Best Man for the Wedding Planner

by Donna Alward

  The receptionist was sweet as pie and had called Dan. Adele couldn’t think about sitting in one of the reception chairs, so she stood, knees weak, breath short, unsure of how this could work, but knowing she had to try. Harper had been right. It was time for her to fight for the life she wanted and stop running from it.

  He turned the corner. Stopped. Met her eyes, and her lip started trembling.

  And then he was striding toward her, big, purposeful steps, and she was lunging forward, too, until he caught her in a bear hug and held her tight.

  Her first feeling was that of relief. Then hope. And then...coming home.

  The receptionist discreetly cleared her throat.

  Dan pressed a kiss to her hair and stepped back, his face pink as he turned to the woman behind the desk. “Sorry about that, Kirsten. Long story.”

  She merely smiled warmly. “And one with a happy ending, it looks like. I just thought you might like to, uh, speak in your office.”

  A quick glance showed at least four pairs of eyes watching while trying to appear as if they weren’t.

  “Good idea.” Dan took Adele’s hand, and had only tugged her a step when he stopped again. “Adele, this is Kirsten. Kirsten, Adele.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Adele stammered, heat rising in her cheeks.

  “Likewise. And I love your boots.”

  Adele laughed, a sound that was more incredulous than anything, and choked out a “thank you” as Dan tugged her hand again and led her to a small office on the left and shut the door behind him.

  He dropped her hand and met her gaze, and all her fears rushed back and the words she searched for dashed away again.

  “You came,” he said quietly.

  “I had to see you. To tell you...” To tell him what? Everything, her brain answered, but she had to put those thoughts into complete sentences.

  He just waited. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears. Dan touched her forearm and said, “You look beautiful today.”

  Beautiful. Right. She took a shaky breath. “I dressed up.” Because today was important, and on important days, a person dressed for the occasion.

  “Do you want me to take your coat?” He hesitated a beat, and then asked earnestly, “Are you staying long enough for that?”

  She nodded briefly, and started undoing buttons. The panels fell open and she unwound the scarf around her neck. “Thank you.”

  “No problem.” He helped her take it off and draped it over a nearby credenza. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  “You are?” Oh, that was a good sign, right?

  “I am. In case my hug out there left you with any doubts.” And a smile ticked up one corner of his mouth, and she relaxed a few degrees.

  “Harper told me I was an idiot. And that I should fight for you.” No preamble. Just flat-out truth. She didn’t know how else to do this.

  His eyes widened. “I see.”

  He wasn’t going to make this easy for her, but maybe it shouldn’t be. Maybe it was time to really let him see everything. She wasn’t good at making herself vulnerable, and she really wasn’t good at leaving things to chance. But if the alternative was losing him forever, again, she knew she had to do something differently.

  “Dan?”

  “What, Delly?”

  “I’m an idiot, and I’ve come here to fight for you, and to tell you that I’ll do what it takes to make this work. I don’t have the answers, and I’m scared to death, but I’m here.”

  Her insides trembled, but Dan put a reassuring hand along the side of her face and smiled at her tenderly. “Oh, sweetheart,” he said softly, “I was about to drive to Banff and tell you exactly the same thing.”

  Relief slammed into her. “You were?”

  He nodded, his eyes warm on hers. “Yes. The first time, I let you walk away, and this time, I did the walking. But now I want to fight for us. I love you, Delly. I love you so much, I haven’t been able to think straight ever since I arrived at the Cascade and you walked into the lobby with Holly.”

  She moved into his arms again, this time the hug less fevered and more measured and with a sense of comfort and rightness that had been missing for eight long years.

  “Oh, thank God. I love you, too,” she whispered, breathing in his scent, memorizing the feel of him, all broad shoulders and chest and strong arms as he held her close. “I was so scared you were done with us. We wasted so much time.”

  He shook his head. “No, we didn’t. And you know why? Because I think this is exactly where we’re supposed to be. Maybe we wouldn’t have made it if we’d tried when we were younger. All I know is we’re here now. And we’re going to figure this out.”

  Adele finally stepped back. “I have so many things I need to say. Things I need to ask.”

  “Then why don’t we sit down? Or do you want to go somewhere else?”

  She shook her head. What she wanted to say needed to be said now, before she lost her nerve. “This is fine. I mean...it doesn’t matter where I am, as long as we’re together and talking, you know?”

  He pulled two chairs over and they sat knee-to-knee.

  “Is not having kids a deal breaker for you?”

  “No.”

  She was surprised at his immediate and blunt answer. “But, Dan, I know you always wanted children.”

  “Yes, but it’s not a deal breaker. Because I love you, Del. And because, if we don’t have children, it’ll be fine. I’ve thought about it since you told me, and if we do decide we want to, we can look at options. But please, realize that you’re not denying me anything.”

  Her pulse quickened. He’d said “if we don’t have children” and “if we do decide to,” which meant he was talking about the future. Their future.

  “And the trust thing... Dan, I never wanted to leave you. I know it’s hard for you to trust I won’t leave again, but I’ll do everything I can to show you I’m in it for good. It’ll take time and...and...”

  She paused, because this was the hard part, the bit she’d struggled over for the last few days. “And if it makes things easier, I can move the business. I can try to move my clients to someone new so they don’t lose any of their bookings, and reopen somewhere else to protect my credit rating. I hate to put it in such cold business terms, but I love what I do. I can do it somewhere else, but I don’t want to give it up.”

  Dan shook his head, squeezing her hand. “No, it’s not cold at all. It’s responsible, and I wouldn’t want you to give it up. I love that you aren’t just thinking about yourself but want to take care of your clients. Which brings me to something I want to say, Del.”

  “Oh.”

  He twined his fingers with hers. “I don’t want you to move the business. The truth is, I’ve realized that my success was built on a habit of avoidance. I worked long hours, climbed the ladder, but inside, in here...” He pointed to his chest. “In here, I was empty. From the outside, it looked like I had it all. But I didn’t. Not even close. I had this great position and I didn’t have you, and one couldn’t make up for the other. I don’t want you to move. I want to make a change. I’ve been thinking about it all day, and I just got off the phone with the board of directors. Our branch manager here just resigned. They need someone to take over the Calgary operations and I want to be the one to do it.”

  Her head swam with what he’d just said. He’d be living only an hour away if he took this job. And she wasn’t naive; she knew that going from CFO to a branch management position was a step backward. He was willing to do that for her? Hope soared in her chest.

  “You’re sure you don’t want to look for something bigger, here? There’s got to be a lot of opportunity. You shouldn’t throw away all you’ve accomplished, Dan. We can work something out, I promise.”

  But he shook his head. “I have loved being in this office, and being a part of building som
ething new, and seeing the teamwork in place. It’s exciting. And it’s not like there won’t be future growth. The market for clean energy sources is only going to go up with new innovations. I can be a part of that in real time, not just from a high-rise in Toronto. It’s not a demotion, Del. More of a lateral move. I’d be VP of Western Operations. I’d oversee this office, as well as Edmonton, the one opening in BC and any future branches.”

  “You really want to do this.”

  “I do. And it means you can stay where you are, and we can be together, and I can love you all the time.”

  Her lip wobbled again. “I’m sorry I kept pushing you away. I was so scared. You were right about the reality thing. I’ve always been so afraid to hope. To...dream. The closest I ever got was putting together all these weddings for strangers, you know? But Harper made me see that I deserve a happy ending, too. And maybe it won’t be perfect, but we’ll be together, and that’s all that matters.”

  “Come here,” he said, and pulled on her fingers. “Sit on my lap. I need you closer.”

  She did as he asked, even though the chair was awkward. Still, he wrapped his arms around her and put his forehead on her shoulder. “God, I’m so glad you’re here. That you changed your mind.”

  “Me too,” she whispered, closing her eyes. “I love you, Dan. And I’m so tired of letting fear hold me back.”

  “Then let’s not,” he said, leaning back and looking up into her face. “Let’s do it up right and stop wasting time. Marry me, Delly. I can tie up loose ends at home and come back. You can plan our wedding instead of someone else’s, and I can commute for a while until we decide if we want to live somewhere else.”

  “Maybe Canmore,” she said, feeling a spark of excitement. “Or Springbank. Somewhere we can both travel easily...”

  “Whatever. I don’t care, as long as you’re there.”

  “Me either.”

  “Is that a yes? Will you marry me? Finally?”

  She’d been a planner all her life. She’d played the cards she was dealt, rather than taking a gamble. But it had all led to this moment, a make-or-break moment, and there was no way she was going to let it slip through her fingers again.

  “That’s a yes.”

  He stood up so fast that he nearly dumped her off his lap, but caught her again and pulled her in for a jubilant kiss.

  “I love you. I’m gonna say it until you get sick of it, you hear me?”

  Adele closed her eyes and held him close. Walking away from him had been her biggest mistake, and she was blessed to have a second chance.

  “I’m never gonna get sick of it,” she said, and he picked her up and swung her around while she laughed from sheer joy.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  THE VOWS HAD been said, the champagne drunk and the cake cut. While it wasn’t as grand a wedding as most, Adele looked out from the balcony of the Fiori Cascade and sighed a happy sigh. A chinook had formed, and the west wind had made the late March day unseasonably warm, with a scent of spring in the air. The mountains still held their cap of white and would for another month or two. All in all, it had been a magical day, and one of the fastest weddings she’d ever put together.

  “What are you thinking, Mrs. Brimicombe?” Dan came up beside her and put his hand on her waist.

  “I’m thinking that I’m the luckiest woman in the world.”

  “Funny.” He gave her waist a squeeze. “I was thinking the same thing.”

  “That you’re the luckiest woman in the world? Interesting.”

  He laughed, and she delighted in the sound. There was nothing she enjoyed more than teasing him.

  “It’s been a good day.”

  “Yes,” she said, “it has.”

  Dan’s entire family had flown out for the wedding, and so had Adele’s mother, to Adele’s great surprise. They’d had a small ceremony with family and a few friends, including Harper, who’d passed her photo duties on to another photographer and instead stood as Adele’s maid of honor.

  They hadn’t wanted anything elaborate, though the setting was gorgeous enough. The people that meant the most to them, some champagne and a full-on high tea for the guests, ending with wedding cake with Adele’s favorite buttercream filling. Tonight they’d stay in the honeymoon suite. Tomorrow they’d fly first to Vancouver, and then to Hawaii for a short but lovely six-day honeymoon.

  Everyone was still mingling, and the jazz band they’d hired remained in the salon. Harper stepped out on the balcony, stunning in a dress of pale blue silk. “I thought I might find you two out here.”

  “And so we are.”

  “I missed taking your pictures today. But I’m more honored to stand with you.”

  Adele gave her a hug. “Thank you. If it weren’t for your tough love, I doubt we’d be standing here. I wouldn’t have wanted anyone else.”

  “And Drew can’t take his eyes off you,” Dan added, grinning at her. His brother was best man, and he hadn’t seemed at all upset at being paired with Harper for the trip down the aisle.

  Harper laughed. “Your brother is a charmer and a flirt. I see right through him. Anyway, I’m glad I caught you out here, because I want to give you your wedding present.”

  She reached into her jeweled clutch purse and took out a blue envelope.

  “Harper, you didn’t need to do this. You’ve done so much already.”

  There was something in Harper’s eyes that told Adele that this was no ordinary gift, though, and so she reached for the card and opened it.

  Inside was a card with a pen-and-ink sketch on the front. Adele wrinkled her brow in confusion. The sketch was of a woman who resembled Adele, and a man—Dan, of course. But in Adele’s arms was a bundle that looked oddly like a baby.

  She lifted confused eyes to her friend.

  “This is an offer from me to you, and you’re under no obligation to accept, of course. I want to help you have a baby.”

  Adele reached for Dan’s hand. “I need to sit down.”

  They made their way to a wood-and-iron bench and sat, Dan holding Adele’s hand while Harper sat on her other side.

  “I don’t understand,” Dan said.

  “It’s like this. I love Adele, and she loves you, and I know the two of you would make wonderful parents. And so I’m offering to help you...by being your surrogate.”

  Adele’s heart nearly stopped. “But Harper. That’s... Do people really do that?”

  “Sometimes.” Harper smiled softly. “I’m healthy, Adele. And I’m seriously not using my uterus right now or for the foreseeable future. I’d like to do this for you both.”

  “I don’t know what to say.” Indeed, she didn’t. This was a huge thing Harper was offering. So huge, she wasn’t sure she could even consider it. “It’s nine months of... Oh, Harper.”

  Tears stung the backs of her eyes. Her feelings were so overwhelming. Incredulity, hope, joy, fear.

  Harper put a hand on Adele’s back and rubbed gently. “If it’s me, you can be involved every step of the way. You can go to doctor appointments with me, and hear the heartbeat, and feel the baby kick, and you can go to childbirth classes and be my coach. You wouldn’t get to do those things if you had a different surrogate, or if you adopted. It’s the one thing that you want most in the world, Adele. Let me help you.”

  Adele looked over at Dan. He was trying valiantly not to cry and not succeeding very well.

  “I don’t know what to say,” he murmured, his voice catching. “This is so unexpected. So selfless, Harper. God...”

  Adele pulled herself together. “We need to think about it, and talk about what it would mean for us. But, Harper, you are the best of friends. My sister from another mister. That you offered means so much.”

  They hugged and Harper cleared her throat a little as emotion overwhelmed. “Listen, you don’t want to go in there
with puffy faces and red eyes. Your photographer can only retouch so much.”

  They laughed and the mood lightened as they rose from the bench. Adele reached over and gave Harper’s hand a squeeze. “We’ll talk it over. Promise.”

  Harper nodded. “And we can do some research together, if you like. Okay?”

  Adele nodded, and Harper slipped away, leaving her alone with Dan.

  “That... Adele. Your friend is one in a million.”

  “I never imagined she’d offer something like that. I mean, once you and I were together, I told her a lot about what it had been like. My illness, and my feelings about not having kids. But I never expected she’d offer to carry a child for us.”

  Dan pulled her into a hug and kissed her hair, and then set her back again and met her gaze once more. “Just so you know, Mrs. Brimicombe, if this doesn’t happen, it’s okay. We have each other and that’s enough. I love you. My dreams already came true today.”

  “Oh, Dan.” Her smile wobbled. “Mine, too.”

  “But...”

  “But...”

  With possibilities echoing in their minds, they entered the ballroom together, to start their life as a family.

  * * *

  Look out for the next story in the Marrying a Millionaire duet

  Coming soon!

  And if you enjoyed this story, check out these other great reads from Donna Alward

  The Cowboy’s Convenient Bride

  The Cowboy’s Christmas Family

  The Cowboy’s Homecoming

  Hired: The Italian’s Bride

  All available now!

  Keep reading for an excerpt from His Pregnant Christmas Princess by Leah Ashton.

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