friends.
“It hasn’t come up.”
“You moved toTexasfor the guy. The least he could do is propose.”
I laugh. “It’s not that bad. If you ever visited when I invited you, you’d know Oak Grove is cute.”
Mia wrinkles her nose, and then we’re both distracted by the bride, headed our way. We both hug and congratulate Harper. Mia slips away after a few minutes to find Dax.
“The ceremony was perfect,” I tell Harper. “And this place?”
The lavender farm Harper found looks like something out of a fairy tale. They got married in a gazebo, and a massive tent has been set up past the chairs where guests watched the ceremony, waiting to host the reception.
Harper’s smile is relieved. “I was so nervous something would go wrong. Drew promised me we could elope if I wanted, all the way up until the ceremony.”
