by Cindy Kirk
The tween added the last part as if to make sure no one misunderstood the process.
“You look lovely this evening.” Adam smiled at Hadley, then turned to her daughter. “Your mom is lucky to have you helping her this evening. Getting all these people settled is a big job.”
“I like doing it. My friend is coming to help us—” Brynn gave a squeal and rushed around them to hug a girl about her age. “Zoe is here.”
“Zoe,” Adam informed Charlotte, “is Ryder and Trinity’s daughter.”
There was a story there, Charlotte thought, as the last time she’d lived in Good Hope, Ryder had been single. She’d heard Ryder and Trinity had married within the last year. Yes, definitely a story here.
“Where are your mom and dad?” Adam asked Zoe.
“They’re around someplace.” Zoe shrugged, then turned to Brynn. “Tell me what to do.”
Charlotte stepped into the tent with Adam at her side. Though she’d thought this was supposed to be a casual wedding, no expense had been spared on flowers and tent decorations. Greenery, chandeliers and colorful draped ribbon created a fun, festive atmosphere.
Bouquets of equally bright and colorful flowers graced the center of each round linen-clad table.
Servers, dressed in black, circulated holding silver trays filled with flutes of what Charlotte assumed was champagne.
“We have both champagne and sparkling cider.” The young man, who couldn’t have been much older than twenty-one, lowered the tray and pointed out each in turn.
“I love sparkling cider.” Charlotte lifted the flute from the tray.
She actually preferred champagne, but was off alcohol for the duration of her pregnancy.
“I’ll try the cider, too.” Adam smiled at the young man. “Thank you.”
Charlotte took a sip, glanced up at Adam. “This isn’t bad.”
“I love sparkling cider.”
She gazed up at him through lowered lashes. “Seriously?”
He grinned. “Let’s find a table.”
Charlotte spotted Piper deep in discussion with Gladys and her friends. She didn’t suggest they sit with the group, because she preferred to keep her distance from Gladys.
While she liked and admired the older woman, something about the way Gladys gazed at her with those pale blue eyes made Charlotte uneasy. It was as if Gladys possessed a weird power to see into her mind.
“Charlotte. Adam.” Fin motioned to them. “If you don’t have a place to sit already in mind, we’d love for you to sit with us.”
Fin gestured to a nearby table where her husband, Jeremy, sat chatting with Marigold and Cade. There were other glasses of champagne at the table, but Charlotte had no idea who they belonged to.
“It looks like a family table,” Charlotte began.
“There’s family everywhere tonight.” Fin waved a hand, dismissing the concern. She shifted her focus to Adam. “I know my husband is eager to get an update on where you’re at with the farm-to-table idea.”
“My dad is running front-end on that,” Adam informed her. “I know just enough to be dangerous.”
“I can’t think of anything I like more than a dangerous man,” Fin teased.
Adam glanced at Charlotte, and she saw the question in his eyes.
“We’d love to sit with you,” Charlotte told Fin.
“Excellent.” Fin held out her hands. “If you’d like, I’ll put these on the table while you gather your food.”
“Thank you.” Charlotte handed Fin her flute.
“Why is she being so nice?” Charlotte asked Adam when Fin was out of earshot.
Adam’s brows pulled together in puzzlement. “What do you mean?”
“Inviting us to join them. Carrying our drinks to the table.”
“That’s nothing out of the ordinary.”
She must have still appeared skeptical, because Adam continued. “People like being helpful, and neighbors helping neighbors is the Good Hope way. You owned a business here for several years. Surely that sense of community was something you noticed.”
“I never really got involved with the community.”
“Then you missed out.” Adam rested his palm against her back. “The people are what make Good Hope special.”
A cheer rose up.
Charlotte turned and caught sight of the bride and groom. “I didn’t realize the wedding party had arrived.”
Clay and Bea made a fetching couple, his arm around her waist while she smiled up at him.
“Bea and Clay didn’t want a big presentation at the reception,” Adam told her. “They just wanted to come and mingle with friends and family.”
Charlotte studied the two. What would it be like, she wondered, to have a man look at her the way Clay was looking at Bea?
What would it be like to feel that same love flowing through her veins? The fanciful thought had her chuckling as she glanced around the tent.
Several grazing tables had been set up, with one specifically geared toward children. Unlike many of the receptions Charlotte had attended, kids were welcome at this one.
Probably because the Bloom-Chapin clan had so many children. Or perhaps because of Bea and Clay’s laid-back attitude. Instead of wanting a society wedding, they’d gone for a family-centric affair.
Charlotte and Adam filled their plates with everything from lamb meatballs to mini grilled cheese sandwiches, then returned to the table. Charlotte had barely taken a bite of a meatball when Marigold dropped into the empty chair beside her.
Marigold immediately leaned around her to speak to Adam, jerking a thumb in her direction. “Smart move bringing Charlotte.”
“I’ve been known to show flashes of brilliance.” Adam smiled, his gaze dropping to the baby in her arms. “How can he possibly sleep with all this noise?”
Cade appeared and pressed a kiss to the top of his son’s head. “He’s getting in his sleep now so he can be up all night.”
Marigold chuckled. “So true.”
“He looks so small.” Adam shook his head. “I’ve never held a baby that tiny.”
“No time like the present to start.” Marigold set her son in Adam’s arms. “Hold him while I get one of those lamb meatballs. They look delish.”
“I’ll go with you,” Cade told his wife.
“What if he starts to cry?” Adam asked, a hint of panic in his voice.
“Jiggle him,” Cade instructed. “If that doesn’t work, you’ve got an experienced mom and dad in Fin and Jeremy.”
They didn’t suggest that Adam ask her for help, Charlotte noticed. Like Adam, she had no experience with babies this tiny. Heck, with any babies.
Charlotte studied Adam. He held the bundle of blue gingerly. The baby’s hat—topped by tiny bear ears—was a lighter shade of blue than the blanket.
Long blond lashes lay against his cheeks, and his tiny rosebud of a mouth moved in sleep.
After a minute, Adam’s tense shoulders eased. “This isn’t so bad.”
“You’re a natural.” Jeremy lifted a glass of champagne in mock salute.
“Jeremy and I were incredibly paranoid when we first brought Eddie home,” Fin admitted. “I worried about him sleeping in the bassinette, even though it met all the safety standards. Then Ruby told me she’d had friends whose babies slept in dresser drawers until they were able to afford a crib, and they’d grown up just fine.”
“My grandmother has a knack for putting things in perspective,” Jeremy admitted.
Ruby Rakes, Charlotte recalled, was one of Gladys’s good friends.
Still in Adam’s arms, the baby began to fuss. Instead of handing him over to his aunt or uncle, Adam brought Caleb to his shoulder and gently stroked his back. Charlotte wasn’t sure if the soothing words he murmured or the backrub settled the baby.
“It sounds like the development on Wrigley is right on schedule.” Charlotte couldn’t talk children, but she kept her eye on Good Hope’s business pulse.
The way she saw it
, the more the town had to offer both visitors and those who lived here year-round, the better it was for her business. The Wrigley Road project was a good example. Piper’s boutique and bridal salon was one of the stores on that stretch of roadway being developed.
“Things were behind schedule, but they’re caught up now, and the businesses should open on October first.” Fin lifted her son to her shoulder and continued talking without missing a beat. “The merchants are planning on a soft opening, just to work out all the kinks. The grand opening is set for Saturday night, the third.”
“Smart.” Charlotte nodded, trying not to notice how well Adam was now handling the baby. She wondered if she could do as well.
She refused to let the worry settle. Of course she could take care of a baby. It wasn’t rocket science. If she could master complex hair-coloring formulas, she could handle one small person.
“Sorry we’re late.” Prim commandeered one of two empty chairs at the table. Her eyes widened at seeing her nephew in Adam’s arms.
Caleb’s eyes were now open, and his head was tipped back. He was blinking at the lights like a drunken sailor.
“Is that Caleb?” she asked Adam.
“Marigold gave him to me.” Adam grinned. “Just to hold. Not for keeps.”
“No need to qualify.” Prim chuckled. “Marigold—and Cade, too—would fight like a ninja over that baby.”
“Like a ninja?” From across the table, Fin raised a brow. “Your verbal skills are deteriorating every day.”
“Blame my boys.” Prim shook her head, a little smile curving the corners of her lips. “Ninja warrior stuff is all they can talk about lately.”
Max sat beside his wife, their youngest—a little girl—in his arms. “The twins are begging us to build an obstacle course in the backyard.”
Adelyn, dressed in a frilly pink dress that matched the bow in her hair, cupped her daddy’s face between her chubby hands. “I want ninja, too.”
“See what I mean?” Prim shook her head. “They’re all ninja crazy.”
“Mommy and I are thinking about it,” Max told Adelyn.
Charlotte’s heart gave a ping as she watched Max stroke his daughter’s strawberry-blonde curls. It seemed incredible that the man she’d lusted after the last time she’d been in town was now a father of three.
In fact, the table where they sat overflowed with moms and dads, most of them younger than her and Adam. A tightness filled Charlotte’s chest.
In her mind, deciding to have a baby on her own had made perfect sense. She was a woman capable of providing for herself and child. She was willing to make the sacrifices necessary.
There was only one thing she’d overlooked. She hadn’t considered all her child might miss out on by not having a father in his or her life.
Probably because most of the women she knew in California had ex-husbands who were more of a pain than a help. Men who had—at least from what her friends said—little interest in parenting.
It was a different story in Good Hope. At least for those at this table. Both parents were actively involved in the lives of their children.
Charlotte smiled as she watched little Adelyn rest on her dad’s lap, her head against his chest. And at Cade, who the second he’d returned to the table and set down his plate had moved to take Caleb from Adam.
“Hey.” Adam lifted his arms, his tone teasing. “I was just getting used to the feel of him.”
“You’re just going to have to get busy and have one of your own,” Marigold shot back, but then pointed to Charlotte. “Not with her. I need my business partner fully focused.”
Charlotte forced a laugh. “Fully focused is my middle name.”
Everyone laughed. When Adam’s gaze met hers, Charlotte offered a bright smile. Their baby news would eventually come out, but not tonight.
No, not tonight.
Chapter Fifteen
Charlotte and Adam, along with most of the other guests, flooded the temporary hardwood floor as soon as the obligatory dances were over. Colorful Chinese lanterns hanging overhead added to the festive atmosphere. The band, a group out of Milwaukee, kept the crowd moving.
When the talk at the table had turned again to children, Charlotte had been relieved when Adam suggested they dance. All the sitting and talk of kids had succeeded only in bringing Charlotte’s doubts to the surface.
Would she be a good mother? Could she handle a demanding career and a new baby? Did a child really need a father?
Charlotte glanced over to where the bride danced with her new husband.
“Bea looks so happy.” Charlotte had never seen the bookstore owner looking so, well, joyous.
Of course, she hadn’t spent much time around Bea. She knew her superficially, well enough to say hello when passing her on the street.
The truth was, Charlotte didn’t spend much time in bookstores. From what she’d heard, before Bea started dating Clay, she’d spent most of her time in a bookstore.
That establishment, Book & Cup, would soon be moving in next to Piper’s shop, Swoon, on Wrigley Road.
“It’s definitely a love match.” Adam’s arms remained comfortably around Charlotte as they slow-danced to a romantic melody. “Gladys will say she brought them together, but I heard she initially tried to match Clay with Brittany.”
“Bea’s twin?”
“Yep.” Adam glanced toward where Brittany stood laughing with Piper. “That would have been a disaster.”
Charlotte perked up. This conversation was veering into interesting territory. “Why?”
“Brittany grew up here, but left. She’s lived in larger cities ever since.” Adam’s gaze grew thoughtful. “She does something with social media, but I’m not quite sure what.”
“Why did that make her a bad match for Clay?”
“He likes living here.”
“Maybe if she loved him enough, she’d be willing to stay.” Even as she said the words, Charlotte felt a surge of irritation. Why was the woman always expected to be the one to bend? “Or, if he loved her enough, he’d be willing to move.”
Adam nodded. “Good points.”
“Gladys must have had some reason for thinking Brittany and Clay would be a good fit.”
“They’re both outgoing and enjoy socializing.” Adam glanced at the newlyweds. Bea’s head now rested on her husband’s shoulder. “Bea is more of a homebody. An introvert.”
“So, on the surface, Clay and Bea don’t appear to fit, but deep down, they do.”
“I’ve seen the two of them together for the past several months. They’re a good match.” The smile that had lifted Adam’s lips seconds before faded. “Pairing two people who are so different doesn’t always end happily.”
Charlotte studied the man whose face was mere inches from hers.
“A child can get caught in the middle in such a household.” She put out the statement and let it lie.
“My mom and Stan are a prime example.” Adam’s eyes took on a glow, and she could see he was looking back. “They thought they could bridge their differences. They couldn’t.”
Charlotte made an encouraging noise.
“My mom tried her best, but she wasn’t at all reliable. I loved her anyway. And I loved Stan. But even as a kid, I never understood the two of them together. Talk about a total mismatch.” He gave a little laugh, and sadness crept into his eyes. “They might have loved each other once, but that love wasn’t enough to save their marriage.”
The fact he’d brought up their struggles told her their lack of compatibility had had a profound effect on him.
“You experienced firsthand what it’s like when two people who are very different marry.” She kept her voice casual and offhand.
“I used to feel bad for Stan. I now believe him when he says he wouldn’t change a thing. That, in the end, he got the grand prize.”
Confused, she frowned.
Adam flashed a grin. “He got me as his son.”
Adam wondered as he da
nced with Charlotte how having her in his arms could feel so right. Though it’d be nice for their child if he and Charlotte loved each other, all the talking they’d done this evening had confirmed that being friends needed to be the goal.
“The night is off to a most excellent start,” he said.
She cocked her head, the lights glittering on her blonde hair turning the strands to spun gold.
“On building a friendship.” Adam took her arm as the band announced a fifteen-minute break. “I like being around you, Charlotte. I like learning more about you.”
“It’s interesting you say that.” She lifted two glasses of sparkling cider, keeping one flute for herself and handing the other to him.
Adam offered an encouraging smile.
“I never thought a child having a dad was a big deal. I mean, my dad was barely aware I existed as a kid. And you didn’t have a dad—”
“I have a dad. Stan is my father in every sense of the word.”
Charlotte held up a hand. “I understand that.” She kept her tone matter-of-fact. “I meant before Stan. Do you think you missed out by not having your dad around in the beginning? Do you think your life would have been better if he’d been there?”
Adam hesitated. When she only continued to gaze at him expectantly, he blew out a breath. “I can’t really say for sure. As a small boy, it hurt to know my birth father wanted nothing to do with me. Wasn’t I smart enough? Athletic enough? Those kinds of thoughts tortured me. It took me a long time to realize the lack was in him, not me.”
Her heart swelled as she thought of a little boy wondering what he’d done wrong.
Adam cleared his throat. “As for whether or not my life would have been better…well, I’m not sure I can say. I mean, if my birth father had been around, my mom might never have gotten together with Stan, and I can’t imagine a life that’s better than one with Stan in it. That may be why I’ve been pushing you so hard to let me be involved. I don’t want to just be a dad. I want to be a great dad. I want to be a Stan.”
