Bayside's Most Unexpected Bride

by Kerri Carpenter

  “There’s more,” Carissa said, drawing Riley and Elle’s attention. “A lot more.”

  Riley immediately let her gaze drop to Carissa’s ring finger. The all-important finger was empty of a ring.

  “What’s going on?” Riley asked.

  “Well, um, I went to the doctor yesterday.”

  Elle’s face washed of color. Her father had dealt with bladder cancer recently and Elle was particularly sensitive to talk of doctors. “You weren’t feeling well a couple days ago. I remember. You had to run out of our brunch when you got sick.”

  “Right,” Carissa said.

  Elle grabbed one of Carissa’s hands. Riley took the other.

  “Are you okay?” Riley asked, her pulse skyrocketing.

  “Well, turns out I’m...pregnant.”

  A long moment of astonished silence passed between them. Riley didn’t know who started it, but then all three of them were screaming and hugging.

  “Ohmigod, ohmigod, ohmigod. How did this happen?” Riley asked. “I mean, I know how it happens.”

  Carissa laughed. “We’ve always been so careful. Except, well, this one time.”

  Elle hugged Carissa again. “And one time is all it takes. Congratulations.”

  “Thank you. I wasn’t going to tell anyone yet, but I just couldn’t keep it from you two. So mum’s the word until I say. Especially from the men.”

  They agreed and hugged some more.

  “Speaking of men,” Carissa began as she pinned Riley with a knowing glare.

  Uh-oh. She had a feeling what was coming even though they weren’t talking about men. “Don’t start, Car,” Riley begged.

  “I’m just saying. When was the last time you went on a date?”

  Riley shook her head. “I’m focusing on my career right now.” Which was a total lie. Elle saw through it immediately.

  “You were just saying the other day how you could do your job with your eyes closed.” Elle wagged a finger at her. “I know for a fact that Jason Wellington asked you out last week and you blew him off. What gives?”

  Riley opened her mouth to answer, but the words caught in her throat as she noticed Sawyer walk into the tent. Her mouth went dry at the sight of him in his tux, which was stupid really because she’d seen him in a tuxedo before. Many times. She supposed it had to do with the fact that he usually wore jeans and... Wow, he’d shaved today instead of leaving his face all scruffy. Although, normally, his scruff was appealing too.

  What was she doing? What was she thinking? This was Sawyer. She’d known him her whole life. She couldn’t get all swoony over him. Only he’d just noticed her, too. He grinned and she felt like someone had punched her in the stomach.

  He started to walk toward her and once again her friends faded away. Her knees actually went weak like she was one of the characters in those Hallmark Channel movies she loved so much.

  Only this wasn’t a movie. The way her heart started racing was very, very real.

  * * *

  Riley always looked amazing. But tonight? For an editor, a man who dealt with every aspect of a newspaper every single day, he had no words.

  At first, he’d thought the green dress was a bit demure for her. Then she’d turned around—the back of it was close to nonexistent. It dipped low, almost to her shapely behind.

  Again he chastised himself. He wasn’t supposed to be thinking about her behind. Or her front. He shook his head. Or any side of her. Except the friend side. They’d practically grown up as siblings. No, that wasn’t quite right.

  He should stop walking toward her, yet he couldn’t. He noticed she wore dangly earrings that sparkled so brightly they practically lit up the whole tent on their own. Very Riley-esque. Because when he thought about her, he thought about a bright light.

  When he reached her, she smiled, but otherwise stayed silent. He turned to Elle and Carissa, who were both wearing the oddest expressions. They exchanged mysterious looks with one another.

  “Congrats again, Elle,” he offered. “I’m thrilled for you and Cam.”

  “Thanks, Sawyer. Have you said hi to Cam yet?”

  “Uh, no, I just got here.”

  “And came right over to us,” Carissa said. Then she exchanged a second look with Elle, who bit down on her lip like she was trying to keep from laughing.

  Women were enigmatic to him sometimes.

  “Well, I really must find my fiancé,” Elle said.

  Carissa jumped slightly. “Yes, and I need to find Jasper and check with my assistant. Save the Day catered tonight’s soiree, so I expect you all to make copious yummy noises throughout the party.”

  Sawyer laughed as Elle and Carissa said their goodbyes and disappeared into the crowd. He turned to Riley.

  “Hey,” he said lamely.

  “Hey you,” she replied. “You look...” She trailed off and tilted her head. Then she reached forward and fiddled with his tie. “There. It was crooked.”

  “Thanks.” The word lingered on his lips the same way her hand lingered on his chest. He could smell her perfume. He didn’t know what it was, but it smelled amazing, like flowers dipped in more flowers.

  “Quite the dress, Ri,” he said when she finally took a step back. “You should consider yourself lucky that your dad is out of town or he would have thrown his coat over you and hauled you out of here.”

  She waved him away. “Oh, please. It’s not that bad.”

  To prove her point, she did a little spin. His mouth went dry at seeing all that silky skin up close. Not to mention he couldn’t help but realize she couldn’t wear a bra. Suddenly his tie felt incredibly restrictive.

  He tried to make light of the situation. “If I remember correctly, you always did give your parents a run for their money with your various fashion choices.”

  Again she waved her hand. “Experimenting with outfits and accessories is part of finding yourself.”

  “And I imagine all those times you came home late from dates was also some sort of experimenting? Now that I think about it, you were a bit of a wild child, Riley Hudson.”

  “Hardly. I think I was a fairly normal teenager. And anyway, easy for you to say. You’ve always been Mr. Dependable, son of the year.”

  He didn’t have to see himself in a mirror to know his face fell. “Not always, Ri.”

  Sawyer really didn’t know why he was goading her. He’d been called into the principal’s office more than he should ever admit. Wasn’t his fault he’d had a penchant for pranks.

  Of course, that was all child’s play compared to his antics after he’d graduated from college. He’d been in love and like many young people in love, he’d made Rachel his whole life.

  Unfortunately, it had taken him a couple years to realize that Rachel wasn’t the right fit. In fact, some might call them polar opposites.

  But he’d been besotted with her so he’d moved away from home. Shunned Bayside, if he was being honest, which he hated being because then he had to admit that he’d been selfish.

  He’d turned his back on his family, on his town and on the Bugle.

  “How long are you going to beat yourself up for that?” Riley asked gently, kindly.

  Sawyer shrugged. He’d put his parents through hell. Just another reason why the Bugle couldn’t fail now. He would make sure of it.

  Riley stepped closer. “You know, everyone has at least one bad relationship under their belt.”

  Something crossed her face. He wanted to jump on it and ask her what caused those shadows to appear, but she beat him to it.

  “Heck, most people have multiple crappy relationships. You and Rachel lived in DC for a hot minute. And you came to your senses and moved back.”

  “I don’t want to talk about Rachel.”

  “That’s fine. What do you want to talk about?”

 
“How about you?”

  She rolled her eyes.

  “You look beautiful tonight.”

  He didn’t know why he’d said that. It just slipped out. Her eyes widened in surprise. Had he never told her how gorgeous she was before? Riley was an insanely appealing woman who lit up any room she entered. Somehow she had the ability to be both the girl next door and the fantasy.

  He didn’t know when she’d reached that status. She’d been a cute kid. Freckles and pigtails and skinned knees. She’d been kind of an annoying preteen, always following him around at family functions. Maybe the change had occurred during high school, or college, when he was away too often to take note? Who the hell knew.

  Right now, he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

  “Oh,” she said to his comment. She scrunched up her nose, something he often saw her do at work.

  Sawyer never danced at these events. Ever. So he was more shocked than anyone when he blurted out, “Dance with me.”

  Riley couldn’t contain her surprise at the statement, either. Her green eyes widened. “Are you serious? You can’t dance.”

  “I can.” He reached for her hand. Her skin was so soft, so smooth. Like silk. “I just choose not to most of the time.” He led her to the dance floor.

  “What makes tonight the exception?” she asked, her voice husky.

  You. But he couldn’t say that. Shouldn’t say that. This was Riley, after all. Riley Hudson. Lifelong friend. Close family acquaintance. Employee. Gorgeous redhead who managed to sneak into his thoughts more than he’d like to admit.

  “Tonight is a celebration,” he said instead. He could tell she had another question, so he drew her to him, pressing one hand to her back and the other wrapped around her tiny, delicate hand.

  And then all questions stopped. In fact, all talking ceased. While he was sure there was music playing, he didn’t seem to hear it. Because being this close to Riley, inhaling her sweet perfume, taking in her tempting red lips, took over all his senses. It was like he didn’t have room to notice anything else.

  It should have been weird. Or awkward, at least. But for the first time, he wasn’t thinking of her as his oldest friend or the kid he’d grown up with. She was an adult now and his body was taking notice.

  He drew her closer. Her body felt good up against his. His hand traveled over the exposed skin of her back. He could feel her breath tickling his neck as she moved closer to him.

  He had no idea how long they danced, Riley in his arms as they swayed to a song. Two songs? More than two songs?

  Sawyer would have remained just like that forever but Jasper Dumont appeared at his side.

  “Sorry to interrupt, guys.”

  Riley jumped back, a deer-in-headlights expression on her face. She gave Sawyer a long once-over before mumbling something and quickly making her way off the dance floor.

  “Riley, wait,” he called. Shoot. What had just happened? Seriously, what the hell had just freaking happened between them?

  “Sorry, dude,” Jasper said, a sheepish expression on his face. “I didn’t mean to...” He gestured between Sawyer and Riley’s retreating back.

  “No, don’t worry about it. We were just dancing.”

  Jasper’s eyebrow quirked as the two of them made their way toward one of the bars. “Just dancing, huh? Trust me, I know all about just dancing. Well, I am sorry, but I interrupted for good reason. There’s someone here who really wants to meet you.” He turned to the man next to him. “This is—”

  “Dan Melwood.”

  Sawyer accepted the handshake from the tall man with dark hair, just beginning to gray at the temples.

  “Dan was born in New York but he lived in Bayside during his high school years,” Jasper said. “He left years ago and is an entrepreneur who is considering adding to our local economy. Dan, this is—”

  “Sawyer Wallace,” Dan once again jumped in. “Publisher of the Bayside Bugle.”

  Sawyer raised a brow. “Publisher, editor in chief, reporter, head of ad sales, you name it. Life at a small-town newspaper.”

  Jasper left them to talk. Sawyer and Dan grabbed drinks at the bar and moved to a quiet corner. Dan was in his fifties, only a little younger than Sawyer’s parents. As Jasper had informed him, Dan graduated from Bayside High, went off to college and business school, and then spent the next couple of decades building his businesses. He dabbled in real estate and construction. He explained to Sawyer that occasionally he invested in struggling companies, helping them improve their processes so they could turn a profit. Sounded like he’d helped out quite a few restaurants and commercial businesses in the state.

  Now he was interested in Bayside. Particularly in the Bugle. He seemed to know a lot about newspapers, as if he’d done his research. Sawyer was impressed.

  “I have to admit that I’m intrigued by this Bayside Blogger you have in the Style and Entertainment section.”

  Sawyer fought an urge that was somewhere between pride for Riley and protectiveness over her. “The Bayside Blogger is certainly our most popular column.” He offered a small chuckle.

  “And your most enigmatic.”

  Dan’s smile faltered. Just slightly and only for a fraction of a second. But it was long enough for Sawyer to note.

  “The blogger is definitely mysterious.”

  “And not always accurate.”

  Sawyer took a step back. “Actually, the one rule I’ve made with the blogger is that every article, every tidbit of gossip has to be true.”

  “That’s interesting,” Dan said, rubbing a hand along his jaw. “She happened to write about me last summer.”

  Sawyer racked his brain and then remembered. “Oh, yes,” he said, choking slightly on bourbon. “I vaguely recall the piece. Maybe that’s why your name is so familiar.”

  “I was back here visiting for a month or so. I can assure you what she wrote was not true.”

  He couldn’t remember exactly what Riley had written, but he made a mental note to go back through the archives when he left tonight. Sawyer prided himself on journalistic integrity. It was the number-one thing he required of all his reporters. “I apologize if that’s true. I will certainly speak with the blogger and we’ll print a correction if it turns out we were wrong.”

  Dan’s face paled slightly. “Don’t worry about that. Anyway, I won’t leave you in suspense any longer. There’s a reason I wanted to meet you tonight and talk about the paper.”

  Sawyer perked up and put his empty drink on a nearby table.

  “I know it’s hard times for print publications,” Dan said.

  Not what Sawyer had been expecting to hear. It was also a subject that he went out of his way to avoid. He had so much to figure out in the next couple of months. No matter what, he had to save his family’s legacy.

  Dan leaned closer. “Quite frankly, I can’t believe you’ve lasted this long.”

  “A lot of new businesses have been flooding the area. That’s helped,” Sawyer explained. “Our online edition is going strong and we’re utilizing our new app, and social media, of course.”

  “All good things. And I’d like to discuss this more in depth because I want to make a proposal.”

  Sawyer was all ears.

  “I suggest that I come on board as a partner for the Bugle. I can offer you financial support, and maybe together we can figure out a way to save the newspaper.”

  Sawyer wanted to jump for joy, but he spotted his father across the dance floor. His head was tilted toward his mother’s ear and, whatever he was saying, his mom was laughing hysterically.

  Every single person in the Wallace family who had touched the Bugle had left an indelible mark on it. His father, in particular, had really done his best to keep the paper afloat. He’d been the one to go digital, long before most small-town newspapers looked to the internet.


  Legacy firmly in mind, he refocused on Dan. “That’s quite an offer. But, as I’m sure you know, the Bugle is a family-run business. It’s been in the Wallace family since its launch issue.”

  “I realize that. In fact, I heard you’re celebrating the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary this year. Quite a milestone. But, as I told you, I have made my fortune on turning around failing businesses.”

  “Do you have any experience in media?”

  Dan’s head bounced from side to side as he considered. “Some, but print media is a bit of a passion project for me.” He swirled the amber liquid that was in his glass. “I already have some numbers put together for you. Why don’t I revise them a bit? We can discuss investor options or even silent partnership.”

  Sawyer didn’t know what to say. This was more than he could have asked for. “I’m overwhelmed,” Sawyer admitted easily.

  “There’s only one thing I’d like in return.”

  At that moment, he heard Riley’s laugh from the bar where she was talking to Jasper and Carissa. She threw her head back, exposing her long neck. She had the most beautiful laugh.

  “What do you think?”

  Embarrassed that he’d tuned out this possible Bayside Bugle savior, Sawyer struggled to refocus and get his mind off of Riley’s...everything. “I’m sorry. I didn’t quite catch that.” He indicated the speakers, hoping Dan would think he hadn’t heard over the noise.

  Dan clapped a hand on his arm. “If I’m going to become involved in the Bugle, I want to be involved in every area.”

  Made sense to Sawyer. Who wouldn’t want to know where their money was going?

  “Meaning,” Dan continued, “that I would want to know about every nook and cranny. Every secret. In particular, I will need to know the identity of the Bayside Blogger.”

  Sawyer froze just as Riley caught his gaze. She smiled at him.

  Well, damn.

  Chapter Three

  Happy Tgiving! Hope all my gossip birdies are enjoying their family time. I know at least one person who will be eating her pumpkin pie alone. Poor little Riley Hudson has no one to watch the Macy’s parade with since her parents swapped turkey day for a tropical cruise this year!